In This Issue

About the Brookline
Community Aging Network

Future Stories

Dear Brookline Neighbor,

This month we bring you up to date on what BrooklineCAN is doing for its members. We continue our Deal of the Month feature, we inform you about a number of courses, concerts, day tours, and much more. Please tell your friends about BrooklineCAN... in fact, forward this newsletter to them.

Warmly,
BrooklineCAN
 

What Is BrooklineCAN Doing for You?
When you think about joining BrooklineCAN or renewing your membership, keep in mind the many accomplishments of our all-volunteer organization. These include taking action to keep bicycles off of the busy sidewalks, monitoring snow removal by businesses, identifying businesses with automatic doors, listing public toilets in town, identifying residential buildings with elevators, and providing referrals for household service providers. BrooklineCAN organizes programs of interest to seniors, often in cooperation with other Brookline agencies. BrooklineCAN represents Brookline seniors on the selectman's Livable Community Advocacy Committee. You can find out about all of this and more on the BrooklineCan website, which provides links to information about support services, education, culture, transportation, recreation, finance, and programs to enrich your life. Consider becoming a volunteer with BrooklineCAN...you will meet interesting, proactive people and you can add your energy and ideas to make our town an even better place for all.

Easier Access to the BrooklineCAN Website
Our website has become easier to use! Members will no longer need a password to get access to all the features of our website. Without a password, members can learn about our approved list of home repair specialists. The list includes plumbers, electricians, computer technicians, and others. Members also have no need for a password when they want to examine our guide to residential buildings with elevators. If you are interested in finding a rental building or condo with elevators in Brookline, our guide is a great way to start your search. Simply go to our website. You will NOT be asked for a password. 

Reminder on BrooklineCAN March Program
"Drinking, Drugs and Rock n'Roll", presented by BrooklineCAN. Discussion of substance use in older adults and boomers in the "new old age", Wednesday, March 5, 6:30 - 8:00 pm, Brookline High School. Pre-registration for this free program is not required, but to ensure seating, call 617-730-2770. See http://www.brooklinecan.org/education.html for more information.

Brookline Symphony Concert
In partnership with the Metropolitan Chorale of Brookline, the Brookline Symphony Orchestra will present a concert on Saturday, March 15 at 8:00 pm and Sunday, March 16 at 3:00 pm. This program of American composers as they narrate the American experience will include Hadley Stevens' "The Ballad of William Sycamore" and Aaron Copland's "Lincoln Portrait", and will be held at All Saints Parish, 1773 Beacon Street (at the Dean Road stop on the Cleveland Circle C Green Line). The church is wheelchair accessible. Tickets, which may be purchased at the door, are $10 general admission and $5 for seniors and students. For more information, see http://www.brooklinesymphony.org/ and http://www.metropolitanchorale.org/

Deal of the Month
There is nothing like curling up with a good book on a cold winter day, and you can find hundreds of books at bargain prices at the Friends of Brookline Libraries On-going Book Sale. There are two sale areas at the Main Library. On the ground floor at the cafe, the ever-changing collection of sale books includes 500+ fiction volumes and many nonfiction titles. Prices: $1 for hardcovers and better paperbacks, and 50 cents for pocket paperbacks. Children's books and special items are found on the main floor on the right-hand side of the lobby. Coolidge Corner Library now has a sale's cart as you enter the library. This month all proceeds will go to support Brookline's Sister City library in Quezalguaque, Nicaragua.

Lifelong Learning Opportunities
Seniors in Brookline have a wealth of options for lifelong learning. Nearby programs are Evergreen at Boston University, the Harvard Institute for Learning in Retirement, the UMass Boston Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI), and the Brandeis Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (BOLLI). Right here in Brookline we have the Brookline Adult & Community Education Program, the Brookline Arts Center, courses at the Senior Center, and events at the Brookline Public Library. Check out the BrooklineCAN web site for detailed information on each of these programs: http://www.brooklinecan.org/education.html

Art and Chocolate
Whether you like art or chocolate, or both, February is the month for you. The Brookline Recreation Department 55+ Program is offering a Museum of Fine Arts visit on February 7 and a tour of the Taza Chocolate Factory in Somerville on February 28. The guided tour of the MFA February 7, 10:00 am to 3:00 pm, is $27 for Brookline residents and $37 for non-residents. The Taza tour of the factory with samples, on the February 28, 11:00 am to 2:00 pm, is $10 for residents and $14 for non-residents. Both have Pick Up/Drop off at the Soule Recreation Center and the Brookline Senior Center. For more details and registration, see www.brooklinerec.com or call 617-730-2069.

Brookline Reads
This year the book for Brookline Reads is Defending Jacob by William Landay, a gripping tale of murder, the search for justice, and the anguish of parental love. Defending Jacob asks us all to face dark psychological issues: is there such a thing as a 'murder gene'? How well do we know our own children? Are some people inherently evil? How much should parents protect their children when those children pose a threat to society? Many events are planned; among them is the February 24th presentation "Born to be Bad? Exploring Parenting, Ethics and the Law", moderated by author and investigative reporter Hank Phillippi Ryan--7:00 pm at the Brookline Main Library. A full calendar of Brookline Reads events is on-line.

 

Upcoming Events
February 6, 5:30 - 7:30 pm Turtle Creek Winery Lecture and Wine Tasting Event at Goddard House 165 Chestnut Street, Brookline. RSVP 617-731-8500 x130 0r jbourgoin@goddardhouse.org. Seating is limited.

February 8, 3;30 pm The Dissipated Eight On Tour at Goddard House. A cappella group from Middlebury College will provide an afternoon of music.

February 9, 3:30 pm Patricia Monahan Jazz Trio at Goddard House. Infectious melodies and percussive grooves create a smooth sophisticated ambiance.

February 23, 3:30 pm Piano Concert with Erik Gustason at Goddard House. Gustason, an American composer, has writen for numerous occasions and for diverse settings.

February 23, 3:00 pm Handel & Haydn Society, Vivaldi's Gloria. Senior Center Theater Club. Call Ted Shamitz, 617-487-5573 or the Senior Center, 617-730-2770.