Team Milton Yoga is participating in the Yoga Reaches Out Yogathon at Gillette Stadium on May 6. The day-long fundraising event will benefit the Children’s Hospital Boston Division of Developmental Medicine and the Africa Yoga Project. Milton Yoga owner Sean McCarthy talked with columnist Julie Fay about motivation, health and supporting “two great causes.” Describe the Yoga Reaches Out fundraiser.It’s open to teams or individuals. Each participant agrees to raise and/or donate $250 (similar to being a charity runner for the Boston Marathon). Team Milton Yoga has seven members right now, but …

Lynda-Lee Sheridan is the chair of the Milton 350th Anniversary Committee. She spoke with columnist Julie Fay about creating a town-wide, year-long celebration to remember Milton’s past, celebrate the present and look forward to the future. Tell me about the work of the 350th Anniversary Committee.We started last year, in January or February. We have monthly meetings, both for the whole committee and the various subcommittees. It’s a fabulous group of volunteers, and our goal is to celebrate all aspects of the town. Memorabilia was one of the first things to get up and running (as a …

Last week, we highlighted several local organizations that Milton residents could support with year-end contributions, material donations or volunteering. This week, we offer a roundup of some charities with a bigger reach. American Red CrossDonate funds, or give the gift of life itself by donating blood. Big Brother Big Sister FoundationDonate used clothing, electronics, household items and even cars to help disadvantaged children. Cradles to CrayonsDonate goods or funds to help low-income children up to age 12. GreenpeaceSupport global environmental awareness and action. MSPCA/AngellHelp …

Jack Riley is the director of operations at St. Agatha Parish in Milton. The 30-year member of the parish also volunteers to oversee its annual gift drive for My Brother’s Keeper, a local charity that provides Christmas presents for approximately 2,500 needy families in eastern Massachusetts. Riley spoke with columnist Julie Fay about responding to the call to love one’s neighbor. Describe the giving tree at St. Agatha’s.For the past 20 years, we have had a giving tree at the church during Advent (the few weeks before Christmas.) The parish takes responsibility for sixty families who have …

Alisa and Vanessa Lorden, fourth-grade students at Tucker Elementary School, are donating to various causes while helping the environment at the same time. The ten-year old twins and their mother spoke with columnist Julie Fay about charitable entrepreneurship and recycling for a cause. Tell me about you’re doing to help make a difference.Alisa: at Celebrate Milton this year (October 2), we realized no one was recycling all the (soda) cans. That’s when we started collecting people’s cans and donating (the proceeds) to places. Janet (mother): They teamed up with Sustainable Milton and …

Dave Belyea is a partner and the account manager with Jackrabbit Design, a Milton-based design firm. Together with fellow partner and creative director Sharon Mulcahy, Belyea has made giving back to the community a part of Jackrabbit’s culture since its founding in 1999. Belyea spoke with columnist Julie Fay about the firm’s pro bono work, and how doing good helps the firm do well, too. Describe your pro bono work.We offer marketing communications design services. Many organizations need a website, and that’s usually our biggest giveaway, but we do anything that’s marketing related, like …

Ellen Shea is the manager of the gift shop at Milton Hospital. The teacher-turned-buyer-turned-manager has been volunteering her time at the gift shop for forty years. She spoke with columnist Julie Fay about making the shop a destination, working with “the ladies” and improving health care for the community. Tell me what you do at the gift shop.I started out as a paper buyer, purchasing cards and other paper goods to sell at the gift shop. Over the years I became the overall buyer and then the manager, and I still do both of those roles today. I manage a volunteer staff of about 25 fabulous…

Karen Friedman-Hanna and Grace Marinelli are the co-presidents of the Friends and Advocates of Music Education, the music booster club for the Milton Public Schools. Friedman-Hanna spoke with columnist Julie Fay about the organization, why music is important, and who sings around her piano at home. How does FAME support music in the schools?We provide manpower and monetary support for the music department. We have about 100 to 120 volunteers, and we are the concert ticket sellers and ticket takers. We do all the fundraising for extras that are needed. We’ll provide manpower for senior …

Leila Lee Mitchell is the president of the Milton Junior Woman’s Club. Founded in the 1930s, the club has eighty members, all Milton women, who make a difference in each others’ lives, as well as in the life of the town. Mitchell talked with columnist Julie Fay about the club, its mission and activities, and how it helped her become an active member of the community. Tell me about your membership.We have anyone from people who’ve grown up in Milton, to people who moved here last year. The underlying current is that everyone wants to take action to help the community, and the Milton Junior …

Imge Ceranoglu is the president of Sustainable Milton, a group dedicated to creating a community that acts to preserve our ecosystem as a whole. By raising awareness, educating people about sustainable living and making products available to support it, the organization has broad influence, from homeowners’ energy bills to town-wide projects. Ceranoglu spoke with columnist Julie Fay about the organization and her thoughts about sustainable living. When people think of Sustainable Milton, what comes to mind?We try to help people conserve energy and reduce waste in all forms. We try to get …

Denise Queally and Patti Elliott are co-chairs of the Milton Monster Dash, a 5k race and fun run scheduled for Sunday, October 30 at Cunningham Park. The Monster Dash is a fundraising event through the Milton Foundation for Education in memory of Sam Cichello, a Tucker student who died in 1999. Queally, a Cunningham School parent, spoke with columnist Julie Fay about volunteerism, the race and creating a fun event for families. What does it take to put on the Monster Dash?Because this is the 13th annual Monster Dash, we have been blessed that so many volunteers who have been involved over the…

The Milton Early Childhood Alliance was formed in 1995 to assist Milton’s young children and their families. Director Susan Dolan talked with columnist Julie Fay about MECA’s purpose and its efforts to expand services in the face of persistent budget cuts. What does MECA do?We support families. We work to help families with accessible, affordable, high-quality early childhood care and education, particularly for children from low- to moderate-income families. We are the local point of entry for families seeking financial assistance with child care through the Department of Early Education and…

October 9-15 is Fire Prevention Week. Columnist Julie Fay spoke with Lieutenant Brian Doherty, Fire Prevention Officer for the Milton Fire Department, about fire prevention in Milton and saving lives before a fire starts. How long have you been in this position?I started as the Fire Prevention Officer about 18 months ago, and have been a firefighter for more than 30 years. What does the Fire Prevention Officer do?There are a lot of different things that have been done over the years. A huge part is making sure all the public buildings have up-to-date fire alarm systems with smoke detectors, …

Milton resident Dave Waterman volunteers as a League Coordinator for Milton Town Soccer. He also serves on the board of the organization. He spoke with columnist Julie Fay about the ins and outs of coordinating a league of 500+ players, what soccer does for kids and the benefits for adults, as well. What do you do with the league?I’m the coordinator for the seven- and eight-year-old boys’ division. This is my second year as a division coordinator, and I’ve been a coach for three. The board meets eight times a year to maintain the league, review policies and work to keep the league strong. How…

Lori Bilewicz is the president of the Celebrate Milton Advisory Board, and has been involved with the organization for the past eight years. She took a few moments away from her preparations for the annual townwide festival to speak with columnist Julie Fay about the organization and its work, and why celebrating diversity is important. First of all, when is this year’s Celebrate Milton event?It’s Sunday, October 2 from noon – 4:00 p.m., rain or shine. If the weather is nice, we’ll be outdoors in front of the high school, but if it rains we’ll be inside at Collicot/Cunningham, using the two …

Judy Lehrer Jacobs has been the executive director of the Friends of the Blue Hills since 2004. She talked with columnist Julie Fay about enjoying the Reservation today and preserving it for the future. Who are the Friends of the Blue Hills?The Friends of the Blue Hills have been around for more than 30 years. We want to make sure people today and in future can enjoy the Blue Hills, with its wonderful views, healthy forests and amazing opportunities to play. We feel like the only way to make sure park is protected and taken care of is for lots of people to take care of it. The Department of …

Vinieta Lawrence is the Director of Nursing at Emerson Village, a skilled nursing and rehabilitation center in Watertown. She recently volunteered on a medical mission with Onitsha America, Inc., bringing medical care and supplies to Onitsha, Nigeria. The Milton resident spoke with columnist Julie Fay about the vast differences and surprising similarities between health care in Nigeria and in the U.S. How did you come to participate in a medical mission to Nigeria?One of my nurses knew of this group in Texas that was using telemedicine to treat patients in Nigeria. These physicians (…

"How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world." ~ Anne Frank On April 4 of this year, the "Milton Makes a Difference" column made its debut with a story about a Milton mom whose son inspired her help families affected by autism. In the ensuing months, readers met a surgeon who volunteers his time in South America; members of community organizations like the Friends of the Milton Public Library and the Rotary Club; and in-town social services like the Milton Food Pantry and the Caring Circle. We also highlighted amazing athletes fundraising for…

Bill Zuck has been a social worker with Hospice Services of Massachusetts since April 2010. Based in Everett, he helps patients and families in Milton, Mattapan and neighboring communities. Zuck spoke with columnist Julie Fay about bringing education, resources and comfort to terminally ill patients and their families.  When is a patient eligible for hospice care? Hospice patients have a prognosis of six months or less. Patients are sometimes with us for only days; sometimes for months. If after six months, they’re still declining, they can be recertified for hospice care. There is also a …

Together with her father, Bob, Ellen Dunn has volunteered as a host for Hospitality Homes since August 2010. They provide housing for families of patients who are undergoing medical treatment in Boston, and sometimes the patients, themselves. Ellen Dunn spoke with columnist Julie Fay about home renovation, special guests and taking care of one another. How did you get involved with Hospitality Homes? My father has been a Eucharistic minister (from St. Mary of the Hills Parish) at Massachusetts General Hospital for more than 20 years. He’d see people sleeping on sofas there, so he went to the …