Holliston Newcomers & Neighbors Reflect Back and Look Forward

Holiston Reporter

From Debbie Colburn

As summer approaches, Holliston Newcomers and Neighbors membership year comes to a close. But even with all the uncertainty swirling around us, HNN was still able to fulfill our civic, social, and community mission. We successfully coordinated a donation drive for both Thanksgiving baskets and Easter baskets—supporting  Holliston Pantry Shelf patrons, as well as Thanksgiving Meals for Seniors—supporting the Holliston Senior Center. That’s all thanks to the member volunteers who organized these events and the members and people from the community who donated.

With just a few adjustments, our members enjoyed socializing – albeit through Zoom – through our monthly book club and get-togethers, including our annual holiday party with a no-contact Yankee swap, a cross-fit training session, an instructional baking night for Valentine’s Day (those brownies were decadent), and a tea-tasting with instruction given from Hawaii!  It was great to see each other even if we couldn’t be in the same room. The children of our membership also enjoyed a number of virtual get-togethers including a show-and-tell your favorite toy and a Halloween Costume event.

Unfortunately, due to COVID-19, our traditional in-person fundraisers could not be held. This was not only sad that our community missed out on attending these fun events, but this also meant that the HNN Community Grant Fund would be missing out. Luckily we had introduced a new virtual fundraiser last year, A Prize A Day for the Month of May, that returned for 2021. We hope that everyone had fun waiting to see if they were a winner every day in May. This event will definitely be an annual event. And of course, the community can always help HNN give back by contributing directly to the HNN Community Grant Fund here https://hollistonnewcomers.org/Donate.

Most important, we could not have accomplished all this without the support of our sponsors:

  • Platinum Sponsor: AnyFence Co.
  • Gold Sponsors: Harelick Dental Associates
  • Silver Sponsors: Abbess Instruments & Systems, Boudreau’s Automotive, Bright Jensen Sheehan Insurance, and Tink’s Magical Vacations with Donna
  • Bronze Sponsors: Archambault Construction, Blessed Beginnings Preschool, and John’s Superior Shoe Repair
  • Special Thanks to Quality Auto Body

We look back on this year of ups and downs, knowing that with some adjustments and a bit of creativity HNN still accomplished our mission of giving back and bringing people together. If HNN sounds like something you want to be a part of then become a member at https://hollistonnewcomers.org/members.

We look forward to a new year of membership fun starting again in the fall and participating in town wide events along the way. See you around town!

Holliston Newcomers & Neighbors – Building Friendships, Building Community