Lynnfield For Love: Bringing the Town Together to Promote Kindness, Equity, and Diversity
“We strive to lead by example for our children'“ As we continue the Season of Giving, today’s women dreamers, are the leaders of Lynnfield For Love, a community grassroots organization fostering diversity, inclusivity, and kindness in the local community. The organization truly enriches Lynnfield residents, bringing members together for Lynnfield’s first Race Amity Day, Multicultural Celebration, A Healthy Lynnfield, and the support of the Black Lives Matter Movement. During the pandemic, “the families found pieces of joy in sharing sidewalk art, teddy bears and messages of hope in people’s windows - anything to inspire hope.” Every woman involved brings their unique passion and the causes closest to their heart to the organization, collectively creating something beautiful for the town!
How did you come up with the concept of Lynnfield for love? What was the inspiration and goal behind it?
Lynnfield for Love is a community organization comprised of families in Lynnfield. It started in an organic, grassroots fashion in November 2016 with a goal to spread love, kindness, positivity, and awareness- in part in response to the rise in acts of hate.
Jenn Lupien wrote a message to the local community Facebook group voicing support for those who felt unsafe, and with Neha Gupta Pareek, they organized getting together. At that meet-up, people told stories of both positivity and adversity in town, but it became clear that there was an appetite for an organized group in town that shared a love for diversity, kindness, justice, and equity.After that first gathering, we kept meeting monthly, as our mission and focus slowly took shape. We wanted to respond to the hate we were seeing with love for our community.
Our mission is to create a more connected community by fostering an appreciation and understanding of diversity and promoting kindness, equality, and justice for all people. We are a very family friendly organization. Kids are always welcome at our meetings and events. With our community service opportunities, we strive to lead by example for our children, to encourage & participate in community service, and to be present at important events.
We first started with community-building potlucks within the group, followed by the One Love event at The Town Meeting House. One Love was open to all, where attendees had several opportunities to spread kindness at different stations (letter writing to those in need, face painting for kids, donations, and love notes to first responders) throughout the venue. We later organized Lynnfield’s first Race Amity Day, held a vigil after Charlottesville, and started a book club whose focus aligns with our mission. Our biggest accomplishment in that first year was organizing Lynnfield’s first town wide Multicultural Celebration, representing 26 different countries & cultures showcasing the residents of Lynnfield. In 2018, Lynnfield for Love was named Persons of the Year for Lynnfield by Essex Media Group. We were delightfully surprised to be honored with that award after being together for such a short time. Although the two amazing women that started it all are no longer part of Lynnfield for Love, most of the founding members still are.
Who are some of the people (and their roles) involved in the program?
Lynnfield for Love accomplishes all that it does because of its dedicated members, as many hands make light work. We are so thankful for all of the efforts made by those in the past, in addition to those by our new members. But, who is Lynnfield for Love right now? Our president, Wendy Dixon, a school nurse, is committed to anti racism & volunteerism. Wendy’s compassionate mission driven and kind attitude in leading L4L has been key in the progress of L4L over the years. Our prior secretary and current Vice President is Jessica Tortola, whose altruism, dedication, & determination to L4L’s mission has helped it be where it is today. As a former Spanish teacher, her desire to help and connect community members comes from a deep understanding of cultural differences.
Helping reach goals, is our treasurer, Jeana Tecci. Jeana’s constant support and action-oriented approach to getting things done is commendable to have reached our goals. Someone else who has kept these goals in mind from the beginning is another founding member, Diana Ellis, our secretary. Diana’s leadership at the Lynnfield Cultural Council has helped L4L run the Multicultural Celebration in collaboration for several years now. Two other founding members are Darlene Kumar, Director of Community Outreach, and Vicky Blanco, our Creative Arts Director. Without Darlene’s social acumen and undying volunteerism, we couldn’t have achieved so much over the years. It is Vicky’s creativity and strong advocacy on all matters marketing that has made it possible for the community to get to know L4L better.
We have many other community members at large who have been involved in multiple projects over the years. But, we would be remiss if we didn’t mention the specific efforts of four other founding members. Natasha Shah is a family practice physician and our liaison with A Healthy Lynnfield. Natasha’s world view and articulate guidance in many volunteer activities has been instrumental in L4L’s success. Diane Courtney, also a liaison with A Healthy Lynnfield, is a pediatric ED nurse, a dedicated leader of Girl Scouts, and a strong advocate for the group wherever she goes. Diane’s caring ways with her creative & unique ideas (kindness rock gardens) have led many people to come together as a community here in Lynnfield. Kate Iantosca, software consultant, has been drawn to the group’s message since the beginning and has recently taken on lots of responsibilities with volunteer opportunities within the group. We are so grateful for her dedication, sharp editing skills, and keen insights on equity & inclusion. Vasundhra Ganju, educator and mindfulness & mental wellness coach, has helped uplift the group from the beginning as well. Drawing on her training as a mindfulness & mental wellness coach, she has offered countless workshops and was an integral part in getting L4L off the ground in its first year. Her warmth & engaging nature is contagious within our beautiful community.
What are some activities that L4L has been involved with?
Lynnfield for Love has organized several projects over the years and has collaborated with a number of local businesses and organizations. Our Multicultural celebration might be our hallmark event in collaboration with the Lynnfield Cultural Council. Covid may have cancelled last year’s event, but we are determined to have it again this spring somehow! Approximately 500 people attend every year. There are tables set up to represent different countries. Table hosts are all residents of Lynnfield sharing their cultures and traditions. Typically the host will provide a short, interactive activity for the participant to do while visiting their table. In the past, we have had music, dancing, interactive dancing, yoga, a traditional Chinese Lion Dance and Kung Fu demonstration by the Way Lum Kung Fu & Tai Chi Academy. And there is also always a main stage event. In the last year, we had the Tanglewood Marionettes delight the crowd with their spectacular rendition of “The Dragon King.”
We have proudly held Race Amity Day, occurs every 2nd Sunday in June in MA, every summer on the town common. In the past, board of selectman have read the state proclamation and last year we started a new tradition having some of our Lynnfield for Love Littles read it. Lynnfield for Love Littles is comprised of the the children of the members. They have participated in many service projects together. For a group of kids ranging from toddlers to teenagers, they work so well together to accomplish spreading kindness and inclusiveness. The purpose of Race Amity Day is to draw attention to the rich tradition of cross-cultural friendships and honors friendships that bridge the racial divide. On Race Amity Day, we host a picnic at the Town Center and invite the community.
Throughout the calendar year, we have several family friendly community service projects. In November, L4L collaborates with the Wakefield Cooperative Bank to provide a Thanksgiving meal to families in need. The bank provides the fresh turkeys and we provide the groceries for the side dishes. For the past 3 years, the food has gone to families in need at The Callahan Elementary School in Lynn, MA.
In December, we typically choose a project that benefits teens in foster care, as they are usually the forgotten ones as Toys for Tots ends at age 12. After talking with many social workers this year, we decided to work with La Colaborativa out of Chelsea to help distribute $25 gift cards to Market Basket for those dealing with food insecurity. Though we usually like to give gifts and gift cards to the teen demographic, we felt that it was more important to help other families meet their basic food needs this year.
Martin Luther King, Jr. Day also presents as another opportunity to gather and do community service. The past 2 years we have all met up at The Lynn Museum and participated in their activities. It is quite crowded. We’ve also done acts of kindness independent of events being held in Greater Boston. We’re always brainstorming new ideas.
In February, we take a day for self-care and have a Valentine’s Day Party together while multi-tasking for a service project. We brainstorm creative ideas and choose the right fit. Last year, we dropped off handmade Valentine’s Day cards to the Sunrise residents and did a short “talent show” by the Lynnfield Littles in attendance.
Throughout the year, we have pop-up events. We have visited police and fire leaving them treats, written cards for veterans, “heart attack” neighbor doors, hosted community speakers, and attended community events as a group. We’re always open to new ideas and encourage members to run with them!
This year has been especially challenging. How has L4L helped the community overcome some of these challenges?
Like many organizations, we immediately adopted a virtual chat platform so we could still hold our meetings, got creative with “events,” and found different ways to communicate with our members. In March, we started using Facebook more often to spread hope and inspiration. We asked the town to put candles in windows to honor town resident Mr. Richard & his family as they battled covid, in the early spring. Hoping to shine a light in these uncertain, sometimes dark times. Our families found pieces of joy in sharing sidewalk art, teddy bears and messages of hope in people’s windows - anything to inspire hope.
The inspiration turned to collective heartbreak over the news of another example of police brutality, this time with the case of George Floyd. Knowing that an in-person vigil wouldn’t be possible, we organized a virtual vigil for George Floyd in collaboration with The Town of Lynnfield. We mourned & were inspired by members of our town, Lynnfield Littles, and Selectman Chris Barrett during the vigil. We then partnered with The Town of Lynnfield again for a Chalk the Walk initiative in support of Black Lives Matter later in the summer. We held a 30 Day Anti-Racist Challenge over Facebook during the summer. Since the fall, we’ve collaborated with Market Street to create a Kindness Rocks Garden to be unveiled this spring, supporting the Chalk the Walk for Black Lives Matter initiative, and working towards an Anti-Racism Book Club for adults and kids for the future. Lastly, we’ve been working with A Healthy Lynnfield to offer a speaker series on related topics.
We have not only held a number of successful events during this challenging time, but have managed to galvanize huge support from our town administration. We have enjoyed working with town officials and are so appreciative that with their recognition we have been able to grow and provide more offerings back to the town.
How has L4L grown and what future plans / vision do you have for L4L?
In the future, we look forward to many projects and continued growth as we continue to develop collaborating with other local organizations. We are currently collaborating with A Healthy Lynnfield on a speaker series starting this January on Bias, Inclusion, and making tangible changes within our small town. We also have a working relationship with Market Street and look forward to some future post Covid-19 projects. We plan on unveiling a new kindness rock garden in the spring and when it’s safe, we look forward to a book club featuring anti-racism books.
We will also host new community speakers quarterly during our meetings. Natasha Shah, and her husband, Sanjay Aurora, both physicians, presented in October on their experiences as emergency foster parents and how Covid-19 has highlighted the inequities in healthcare. We plan to model these speakers after our highly successful, free speaking event featuring Lynnfield’s own Joyce Fukasawa. In 2018, she gave a very powerful presentation about being a young girl in a Japanese internment camp.
We are hopeful that in 2021 we can bring back our annual Multicultural Celebration and Race Amity Day in collaboration with Lynnfield Cultural Council. If a physical celebration isn’t feasible we plan to adapt and create a virtual experience, as we’ve been doing so far this year. Additionally, our favorite wellness coach, Vasundhra Ganju, has led mindfulness workshops in person and now virtually, currently in partnership with the library which will continue into 2021.
We are also working hard to collaborate with Wee the People for some virtual educational opportunities for kids, grownups, and educators within our town. These workshops are perfectly timed to meet the needs of parents and kids trying to have the difficult conversations around race, racism, protests, and social injustices. Lynnfield has voiced its opinions on diversity, equity, inclusion, and anti-racism through community conversations, and official statements by the superintendent, school committee, and town officials. We have heard you and are working to find offerings that will help us continue these challenging conversations. As we as a community still struggle with the history of racism, its effect on society’s current institutions, and how we should be moving forward, Wee the People’s workshops leave us inspired and empowered to move forward.
We plan to continue our annual service projects that benefit families in need, such as our Thanksgiving collaboration with the Wakefield Co-op Bank, our winter service project, and the impromptu service projects that benefit our first responders, neighbors and seniors. We would love to grow with people interested in community growth. We are a passionate group where everyone does what they can in their own small way to help the collective community. L4L strives to fulfill our mission statement in everything we do. The more hands on deck we have, the more good we can accomplish. Please join us at our next virtual meeting, shoot us an email (info@lynnfield4love.com) to get on our mailing list, or follow us on Facebook and Instagram. @lynnfield4love
Thank you Ladies for the work you do! We are excited to include you in our Season of Giving series and in our empowered women’s network!
Bios:
Wendy Dixon, mom and school nurse, is a founding member and is currently serving as president. She believes in incremental change and Lynnfield for Love has served as a platform to work towards anti-racism and community service. Wendy has been project coordinator for several events and projects.
Jessica Tortola, a former Spanish teacher and stay-at-home mom, has been with Lynnfield for Love for over a year, having served first as secretary and currently as vice president. Her tireless dedication & commitment to the mission has been an essential part of the group's recent expanded initiatives, as well as annual projects.
Diana Ellis, mom and speech therapist, is a founding member and currently serving as secretary. She is part of Lynnfield Cultural Council, facilitating a critical partnership between our two groups. Diana has participated in countless projects to ensure their success.
Jeana Tecci, a stay-at-home mom, has been with Lynnfield for Love for over a year and is currently serving as treasurer. Jeana also manages our website. The success of our fundraising projects are due in large part to Jeana’s outstanding organization skills.
Darlene Kumar, a stay-at-home mom, is a founding member, and has been Director of Community Relations since the beginning. Her experience as PTO president has been invaluable to Lynnfield for Love. Darlene also serves on the Lynnfield Cultural Council.
Vicky Blanco, a stay-at-home mom, is also a founding member, and essential contributor to all projects. Vicky has had a long career in marketing and has used her skills to present Lynnfield for Love to the community in a beautiful way including flyers, t-shirt designs, press releases, and signage at events. Vicky’s artistic talent is endless.
Diane Courtney, mom and pediatric ED nurse, is a founding member and a dedicated Girl Scout leader. She brings valuable leadership expertise to the group ensuring our group is valuable to our community. If there is a town event, you will see Diane there representing Lynnfield for Love and Girl Scouts. Diane is also a liaison with A Healthy Lynnfield. Diane’s creativity launched the kindness rock garden in our town.
Natasha Shah, a family practice physician, is a founding member and also a liaison with A Healthy Lynnfield. Natasha has served as vice president and has been a project coordinator and contributor. She is also an emergency foster parent. Her husband, Sanjay Aurora, NICU physician, is also a founding member and is always making himself available to lend a helping hand. They were speakers at our last meeting.
Vasundhra Ganju is a mom, educator and wellness coach, founding member, former treasurer, and a part of Lynnfield Cultural Council. Vasundhra has been hosting mindfulness workshops for several years. She has been an essential contributor to so many events utilizing her technical and creative talents.
Kate Iantosca, mom and software consultant, and founding member, is currently point person for our winter holiday service project. She established our land dedication that we recite at the beginning of our meetings and is meticulous with any editing that comes her way.