Westwood’s Summer Concert Series will be held on Monday July 7th, 14th, 21st and 28th. These FREE concerts will be held from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the Senior Center, 60 Nahatan Street, on the outside green. In the event of rain, the concert will be held at the Islington Community Center, 288 Washington Street. Please call 781-461-0070 for a taped program report after 4:30 p.m. on the day of the concert.

These concerts are wonderful community events for adults and children of all ages; bring a blanket or chairs and pack a picnic dinner and make it an evening out! Refreshments will be sold at each of the concerts; proceeds will benefit local charities.

The Westwood Young Women’s Club will be collecting voluntary donations of the following items at each concert: old eyeglasses and prescription sunglasses for New Eyes for the Needy; old cell phones for the Wireless Foundation’s CALL TO PROTECT (victims of domestic violence) program; old towels and tennis balls for local animal shelters; and new children's socks and underwear for Cradles to Crayons.

In addition, the extremely popular "Keep Westwood Green" reusable ECOBAGS EveryDay Tote™ will be available for purchase during each concert. Proceeds from the sales of the bags will go towards environmentally-friendly initiatives in Westwood.

Musical groups performing this summer are:

Monday July 7: Westwood Community Swing Band
The Westwood Community Swing Band consists of approximately 16 pieces and a vocalist. The group has been bringing the sound of the big band era to the people of Massachusetts and vicinity for the past twenty plus years.

Monday July 14: Mass College All Star Jazz Ensemble
The Mass College All Star Jazz Ensemble is a 17 piece jazz band featuring the state's premier college jazz players.

Monday July 21: Barbara Kessler
Songstress Barbara Kessler is an award-winning songwriter, performer and recording artist.

Monday July 28: Children's Concert with "Mike the Music Man"
Singing and entertainment for kids of all ages, even the young at heart!

The Westwood summer concerts are organized and sponsored by The Westwood Young Women’s Club with the generous support of The Westwood Recreation Department.

The Westwood Young Women’s Club is a community- based organization established to further the educational, philanthropic, and social life of its members and its community. Any woman who is a resident of Westwood is eligible for membership. For more information please visit us at http://www.wywc.org/

Each year, an estimated 500 billion to 1 trillion plastic bags are consumed worldwide. This means that over one million plastic bags are used per minute. Billions of bags end up as litter each year. You can reduce the number of plastic bags you consume by using a reusable bag when shopping.

To help reduce the amount of plastic bags used by Westwood residents, the Westwood Young Women’s Club is selling reusable Westwood multi-purpose tote bags. "Small everyday changes can add up to a big impact," said Mary Ellen LaRose, President of the Westwood Young Women’s Club. "If every Westwood resident used one less plastic bag a week for a year we would save over 728,000 plastic bags."

Printed with the Westwood town seal and "Keep Westwood Green," the ECOBAGS EveryDay Tote is the reusable bag you are looking for. Made from natural cotton canvas (unbleached and untreated) the bag is 19" wide by 15.5" tall with full 5" flat bottom gusset and 22" length carry handles/straps. All the seams and stress points are double-stitched for durability. Generously sized, the EveryDay Tote will hold as much as a full grocery bag.

The bags are priced as follows:

• 1 bag for $10
• 2 bags for $18
• 3 bags for $25
• 6 bags for $50

Proceeds from the sales of the bags will go towards environmentally-friendly initiatives in Westwood. To order bags download an order form from the Club’s web site at www.wywc.org.

As part of its annual Donations Program, the Westwood Young Women’s Club presented a $5,000.00 check to Tracey Stoll, Treasurer for the Westwood Special Education Parent Advisory Council (SEPAC), to fund a pilot summer camp program for Westwood children who have been diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Pictured left to right: Mary Ellen LaRose, Tracey Stoll and Julia Hauck.

This year the Westwood Young Women’s Club (WYWC) was pleased to distribute more than $20,000.00 in Community Outreach Grants. The funds were awarded to local organizations to support their community service efforts. The grants will help the Westwood Public Library fund a non-fiction author series for elementary students and their parents; enable the Westwood Council on Aging to provide evening meals and entertainment for seniors, and support the Early Childhood Council’s Parent/Child Social Hours, Barn Babies Program, and the popular Active Gym with Mr. Foley program at the Deerfield School. Other grant recipients include Mothers Morning Out, Inc., Westwood Youth Hockey, Hale Reservation, Westwood Chinese Cultural Association, Westwood Community Chest, Westwood Youth and Family Services, Westwood Integrated Preschool PTO, and the Westwood Special Education Parent Advisory Council (SEPAC).

The WYWC Community Outreach Grant Program assists public and non-profit organizations by providing grants to fund programs or projects that will benefit members of the Westwood community. Applications for the next round of funding will be accepted in early 2009.

If you would like more information or would like to join the WYWC, please visit www.wywc.org.

The Westwood Young Women’s Club (WYWC) is a non-profit organization dedicated to community improvement by supporting educational, philanthropic and social programs for the Westwood community. The WYWC holds three annual fundraisers: the Fall Charity Auction, Winterfest and Spring Family Fun Day. Proceeds from these fundraisers support many local organizations including the Early Childhood Council, the Westwood Community Chest, Council on Aging, Youth and Family Services, Westwood Food Pantry, Westwood Public Library, Town of Westwood Tree Lighting Ceremony and the Elderly/Disabled Taxation Fund. In addition, the WYWC organizes and sponsors the Summer Concert Series. These evening concerts are held on the Senior Center lawn during the month of July and have fast become a community favorite!

The WYWC would like to announce its 2008 Executive Board: President, Mary Ellen LaRose; Vice-President, Leigh Wasserman; Membership Secretary, Jessica Cole; General Secretary, Nicci Loscalzo; Treasurer, Emily Murphy.

If you would like more information or would like to join the WYWC, please visit www.wywc.org.