In tough times we all need a beam of light.

2020-2021 have been hard for many people. There are people in our Natick community who went above and beyond to try to lift the burden for others in this difficult time. Normally at the end of the year we plan our annual Shining Light Award Ceremony to take place in the spring. Instead, in December 2020 we asked to hear your stories of the people who shone a light for others in the past year.

We highlighted the Beams of Light on our Facebook and Twitter pages. Read their stories here.

“The Natick Organic Farm, a local treasure, did not miss a beat during the pandemic. Kids and adults alike could continue to explore and learn about locally grown food. Their "takeout" Harvest Dinner provided lots of us to safely share a yummy dinner in our own pods. Programming continued and always provided a haven for some much needed outside activity during the pandemic.”

— Rosemary Driscoll

“Loren DiLorenzo was my daughter's 1st grade teacher during the 2019-2020 school year. She worked tirelessly to keep her students engaged and connected through the shutdown. I know that the mental health of her students was first and foremost on her mind and she went above and beyond to make sure they were ok. She is a true Beam of Light and never wavered in her ability to show empathy, kindness, and grit throughout all of the changes and uncertainty. My daughter made it through that difficult part of the year primarily due to Loren. I will be forever grateful for all that she has done to help my child through this pandemic.”

— Megan Shelley

“Coach Caitlyn Thompson is the definition of a beam of light. As the art teacher at Memorial Elementary she has been tasked with the impossible--keep two classes of small children engaged and learning over the computer managing all the materials, and chaos that comes when children are left with art supplies."Coach T" not only manages the masses, but does so while simultaneously encouraging, supporting, and truly seeing each and every child. Every day (over and over again) she brilliantly and kindly instills in her students not simply a love of art but builds their confidence and self-awareness. She does this all with a smile that radiates through the computer and with an enthusiasm that is contagious. Coach T has been a VERY bright light during this year and we feel so incredibly lucky that she is in our lives.”

— Elizabeth Greer

Engaging a dozen or more elementary school kids in art class over Google Meet is a tall order. Coach T (Caitlyn Thompson) manages to do it in a way that seems to engage every single student. Instead of seeing the online format as an obstacle, Coach T brings a creativity and spark to remote school that just leaps off the screen. Her ability to get the kids talking, keep them focused on their work, and coach them step by step through projects they ultimately find rewarding is amazing. I can only imagine how exhausting it is. But she should know that even after art class ends, my son is so inspired, he usually just keeps right on working on whatever the day's project was. He not only enjoys art class, he is a happier and engaged kid after art class. Thanks, Coach T. In a challenging year, your extraordinary work and commitment has been a real beam of light.

— Jay Turner

“Robin Chalfin used her skills as a tailor to raise over $5000 for the Natick Service Council by sewing made-to-order masks in exchange for donations. (And they're awesome masks - we love ours!)”

— Jen Goree

“Roshni Shetty and Estey Masten are the two amazing admins of Buy Nothing Natick, our local chapter of the global Buy Nothing movement. Though I have lived in Natick for 25 years, I had never heard of this group until Joshua Ostroff recommended it to me last summer. What a gift it has been! The group is about giving freely and from abundance in one's own community. Three types of posts are permitted--a give, an ask, or a gratitude. I have passed along a multitude of things that I once loved but that no longer serve me. And I have received many things that bring me joy. But the most rewarding part has been meeting and connecting with neighbors I never knew and would not have otherwise encountered--hundreds of them to date! Natick is filled with the most remarkable souls who step up to help anyone in need. It is a privilege to be witness.
Roshni and Estey are the behind-the-scenes beams of light who keep this group of 2K+ running smoothly on a volunteer basis. This is no easy task. They give countless hours to our community for the greater good and we are all the better for it. Being a part of Buy Nothing Natick has enhanced my quality of life exponentially during this pandemic and brought me great joy. This bubble of one, me, is uplifted and supported daily thanks to the selfless contributions of Estey and Roshni. I am so grateful! Time for these two unsung heroes to be celebrated!”

— Kathryn Doran

“It is my pleasure to nominate Jim White, Natick’s Director of Public Health. Jim tirelessly led the way to help all Natick residents manage and cope with the COVID-19 pandemic. Jim and his team educated the public, continually sought and shared public health information, fielded thousands of inquiries from businesses, citizens, collateral departments, attended numerous meetings, formulated plans to keep our schools ,offices, and businesses safe, assessed safety needs in schools and offices and for our elections. Jim also continued the day to day work of the department, managed flu clinics, kept up with inspections, was involved with racism as a public health crisis, oversaw substance use and prevention ,and is currently coordinating vaccine clinics. Jim rarely missed a days work and has worked days, nights and weekends all through the pandemic to meet the needs of our residents. In addition, he managed his staff and kept his team energized , cohesive and safe. I am sure I have only touched upon some of Jim’s responsibilities this past year. Jim White is Natick’s Beam of Light and we are so fortunate to have him at the helm during this public health crisis.”

— Teri Checket

“Mr. Hunter Greeley is a Special Educator at Kennedy. He went above and beyond to keep his students engaged and learning last year. COVID hit these boys hard, many had difficulty paying attention, organizing and keeping up with their schoolwork. He not only organized multiple meetings to make sure they understood their work, completed it and turned it in but also kept them engaged and having fun.”

— Brittany Campbell

“Krissy Fernandes / Ben-Hem PTO made garden kits in April 2020 for elementary students. She created a very fun seed planting project and included all schools. She assembled kits for pick-up, had virtual instructions plus stories and other wonderful resources on her youtube page.”

— Keri Crawford

“I nominate immediate past president of the Natick Garden Club, Laurie Adelstein. She very quickly and expertly pivoted the club to a digital platform, introducing new technologies and patiently training members. Also she was a cheerleader for board members to think about how to re-imagine our club's activities and fundraisers in a covid-safe environment. As a result, our 80 members have had an important outlet throughout the pandemic, and continue to support eachother and the community with our good cheer, civic endeavors, and creativity.”

— Kate Grzesiuk

“Anna Nolin has been a rock during the past year. Working overtime (double overtime) to make sure that the Natick Public Schools were doing the best that they could for all of their students and staff members. Right from the beginning, Anna was looking at the best way to serve all the students remotely. When it became clear that the 2020-21 school year was going to be even more difficult than the end of the previous year, she worked with all the constituencies to create a solution. She has for the past 16+ years worked tirelessly for the students and parents of this community. She is an inspiration to all of us.
Over the past year Anna has to develop models for remote and hybrird learning that would work for all the students in Natick.”

— Diane Packer

“#annanolinforpresident has been my hashtag the last year. Anna Nolin is amazing and is so great for our town. We are the only district to offer 1 week on and 1 week off and its been so great for the kids and the working parent. Although we wish the kids could be in school full time, it's been really helpful to have the consistency. She cares so much about our kids and this community.”

— Liz Colanto

“We moved from Newton and my son goes now to Brown elementary Mr. Albert has a warm welcome to my son and he has been a lot of help even though the challenges during this time he reply to emails day or night and very very supportive I just want to say Thank you Mr.Albert you made us feel that we did the right decision moving to Natick.”

— Ramy Ibrahim

“My son is excelling in Cathy Reilly's 3rd grade class at Memorial. She is a beam of light because she is effective and efficient in how she teaches. She utilizes the time she has with the kids and you can just tell how much they are learning in a short amount of time. She has made my son love reading and writing, two things he disliked in the past. Mrs. Reilly is the shining example of a beam of light because she makes learning fun both virtually and in person. I am so impressed with her teaching style!

— Liz Colanto

“Cathy Reilly is an exceptional Memorial School teacher. She strikes that perfect combination of being engaging, kind and funny--all while teaching with academic rigor during this challenging year. Cathy is known for bringing out her students' strengths and inspiring confidence in her third grade students. She has helped improve the quality of my daughter Charlotte's writing and encouraged her to try different topics, writing styles, and approaches. My daughter writes more now and feels good that her teacher has encouraged her talent and love of writing stories. Other parents have mentioned that Cathy is so strong at inspiring kids to find their academic and creative interests--and we are so grateful for her.”

— Alexandra Prothero

“Carol Hookway is my son’s first grade teacher and I am blown away by her dedication, care and love she has for her students. She makes learning fun with a warm and caring heart and has helped these kids grow so much!—

— Liz Colanto

“Pam Koskovich & Kelly McPherson spearheaded a Facebook group called Natick/Sherborn Sewing Support Group to support providers during COVID-19 with masks and caps. This allowed community members to sew for those in the front lines and they helped organize and distribute the sewed goods. They were a beacon of light as we were working to keep ourselves and our families safe during these times. Once the needs of the providers were met, they went to help support community members with masks and helped the Town of Natick Board of Health with masks and distribution. I cannot tell you how much they touched each and everyone of those they interacted with directly and indirectly.”

— Gopa Mukherjee

“Every teacher knows that the students are what makes the job worth it. The students of homeroom 211 at Wilson Middle School in the 19-20 school year made me smile every day last year. They brought resilience, joy, laughter, compassion, and connectedness to my life and to each other's lives. Though we couldn't be together in person, we kept our connection throughout the spring. We cheered each other on, we cheered each other up, we danced on google meets, and we shared our lives in ways both big and small. As I told them on the last day of school, they will always have a home in 211. “

— Sarah Doyle

“Megan Cap-Renzi, Natick ASAP and Early Risers Program, has been a true light for my kids during this stressful time. Her leadership of the ASAP program cultivates an environment that is fun but structured and creates a space where kids can learn and grow. Megan’s dedication to the program, the community and the kids shines through in everything she does. From crafts to creative ideas Megan truly is making a difference in the lives of the children in our community and providing support for the parents that need it more than ever.”

— Danielle Blackman

“I have had the pleasure of knowing and working with Joanne Barry for over six years. I sit on a foundation that has granted to A Place To Turn and have worked with dozens of nonprofits. I have never met a more dedicated and kind Executive Director than Joanne. It takes a leader who is willing to truly roll up their sleeves to command such a strong logistical operation and organization like APTT--that heavily relies on its volunteers and partners and serves such a critical role in the community. Joanne ensures that the families APTT serves do not feel badly for asking for support; she often talks about how APTT importantly serves its community with dignity, so that families can privately utilize APTT's offering. Joanne has built APTT into a model hunger organization and has helped thousands of underserved families not only receive food, but also learn about nutrition. Small nonprofits with limited resources need a giving and caring leader like Joanne to garner a wide range of resources and support.”

— Alexandra Prothero

“Mr. J. Casey Lane's online theater club has been a beam of light twice a week filling my KMS daughter's afternoon with activities that are fun and build confidence and critical thinking skills that have become high points of my daughter's week. Mr. Lane, with his club of KMS students, has turned dark pandemic afternoons into can't miss events and an online theater festival with five entries!
He is a true beam of light.”

— Glenn Kramer

“I'd like to nominate a project rather than a person since LOVE01760 was a group effort but will list Denise Girardin as the point person. The joined hearts and the Senior Wall provided so much hope and support, especially in the early months of the pandemic. True community engagement!”

— Fran Weisse

“Teaching art class over Google Meet to elementary students is not easy, but somehow Ms. Bree Curtis (art teacher at Ben-Hem) makes it my son's favorite part of the remote school day. Bree's upbeat and engaging teaching style, her enthusiasm for her students' work, and her commitment to the importance and joy of art during this difficult time is incredibly appreciated.“

— Katie Joyce