Coming up Roses
Bob Gouveia of Tewksbury is one of several New England residents who will take part in the 2007 Tournament of Roses Parade down Colorado Boulevard in Pasadena, Calif., on New Year's Day. This year's theme is "Star Wars," and its creator, George Lucas, is the parade's grand marshal and producer of the event. Several members of the 501st New England Garrison, of which Gouveia is the commanding officer, were invited to march 5 1/2 miles in full "storm trooper" armor along with 200 others. Lucas selected them from 700 people who submitted videos hoping to participate in the parade. "It was no easy feat to be chosen," said Steve Sansweet, head of Lucas's fan relations department. "We had very high standards for the costumes, the physical fitness of the members, and the dedication that would be involved." The finalists will arrive five days before the parade for rehearsals and work with an Army drill master. The 501st Legion, which bills itself as "the world's definitive imperial costuming organization," has participated in several "Star Wars" films, including "The Jedi Hunter," "Recruitment," "Silent But Deadly II," and "Return of Pink Five."
A NURSE'S GIFT: Laura Olisky-Kostura of Lowell will not be home for Christmas this year, because she hacommitted herself to treating patients in an Iraqi hospital for as long as a year. Even though Olisky-Kostura got married last June and missed her graduation from the University of Massachusetts at Lowell to be at her wedding, she decided to leave her new husband to serve in Baghdad. Through e-mails to her former professor Mary Ellen Doherty, Olisky-Kostura said she and her fellow nurses miss moisturizer, soap, cleansers, manicure kits, and peanut M&Ms. So, Doherty and her fellow faculty members and student nurses in Lowell started packing up supplies and shipping them to Olisky-Kostura and her colleagues in Baghdad. "She'll be our Santa Claus over there," Doherty said. "I think of it as bringing Christmas to the nurses in Iraq to thank them for all the people they're helping, for what they're doing for the country."
SENDING A MESSAGE: Methuen-born and Lawrence-raised Susie Castillo moved on to become Miss USA and an MTV video jockey. From her visible position, Castillo has started working with the March of Dimes and the Grains Food Foundation to encourage pregnant women and women of child-bearing age to include foods rich in folic acid in their diets as a way to combat birth defects as well as brain and spinal cord problems. She said she thinks it is an important message as many people begin to diet after the holidays, and newer diets discourage eating bread, which is rich in folic acid.
SPREADING THE WEALTH: Five people who work with non profit groups in the region were treated to gift certificates to area restaurants from the Nashoba Valley Chamber of Commerce. Harvard's Marge Darby of Freedom's Way Heritage Association is working to gain federal designation for a national heritage area for several Nashoba Valley towns in Massachusetts and New Hampshire to promote tourism. She received dinner at Herb Lyceum in Groton. Kathy Stamski donates many hours to Loaves and Fishes to get food to local people and families, and she will dine at Devens Grille at Devens. Kathee Reville works for the Seven Hills Foundation to support people with developmental, physical, psychological, and related disabilities. Reville was given dinner at the Red Tail Golf Club at Devens. Donna Neeley works for EcoStar to cut waste and promote efficient use of electricity. She and her bosses were given a certificate to Phoenix Grille in Shirley. Ian Meisner, who is working to create the Devens Historical Museum, will dine at The Bull Run in Shirley.
A TIMELY PRESENT: For Timothy and Marianne Felter, a $10,000 winning raffle ticket came in handy just as they moved to a new home on Millstone Circle in Andover. The Kiwanis Club of Greater Lawrence sold 200 tickets for $100 each, and the Felters walked away with the big prize. The club is also giving $10,000 to the Lawrence Boys and Girls Club, the YMCA Teen Achievers Program, and Ironstone Farm in Andover, which serves disabled children, according to the club's Dave Wilson.
GETTING IT TOGETHER: As the New Year gets under way and holiday gifts are assimilated into homes, many people try to get a handle on organizational issues. North Reading's Beth Borek wants to help. After working for 10 years in corporate America, Borek started New Leaf Solutions two years ago to help people sort out, clean up, and get a handle on accumulating stuff in the home and office. A graduate of North Reading High and Merrimack College and a member of the National Association of Professional Organizers, Borek will give free advice and tips on organizing on Jan. 20 from 10 to 11:30 a.m. at Flint Memorial Library in North Reading to help celebrate January as "Get Organized Month."
People items may be sent to cantrell@globe.com. 
