The Fourth Annual Friends of Beth Scholarship Walk Draws More Than 100 Walkers

The scholarship walk was created in 2007 by Patty Willis after her sister, former Canton resident Beth Spence Cann, was taken from the family in a case of domestic violence.

When Beth Spence Cann, a 1981 graduate of Canton High School, lost her life to domestic violence in 2007, her sister Patty Willis of Canton knew she wanted to do something to honor her sister. “My sister was a victim of domestic violence four years ago and I wanted something to remember her by so we decided to do the scholarship walk,” said Willis at this year’s ‘Friends of Beth Scholarship Walk’ that stepped off from the American Legion on Sunday at noon. “My sister was an artist and a graduate of Canton High so we decided to do a scholarship in her name for students going into the art field,” she said. This was the fourth annual 5K walk. To date, the scholarship committee has awarded 15 scholarships – five in each of the last three years…

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A Time to Give

Canton Food Pantry Provides More Than Just Food

The Canton Food Pantry services many residents who are homeless and living in shelters, hotels or vehicles. Gift cards can often help those families in their time of need.

Mary Ellen Hudner has been working at the Canton Food Pantry for five years and already has a lifetime of stories to tell. “People are hurting in Canton,” said Hudner, who runs the food pantry with co-director Carolann Browne and the help of about 25 volunteers. “Times are tough and they’re getting tougher.” Hudner said the food pantry is always in need of donations of food, diapers, laundry detergent, personal care items (toothpaste, tooth brushes, soap), and other things that cannot be purchased with food stamps. The Canton Food Pantry is located at the back of the Rodman Building of the old Canton High School, 960 Washington Street, and services about 75 people each week who take three, four or five bags of groceries each week, Hudner …

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Celebrating Spring in Canton

Children enjoyed a "Spring Ahead Party" at the Village Toy Shop on Sunday in celebration of the longer days of Spring.

Katie Malley loves to paint and she loves toys which is why her mother took her to the Village Toy Shop today for its “Spring Ahead Party.” In honor of daylight savings time, and to celebrate the soon-to-be start of spring, the toy shop offered its youngest customers a chance to paint ceramic garden pets (butterflies, frogs and owls) and create tissue paper flowers. “I like purple,” said Katie, 3 of Norwood, while looking at her multi-colored paper flower.  When her mother, Lucy, described Katie’s butterfly as pink and green with sparkles, Katie chimed in, “Oh, I have one more color, yellow” and off she went back to the paint table. Store owner Kathy Mabry said about 30 children enjoyed Sunday’s activity.  “We had about 20 children sign up…

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Galvin Middle School Student Competes in 2011 Comcast South Shore Regional Spelling Bee

Seventh grader Courtland Priest makes it through 11 rounds of the regional spelling bee held at Lombardo's on Saturday.

In Round 11, it was “Backstein” cheese that stumped Courtland Priest in this year’s Comcast South Shore Regional Spelling Bee. Priest, a Galvin Middle School seventh grader who won last year’s regional Bee, was one of 23 students to compete in this year’s event held at Lombardo’s function facility in Randolph on Saturday. “It was nerve-wracking but fun,” said 12-year-old Priest, after the two-plus-hour competition. “The best part about the Bee was the competition and what happens when you’re actually on stage. The competition was really stiff…I liked it.” Priest’s words included layette, albatross, plateau, herbivore, analysis, castanets, asterisk, credenza, pitchblende, angst and Backstein. “Part of this is the luck of the word that you …

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Canton Couple Celebrates 60th Anniversary This Year

Dr. and Mrs. Theodore Goodman talk about the keys to their successful marriage on Valentine's Day.

They were set up on a blind date in 1951, and 60 years later they are still going strong. Doris and Ted Goodman say the secret to a successful life together is to give each other respect, do not go to bed mad and do not hold a grudge. “You can’t stay together for 60 years if you don’t have some sort of tolerance of different ideas…and respect for each other is very important,” said Doris, adding the couple was friends first, though Ted argues he fell in love with her the moment he met her. The couple met at a fraternity party while students at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. Their names were matched up alphabetically when the list of boys was aligned with the list of girls to see which boy would invite which girl to the dance. …

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Canton's Everyday Heroes

Rock 'n Roll Rabbi Uses Technology to Spread His Message

Rabbi David Paskin is also known as the World Wide Reb and uses the Internet to increase the size of his community.

Rabbi David Paskin is revolutionizing the way he reaches his congregants – through his inspirational weekly services at Temple Beth Abraham, as the Rock ‘n Roll Rabbi with his two bands, Rock Tov and Shirav, and in philosophical webcast discussions in his weekly video blog as the World Wide Reb. “I hope that I spend a lot of time teaching and I hope I spend a lot of time inspiring,” said the charismatic Rabbi on a recent afternoon visit. “I’m one of those people who are really blessed to do something they love. I get to spend all day thinking about really big, meaningful questions.” “Rabbi David,” as he is known to his congregants, is a graduate of Brandeis University and the Academy for Jewish Religion. For 13 years, he has been the …

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Galvin Middle School 8th Grader Chosen for Governor's Community Service Program

Caleb Casimir, 13, an eighth grader at Galvin Middle School, was chosen by his teachers to represent the school as part of Governor Patrick's "Project 351" which includes one eighth grader from each city and town in the Commonwealth.

Galvin Middle School's Caleb Casimir is only 13, but he is ready to serve his community. The Canton eighth grader  is one of 351 Massachusetts students that has been selected as an Ambassador for Project 351, an initiative by the Patrick-Murray Administration to encourage community service in young people. One eighth grade student was chosen from each of the 351 cities and towns in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to participate in the project. The students were nominated by school principals and superintendents. “The goal is to generate 351 ripples of impact as the young people return to their homes and schools, spreading the spirit of service all across the Commonwealth,” said Governor Deval Patrick in a press release. Casimir is one of…

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A Time to Give

Not Just Cats and Dogs

On call 24/7, the Canton Animal Control Officer needs volunteers to help out with caring for the furry friends at the Animal Shelter.

Barbara Penders is the longest-serving volunteer at the Canton Animal Shelter and a key to its success, according to Animal Control Officer Paul Bastable. "She's my neat freak," said Bastable.  "She goes around the whole place cleaning and straightening…I don't know what I would do without her."  Penders has been with the Richard A. Stein Animal Shelter in Canton since 2003.  "We clean the cages, we do the laundry, I make sure all the stock is full, and that we have (to stock) hand towels and toilet paper," said Penders, who volunteers two days a week.  "I (enjoy) playing with the animals and socializing the cats…I really love my animals so working at the shelter is a no-brainer for me." Socializing the cats involves taking them out of …

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For the Love of Yarn

A Sit & Knit group gathers on the first Sunday of every month to combine knitting and socializing.

Are you a yarn lover? Then head to the Irish Cultural Centre on Sunday to put your knitting skills to use. The center's social knitting group meets once a month after the monthly Irish Mass and Breakfast.  The "Sit & Knit" group typically meets in the the Irish Cultural Centre's conference room from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. on the first Sunday of each month. All skill levels are welcome, and a $5 donation is suggested. "It's basically social, it's not really a class but we do help each other and get nice ideas from each other," said ICCNE member and volunteer Maureen McNally, who leads the group. "People come and might not have any idea how to start the armholes for a sweater and somebody in the group can usually help them out…It's very much …

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