Happy Spring!

This past month - thanks to the great PR work by HNN member Christel DiPippo - Girl Scout Troop 70612 recognized the contribution that Holliston Newcomers & Neighbors makes to our community as they had just completed the GS Philanthropy lessons about volunteering. I attended their April meeting to talk about why & how I volunteer as well as highlighting how HNN does what it does and how they have been helping us all along as well as enjoying the benefits.

So many Holliston kids attend all or some of the HNN fundraisers but do they really know that the price of that ticket is what makes the summer concerts & library museum passes possible? It was great to help the girls see how helping others starts with some hard work - like organizing a fundraiser or selling cookies - but ends up with the satisfaction that you made someone else’s day - like our grant recipients and their cookie sales recipients.

So how can you help HNN help others? You can spread the word, get your friends & neighbors to join HNN, and the real key to our success - get involved! Take a look on the HNN website (Holliston Newcomers & Neighbors - Board Positions) and see what opportunity suits you. Email hnnexecutiveboard@gmail.com if you have any interest or questions!

Debbie Colburn

President

It’s elections season for the Newcomers & Neighbors This year our elections will be held online over a three-day period, from Friday, May 20th at 8:00AM to Sunday May 22nd at 8:00PM. On Friday the 20th, you will receive an email with a link to vote. All votes are anonymous and all members are strongly encouraged to participate!

It is not too late to throw your name in the hat! If you are interested in joining the HNN Board, please contact me! Positions are opened to all, including new members!

Katrine Giroux

Parliamentarian

Join us on Wednesday, May 18 at 7:30pm This month our selection is The Dinner List by Rebecca Serle. An email reminder and the zoom link will be emailed a few days before the meeting to all HNN members who selected book club as an interest group. Please check out our Facebook page, or email one of the co-chairs with any questions.

In June will wrap up the year with Harlem Shuffle by Colson Whitehead. At that meeting we will also try to select some titles for next year’s reading. Please save the date, June 15, 2022, to join us and help plan for the next year.

 “At one point or another, we've all been asked to name five people, living or dead, with whom we'd like to have dinner. Why do we choose the people we do? And what if that dinner was to actually happen? These are the questions Rebecca Serle contends with in her utterly captivating novel, THE DINNER LIST, a story imbued with the same delightful magical realism as One Day, and the life-changing romance of Me Before You. When Sabrina arrives at her thirtieth birthday dinner she finds at the table not just her best friend, but also three significant people from her past, and well, Audrey Hepburn. As the appetizers are served, wine poured, and dinner table conversation begins, it becomes clear that there's a reason these six people have been gathered together. Delicious but never indulgent, sweet with just the right amount of bitter, THE DINNER LIST is a romance for our times. Bon Appetit.”

Cindy and Sue, Book Club Co-Chairs

Cindy Carr  carr.cynthiad@gmail.com

Sue Hatton hncbookclub@outlook.com

Some exciting news! Not only is our Easter Basket drive in full swing and our Prize A Day calendars are available for purchase - but Touch-A-Truck is making a comeback in May! Thanks to Jennifer Mott and Amy Forman for taking the lead!

Great discussions at our March General Meeting. It’s a great way to meet the team and to be a part of the direction of HNN.

If you missed the meeting but still want to be more involved - or just want to see what our membership accomplishes - take a look on the HNN website (hollistonnewcomers.org) and see what fits you. Email hnnexecutiveboard@gmail.com if you have any interest or questions!

Debbie Colburn

President

WE NEED YOUR HELP!!!!! Do you like this Club and want to see it continue making a difference in our community and continue providing an amazing space for Hollistonians to meet and build friendships? If so, please consider a position on the Executive Board! No experience required! The election is held in the Spring, but your work really starts in the Fall and consists predominantly of one meeting per month (currently held on zoom). All of us have busy lives and understand that the time you may have to give can vary depending on your personal and work situation. If you are not sure which position to go for, or have any questions, please contact me and I’ll help you find a position within the Club that suits your interests and time availability.

I look forward to hearing from you!

Katrine Giroux, Parliamentarian

This month our selection is The Almost Legendary Morris Sisters by Julie Klam. This title is a fun and quick read, and we hope you will join us for some socialization and book discussion. An email reminder and the zoom link will be emailed a few days before the meeting to all HNN members who selected book club as an interest group. Please check out our Facebook page, or email one of the co-chairs with any questions.

Looking ahead, will be reading The Dinner List by Rebecca Serle in May, and will wrap up the year with Harlem Shuffle by Colson Whitehead.

About the book: "Ever since she was young, Julie Klam has been fascinated by the Morris sisters, cousins of her grandmother. According to family lore, early in the 20th century the sisters' parents decided to move the family from Eastern Europe to Los Angeles so their father could become a movie director. On the way, their pregnant mother went into labor in St. Louis, where the baby was born and where their mother died. The father left the children in an orphanage and promised to send for them when he settled in California - a promise he never kept. One of the Morris sisters later became a successful Wall Street trader and advised Franklin Roosevelt. The sisters lived together in New York City, none of them married or had children, and one even had an affair with J.P. Morgan. The stories of these independent women intrigued Klam, but as she delved into them to learn more, she realized that the tales were almost completely untrue.

The Almost Legendary Morris Sisters is the revealing account of what Klam discovered about her family - and herself - as she dug into the past. The deeper she went into the lives of the Morris sisters, the slipperier their stories became. And the more questions she had about what actually happened to them, the more her opinion of them evolved. Part memoir and part confessional and told with the wit and honesty that are hallmarks of Klam's books, The Almost Legendary Morris Sisters is the fascinating and funny true story of one writer's journey into her family's past, the truths she brings to light, and what she learned about herself along the way"-- Provided by publisher.

Cindy and Sue, Book Club Co-Chairs

Cindy Carr carr.cynthiad@gmail.com

Sue Hatton hncbookclub@outlook.com

Spring is right around the corner! How can I tell? Because our spring events are in full swing including Easter Baskets with the Holliston Pantry Shelf thanks to Tricia Benson and Prize-A-Day calendar raffle planning thanks to my co-chairs Bo Yai and Pamela Pinter Parson. We are still working on the possibility of some other events but we are going to need your help there - so stay tuned.

We have had a lot of new HNN members during this membership year and I would like to let you all know that we would love it if you wanted to be more involved. There are so many committees & board positions that you can choose from - from civic to fundraising to social activities. It is a great way to see how HNN does what it does and to have a say in where we are going. So take a look at all the positions on the HNN website and see what fits you. Email hnnexecutiveboard@gmail.com if you have any interest or questions!

Debbie Colburn

President

We would like to thank the businesses that have signed up to be 2022 Sponsors so far

• Platinum: AnyFence Co
• Gold: Authentic Auto Body, Harelick Dental Associates, Jacks Automotive
• Silver: Bright Agency Jensen Sheehan Insurance, Goldfish Swim School of Milford, Magical Moments Vacation (Donna Goyette, HNN Member)
• Bronze: Anatas Lock & Safe Co, Archambault Construction, Blessed Beginnings Preschool, Bon Fete/Hostess Helper, Deland Law Office, Holliston Sewer Service Inc, Superior Shoe Repair, Prana Yoga & Acting Center,

If you or someone you know would like to sponsor HNN, please email committee.newcomers@gmail.com.

The details of the sponsor benefits are on our webpage at https://hollistonnewcomers.org/Become-a-Sponsor.

A goal of Holliston Newcomers & Neighbors is to give back to our community. One of the ways this is accomplished is in the form of grants. Grant money is raised during the various fundraising activities held throughout the year. The 2022 Community Grant Fund contributions came from the following fundraisers - 2020 & 2021 Prize A Day Calendar Raffle, 2021 Dinner Made Easy Dream Dinner & No Cook Night, 2021 The Great Pumpkin Trail Walk, and 2021 Gingerbread House Decorating.

At the January General Meeting, it was again decided not to open grants to the general community but instead to target our two recurring community project recipients - Holliston Public Library Museum Passes and Parks & Recreation Summer Concerts. The two organizations were contacted to see what their requirements would be for this year. After some adjustments, our Grant total will be able to cover these requests. Any funds not distributed will carry over to the 2023 Community Grant Fund along with the proceeds from any 2022 fundraisers that occur.

Thank you to all that organized and participated in these fundraisers.

Giving back to our community wouldn’t be possible without you!

Debbie

Community Investments Committee Chair

Debbie Colburn  HNNCommunityInvestments@gmail.com