By Joan F. Simoneau, Community Reporter
Marlborough – Father Michael J. McKinnon, pastor of the Holy Trinity Anglican Church on Lincoln Street, thanked members of the Marlborough Brigham Family Trust Board “for their graciousness and generosity” at a gathering held Dec. 15 at the Marlborough Senior Center.
“You are helping us to help others in our community,” he said, as he accepted a $4,200 grant from the board.
The funding will be used for capital repairs to the Church’s Outreach Center which will allow for occupancy of programs including the children’s free lunch program, meetings of Alcoholics Anonymous and other support groups.
More than $40,000 was awarded this year to local organizations, the third year of grant-making for the trust, said Robert Kane, the board’s chair.joan f.si
“We continue to be encouraged by the quality and diversity of the programs these grant applicants detail,” he said.
The Brigham Family Trust was formed as the result of the generosity of Ronald Brigham who died in 2004. Brigham had asked that his entire estate be used “to promote the general good and the community welfare of the Marlborough-Middlesex County area.”
A total of $101,554 was requested from various community organizations this year.
Other grant recipients include: The Addiction Referral Center, $2,800 for furniture and window treatments for the Center’s meeting room; Boys and Girls Club, $2,100 toward funding of wireless network and computer charging capabilities in the club’s technology center; Civil Air Patrol, $700 for supplies and equipment used for training and emergency services; Employment Options, $2,620 for the Young Adult Technology Center; and Fresh Start Furniture Bank, $1,750 for secure warehouse space for the household furniture and house wares recycling services that benefit those in need.
Also, Friends of the Marlborough Public Library, $2,800 to help sustain its admission free programming for the upcoming calendar year; Friends of the Marlborough Senior Center, $4,200 for the Center’s nutrition literacy program; GFWC Marlborough Junior Women’s Club, $1,750 to fund a new child safety program; Ghost Light Players of Metro West, $2,450 to help fund performances traveling expenses; and Greater Marlborough Programs, $4,200 for programming to help meet the needs of developmentally disabled individuals and their families.
Also, Marlborough Children’s Summer Lunch Program, $2,100 to continue the program and expand it to include parents/guardians; Marlborough High School All Sports Booster Club, $4,200 to be used in the purchase of a new utility vehicle for home sporting events; and the Marlborough Historical Society, $4,200 for infrastructure repairs to the 1688 Captain Peter Rice Homestead.
Trustee member Steve Leduc thanked members of the organizations for improving the quality of life of city residents. Beth Wagner, communications liaison for the Marlborough Public Schools, who is also a board member, said: “I am very moved by these dedicated people – unsung heroes who truly make a difference in the lives of all people.”