2022 Friends Annual Appeal – Thank You

The Friends wish to express sincere gratitude to all who responded to our Annual Appeal Letter.  Your generous gifts will enable us to support the myriad cultural programs and museum passes that our library provides. The following donations have been dedicated in memoriam, or in honor.

IN MEMORY OF,

Rita Wade from Gloria Swanbon

Marie Perry from Elizabeth & Mark Perry

James Winer from Sondra Winer

Norma Willard from Tom Falzareno

Catherine L’Hommedieu from Martin & Lisa Arsenault

Rita Wade from Georgetown Theatre Workshop

Sylvia Ryan from Joan Chatterton

Carl Stecher from Bonita Stecher

Rick Palardy from Terry Palardy

Alberta Holbrook from Bill Spears

Regina Persson from Dan Persson

Parishioners of St. Mary Parish from the Parish

Catherine L’Hommedieu from Linda Babeu

Ann & Ernie Kelloway from Christina St. Pierre

Louis & Carol Dispenza from Michelle Keenan

Catherine L’Hommedieu from Jim Rauseo

Wilhelmina H. Hartman from John Hartman

IN HONOR OF,

Catie Vasilenko, Graduating Class of 2022, from Jessica Vasilenko

Learning, from William Slayer

Virtual Program: Dopplehangers (MOBA)

On Monday, May 2 at 7PM, Curator in Chief Michael Frank will share this collection of efforts that capture (or try to capture) the likenesses of politicians, favorite entertainers, or historic figures. Some of these pieces have accidentally ended up portraying faces we recognize. 

Register HERE. This virtual program is a collaboration between the libraries the public libraries of Boxford, Georgetown, Groveland, and Methuen.

This program is supported in part by a grant from the Groveland Cultural Council, a local council that is supported by the Mass Cultural Council, a state agency, as well as the Town of Groveland. 

City Nature Challenge Presentation

Join us on Wednesday, April 20 at 6:30PM for a LIVE IN-PERSON presentation by UMass Biology professor Robert Stevenson on how to participate in the worldwide citizen science bioblitz that is the City Nature Challenge 2022!

Learn how to use the iNaturalist app and how the photos you upload contribute scientific used data to help us better understand the natural world and the amazing biodiversity it contains!

You can find more information about the City Nature Challenge at these links below:

https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/city-nature-challenge-2022-boston-area

https://www.zoonewengland.org/protect/here-in-new-england/boston-area-city-nature-challenge/

 

Virtual Wellness Series: Save at the Supermarket!

Join us on Wednesday, April 27 at 7PM via Zoom for this informative and engaging workshop where we will learn strategies to slash our grocery bill while eating nutritiously. Get ready to feel energized with healthy nutrient rich foods and saving money! Specific action strategies, interactive game questions and recipe resources will be included.

As a registered dietitian and nutrition expert, Jill Patterson also brings her background of menu planning on a budget for school systems, consulting for grocery store chains, and being a cost conscious shopper herself.

Register on Zoom HEREThis virtual program is a collaboration between the libraries of Georgetown, Newburyport, and Rockport. This is a three part series:

Author Stephen Puleo Visit – Saturday, April 23 at 10:30AM

The Friends of the Georgetown Peabody Library and the Boxford Town Library are pleased to host author Stephen Puleo and hear him discuss his latest book, Voyage of Mercy on Saturday, April 23 at 10:30AM.

Following the presentation will be a book signing from 12pm until 12:45pm. Book sales will be handled by the book distributor: at the back of library’s Meeting Room will include Voyage of Mercy and other Puleo titles as well.

About the Author: Stephen Puleo is an author, historian, teacher, public speaker, and communications professional. He has published seven narrative history books, including his most recent: Voyage of Mercy: The USS Jamestown, the Irish Famine, and the Remarkable Story of America’s First Humanitarian Mission, published in March 2020. He is at work on his eighth book, which will also be published by St. Martins. Learn more about Puleo HERE.

About the Book: More than 5,000 ships left Ireland during the great potato famine in the last 1840s, transporting the starving and the destitute away from their stricken homeland. The first vessel to sail in the other direction, to help the millions unable to escape, was the USS Jamestown, a converted warship, which left Boston in March 1847 loaded with precious food for Ireland.

Captain Robert Bennet Forbes and the crew of the USS Jamestown began a massive eighteen-month demonstration of soaring goodwill against the backdrop of unfathomable despair – one nations’ struggle to survive, and another’s effort to provide a lifeline. Forbes’ undertaking inspired a nationwide outpouring of relief that was unprecedented in size and scope, the first instance of an entire nation extending a hand to a foreign neighbor for purely humanitarian reasons. It showed the world that national generosity and brotherhood were not signs of weakness, but displays of quiet strength and moral certitude.

 

Virtual Program: Hidden Figures – Women of NASA

On Thursday, April 21 at 11AM via Zoom, NASA Solar System Ambassador Pat Monteith will lead you through the journeys of Katherine Johnson and some of the other pioneering women and courageous female astronauts at NASA including women who are training to go on a 3-year mission to Mars.

Monteith received a BA in Math with the hope of working in Mission Control for NASA. But, as happens with most of us, life took a different turn. Over the years her interest in Space Science never waned and after retiring from her full-time job, she became a NASA Solar System Ambassador. Over the past 6 years, Monteith has conducted more than 50 programs for youth, families and adults about the Moon, Mars, the ISS, Women of NASA, the James Webb Telescope and more.

Register directly on Zoom HERE. This virtual program is a collaboration between the libraries of Georgetown and Tewksbury. Sponsored by the Friends of the Tewksbury Public Library. 

Virtual Program: JFK and the Space Race

How did the United States achieve the goal of landing on the moon by 1969? On Tuesday, April 5 at 2PM via Zoom, go behind the scenes of the Kennedy space program with photographs and stories from the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum collections. Enjoy a slide presentation with live commentary and Q&A from Rick Elias, a docent at the presidential library. 

Register directly on Zoom HERE. This virtual program is a collaboration between the libraries of Georgetown and Tewksbury. Sponsored by the Friends of the Tewksbury Public Library. 

Virtual Program: Discover the Joys of Birdfeeding

Looking for a way to brighten your yard and mood this winter? Backyard bird feeding is a wonderful way to attract birds to your property, still feel connected to nature while inside, and get to know the characteristics and behaviors of common birds. Explore different feeder types, the best seed to put in them, the birds they’ll attract, how to outsmart squirrels, and other ways to encourage birdlife into your yard and community on Wednesday, March 30 at 11AM via Zoom.

Scott Santino, Education Manager and Teacher Naturalist at the Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary in Topsfield, has been leading nature education programs for Mass Audubon since 1999. He coordinates the sanctuary’s volunteer Nature Guide program, training adults in natural history interpretation and is a faculty member of Mass Audubon’s Birder’s Certificate Program.

Register on Zoom HERE. This virtual program is a collaboration between the libraries of Georgetown and Tewksbury. Sponsored by the Friends of the Tewksbury Public Library. 

Virtual Program: The First Kennedys

Author Neal Thompson will discuss his new book, The First Kennedys: The Humble Roots of an American Dynasty, on Tuesday, March 29 at 7PM via Zoom.

Explore the inspiring story of the poor Irish refugee couple who escaped famine, created a life together in a city hostile to Irish, immigrants, and Catholics, and launched the Kennedy dynasty in America. Their Irish ancestry was a hallmark of the Kennedys’ initial political profile, as JFK leveraged his working-class roots to connect with blue-collar voters. Today, we remember this iconic American family as the vanguard of wealth, power, and style rather than as the descendants of poor immigrants.

Register on Zoom HERE. This virtual program is a collaboration between the libraries of Georgetown and Tewksbury. Sponsored by the Friends of the Tewksbury Public Library. 

Virtual Program: Historic New England Armchair Tour

Join Kristen Weiss, Cape Ann Site Manager at Historic New England, for a virtual adventure on Tuesday, March 29 at 2PM via Zoom.

With 38 historic properties and 1,284 acres of landscapes, farms and gardens in five New England states, Historic New England is the oldest and largest regional heritage organization in the nation. This virtual tour will showcase examples from the vast collection of buildings, landscapes, and objects, and feature properties such as Roseland Cottage in Woodstock, CT; Eustis Estate in Milton, MA; Beauport in Gloucester, MA; Gropius House in Lincoln, MA; Lyman Estate Greenhouses in Waltham, MA; and Casey Farm in Saunderstown, RI.

Register on Zoom HERE. This virtual program is a collaboration between the libraries of Georgetown and Tewksbury. Sponsored by the Friends of the Tewksbury Public Library.