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Pepperell

Susan McCarthy retires from Pepperell’s Albert Harris Center

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PEPPERELL — Over 100 people gathered at the Albert Harris Center to wish Director Susan McCarthy a fond farewell and happy retirement.

Although McCarthy is not a senior yet, she is leaving her post after 10 years to spend more time with her family.

McCarthy’s final message to attendees was the hope that “all who attend the Center will keep the love going” and that she was leaving the Center but not the community.

McCarthy will continue to volunteer throughout Pepperell in organizations that she is passionate about.

Council on Aging board member Harvey Serreze referred to Susan as an amazing, compassionate, and unselfish person who would do anything for the seniors. A “Dazzling Diamond Award” was presented to Susan because she dazzles everyone who meets her.

Susan McCarthy will be dearly missed at the Albert Harris Center.

Mount Wachusett Community College honors six new paramedics

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GARDNER — Mount Wachusett Community College celebrated the six students comprising Paramedic Class 4 with a traditional pinning ceremony on Monday.

All six of the students have passed both the written and practical National Registry of American Medical Technician exams, the first class to do so prior to the pinning ceremony and are officially licensed paramedics.

“Today marks the anniversary of MWCC’s first paramedic class pinning, and there wasn’t a mask to be seen, and yet seven weeks later we found ourselves in a pandemic. With the incredible leadership of our faculty, advisors and partners, we were able to continue to offer this program throughout the pandemic, and our graduates have been successful in completing it,” MWCC President James Vander Hooven said. “I know it has not been easy and you are entering a profession that will never be easy. You have chosen to go forward and to help others, and I thank you.”

“I would like to thank your staff and faculty for all they have done to make you successful,” added Margaret Jaillet, dean of Health Professions, Public Service Programs and Social Sciences. “And I would like to thank each of you for choosing the Mount and for choosing to serve our community. As a local resident, I have already benefited from MWCC having a paramedic program.”

“As of tonight, we have officially finished paramedic school, and now we have the challenge of refining the things we have learned and becoming the best paramedics we can possibly be,” Class 4 President Graylen Scarsdale told her fellow graduates. “Thank you to everyone who is here for sharing your loved ones with us, I am so honored to be part of this class. All of you are so capable and compassionate, you are going to be amazing medics.”

Along with family and friends, the graduates were congratulated by Paramedic Program Chair Peter Laitinen, Medical Director Dr. Daniel Wilson, Clinical Coordinator and Professor John Breshnahan, Adjunct Faculty Gary Childs and Timothy Toth, and Lab Assistants Tyler Schwabe and Lorenzo Sordoni.

The six members of Class 4 are Jim Ares of Holden and member of the Hubbardston Fire Department, Melissa Buchanan of Lunenburg and member of the Lunenburg Fire Department, Selena Gonzales of Maynard, Daniel Hall of West Warren and a member of the Palmer Ambulance Service, Graylen Scarsdale of Pepperell and member of the Pepperell Fire Department, and Emily Thibeault of Templeton and member of the Templeton Fire Department.

Pepperell’s Albert Harris celebrates 83rd birthday

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PEPPERELL — Albert Harris celebrated his 83rd birthday with hugs from The Albert Harris Center Activities Director Cheryl Balkan and Director Susan McCarthy.

A lifelong resident of Pepperell, he served on the Pepperell Volunteer Fire Department for almost 50 years and helped to start the first ambulance service in town. After his retirement from the paper mills when they closed, he eventually became the custodian when the original Senior Center opened in Lomar Park then moved to the present-day Senior Center that was renamed The Albert Harris Center in 2020 in Al’s honor where he continues to work as the custodian.

The story of a year told through photographs

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2022 was a year that highlighted the best aspects of our communities. We gathered together in person again, supported our neighbors through difficult times, stood for causes we believed in, and celebrated each other’s achievements.

 

PACH Outreach thanks locals for aid, donations during holiday season

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PEPPERELL — The holiday season was a busy time for many. But plenty stopped to think of helping their neighbors — and Pepperell Aid from Community to Home Outreach would like to thank all the generous residents, organizations and businesses of Pepperell and Dunstable for their kindness.

Churches, schools, businesses, scouts and individuals came together this Thanksgiving and Christmas season to bring joy and hope to 110 individual families in Pepperell and Dunstable through various means.

The Community Church of Pepperell, Pepperell Christian Fellowship as well as Our Lady of Grace Church and the Knights of Columbus spread cheer by raising money through their parishioners.

The Lions Club helped raise 154 pounds of peanut butter and jelly to share with those in need.

Varnum Brook, Nissitissit and the Moppet schools each held successful food drives to help stock the food pantry shelves, while members of several local Boy Scout and Girl Scout troops learned the meaning of helping others with their own food drives.

Anonymous residents generously donated many food store gift cards that PACH Outreach clients were able to use to supplement their food needs.

Many local businesses, such as Masy BioServices, Wilson Brothers Heating and Air Conditioning, Main Street Bank, The Lazy Bubble and Pepperell Quality Market worked to raise money for PACH Outreach as well. Kimball Farm, Leominster’s New England Apple Products Co. and Groton’s Autumn Hill Orchards were also generous in donating hundreds of pounds of their produce.

The Greater Boston Food Bank also generously donated to PACH Outreach. For the 10th year, the Lynde Family showed the true meaning of Christmas by raising money and doing a food drive at their family Santa 5K.

PACH Outreach would also like to thank those residents who donated on PAYPAL Giving Tuesday and Misc. Thursday Night on Dec. 8. There are others to thank who came by PACH Outreach and dropped off bags of groceries not wanting any recognition. Pepperell and Dunstable may be small towns but they each have a great deal of love and caring to share.

Most of all thank you to the volunteers at PACH Outreach who help to make this all possible. There are no paid employees at PACH Outreach, only people that volunteer because they care.

PACH Outreach, located at 66 Hollis Street, provides residents in need with a caring, compassionate resource to meet their basic needs, including food, personal care items and referrals to additional assistance and is available to all Pepperell and Dunstable residents in need, including seniors, families and single adults, whether unemployed or under-employed. If you or someone you know is in need, please contact PACH Outreach at pepperell@pachoutreach.org, at P.O. Box 1247 Pepperell, MA 01463 or by phone at 978-925-9770.

PACH Outreach is staffed by volunteers who will return calls when the office is open. Office hours are 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Tuesday and 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. and 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. On Thursdays.

Local Ashley Carrier named executive director of American Lung Association’s Boston office

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PEPPERELL — Help is on the way to the American Lung Association’s Boston office.

Local Ashley Carrier has been named the office’s newest executive director, the association announced in a press release. Carrier said she was “thrilled” to join the association and looked forward to “creating new inroads for the Massachusetts community” to support lung health.

“I’m thrilled to be joining one of the most well-known and impactful nonprofits in the nation,” she said in the press release. “I’m looking forward to creating new inroads for the Massachusetts community to get involved in supporting lung health for all.”

“Lung disease is, unfortunately, so prevalent today, so the groundbreaking work the ALA is doing, it affects everyone and I just think that’s so important,” Carrier later said over the phone.

In the press release, Massachusetts Board Chair for the Lung Association David Broderick excitedly welcomed Carrier into the fold.

“On behalf of the Leadership Board here in Greater Boston, I am excited to welcome Ashley to the team and look forward to working together to make a real difference in the lives touched by lung disease and limit those impacted by it in the future,” he said.

With a background primarily in sales, Carrier, a Harvard native, was employed by Boston College and Live Nation Entertainment before she joined the Massachusetts chapter of the ALS Association, another nonprofit, in 2018. Carrier said the sense of “purpose” such non-profit work had provided led her to the ALA job.

“What drew me to the nonprofit world was having a purpose for my work,” she said. “I think it’s important to wake up and know exactly why you’re going to work, know that your everyday work is meaningful.”

“The opportunity to work (for the ALA), to have the type of impact I can have in this position is something I’ve been working toward for a long time and I’m looking forward to doing what I can to continue funding our mission.”

Despite the “cutthroat” nature of her prior sales work in comparison, Carrier said her previous employment opportunities “greatly prepared” her for her duties as executive director, which include networking and raising funds for the association’s initiatives among other tasks. She also said those previous opportunities would aid her in developing relationships with ALA partners and “spreading the word” on the critical work that the ALA does every day.

With that in mind, Carrier gushed about the “potential” of the ALA in Massachusetts and said she was excited to get to work and do everything she could to help raise funds for the association and help those in need.

“What’s most exciting to me is the potential we have here in Massachusetts — I think we can do some amazing things,” she said. “As far as raising awareness for the organization, I think we’re going to come in and do everything we can just to do more, do right by the people that need our help.”

If you want to aid the ALA, visit their website at ala.org or alaboston.org.