HELPING CHILDREN OF CHERNOBYL: Every little bit - and bead - helps.
Molly Whalen of Middleborough, a senior at Coyle and Cassidy High School in Taunton, plans to sell Mardi Gras beads at the Dedham-based Chernobyl Children Project USA's "Goodwill Gala - An Evening of Care and Compassion" on May 9 at the Sheraton Braintree Hotel.
The bead sale is one of several activities planned for the event, which will help provide immediate surgery for four children needing operations. Chernobyl Children Project USA is the largest organization in the United States providing medical treatment and respite care for children from the Chernobyl nuclear disaster area in Belarus, Russia, and Ukraine.
"The project really touched my heart because these children need our support, and I love helping children," said Whalen, who has been working with local community coordinator Lorna Brunelle on various fund-raisers this year.
Patricia Doyle of Dedham, president of the Chernobyl Children Project, traveled to Russia last week to organize the stay of those Chernobyl children scheduled to arrive in Boston on June 24. Last year, 100 children stayed with host families in the area. To apply to be a host family, or for more information on the project and the gala event, visit ccpusa.org.
Since it began, the Chernobyl Children Project USA has provided care for more than 1,400 children and also provided equipment, supplies, and training worth more $5 million to medical institutions in the Chernobyl region. Boston-area doctors and hospitals have performed surgeries valued at more than $4 million.
FIRST SCHOLARSHIP: The Mansfield Music and Arts Society is awarding its first $2,500 MMAS Arts Scholarship to a local graduating senior who intends to pursue study of the arts in college. Open to all students of all disciplines of the arts, the scholarship was made possible through an anonymous donation to the arts group, said the society's executive director, Ken Butler. The scholarship is open to students graduating from the Easton, Foxborough, Mansfield, Norton, and Sharon public school districts. Art department heads from each school will recommend one student to represent her or his district, and each student must write an essay. For more information, students may contact their guidance counselors, or Rachel Parkman, director of development and communications for the society, at 508-339-2822.
A CELEBRATION OF MOTHERS FOR CHARITY: "Celebrate Mom," a fund-raising event for the Habitat for Humanity of Greater Plymouth's Women Build in Kingston, is scheduled to be held from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday at the Indian Pond Country Club in Kingston. Tickets are $50 for adults and $20 for children 13 and younger. For information, visit infullforce.com. The event will be hosted by Lisa Donovan from Kiss 108's "Matty in the Morning Show."
ART ENTRIES WANTED: The North River Arts Society in Marshfield has issued a call for entries to its Festival of the Arts to be held from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. May 24 and 25. The society is accepting entries for a juried art and sculpture exhibit and juried photography exhibit. More than $2,500 in prize money will be awarded. All artwork must be delivered to the society's headquarters at the G.A.R. Hall at 157 Old Main St. in Marshfield Hills from 7 to 9 p.m. Tuesday or 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. May 10. Entry fees are $10 for members and $15 for nonmembers for each piece of art. For information, visit northriverarts.org, call 781-837-8091, or e-mail info@northriverarts.org.
TOP-NOTCH DIRECTOR: Ron Christianson, fine arts director at Stoughton High School, has been given the Lifetime Achievement Award at the International Association of Jazz Educators conference. He has been director of the concert, marching, and jazz bands at the school since 1972.
BUSINESS BRIEFS: The Business Appreciation Award from the Arc of the South Shore was given to George A. Toma, president of George Washington Toma TV and Appliances in Weymouth, for his charitable donations to Arc over the past 10 years. The award was made at Arc's 56th annual dinner dance. Arc is an advocacy group for people with mental retardation and developmental disabilities. Toma is director of power lifting for the Special Olympics of Massachusetts.
Boston Casting is opening a satellite Media Performing Institute at the Burt Wood School of Performing Arts in Middleborough. The institute provides training and guidance for those seeking to enhance their careers in media performance and public speaking, institute officials said. The Middleborough branch is scheduled to start up by offering a children's acting session and will add programs throughout the year.
Dr. Michael Berry, chief of surgery at Milton Hospital, has been awarded the Lira Family Award for Physician Excellence, named for a beloved hospital volunteer and local bandleader, the late Hugo "Baron" Lira. Berry, an orthopedic surgeon at the hospital since 1984, was selected for his commitment to medicine and involvement in the hospital and community.
A. Ray Tye, chairman of United Liquors in Braintree, will be honored for his support by Hebrew SeniorLife at its annual meeting on Sept. 14. Tye's long-running ads in the group's publications help support its geriatric housing, healthcare, research, and teaching work. He is also involved in a variety of leadership positions on Hebrew SeniorLife committees and is on the nonprofit's board of trustees. Tye is also founder of the Ray Tye Medical Foundation in Braintree, which pays for medical treatment for people who can't afford it.
Paul E. Kandarian can be reached at kandarian@globe.com.
