Introducing the New 2015/2016 Parent Talk Board!

In June, we kicked off a new Parent Talk year by saying goodbye to our outgoing Board members and welcoming a new group of Board members to lead our organization.  This energetic group is already hard at work planning fun events for kids, interesting lectures for parents, community events and fundraisers. We can't wait to share them all with you this year.

Members of the Parent Talk 2015-2016 Board of Directors (from left): Susan Kagan, Joanna Cram, Nar Lee, Megan Bourque, Leslie Arnould, Elizabeth VanDahm, Liza D'Hemecourt, Meredith Swisher, Michelle Freniere, Kate Swenson, Ellie Beasley, Meredith Giannotti, and Michael Cohen.

 

The Parent Talk Board of Directors for 2015/2016 includes the following new members:

Joanna Cram - Clerk

Meredith Swisher - Playspace Chair

Leslie Arnould - Fundraising Co-Chair

Michelle Freniere - Fundraising Co-Chair

Elizabeth VanDahm - Membership Co-Chair

Joanna Noon - Membership Co-Chair

Meredith Giannotti - Events Co-Chair

Liza d'Hemecourt - Community Relations Chair

Diana Han Wilson - Lecture Chair

Bonnie McLellan - Volunteer Co-Chair

Jennifer Emmett - Marketing Chair

These 11 new board members join the following five returning Board members: 

Megan Bourque - President

Ellie Beasley - Vice President

Nar Lee - Treasurer

Kate Swenson - Events Co-Chair

Michael Cohen - Volunteer Co-Chair

The Board of Directors is rounded out by our new Executive Director, Susan Kagan, and our Business Administrator, Mary Schneider.  

The current Board is grateful for the hard work of the outgoing Board members.  Many thanks to Wendy Todd, Emily Roach, Lauren Baum, Shalini Broderick, Kristen Capodilupo, Colleen Doran, Deborah Dorman, Riley Hastings, Susan Koslow, and Maggie Shapiro for making the transition so seamless.

To learn more about Parent Talk's Board members, please visit the About Us section of our website at http://www.parenttalk.info/about/board.php.

About the Author

Megan Bourque lives in Needham with her husband Zach and their four children, Erin (6), Annette (4), Ryan (2 1/2), and Henry (2 months). She first got involved with Parent Talk through the Sale Committee and this is her second year on the Board. She is honored to work with such a talented team of volunteers to lead this amazing organization.

Do you have thoughts related to this post? Please share them in the Comments section below.  

Parent Talk's 2014-15 President Wendy Todd and VP Emily Roach Thank Volunteers, Board

  2014-15 President Wendy Todd (left) and
  2014-15 Vice-President Emily Roach (right)

Summer always brings lazier days and a welcome relief from the hustle and bustle of the school year.  Summer also means the transition from old to new at Parent Talk when the official changing of the guard comes and a new set of amazing volunteers takes over and begins planning the many events and activities that will keep our families busy for months to come. This past June was no different as the outgoing leadership team passed the torch to a wonderful group of incoming board members. But before we say our final goodbye, we want to take a moment to thank the many wonderful volunteers that have contributed their talents and time this year.

From left: Wendy Todd and Emily Roach with PT's new President Megan
Bourque and outgoing Board Members Deb Dorman, Lauren Baum, and
Kristen Capodilupo

First, we want to give a big thank you to our 2014-15 Board Members: Lauren Baum, Shalini Broderick, Kristen Capodilupo, Colleen Doran, Deborah Dorman, Riley Hastings, Susan Koslow and Maggie Shapiro.  For the past few years, their time and endless energy has gone towards making Parent Talk the wonderful organization it is today.

2014-15 Sale Chairs Diane Solomon (left) and Seema Layne (right)

From left: 2014-15 Go Green Chairs Cristina Santamaria, Kate Hassan, and Joanna Noon

 Second, we want to thank our 2014-15 event chairs and committee members.  They each made significant contributions to the success of Parent Talk’s programming and fundraising efforts this year.  There are too many of you to name here, but we would like to give a special shout out to Sale Chairs Seema Layne and Diane Solomon; Go Green Chairs Kate Hassan, Joanna Noon and Cristina Santamaria; and Volunteer of the Year Liza d'Hemecourt.

Center: Liza d'Hemecourt, Volunteer of the Year

Finally, a huge thank you to each and every one of the member volunteers who contributed to Parent Talk’s success this year.  Whether it was as a 2-hour volunteer at the sale, helping to move tables at Flicks, or writing a post for the blog, this organization does not succeed without the support of every individual member. Thank You!

During our tenure on Parent Talk’s leadership team, we had an amazing ride and met wonderful people who will be in our lives for years and years to come.  Thank you to everyone for your support and friendship over the past few years.  We feel very lucky to be part of a community as wonderful as Parent Talk and we are thrilled to be leaving the organization in the capable hands of the 2015-16 board, led by President Megan Bourque and Vice-President Ellie Beasley.

All our best, 

Wendy Todd and Emily Roach

How Can We Make Parent Talk Even Better?

Hello friends. It's a new year for Parent Talk as the school year comes to a close. There is a new Board in place and we want to hear from you on what would make Parent Talk even better.

We recently started sending out a survey to our members so we can hear from you about your favorite benefits of being a Parent Talk member. Is it the playgroups? Lectures? Volunteer opportunities with your kids? Can we do any of these things better? If you have a great idea, or gripe to share, this is the place. Parent Talk runs as a volunteer organization and we appreciate getting input from all of our members.

Our goal is to have everyone share their ideas. Last year we had 127 responses. Can we get this number up to 150 this year? 

Extra benefit~ everyone who completes the survey is entered to win a free party at the playspace. Remember, it doesn't just have to be a birthday party. You can reserve the space to host a back to school party, Halloween party or other fun filled event.

Ready...click here to fill out the survey. Thank you in advance!

photo credit: Marcus Ramberg via photopin cc

Welcome to the new Parent Talk Board!

Written by Wendy Todd

In June, Parent Talk welcomed seven new members to it's Board of Directors including:

 

Riley Hastings, Clerk

Deborah Dorman, Co-Chair of the Events Committee

Lauren Baum & Kristen Capodilupo, Co-Chairs of the Fundraising Committee

Caitlin Moran, Chair of the Membership Committee

Susan Koslow, Chair of the Playspace Committee

Maggie Shapiro, Chair of the Volunteer Committee

 

These new board members join seven returning board members:

Nar Lee, Treasurer

Katie Alwart, Chair of the Community Relations Committee

Nicola Dimauro, Co-Chair of Events

Julia Sappenfield, Chair of the Lecture Committee

Melissa Crowe, Chair of the Marketing Committee

Tricia Burch & Wendy Todd, Co-Presidents

 

Together these fourteen individuals make up the 2013-14 Board of Directors.  A group of volunteers who have committed to lead this volunteer-driven organization through another successful year building community in Needham and the surrounding cities and towns.

 

The current board thanks our outgoing board members for all the work they did for Parent Talk in these positions, wishes them well in their new endeavors, and looks forward to working with them in other capacities with Parent Talk.

 

Outgoing board members are:

Kate Owens & Mary Richman, Co-Presidents

Myrna Zakarian, Co-Chair of the Events Committee

Mary Beth Remerenko, Clerk

Betsy Miller, Co-Chair of the Community Relations Committee

Ann Lyons, Co-Chair of the Membership Committee

 

To learn more about Parent Talk's Board members, please visit the About Us section of our website at http://www.parenttalk.info/about/board.php.

 

About the Author

Wendy lives with her husband and three kids in Needham and is honored to be leading such a great group of women this year!

Parent Talk Discounts: More than just the YMCA!

Written by Caitlin Moran

Many of us use our Parent Talk memberships for the 10% off membership dues at the YMCA in Needham. In fact, I see many of you there every morning! However, did you know the wide range of discounts you get just by being a member of Parent Talk?!?! Each month I will highlight several new and previously established discounts that are offered to our members. TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THESE!!!!! You have paid your dues – now get the reward!

•    NEW  European Wax Center - FREE eyebrow, underarm, or bikini line WAX for new female customers! Or upgrade to a bikini full or Brazilian and get 50% off! FREE eyebrow, ear, or nose wax for men! You MUST mention that you are a Parent Talk member. Located at 244 Needham Street, Newton, or call 617.964.7400.
•    NEW  Kidville in Wellesley - Sign up for any Kidville Wellesley class and receive 10 free Playspace passes ($100 value) and we'll also waive your annual registration fee ($50 value). (Get a sneak peek at Kidville in Wellesley here.)
•    B in touch Massage - $10-off Massage Therapy Sessions on Mondays & Tuesdays, any time of day!

If you visit the Member Discounts page by clicking here, you can view all of the Parent Talk discounts, or search by category (fitness, activities/classes, home, clothing, food, retail, sitters/au pairs, spa/hair, photography, tutoring, pets, and other). This should make it easier to find what you are looking for! Happy searching!

About the Author
Caitlin lives in Needham with her husband Brian, son Lincoln, and dog Harper. She is originally from Florida, and came north to study at Boston College. Caitlin was a middle school English teacher before deciding to stay home with her son. She also works as a Local Childcare Coordinator with Cultural Care Au Pair. Being a member of Parent Talk has allowed Caitlin to become more involved in the community and make lifelong friends! She is very active in the group as the Membership Chairperson, but also running the Parent Talk playgroup for her son's age. Caitlin loves spending time with family and friends, making Lincoln laugh, traveling to new and old places, and eating good food.

Finding Strength Together

For us, Patriots Day started out as it did for most families around Boston - excitement about the marathon and full of plans to take the kids out to cheer on the runners.  We couldn’t have imagined that the same day would end with phone calls, emails and Facebook status updates to confirm family, friends, friends-of-friends and neighbors were safe. As the sun set last night, we found ourselves saying a prayer for the families of those who didn’t arrive home safe after their marathon adventures.

As parents we are struggling with how to make sense – both for ourselves and our children- of such a senseless act. Especially one that happened so close to home, in our town, our backyard, our Boston.   No matter how we appear, we have all been affected, and our sense of security shaken. We must work to rebuild it and to reassure our children. If like us, you are not sure what to say or how to comfort the little ones in your life, we found this advice incredibly helpful. 

Today, our hearts and thoughts are with all the runners and families affected by yesterday's tragedy. Our community and our city is strong and we will get through this together. We want everyone in the Parent Talk community to know that our love and support is yours.

Mary & Kate

photo credit: Werner Kunz via photopin cc

Calling All Writers!

Here at the Parent Talk blog, we recently celebrated our 1 year "blogiversary." Most blogs don't make it past the one year mark so we are thrilled that we are continuing to share local stories, parenting advice, craft projects and more with all of our members.

The recent Parent Talk survey provided us with additional information to help make the blog better. One thing many people ask is how they can stay connected with the blog. The easiest way is to sign up and get new posts delivered to your email. Click HERE to get started.

We have a lot of topics that come up and we are reaching out for writers, moms, bloggers and community members to help us pull together some articles to share with everyone. If you have never written for a blog before, have no fear. We make it easy for you by letting you pick a topic that you can share information about, then we help guide the format.

Not ready to write? We are also looking for a blog content coordinator to help us plan our editorial calendar. Or sign up to be a proofreader and get a sneak peek at what blog posts are coming up.

Here are some recent topics we are looking for writers for:

Needham bowling spotlight

local gymnastics

local ballet

local tae kwon doe/karate dining list for allergies gluten free locations overnight/ day trips couples getaway ideas where to bring kids for dinner letterboxing best local birthday party locations date night ideas: new restaurants, things to do

If you need more information or would like to volunteer for a topic, please email Blog@ParentTalk.info. Thanks for your help!

Happy New Year 2013 – Parent Talk’s 20th Anniversary year!

2012 has been a wonderful first year working with all the member volunteers who make Parent Talk tick.  I just want to thank everyone who works so hard to make all the events and lectures, playspace,  play groups and, of course, the sale a success.

Most recently, Frosty’s Festival was fun again this year and I just wanted to thank Jennifer Emmett for chairing the event.  Jennifer and her family joined Parent Talk in August, and she wanted to take on a project.  She did a great job of it, too, along with her friend, Me Lisa German.  In addition to the classic activities, with marshmallow snowmen, cookie decoration and beaded ornaments, the playhouse were transformed into a gingerbread house and holiday music was playing softly in both rooms. 

There was a change in leadership of the Used Clothing, Toy and Equipment Sale in 2012. Seema Meloni and Beth McCarthy, who have led the sales for four sales over two years turned over leadership for the fall sale. Seema had worked the sale since 2007 and Beth since 2008.  For 2012, they decided to leave that lead roll to others, and I would love to say a big thank-you to Susan Orr, Joanna Noon and Nikki Amara Myers for taking that roll on.  With lots of preparation and help from Seema and Beth, Joanne, Susan and Nikki and their committee continued the tradition of bringing in more money with each successive year’s sale.  Congratulations! I’m looking forward to the Spring Sale.

Thanks to everyone who filled out the 2012-2013 membership survey!  We have a great deal of information from it so that we can make Parent Talk even better in the year to come. My next post will have more information about some of your ideas.  Did you give your contact information so that you could win a year’s membership to Parent Talk? The lucky winner is Aarti Sawant-Basak. Aarti is a relatively new member of Parent Talk, having joined in November. Congratulations, Aarti!

For the coming year, we are planning on celebrating our 20^th anniversary all year long, so keep your eye on this space for special discounts and happenings in the coming year. As part of our celebration, Parent Talk is putting together an Anniversary Cookbook. We are collecting recipes through January 31^st and the book will be on sale at events and on the website. Please see the website for more on how to get involved in this fun project.  Upcoming events include the I love Mondays Lecture on January 22^nd and the Summer Camp Fair on January 31^st, with a snow date of February 7^th.

Hope to see you around Parent Talk!

Mary Celeste Brown

Becoming a Helper

We don't have anything profound to share; no comforting words to ease the fear and pain brought on by the tragedy in Newtown last week.  As parents with young children we're reeling over what happened and our hearts ache for the families who lost their loved ones.  We were searching for something, anything we could do for the families suffering when we came across this:

“When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, 'Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping. "To this day, especially in times of 'disaster,' I remember my mother's words and I am always comforted by realizing that there are still so many helpers – so many caring people in this world."  - Fred Rogers

While no amount of thoughtful notes, kind gestures or financial donations will be able to heal the hearts of families in Newtown, we found some solace in becoming a "helper."  One of many "helpers" that make it abundantly clear that there's a legion of caring people - near and far - holding their hands and gathering around them in support during this time. 

If you too have been looking for what you could do, we've compiled a few ways to help below. Please feel free to share more ideas and thoughts in the comments.  

Donate to one of the funds set up to help the Sandy Hook Families

-- My Sandy Hook Family Fund

Set up by the parents of children who survived and other locals, this fund will help with funerals, as well as ongoing living expenses such as food, mortgage payments, daycare, insurance and fuel until they are back on solid ground.

-- Newtown Memorial Fund 

A new fund founded by Brian Mauriello, who describes himself as a long-term Newtown resident and a parent, to pay for short-term expenses as well as a memorial and a multi-generational foundation fund for the Newtown, Connecticut, community. He is seeking board members.

-- Sandy Hook School Support Fund  
c/o Newtown Savings Bank 39 Main Street, Newtown CT 06470
This fund was set up by United Way of Western Connecticut and the Newtown Savings Bank to provide support services to the affected families and community. Among other efforts, it will support day and night walk-in hours at the Newtown Youth and Family Services Counseling Center

-- The Newtown Rotary Sandy Hook School Fund 
PO Box 263, Newtown, CT 06470
Dedicated to supporting the immediate and long-term needs of those in the Newtown community who were affected by the Sandy Hook School shooting.

Send a card or flowers 
The school address has been widely circulated over social media and in the news, however keep in mind there has been no official release from the school that they have the staff necessary to process the cards. The address for the elementary school in case you decide to send a card there:

Sandy Hook Elementary School
12 Dickenson Drive
Sandy Hook, CT 06482

Another option is to send cards and notes to the local funeral homes who have staff available to handle the letters of support that are delivered for the individual families. 

Do good in their name
Support a cause in one of the families or child's name or vow to do random acts of kindness in honor of each of the children. 

With hugs and kind thoughts to all of your families,
Mary & Kate

photo credit: Douglas Brown via photopin cc

Parent Talk’s new Board of Directors

Meet the 2012-2013 Parent Talk Board of Directors, the most committed volunteers in this volunteer driven organization.  Co-Presidents Mary Richman and Kate Owens remain for their second year in that position, as do Mary Beth Remorenko as Clerk, Betsy Miller as chair of Community Relations, Myrna Zakarian as co-chair of Events, Katie Alwart as co-chair of Fundraising, and Ann Lyons as chair of the Membership committee.

Joining them for the 2012-2013 board:

Nar Lee is our new Treasurer.

Nicola Dempsey is joining Myrna Zakarian as co-chair of Events.

Julia Sappenfield has taken the lead on the Lecture Committee.

Melissa Crowe has taken on the Chair of the Marketing Committee.

Tricia Burch is joining Katie Alwart as co-chair of Fundraising.

Wendy Todd has taken on the Playspace Committee Chairmanship.

Parent Talk’s fiscal year begins in June, as does the board year.  Board positions are held by the Chairpersons of key committees; people who also commit to monthly board meetings and supporting one another’s work by volunteering with projects and events throughout the year. 

Parent Talk encourages committee chair people to co-chair their committees, ideally having overlap from year to year between a new co-chair and a co-chair who has a year of experience.  Outgoing board members include Ryan McDonnell, who served for four years as treasurer, Cathy Memory, who served as Marketing Chair, Sari Musman as Lecture Chair (though she filled the 2012-2013 schedule with lectures before turning the position over to Julie Sappenfield!), Lollie Weeks as Communications Chair, Nicole Maffeo as co-chair of Events, Sarah Dussault as co-chair of Fundraising, and Ginger Bunn and Lauren Koweleski as co-chairs of the playspace. We thank them all for the work that they did for Parent Talk in these positions, wish them well in new endeavors, and look forward to working with them in other capacities at Parent Talk. 

To learn more about Parent Talk’s board members, see our website at www.parenttalk.info, click on board under the About Us tab.

About the Author

Mary Celeste lives with her husband and three children in Boston and is very excited to be working with Parent Talk.

Volunteer Spotlight: Sari Musmon

When you talk to Parent Talk members, many will say that one of the member benefits they value most highly is the lecture series. July’s Volunteer Spotlight highlights the woman who has made those lectures possible these last two years, and whose dedication and commitment to Parent Talk are an inspiration to us all. 

Sari Musmon moved to Needham in 2006 and inquired about Parent Talk even before her first child was born. In her words, “I knew I was going to need a network of people going through the same rollercoaster I was going to be going through.” After Talia was born in 2008, Sari joined Parent Talk and became involved in a playgroup. Her second daughter, Jolie, was born in 2009 and Sari looked forward to the days when her daughters would be old enough to take advantage of more Parent Talk activities. 

As a stay-at-home Mom who was looking to get more involved, Sari was approached about taking on the Lecture Chair position. It proved to be a perfect position for her and gave her the chance to feel professional, connect with grown-ups, and build her resume, all while staying at home with her children. Being part of the Board gave her a chance to meet great families and make lasting friendships. Being Lecture Chair gave her the chance to “become star-struck by authors” and meet many well-known experts. 

Sari showed her dedication to Parent Talk when she agreed to run Flicks on the Field last year in addition to her role as Lecture Chair. While the weather was less than cooperative, and ultimately the event had to be cancelled, her dedication and organization ensured the event would have been a huge success. We are lucky that she agreed to chair the event again this year (and hopefully the weather will cooperate). Thanks to her persistence, we’ll get to enjoy a viewing of the Lorax on Memorial Field in August. 

Sari is always the first one to sign up when we ask for volunteers, and she always has a smile on her face. We’ll miss her enthusiasm on the board this coming year, but we know we’ll see her at Parent Talk events for years to come! 

Parent Talk  is always ready to welcome new volunteers. To get involved, click here to see our open opportunities. 

Thank you to the Parent Talk Sponsors 2012

As the board year changes for Parent Talk, we just wanted to take a minute to thank our many sponsors from the past year.

A Fine Dance Studio

Acapulcos Mexican Family Restaurant Anton's Cleaners
Avery Crossings
B In Touch Massage Therapy
Baby Boot Camp
Barn Babies
Be You. Be True.
Bertucci's
Big Apple Circus
Big Joe the Storyteller
BJ’s Wholesale Club
Boston Baby Photos
Cafe Fresh Bagel
California Pizza Kitchen
Care.com
Charles River Ballet Academy Charles River School

Charles River YMCA
Comella's
Copley Motorcars
Creative Memories
Davis’ Farmland and Megamaze Designer Consigner
Disney on Ice
Energy Fitness & Gymnastics Exxcel Gymnastics and Climbing Flavours by Sodexo at Olin College Food Should Taste Good
Gentle Giant Moving Company Gorno Couture
Green Mountain Coffee
Gymboree
Hazel's Bakery
Healthy Habits Kitchen
Holly Cleaners

Isis Parenting
J.C. Timmerman
J.P. Licks
Kaiser Law Group
Kids’ Fun Stop
KidsStreet
Koko FitClub
Lakeshore Learning Store
LINX
Magic Beans
Metrowest Face Painting
Mini Athletes
Momgoodz.com
Music Together
My Gym Children's Fitness Center NannyKins
Needham Bowlaway
Needham Dance Theatre

Needham Fire Department Needham Martial Arts Center Next Step Living
Not Your Average Joe's
Olin College
Panera Bread
Palettes Paint Studio
Paulette's Ballet Studio
Pawtucket Red Sox
PODS
Pollywogs Children’s Boutique Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Roche Bros.
Sculpture Hair Studio and Day Spa Sheraton Needham
Showcase Cinemas
SeekingSitters
Sentient Jet

Stacey Peasley
Starbucks
Stone Hearth Pizza Co.
Sudbury Farms
Super Soccer Stars
Sweet Basil
Sweet Bites
Swizzles Frozen Yogurt
TD Garden
Trader Joe's
Treat Cupcake Bar
Vive Design
Waldron H. Rand & Company, P.C. Wildtree
Zinnia Designs 

Parent Talk Year in Review

As we prepare to start our 21^st Parent Talk year, we wanted to take a moment to recap what a wonderful year Parent Talk has had! 

• We welcomed our new Executive Director, Mary Celeste Brown in January. MC has been a wonderful addition to our organization and we feel lucky to have her! 
• We assembled over 200 night-night bags for local homeless children. 
• We hosted our highly successful 7^th annual Preschool Fair 
• We had two record breaking sales and donated truckloads of clothing, toys and gear to local charities. 
• We launched a brand new blog which allows us to provide real-time, relevant content to our members. We’ve received overwhelmingly positive feedback on the blog so far and encourage you to let us know if you’d like to contribute! 
• We had an overwhelmingly successful lecture series which included five talks on topics ranging from sibling rivalry to re-entering the workforce after a career break.   
• We hosted a Halloween parade and cookie decorating party at Avery Crossing 
• We welcomed thousands of visitors to the Playspace
• We made many new friends along the way. 

Your Parent Talk membership offers so many valuable resources, but we couldn’t do it all without our dedicated volunteers. We especially want to thank our outgoing Board of Director chairs: Ginger Bunn, Sarah Dussault, Lauren Kowaleski, Nicole Maffeo, Cathy Memory, Ryan McDonnell, Sari Musmon, and Lollie Weeks. 

While we are sad to see our outgoing board members leave us, we are excited to welcome new faces and start a new year. Joining Katie Alwart, Ann Lyons, Betsy Jensen Miller, Mary Beth Remorenko, and Myrna Zakarian, are Tricia Burch, Melissa Crowe, Nicola DiMauro, Nar Dong, Julia Sappenfield, and Wendy Todd. We’ll both be staying on for another year as co-president.

If you are interested in getting involved and helping us to make our 21^st year our strongest yet, please let us know. We have open positions, both big and small that will suit a variety of interests and skills. Email us at president@parenttalk.info and we’ll find the right position for you. 

Happy Summer!