News Briefs

Adult Confirmation Classes

The Catholic Parishes of Charlestown are offering an Adult Confirmation Program consisting of seven classes for persons 18 years of age and older.  Orientation is Wednesday, January 25 at 6:30 at St Mary St Catherine of Siena Parish Center, 46 Winthrop Street.  For more information and to register, please contact Sr. Nancy at 617-242-4664 or [email protected].

Join FCNY

Joining the Friends of the Charlestown Navy Yard (FCNY) is a great way to get involved in the community and to stay informed on important issues and current events. In 2022 FCNY continued to make strides back to normalcy. In 2022 we engaged in the following activities:

-Donating to local non-profit organizations providing services to Charlestown residents, focusing on food insecurity and educational and recreational support for Charlestown youth, as well as outdoor art installations in the Navy Yard.

-Holding our annual free outdoor summer concert this summer featuring perennial favorite, the Harvard Alumni Jazz Band

-Offering member discounts at local restaurants and service providers.

-Celebrating the Summer Solstice jointly with Navy Yard Garden & Art with the opening of the art installation “Of Many Minds” plus “Abrakidabra” the magician.

-Holding two free Adaptive Sailing Program, in conjunction with Courageous Sailing, for individuals with disabilities and their families with over 150 participants and sponsorships by Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, DC Beane, State Representative Dan Ryan and City Councilor Gigi Coletta.

-Regular dissemination of important community news and events through our website and email distribution list.

-Member socials at Blackmoor Bar & Kitchen, The Anchor, Dovetail & The Tradesmen.

Become a member in 2023 so that you can be a part of our Navy Yard community of over 200 individual and family members and 50 business members. We have a full schedule of activities planned for 2023 including the Annual Winter Warm Up.

Dues for membership are good from January 1, 2023 through December 31, 2023.

Agencies Announce New Round of High School Financial Education Fair Funding

The State Treasurer’s Office of Economic Empowerment (OEE), in partnership with the Massachusetts Division of Banks (DOB) and the Office of Consumer Affairs and Business Regulation (OCABR), announced additional funding for the 2022-2023 Financial Education Innovation Fund Grant. This grant opportunity provides financial assistance for Massachusetts high schools hosting financial education fairs during the 2022-2023 school year.

Known as Credit for Life fairs, these workshops offer fun and unique experiences for students to learn about personal finance topics before they graduate. Massachusetts public or charter high schools and special education programs approved by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) are eligible to apply.

Schools that were already awarded a grant for the 2022-2023 school year are not eligible to receive additional funding.

Applications are open until Friday, February 17th. Schools can learn more and apply here.

This marks the 11th round of the grant since its inception in 2015 and the second round for the 2022-2023 school year. In December, the agencies awarded a total of $115,400 to 39 schools to create new or expand pre-existing financial education fairs, which will serve around 9,000 students according to the grantees’ estimates.

Since 2015, over 40,000 Massachusetts students have attended Credit for Life Fairs. The Financial Education Innovation Fund Grant was established as an ongoing effort to strengthen access to financial literacy throughout Massachusetts. This financial education program is funded by the Division of Banks through a settlement over alleged unlawful lending practices.

All About Heat Pumps–Webinar February 1

Heat pumps have been getting a lot of buzz—and a lot of questions. This free webinar, Wednesday February 1 from 7-8 pm, is your chance to learn. It’s worth learning even if you think heat pumps don’t apply to your housing situation.

The Downtown Chapter of Mothers Out Front, a non-profit mobilizing for a livable future, is presenting Loie Hayes of the Green Energy Consumers, a non-profit that harnesses consumer power to speed the transition to a low-carbon future.

Why Should I Care About Heat Pumps?  They are a necessary part of our future. We must move away from fossil fuels to mitigate climate change and meet our city and state goals for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Buildings in Boston account for a whopping 70% of the City’s emissions.

What Are Heat Pumps?  Heat pumps can transfer heat into your home from air, water, or the ground outside your home. The webinar will focus on air-source heat pumps, which have a compressor unit outside connected to either a system of heating/cooling ducts or to one or more ductless air handlers or “heads”.

Do They Really Work in New England? Yes! They work in low temperatures—and provide cooling in summer as well!

Really– a Heat Pump Could Replace My Air Conditioner? Absolutely. Some suggest they should be called “heat and cool pumps”.

Aren’t They Expensive?  The webinar will note a variety of subsidies, credits, and tax incentives that help with the initial investment, as well as the savings over time.

Do they work in small apartments, or only in single family homes?  Heat pumps can be effective in a great variety of settings, including a single room or office, a single-family home, or a multi-unit building. Configurations vary.  Ductless systems can work for a single room or apartment, with a “mini-split” fixture mounted on the floor or wall or ceiling.  Buildings with a central duct system for a furnace or air conditioning can often use those duct systems.

How Do I Figure Out Whether Heat Pumps Make Sense for My Apartment or Building? The webinar is a great first step. It will address these and many other questions and invite you to ask your own.

To join the webinar, you can sign up at https://www.mothersoutfront.org/events/boston_ma_20230201/.

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