March 2020 The Reporter
National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week April 12 – 18, 2020
The 911 Dispatchers of Seekonk are considered public safety telecommunicators. Every year during the second week of April, telecommunications personnel in the public safety community are honored. This is a week-long event to celebrate and thank those who dedicate their lives to serving the public. They are largely unseen, but are every bit as vital to the safety of the public and responders. Often working long hours, late nights, holiday, and weekends they are occasionally overlooked for all that they do. These telecommunicators are not sworn personnel, but civilians and work alongside firefighters and police officers. This department dispatches police, fire, and emergency medical services while also answering 911 and all non-emergency business lines. The telecommunicators handle thousands of calls for service each year, maintain several certifications, and maintain 24-hour coverage. The communications center is staffed with two personnel at all times and is operational 365 days a year. These men and women serve as the first point of contact for citizens and are the link which connects the community to public safety services. Please take a moment to recognize the efforts of these selfless individuals and the years of service they have provided to the town of Seekonk. Ronald Rickey – 19 years of service Roberto Costa – 13 years of service Katherine Cardoza – 12 years of service Jodi Pacheco – 10 years of service Nicholas Rondeau – 8 years of service Melissa Zasowksi – 5 years of service Thomas Desserres – 4 years of service Taylor Cordeiro – 1 year of service
Local Grants Awarded for Seekonk
Representative Steven Howitt and the Seekonk Cultural Council have announced the award of fifteen grants totaling $7409 for cultural programs in Seekonk. A complete list of 2020 recipients and grant amounts can be found below. Previous grant recipients include “Creating a Mosaic Mandala,” “Big Nazo Performance and Sculpture Workshop,” and “Walking the Graveyard! Touring Seekonk’s Cemeteries.” The Seekonk Cultural Council is part of a network of 329 Local Cultural Councils serving all 351 cities and towns in the Commonwealth. The LCC Program is the largest grassroots cultural funding network in the nation, supporting thousands of community-based projects in the arts, sciences, and humanities every year. The State legislature provides an annual appropriation to the Mass Cultural Council, a state agency, which then allocates funds to each community. Decisions about which activities to support are made at the community level by a board of municipally appointed volunteers. The members of the Seekonk Cultural Council are: Deborah Baldizar, William Clark, Patti Dalton, Christine DeCesare, Alex Dunwoodie, Stuart Montgomery, Tim Tolman, and Wendy Wagner. “In August 2019,” said Representative Steven Howitt (R Seekonk) “I encouraged applications for this important cultural council resource - its grants. There were applications for exhibits, festivals, field trips, short-term artist residencies, performances in schools, workshops, lectures, and more. I am happy today to join with the Seekonk Cultural Council in congratulating the 2020 grant recipients. Their contributions enrich our community and we thank them for their creativity, talents, and efforts.” Statewide, more than $3.3 million will be distributed by local cultural councils in 2019. Grants will support an enormous range of grass-roots activities: concerts, exhibitions, radio and video
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productions, field trips for schoolchildren, after-school youth programs, writing workshops, historical preservation efforts, lectures, First Night celebrations, nature and science education programs for families and town festivals. Nearly half of LCC funds support educational activities for young people. The Seekonk Cultural Council will seek applications again in the fall. For guidelines and complete information contact Bill Clark at 508-761-6482, email: brotherb2@comcast.net. Applications and more information about the Local Cultural Council Program are available online at www.mass-culture.org. Applications are due October 15. We invite you to follow Seekonk Cultural Council on Facebook for event announcements. This year’s grants include: • MUSIC Dance.edu, From JAZZ to Hip Hop • Philip Campbell, Music Series • John Root, A Celebration of Song • Attleboro Community Theatre, Lighting/Audio Equipment Performance Enhancement • Seekonk High School Drama Club, Seekonk High School Drama Club Microphone Purchase • Andrew Giles Buckley, Stephano: The True Story of Shakespeare’s Shipwreck • Angela Cunard, Butterfly Initiative • Attleboro Arts Museum, High Art 2020: DREAMSCAPES • David Maloof, Music + Education event • Dyer Maker Studio, “Dyeing to Wear it Again”: Creating Community • Ed the Wizard (Ed Cope), Alchemy Laboratory • Francis Hart, A Cultural and Historical Reflection of the 1960s • Gregory Maichack, Pastel Paint Your Georgia O’Keeffe Miracle Flowers • Jacqueline Glum, Tape Art • Joanna Rioux, Storycrafters • Keri Thivierge, Building Empathy through “Refugee” • Kira Seamon, Art in Bloom at the Seekonk Public Library • Mass Audubon’s Oak Knoll Wildlife Sanctuary, Fascinating Frogs, Terrific Toads • Seekonk Cultural Council, SCC Celebrating the Arts in Seekonk
Seekonk Animal Shelter News Thelma is a beautiful short haired, female tiger cat who is about 4 1/2 years old. This full figured gal is looking for a home where she can be the only child as she does not like other cats or dogs. She likes to be pet and play with her toys . We are still getting to know her but have found she is quiet, yet curious, such as when she relaxes on the copy machine in the office while observing all the shelter activities. But curiosity gets the best of her once the printer starts up as she peeks over the side to investigate what’s going on! Maybe we can teach her how to make the copies! She is up to date on vaccines, spayed and microchipped. Get to know Thelma… stop by to visit her at the Seekonk Animal Shelter, 100 Peck Street. Questions? 1-508-336-6663
