Photo Credits: City of Brockton Facebook page

Story Credits: Primrose Morrison

Wednesday, December 7th, was a historical moment for the City of Brockton and two fabulous cities on the Island of Fogo, Cape Verde. Mayor Robert Sullivan was honored to execute two Sister City agreements. A sister city relationship is a form of legal or social agreement between two geographically and politically distinct localities for the purpose of promoting cultural and commercial ties. Shown here signing the official documents are Mayor Fábio Vieira of Mosteiros and Mayor Nuias DaSilva of São Filipe. In attendance were State Senator Mike Brady, Brockton CFO Mr. Troy Clarkson, and Chief of Staff Sydné Marrow. These Cities are well represented in Brockton. We look forward to continued collaboration and Morabeza.

You can register your children on this website by clicking on the town you are from and the number of days you wish to register your child for.

Ages 5 - 18 are welcome, $30 per day per child.

Find out more on the Greg Fernandes Facebook page.

The Brockton Public Library invites you to attend the poetry series Everyone Has a Voice. The poetry series will feature poets Marie Gauthier and Tom Laughlin with an open-mic opportunity to follow. Marie Gauthier's debut full-length poetry collection, Leave No Wake, was published by Pine Row Press in April 2022. She received the 2008 Dorothy Sargent Rosenberg Poetry Prize and Honorable Mention in the 2010 Dorothy Prizes. Tom Laughlin's book, The Rest of the Way, was published by Finishing Line Press in July 2022. His poetry has appeared in Green Mountains Review, Ibbetson Street, Drunk Monkeys, Sand Hills, The Blue Mountain Review, and elsewhere.

For more information, contact Philip Hasouris at (508)-942-8018 or Jonathan Stroud at (508)-894-1426.

Holiday Hope Dinner & Toy Drive

Enjoy celebrating the holiday season with friends and family at this event in Brockton hosted by FIREWINDSOFHOPE. There will be a special live performance by Ty Hunt, Christmas raffles, photos with Mr. and Mrs. Claus, holiday activities, and more. Support families and children during these challenging times and seasons by donating gift cards ($25-$50, $50-$75, $75-$100, $100-$200, $200-$500). Also, donations of new items for all ages, such as clothing, socks, sneakers, boots, winter clothes, winter insulated coats, hats, scarves, winter thermal gloves, baby clothes all sizes, baby diapers, 0-5 baby accessories, baby outwears and more. Tickets are available at the entrance door for $10.

You can purchase tickets at https://www.eventbrite/d/ma brockton/firewindsofhope/

FIREWINDSOFHOPE invites you to attend "Friends Day" a time of togetherness and some exciting news is coming to Brockton. Mingle and make friends with new people through collaboration with other organizations and churches. For more information, contact 978-305-7452 or 774-778-3490 or fwdskcihope@gmail.com.

Video Courtesy of BCA

The Cape Verdean Association invites you to enjoy an evening with friends and family to celebrate Kwanzaa and participate in the seven principles of Kwanzaa. Masks are recommended. Please RSVP by December 20th.

We've added an "R" to our Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics for READING! Join the Children's Museum Easton for a fun storytime and STREAM activities event! By incorporating literacy into the programming, we are promoting critical thinking and creativity with your little one.

Find out more: The Family Center at Community Connections of Brockton FB

For tickets or to sponsor this event, please email BrocktonRotaryEvents@gmail.com or call Tom Samaras at (508) 269-3978

Holiday Pops Concert

The Brockton Symphony Orchestra is celebrating the holidays with a festive seasonal concert for the whole family. A part of their new season Cueing in a New Era, BSO has invited guest conductor Philip Sanborn to play all our holiday favorites. The concert will feature inspiring soloists, sing-alongs, and other fun surprises.

The Brockton Symphony Orchestra would like to give a big THANK YOU to all of their generous sponsors and grant awards that contributed to their successful 2021-2022 year. Their new season will be a celebration of pandemic recovery through live music and community engagement.

For more information the musicians featured at the Holiday Pops concert, on how to donate, become a sponsor, or attend future concerts, please visit brocktonsymphony.org

Frugal living is about using & re-using: checking what you have and what's available before buying something new.

Often our beauty products are overlooked when we are thinking about living climate-friendly.

Check out this podcast on Spotify from YouTube Make-Up Influencer Hannah Louise Poston who shares her joy & tips on being frugally beautiful.

Using what you have and being mindful about your purchases is good for your wallet and for the planet.

The Metro South Chamber of Commerce hosted its 109th Annual Meeting on November 16th in the multipurpose auditorium at Adult & Teen Challenge Brockton. The meeting celebrated 109 years of fostering economic vitality and businesses working together for the future of the Metro South region. There were over 500 attendees and awards were presented to local businesses. In addition, Mayor Sullivan gave an inspiring speech about the City's new marketing effort called "Brockton: Where Better Begins." This video illustrates Brockton residents and business owners and is a collaborative effort by Eastern Bank, the City of Brockton, and the Chamber of Commerce. The guest speaker Steve Gross (of the "Life is Good" Playmaker project), gave an inspiring speech about optimism and shifting your mindset with the message "Do what you love and love what you do."

Congratulations to the Economic Impact Award recipients: 24 Restore, Concord Square Planning & Development, Egan Development, HD Pediatrics, Heights Crossing Assisted Living Residence, J.N. Kidds, New Vision Enterprises, Porton Di Nos Ilha Restaurant, The Arc of Greater Brockton, The Wild Dahlia, and Trinity Development & Management.

Thanks to sponsors: HarborOne Bank, UMass Donahue Institute, Bridgewater State University, and MassHire Greater Brockton Workforce Board. The contributing and community sponsors: North Easton Savings Bank, OCES, Eastern Bank, JM Pet Resort, Brockton Area Transit Authority, Hutcheon's Florist & Flower Delivery, The Enterprise of Brockton, Brewster Ambulance Service, Cardinal Spellman High School's a cappella group "Symphonium", Brockton Community Access, and Adult & Teen Challenge Massachusetts.

Story & Photo Credit: J. Rose

(Photos courtesy of Rich Morgan Photography)

Copyright 2022 Buzz Around Brockton. You have our permission to share and copy this issue in its entirety as much as you like. If you take it in part, please give credit. ("Buzz Around Brockton 12/11/22")