Globe South people
YOUNG TEACHING THE YOUNG: For now, Rebecca Gouveia hasn't got a home - but she has books and a love of reading she shares with others.
The fourth-grader is living in Conway House, a Middleborough transitional shelter, with her parents; illness caused the family to lose their Weymouth home.
Rebecca reads to younger children at the shelter and for her efforts was recently honored by School on Wheels of Massachusetts. She was among a group of five children and four adults honored by the Easton-based group in recognition of their contributions to the lives of children and families experiencing homelessness.
"I read books" to the children "and that makes them happy," Rebecca said upon accepting her award. "Sometimes, it makes them sleepy. It makes them happy and it makes me happy."
She runs "Rebecca's Fabulous Story Hour" for babies and preschoolers at the Conway House, modeled on School on Wheels' Family Read Aloud program.
Also honored were: Ben Gantert, 12, of Westwood, who collected and delivered school supplies and books to students living at the Family Life Center in Brockton; Elizabeth Gray, 12, of Sharon, who has collected, stuffed, and delivered backpacks for School on Wheels for three years; Jacqui Podolski, 12, of Easton, who raised hundreds of dollars with her cousins selling baked goods and giving boat rides and other outdoor activities at her family's Cape Cod house; and Rachel Kurland, 12, of Sharon, who twice a month conducts "Read Aloud Story Hours" for children and families at the Evelyn House Shelter in Stoughton.
Adults honored with Caring Heart Awards were Hana Berman of Sharon and Leon Litchfield of Easton, who coordinate School on Wheels after-school tutoring programs at Evelyn House; Donna Hanson of Bridgewater, the group's site coordinator at Conway House; and volunteer Stacie Hooper of Mansfield.
For more information on the nonprofit School on Wheels, visit schoolonwheelsofmass.org.
MOTHER'S DAY GIFT: Paula Alighieri of Norwood, executive director of the Hingham-based Friends of Mel Foundation, has donated $18,000 to the Maine Children's Cancer Program in honor of her mother, Helen Ouellette of Lewiston, Maine. For years, Ouellette has been raising money for the cancer program by lighting the main street in her town with hundreds of donated jack-o-lanterns. The Friends of Mel Foundation matched the sum raised by Ouellette's pumpkin parade last year. For more information on the Mel Foundation, which has raised $3.5 million for cancer research and education through the sale of glass-beaded bracelets, visit friendsofmel.org.
STONEHILL PROVOST: Katie Conboy of Milton has been named Stonehill College's first provost. Conboy, professor of English and vice president for academic affairs, will continue to oversee curriculum, faculty, academic support, career services, and research opportunities. In addition, she will now lead a number of collegewide initiatives, including Stonehill's strategic planning effort and the college's self-study for the New England Association of Schools and Colleges reaccreditation process.
FUN WITH FISHING: Early risers take note: The Wankinquoah Rod and Gun Club in Middleborough has scheduled its annual fishing derby June 1, beginning at 4 a.m. at Tihonet Pond in Wareham. The fee is $9 for adults and $1 for children 10 and younger, and includes breakfast. Fishing licenses are required for those 15 and older. All proceeds benefit the nonprofit club's youth group, said club president Roland Murphy. Registration forms must be postmarked by May 24 and are available at wrgclub.org and admakepeace.com, or at Shirt Shack, Tihonet Village Market, or M&D Bait and Tackle, all in Wareham. For more information, call Kim Houdlette at 508-322-4028.
BUSINESS BRIEFS: Barbara Watkins of Hingham has been awarded the Century 21 Centurion Producer Award in honor of being in the top percentage of Century 21 sales associates throughout the country. Watkins is a sales associate for Century 21 Network in Quincy. This is the third year she has earned the award, which is the highest-ranking in the Century 21 system.
Rockland Trust has donated $5,000 to the Greater New Bedford Community Health Center to support the organization's new wellness clinic scheduled to open July 1. The clinic will focus on the areas of type II diabetes, obesity, and nutrition.
Nicki Meade Draves of Brockton has been named executive director of the Neponset Valley Philharmonic Orchestra.
Paul E. Kandarian can be reached at kandarian@globe.com. 