Boys & Girls Club Annual St. Patrick’s Day Luncheon

by Rick Winterson

The 47th Annual Saint Patrick’s Day Luncheon, presented by the Edgerley Family Boys & Girls Club of South Boston, took place last Friday noon at the OMNI Boston Hotel in our Seaport District. As the Directors of the Boys & Girls Club on West Sixth Street are happy to tell you, their yearly luncheon is intended to be a light-hearted affair that has “Comedy” as its dominant note. Well, that comic note actually happened. But also there were other events and occurrences – all of them very positive – that occurred, too. One of them was the date – the Boys & Girls Clubs of Boston are celebrating their 130th year. Since 1893, back in our nation’s Victorian years, the Clubs in Boston have been supporting young people, helping them build strong characters and become leaders in their communities. That began over a century ago; the Clubs in Boston are still actively fulfilling that mission.

The Luncheon also spotlighted Brielle Jean as the South Boston Club’s “Youth of the Year”. She’s a lifelong South Boston resident, who attends the Neighborhood House Charter School and has been a Club member for 11 years. During her time in the Club, she has assumed leadership roles in programs like

Keystone, Queer Straight Alliance, and Ready to Work. Brielle also dances, skateboards, and writes creatively. Her remarks during the Luncheon’s Program showed her to be a skilled public speaker as well. Brielle’s ambition is to become an M.D. in pediatrics. She illustrated that by mentioning when she once saw a child who was a burn victim, she immediately thought to herself, “I want to help that kid.”

Gerry Vierbickas served as the Event Chair this year. Fr. Joe White said the invocation. The Luncheon Program was continued under the direction of Master of Ceremonies John Tobin. Executive Director Josh Davis welcomed everyone and wished them a Happy St. Patrick’s Day. Robert Lewis, Jr., the President and CEO of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Boston focused his praises on Pattie McCormick, who was the organizer and hostess of the Luncheon. “Pattie is a legend!”, Lewis proclaimed.

Mayor Wu then proceeded to tell some jokes she had brought to the Luncheon. The chief target of the Mayor’s humor was the MBTA, especially when she said, “The ceiling tile that crashed to the floor in Harvard Station was actually scheduled by the “T” to drop an hour and a half earlier.” Oh, well. All in all, this year’s South Boston Boys & Girls Club Luncheon was an excellent take.

Boston Police Announce a Number of Street Closures and Parking Restrictions During the St. Patrick’s Day Parade this Weekend

The parade, as well as the South Boston Boys and Girls Club Road Race, will be held in South Boston on Sunday, March 19th. People traveling into South Boston for the festivities are strongly encouraged to use public transportation because on-street parking will be limited. The road race begins on West Sixth Street at 11 a.m. and will end at noon. Traffic will be delayed along the route as runners make their way to the finish line.

The parade kicks off at 1 p.m. and will start at Broadway Station to East Broadway, Right onto P St., Right onto 4th St., Left onto K St., Right onto 5th St., Left onto G St., Pass the high school front doors and bear right onto Thomas park then Left onto Telegraph St., Left onto Dorchester St. and Finish in Andrew Square

Below is a list of parking restrictions that will be in effect on Sunday:

Dorchester Avenue, both sides, from Gillette Park to Old Colony Avenue

Foundry Street, both sides, from Greenbaum Street to Dorchester Avenue

West Second Street, both sides, from Dorchester Avenue

A Street, both sides, from Binford Street to West Second Street

Binford Street, both sides, from A Street heading northwesterly to end at 45 Binford

West Fourth Street, both sides, from A Street to Dorchester Avenue

West Broadway, both sides, from Dorchester Avenue to Dorchester Street

East Broadway, both sides, from Dorchester Street to P Street

Farragut Road, both sides, from East Fourth Street to East First Street

Summer Street, Financial District, Atlantic Avenue to the MBTA bus stop near 245 Summer Street

Summer Street, South Boston, East First Street to the end of 776 Summer Street

E Street, from West Broadway to Athens Street

L Street, from East Third Street to East Broadway

Sen. Collins to be Inducted Into Dorchester Hall Of Fame

Inductees to be Honored at Dorchester’s Annual St. Patrick’s Day Brunch

Senator Nick Collins will be inducted into the Dorchester Hall of Fame Saturday, March 18th at the 14th Annual St. Patrick’s Day Luncheon at St. Margaret’s Church in Dorchester. All proceeds from the Luncheon will benefit the Mary Ann Brett Food Pantry, a volunteer-staffed nonprofit serving hundreds of local families in need.

Senator Collins has represented parts of Dorchester in the Massachusetts Legislature for the past 12 years. His tenure has been marked by substantial investment into the community from the State Legislature, from critical funding to further ensure public safety and transit improvements to essential local aid for the organizations and nonprofits that serve the neighborhood. Boston Police Department Superintendent Nora Baston will also be inducted as part of this year’s Hall of Fame Class for her work with both the Boston Police Community Engagement Bureau and the Police Academy. The Master of Ceremonies for the Luncheon will be Dan Rea, the two-time Regional Emmy-winning host of “NightSide with Dan Rea” on WBZ Radio. He will be joined

SBCA Evacuation Day Essay and Poster Competition Winners

High School Essay Winner

Angelina Tang- Boston Latin School

Middle School Essay Winner

Ian White-Boston Latin School

Patrick Kennedy-SBCA

Claire McMillan-SBCA

Liam Nagle-SBCA

Kayden Depina-Condon School

3RD GRADE POSTER WINNERS

Samantha Cole-SBCA

Ellie McCollom-SBCA

Annabelle Heger-SBCA

Jack Costello-SBCA

4TH GRADE POSTER WINNERS

Alden Mothander-SBCA

Gigi Connell-SBCA

Grace Zandi-SBCA

Arianna Meli-Omodei-St. Peters

5TH GRADE POSTER WINNERS

Mason Finn-SBCA

Brendan Nee-SBCA

Avan O’Brien-St. Peters

Daniel Hidalgo Perez-St. Peters by co-Chairs Dr. Larry Roman and Jim Brett, President and CEO of the New England Foundation.

“I am honored to be inducted for the work I have done for Dorchester over the past 5 years, and I look forward to continuing to guarantee that this incredible neighborhood and community will have the highest quality of representation and advocacy in the Massachusetts Senate,” said Senator Collins. “I would like to extend my congratulations to my fellow inductees for all they have accomplished, and my thanks to the incredible work and people that make a celebration like this possible. “Senator Collins is one of our heroes at the Food Pantry,” said Jim Brett. “He’s been a longtime champion of the community and has always believed in the importance of helping neighbors. Inducting the Senator into the Dorchester Hall of Fame serves as the ultimate testimony for all the good he has done and continues to do for the Food Pantry and beyond.