Programs Funded

2025

Below are a few of the many programs contributed to by the Friends of Acton COA. For a more complete list, see the Friends Events Calendar which lists the classes and programs at the Acton Senior Center which receive Friends funding

2025

Honoring Excellence: Janet Singer Applefield Author Talk

On Tuesday, October 28th, The Friends Honoring Excellence Fund sponsored a talk by author Janet Applefield about her memoir, Becoming Janet: Finding Myself in the Holocaust. Since 1947, when her father insisted his 12-year-old daughter dictate to him the story of her survival, being a hidden child during the Holocaust has been central to Janet Singer Applefield’s identity. Now 89 years old, Janet continues to write, research, and speak about her experience as a child survivor, teaching students about human rights and the ever-present specter of genocide. She has three children and five grandchildren and lives in the Boston area.

Honoring Excellence: Liz Walker Author Talk

Former WBZ-TV anchor Liz Walker gave an inspiring talk about her new book, No One Left Alone: A Story of How Community Helps Us Heal, to over 80 people gathered at the Senior Center on Tuesday, May 6th. This Honoring Excellence event was sponsored by the Friends of the Acton Council of Aging through a generous gift from Tom Crowdis, Jr. and Beverly Davis. Walker described how she made her decision to become a pastor at Roxbury Presbyterian Church and how she grew to love the community there. After one of the church families lost their son, Cory Johnson, due to gun violence, she worked together with a mental health clinician to help Cory’s large, intergenerational family and others in the church grieve together. This led to the creation of the program Can We Talk . . . ®, which has now spread to twenty sites nationwide, to help individuals and families who need a supportive place to share their stories and know they are heard. Cory’s mom, Debra, also spoke at the event, along with several others involved with the program. Their stories were inspirational and provided new hope for ways to help families and communities find new joy after experiencing trauma.

Article in The Acton Exchange: https://www.actonexchange.org/anchor-and-pastor-liz-walker-writes-book-speaks-to-friends-of-the-coa/

Article by Friends of the Acton Council on Aging:

Liz Walker Speaks at Senior CenterDownload

Video provided by Acton TV: https://link.edgepilot.com/s/2565cfe6/JZF6SM27l0aoehmAMlLipQ?u=https://youtu.be/57QaqMeQ1zg

2024

Marian Anderson Sings at Lincoln Memorial
Billy Holiday Sings Strange Fruit

2023

  • Honoring Excellence Program (brought to you in honor of Tom Crowdis, Jr.):
    • Piano Concert by Sivan Etedgee
    • Ted Reinstein (of Chronicle) Presentation on: Before Brooklyn
  • Tuesday Evening Dinners
    The Friends has begun to underwrite some Tuesday evening dinners which have been well-attended. Local restaurants have partnered with this effort including Legend Cafe, Bueno y Sano, As Good As It Gets Café, and Filho’s Cucino. The Friends look forward to adding additional eating establishments to this list.
  • Music:
    • History of Popular music series
    • Broadway music series
    • Broadway Judy Garland
    • John Clark, Music Presentation Brill Building
    • Irish Voices and Harp
    • Blues
    • Latin music
    • Holiday favorites
    • Music of WW11
    • Classical music series – blend presentation & performance
  • Arts and Crafts:
    • Art presentations via Zoom
      • New England seascapes
    • Classes on
      • Watercolor painting
      • Card making
      • Women Impressionists
      • Smartphone photography
      • Wool needle felting
  • History & Education:
    • History talks
      • French Canada
      • Silk Roads history talk
      • Spanish American War Lecture
      • Literature series Emily Dickinson 23 and Winesburg, Ohio
    • Author talks on
      • 18th century crimes of Bathsheba Spooner
      • Email Scams workshop
  • Entertainment:
    • Weekly Netflix movies (with popcorn and on the big screen)
    • Arthur Miller’s plays
    • Elvis impersonator
    • Iconic Paintings Presentation
    • Francis Perkins Show
    • Puccini Opera
    • Astronomy
      • Are we alone? Presentation
      • Stonehenge
    • Albert Einstein performance
  • Political subjects:
    • Spooky politics
  • Subscriptions:
    • Netflix
    • The Week
    • The Wall Street Journal (Honoring Excellence Fund)
    • The Boston Globe
    • Science News
  • Health and Wellness:
    • Muscle and joint recovery/pain management series
    • Laughter yoga
    • Sharing Housing
    • Dancing Joy
  • Poetry and words:
    • Words Galore classes (in person and via Zoom)
    • Poets Live Forever classes (in person and via Zoom)
    • Poetry Sharing
  • Exercise:
    • Tai Chi classes offered weekly, year-round are funded by town of Acton.

Previous Years:

  • Honoring Excellence Program introduced in 2022 (in honor of Tom Crowdis, Jr. donation):
    • Ted Reinstein (of Chronicle) Presentation on: Country Store Stories
      • First Honoring Excellence Program
  • Arts and Crafts:
    • Drawing cartoons via Zoom
  • History & Education:
    • Medici Family
    • Supreme Court
    • Trail of Tears
    • Vietnam
    • Author talks on:
      • Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum heist
  • Entertainment:
    • Visit from a miniature therapy horse
    • Holiday Concert
    • Holiday tea
    • Presentations on using DNA in genealogy
  • Ted Reinstein of Chronicle Presentation on Writing your life story
  • Ted Reinstein of Chronicle Presentation on The war in Ukraine
  • Political subjects:
    • Political trivia
    • Campaign trail humor
  • Health and Wellness:
    • Preparing for caregiving lecture via Zoom
    • Creativity and aging