From the Commandant:

UPDATE:
Detachment Marines and members of the Blackstone Valley Young Marines participated in the Town of Natick Christmas Kickoff.  The cold temperatures did not deter the Marines or the many people who came to see Santa and to donate toys and cash.  The Toys For Tots Drive is in full swing now with Pods in place.  Members should be touching base with collection points to insure timely pickups.

NOTICE:  The meeting on December 20 will stat one hour earlier, at 6:30 PM.  This will be a more convenient time as dinner will be included.  The business portion of the meeting will be abbreviated to give the attendees an opportunity to dine and socialize.  All are encouraged to come and share the fellowship of your brothers and sisters from the Corps and the Navy at this holiday time.

Marines and Sailors,  

Well our holidays are over, along with the election, now it's time to get ready for Thanksgiving and Christmas. No more Kelly Ayotte or Maggie Hassan ads on every station all day long, now it's HO HO HO Merry Christmas.  Hopefully we will all enjoy a merry holiday season and the detachment will be working hard on the Toys for Tots Drive to help others during this season.  It is time to be in touch with collection points of contact.  We look forward to Thanksgiving and reflecting on all that has been made available to us.  Many of us will remember holidays in far away places and are thankful for the opportunity to be with family and at home.  We keep in mind those who are now deployed or stationed far away and wish them safety and comfort.

 
Marine Corps Birthday:
The detachment celebrated the 241st Marine Corps Birthday on 10 November at the Framingham Elks.  Richard Douglas again procured an excellent cake that was on display up to the point where it was cut.  Commandant Jim Hastings presided over the event which stared with dinner at 1800.  Following the meal, Commandant Hastings presided over the swearing in of two new members.  The detachment is pleased to welcome Marine Glenn Chambless from Framingham.  Glenn is a Viet Nam veteran and talked with others about his time in the rubber plantation area while in-country.  Also from Framingham, Marine Ryan Gaudet is currently a PFC 0331, machine gunner with 1/25 at Fort Devens.  We welcome Glenn and Ryan and look forward to hearing more about their background and experiences.
Following the swearing in, Commandant Hastings read the proclamation from General Lejeune that is read at each birthday celebration.  That was followed by the birthday message from the current Commandant, General Nellis.  The cake cutting ceremony followed.  Mac MacEntegart again provided the sword cake cutting.  Following tradition, Paymaster Bill Costello, the oldest attending Marine at 89 received the first piece of cake and served the served Ryan Gaudet, at 19, the youngest Marine in attendance.  This tradition symbolized the natural passing for the old corps to the new corps.  Following the cake cutting, videos of the Commandant and the Founder of Go Daddy.com ( former Marine and avid fundraiser for Marine causes) were presented.   A successful and enjoyable evening was had.

 Veterans Day Obervances:

On 7 November  Mac MacEntegart, Warren Griffin, Ed Silveria, Dave Gentes, Al Schiff and Commandant Hastings visited the Walsh Middle School in Framingham for their Veterans Day program. This Event was started by Mac's wife Judy and now has been taken over by their daughter Jodi. It is a nice event with some interesting questions from the students. I would encourage members to attend next year.  Veterans in attendance found this to be a very rewarding experience. Hopefully that feeling is shared by the students.

Later in the week Warren Griffin, John Crisafulli, Glenn Chambless, Jim Arena and Commandant Hastings attended a Veterans Day Ceremony at the Kennedy school in Natick. This was another good opportunity to speak to the students about our service and to help the students get some perspective on what veterans have done.

Finally to end the week Mac MacEntegart, John Crisafulli and Commandant Hastings visited the Cornerstone Nursing Home in Milford for their Veterans Day Ceremony.  This is a continuation of nursing home and assisted living facility vistation that has been going on for about a year.   The opportunity to engage veterans who are unable to attend ceremonies or public events is always memorable and enjoyable for the visitors and the visited.   It was a busy week but very rewarding to say the least.

Toys for Tots:

 Pods are in place and supplies are becoming available.   The town of Natick Kickoff  Event will be on Sunday 27 November at 2:30 at the town common.  This event is a major source of contributions and members are encouraged to attend to assist.

Local events: 

Warren Griffin has been active in establishing a monument to honor area KIA.  This will be dedicated on Sunday 27 November at noon

in Framingham at the Headquarters of the Metrowest Regional Transit Authority, 15 Blandin Ave. Framingham.

VA Bingo: 

On the first Wednesday of the month, the detachment operates a Bingo game at the VA in Jamaica Plain.  This goes from 7:00 t0 a little after 8:00 .  These events are greatly appreciated by the patients.  Members are encouraged to attend.

 

 

From the Commandant: 

Scholarship Response:

Because of the support that we get from the local area, we are able annually to offer scholarships to local students.  We are happy to be able to provide this service and look forward to continuing with future graduates.  We are pleased to have received thank you notes form the following recipients:

Anthony Allessi- attending Norwich University

Emily Melick- attending Maine Maritime Academy

Nursing Home Visitation:

Almost a year ago, the detachment launched an initiative to visit veterans who are confined to nursing homes and other types of assisted living facilities.  Tom Foley took the lead on this activity and made a real difference in the lives of vets who often have little outside contact.  We are pleased to have been able to be of  service to these veterans.  We commend Tom Foley for his efforts and hope to continue this program of visitation.   To date, visits have happened at:

Whitney Place, Natick

Maples Rehabilitation and Nursing Center, Wrentham

Elizabeth Seton Residence, Wellesley

Marine Corps Birthday:

On November 10 we will celebrate the Marine Corps Birthday at the Framingham Elks at 6:00 PM. Food will be provided and we will conduct the traditional reading of the proclamations from General Lejeune and General Nellis, the current Commandant as well as the cake cutting ceremony.  This traditional ceremony will be observed by Marines all over the world.  We invite area Marines, FMF Corpsmen, and Chaplains to join us in comradeship with all Marines, past and present.  We hope to grow this event and encourage all members to attend.  

There is not a lot of activity right now. This is the time of year when we offer the Rose Program.  We encourage all to give this a try.  Warren Griffin will be able to provide roses and all that is required is to look sharp and engage with people as they come by.  People are generally very friendly and enjoy sharing their stories.  This is an excellent opportunity to raise awareness of the MCL as well as to raise funds for detachment outreach.

October Meeting Notes:

The meeting convened in the proper fashion at 7:30 PM on 18 October  with 11 members in attendance.  All officers were present.  

Minutes from the last meeting were presented and accepted.  

The Paymaster reported details of the detachment fiscal condition.  We continue to be in good financial shape.  The Paymaster's report was accepted as presented.  

Correpondence was read.  We have received a number of letters from nursing homes where the detachment has visited.  We have received letters of appreciation from scholarship recipients.  The Semper Fi Fund sent a letter acknowledging our contribution.

Richard Douglas provided an update on the Toys for Tots Program.  There is a new coordinator. Pods will be delivered and at that time, materials will be available.

The meeting adjourned at 7:50.  The Executive Committee met after the meeting to prepare the annual budget.