Rockport Ramblings
The fourth annual Holiday Blood Drive at the Rockport Police station will take place next Saturday, Dec. 5, from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. in conjunction with Massachusetts General Hospital.
The blood drive, sponsored this year by the Rockport Navy Committee, is dedicated to those who have served and are still serving in the U.S. military. Donors must be at least 17 years old, but 16-year-olds can donate with written parental permission. While most healthy people older age 65 can donate, those donors in that age category are urged to call 617-726-9237 for special guidelines.
To make donating as easy and comfortable as possible, MGH will bring a "state-of-the-art" bloodmobile completely staffed with a nurse, phlebotomists, and, or a licensed practical nurse. The bloodmobile is entirely self-contained with four donor beds, two soundproof medical history booths and snack area.
"Blood is a medicine that can only be given from one person to another, no other source is currently available," said organizer Sharon Grandmaison.
Blood supplies often run low during the holiday season due to increased need and donors feeling they are too busy. A half hour can save three or four lives. The bloodmobile can accommodate three to four people every 15 minutes.
For those who cannot give blood there are other opportunities to help. The committee is collecting small stuffed animals, hand-held games and puzzle and crossword books to be distributed to the children in MGH and Shriners Hospital, including at the cancer clinics, the Proton Beam Cancer Treatment Center, the neonatal and pediatric intensive care units well as the pediatrics floors. The stuffed animals must be new and 6 to 10 inches.
"Donating to a hospitalized child is a wonderful opportunity to teach children about empathy and the spirit of giving," Grandmaison said.
For more information or to schedule an appointment, call Grandmaison at 978-290-1393 or visit www.rocnavcom.org.
Project Bread projects
Project Bread (The Walk for Hunger) is offering a wide variety of holiday cards and e-cards for the 2009 season with "unique images and heart-warming messages that will appeal to all."
Project Bread has offered holiday cards to help feed the hungry since the mid 1970s. Over the years, the sophistication of the program has grown but the organization continues to showcase the work of local artists. These 5-by-7 inch cards are printed in Massachusetts on high-quality recycled paper using soy inks. The cards are sold in packs of 10 with matching envelopes for $15.
The handcrafted designs are being sold at Whole Foods Markets throughout Massachusetts. They can also be purchased at Manchester By The Book in Manchester and The Paper Mermaid in Rockport.
A portion of the proceeds go to feed the hungry.
"Through the sale of holiday cards we can help hungry families through the long winter months," said Ellen Parker, executive director of Project Bread. "It's a program that does a lot of good."
To order cards online and for more information on customized large quantity orders and local stores where you can purchase Project Bread holiday cards, visit www.projectbread.org/holidaycards.
Quick hits
There has been a good response to a town-wide survey released earlier this month aimed at helping bridge a perceived communication gap between Rockporters and the Rockport schools, according to Cameron Smith, head of the task force that created the survey.
Smith wants as many Rockporters, ages 21 and older, to participate in the survey, which can be found online at http://tinyurl.com/survey01966.
Hard copy versions of the survey can be found at Rockport Public Library, by request via e-mail to rptconnect@gmail.com, or by calling 978-546-1200, extension 3.
If a person's e-mail reader doesn't let the survey link open, he or she should just type it into the address box of their Web browser, Smith added.
The Unitarian Universalist Society of Rockport's holiday craft fair kicks off today and is open every Saturday through Dec. 19 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Original art, handcrafted jewelry, greeting cards, knitted scarves, stained glass boxes, fresh baked cookies and candy, and much more will be available. The Thrift Shop will be open too with "Not Quite New" holiday ornaments, a wide selection of books, slightly used toys and vintage gift items. For more information, contact Jennifer Ober at 978-546-2989.
People in the news
A special presentation of "Cape Ann Conversations" — in honor of the late Ann Fisk — will be broadcast on Cape Ann TV cable channel 12 on Friday, Dec. 4, at 4 p.m.; Sunday, Dec. 13, at 7 p.m.; Wednesday, Dec. 16, at 6:30 p.m.; Friday, Dec. 18, at 4 p.m.; Wednesday, Dec. 23, at 6:30 p.m.; and Sunday, Dec. 27, at 7 p.m.
Originally broadcast in 2006, it features Fisk and Barbara Brewer talking about Rockport's Christmas Pageant.
Now through Dec. 11, Rockport Art Association is featuring a solo show by award-winning watercolorist and oil painter Jim Murphy. The show, "Hilltown, Harbor and Headlands," depicts the rural landscape of Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, and the hills of Western Massachusetts, near his home. The show also includes paintings of the coastal harbors of Cape Ann, Maine and the headlands of Monhegan Island.
Rockport Ramblings is compiled each week by reporter Jonathan L'Ecuyer. If you have an item for Ramblings, call L'Ecuyer at 978-283-7000, ext. 3451, or e-mail jlecuyer@gloucestertimes.com.
