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Jay Winuk, who lost his brother Glenn 13 years ago at the World Trade Center, spent last weekend with his son visiting colleges in Washington, D.C. Among Justin Winuk’s prospects is George Washington University. His father was asked to speak there during freshmen orientation, and Jay’s topic was one that he’s pursued with a distinct…
Read MoreSo many of us find it hard to step out of the whirl and go beyond ourselves. In an age of Instagrams and streaming Twitter updates, people seem too busy to call even when something’s gone terribly wrong. They might text instead. It becomes harder to pause, and finding solace eludes us. At least…
Read More“In such a world of conflict, a world of victims and executioners, it is the job of thinking people, as Albert Camus suggested, not to be on the side of the executioners.” — Howard Zinn, A People’s History of the United States: 1492 to Present The killing of six college students a week ago…
Read MoreAcross the home of the Bean, if not much of the country, the Boston Marathon bombings’ anniversary sparked much reflection on the responses of many people. Yes, a showing of the “strong” among bystanders and many first responders — and something else, perhaps a little less visible than those repeated images, but no less real.…
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Celebrating the life of Alice Herz-Sommer, a 110-year-old Holocaust survivor and concert pianist whose unflinching embrace of humanity continues to inspire many. Sommer died Sunday in London. Her story is portrayed in the Oscar- nominated film, “The Lady in Number 6: Music Saved My Life,” which can also be downloaded here. Born in Prague, Herz-Sommer,…
Read MoreAwareness continues to grow about the scourge of sexual violence on college campuses. More assault survivors are supporting each other to break the silence and challenge their universities’ mishandling of complaints. Reports of rape given to institutions have risen dramatically — by 34 percent between 2010-2012. A new White House task force to prevent school…
Read MoreCloser By The Mile, my debut book chronicling the story of the Pan-Mass Challenge, a singular ongoing commitment and trajectory of hope for cancer research, is available on Amazon. Published in the summer of 2013, the book conveys how the Pan-Mass Challenge has grown to raise $414 million for Boston’s Dana-Farber Cancer Institute during 34 years. Readers come along…
Read MoreIn Newtown, Conn., the question was asked. Should the town hold its annual Labor Day parade this year? After the shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School, after the eulogies for 20 first-graders and six educators, amid the drumbeat of news stories across the country and hushed conversations around town, all adding up — still —…
Read MoreNear the eastern most point of the U.S., efforts to preserve a cultural heritage sacred to the Passamaquoddy Tribe in Machias Bay were replenished earlier this summer through the conservation of a headland known as Long Point. The peninsula and its adjoining uplands, which total 66 acres, were purchased by the Maine Coast Heritage Trust,…
Read MoreWell before donning my riding shoes for the Pan-Mass Challenge bike-a-thon, I had anticipated being wowed by a spirit of goodwill. But setting out to ride for the first time in the country’s most successful sports philanthropy event, I could not have estimated how much participants from every angle would lift each other in support of cancer…
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