50 Reasons Belmont Is Awesome

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Folks, you may have noticed that things have been slightly quiet on the blog front lately. That’s because we’ve been working hard on a new project, 50 Reasons Belmont Is Awesome, to help celebrate the launch of OurCommonPlace Belmont! Head over to our Facebook page to check it out:

https://www.facebook.com/50ReasonsBelmontIsAwesome

Show your Belmont pride by ‘liking’ and ‘sharing’ — and suggest your own reasons! We can’t wait to hear what you think.

–Chava, Community Organizer for OurCommonPlace Belmont

OurCommonPlace is a national civic organization that aims to revitalize the spirit of local community engagement in towns and cities across the country. We launched Belmont.OurCommonPlace.com – Belmont first community web platform – to create a ‘common place’ online that makes it delightfully easy for neighbors and local leaders to share community information, like needs, announcements, and events, with the people around them. Register now and start receiving a daily email written by your neighbors and leaders in town at Belmont.OurCommonPlace.com.

Win, Win, Win: Alice Melnikoff and Community Service – A Profile by BHS Student Maddie Zhang

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by BHS Senior Maddie Zhang

by Belmont High School Senior Maddie Zhang, Student Organizer for OurCommonPlace

Belmont Civic Hero Alice Melnikoff has constantly been involved with the Belmont community for over 15 years, especially within the public school system. Alice serves as the Community Service Coordinator to Belmont High School, where she oversees the community service program, advises many different clubs and programs, and teaches a community service class.  Continue reading →

VIDEO INTERVIEW: Roger Colton – Belmont Civic Hero

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…with Belmont High School students Aldís Elfarsdóttir and Maddie Zhang, Student Organizers for OurCommonPlace 

Last week, Maddie and Aldís sat down with OurCommonPlace community organizer Chava Kenny and Belmont Civic Hero Roger Colton for our first-ever video interview! Continue reading →

Would you like to write a guest blog post for “Voices of Belmont”?

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Hi Belmont neighbors! If you’d like to share your voice with the Belmont community, now’s your chance: you can write a guest blog post as part of a “Voices of Belmont” series on the OurCommonPlace Belmont Civic Heroes blog!

Continue reading →

Looking Around: A Profile of Michael Sattler by BHS Student Aldís Elfarsdóttir

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by Belmont High School Junior Aldís Elfarsdóttir, Student Organizer for OurCommonPlace 

Although he was raised in Honolulu, Hawaii, Belmont Civic Hero Michael Sattler now calls Belmont home: he and his family have lived directly across from the Benton Library since 2007. Michael recalls how the library served as a kind of community center for Belmont residents when his family first moved: “We deliberately picked this house here on the corner because of the Benton. We thought the Benton was just such an amazing building when we first found it, and as we learned about its background… we loved it even more.”  Continue reading →

Perspective: A Profile of Angelo Firenze by BHS Student Aldís Elfarsdóttir

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by Belmont High School Junior Aldís Elfarsdóttir, Student Organizer for OurCommonPlace 

Belmont Civic Hero Angelo Firenze has lived right here in town ever since 1952. “I never got very far,” he remarks, chuckling. In 2004, he decided to run for election to the Belmont Board of Selectmen in order give back to the community that had “been very good to me, living here for so long”. Now retired, Angelo served for almost eight years as a Selectman, working on capital projects, the redevelopment of underutilized property, and bringing businesses to the community, all without overrunning the budget! Most importantly, he worked to build confidence among residents in town leaders and their decisions.  Continue reading →

Preserving Belmont: Roger Wrubel and the Mass Audubon Habitat

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by Belmont High School Senior Maddie Zhang, Student Organizer for OurCommonPlace 

Belmont Civic Hero Roger Wrubel has a vision: to bring an interest and appreciation for the environment to the Belmont community. As director of the Mass Audubon Habitat Education Center and Wildlife Sanctuary, Roger oversees everything that happens on the 90-acre land. Not only has he collaborated with the Chenery Middle School and its creation of the Chenery Courtyard, through the Habitat Intergeneration Program, he has also spent great deals of time working towards protecting lands such as the Western Greenway properties on Belmont Hill and beyond.  Roger Wrubel is dedicated to land preservation and Habitat provides the Belmont community with a way to become involved with our environment. Continue reading →

Stewards of the Environment: Jan Kruse and Sustainable Belmont

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Belmont Civic Hero Jan Kruse was brought up to view herself as a steward of the environment, and she has become a powerful force in helping make Belmont a more sustainable and environmentally friendly town.

Jan first became involved in Belmont community life in 2004, when she volunteered to help a planning committee that was organizing a town-wide Environmental Fair.  Continue reading →

Small Steps: Thoughts on Social Capital from a Belmont High School Student

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by Maddie Zhang, rising senior at Belmont High School and OurCommonPlace Student Organizer

Picture a community where neighbors know one another, and join together for anything from religious groups to parent-teacher associations (PTA) and labor unions. This community would have a distinct, close-knit feel and a natural sense of union, and its government would be more effective because its citizens are more involved and active.

In some ways, Belmont resembles this community, but across America – and in Belmont too – civic engagement is declining. Continue reading →