Serving the Beverly and Somerville areas, attorneys Jay S. Rudolph and Kathleen M. O’Connell of O’Connell & Rudolph, LLC have acquired a working relationship with the local community including local courthouses and local charitable organizations

Attorney Rudolph graduated from the University of Florida with a B.S. in Accounting and obtained his J.D. at the New England School of Law. At New England, he was an Executive Case and Note Editor for the New England Law Review, a recipient of the American Jurisprudence Award in Property, a semifinalist at the National Environmental Moot Court Competition at Pace University Law School and twice recognized as a New England Scholar.  After graduating magna cum laude from New England, Attorney Rudolph served as a Law Clerk to the Justices of the Massachusetts Superior Court.  Prior to starting his own firm, Jay worked for a small firm in downtown Boston and a small firm in Woburn, focusing on residential and commercial real estate.  Specializing in Real Estate Law and Estate Planning, Attorney Rudolph also has experience representing businesses, LLC’s and individuals in the mediation and litigation processes. Additionally, Attorney Rudolph provides Probate Law and Estate Administration services.

Attorney Rudolph is a strong advocate for the local food movement and sits as Treasurer on the Board of Directors for Waltham Fields Community Farm, an organization that promotes local agriculture and food access.

Kathleen M. O’Connell graduated from Northeastern University School of Law in 1997. Thereafter, she served as a Law Clerk to the Justices of the Massachusetts Superior Court. As a Law Clerk, she was able to gain insight into the inner workings of the Court and learn what judges are looking for from advocates to best advance their positions.

Following her clerkship, Attorney O’Connell served as an associate at the Boston law firm of Carney & Bassil. There, she specialized in criminal defense and family law, with a particular concentration in high-conflict divorce and child custody cases.  After leaving Carney & Bassil, Kathleen worked as a public defender for the Committee for Public Counsel Services where she spent every day in court, fighting to protect her clients’ rights.

Attorney O’Connell left the public defender’s office to start O’Connell & Rudolph with her husband and partner Jay S. Rudolph. Together, they strive to provide comprehensive and compassionate services to individuals struggling with major life changes and conflicts. The attorneys at O’Connell & Rudolph work hard to be responsive to their clients’ needs in times of crisis.

What if the outfit you’re wearing right now was the only clothing you had? And, what if you’d been wearing it for days, or even weeks?

* You’d have no protection from the sun, rain or cold.
* You couldn’t go to court to get a restraining order or to fight for custody of your kids.
* You couldn’t carry yourself with pride to a GED class, a job interview, or even a free meal at the local church.

How would you do laundry? And, how could you possibly think about creating a better situation for yourself, if you had to spend most of your time worrying about how to meet your most basic needs?

Second Chances brings people from our community together to help other community members in need. By using local resources and working through local nonprofits, we can have the greatest benefit and most efficient impact.

I hope you’ll join Second Chances at the Somerville Community Growing Center on Wednesday, June 22 from 5 to 7 p.m. We’ll be having a Clothing and Coin Drive to support people in our community who need your help. Second Chances provides free clothing, shoes, accessories and gift cards to more than 400 people in our community each year.

By donating to Second Chances, you are investing in the future success of hundreds of people in our own community who are experiencing crises or temporary setbacks. You are also offering a second life for gently used clothing, shoes and accessories, conserving valuable natural resources instead of straining our already overflowing landfills.

Have you heard of Second Chances? We’ve been quietly working in Somerville since 2005. Since then we have provided great outfits for more than 1,900 homeless and low-income people in our community and recycled or reused more than 268,000 pounds of clothing, shoes, accessories and more. Second Chances is tiny – it’s just me and a handful of volunteers each year, with donated space and lots of donated time, materials and clothing.

In a little more than five years, Second Chances has built a reputation for efficiently and effectively providing clients with the clothing they need to take the next steps to a better future, but we are still small, and the need for our services has grown every year since we began. Here’s where our community can help!

You can help by donating:

* Clothing – at our conveniently located donation bins or one of our public clothing drives. Details »
* Funding – sponsor Second Chances or make a financial contribution to support our work. Help us online or send a check. Details »
* Time and skills – volunteer with us. Volunteer your time and skills at the clothing drive or any other time. We need help with marketing, events and much more. Details »
* Space – sponsor one of our clothing donation bins at your business, social organization or congregation. Details »

Or:

* Coordinate a clothing drive or fundraising event. Details »
* Got an idea? I want to hear it. Contact me »

On Wednesday, June 22nd from 5 to 7 p.m. you can help by donating clothing, shoes, accessories and coins - we certainly won’t turn away your checks or dollar bills either – at our Somerville Clothing and Coin Drive. I really hope to see you there.

- Andrea Shapiro
Founder/CEO and President
Second Chances
Clothing Donation Program
Somerville, Massachusetts

www.secondchances.org
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Second Chances’ blog »
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On Monday, June 13th, Somerville Climate Action will set-up shop in Union Square at SCAT to kick off our new campaign- the 350 Actions Challenge. We are looking for residents and businesses to take a total of 350 NEW actions that help make Somerville a cleaner, greener, healthier place to live. Have you been thinking of putting solar panels on your home but don’t know where to start? SunBug Solar will be on hand to help you sort through all the details and what will work for YOUR home. We have a goal of signing up 20 homes to get solar as part of the challenge! Learn about Beekeeping and the food that is made possible by bees. Witness a pile of ripped up asphalt from one of your neighbors who is liberating their soil! Taste honey dripping treats! Not sure what your ACTION will be? Stop by and we’ll help you figure out what’s best for you!

Somerville Climate Action encourages you to ACT!

350 Actions Challenge KICK OFF PARTY!

Come See What the Buzz is About

Monday, June 13 4-9pm

at SCAT in Union Square

Joing us for an evening of festivities, fun and film as we kick off our new campaign to get 350 NEW actions to make Somerville a cleaner, greener, healtier place to live!

4-7pm: Kick off Party in Union Square

Find out more about the 350 Challenge and how you can take action!

7-9pm: Reception and Film Screening at SCAT

Join us to celebrate the kick-off of our campaign with locally made refreshments and Mead!

Vanishing of the Bees

Filming across the US, Europe, Australia and Asia, this documentary examines the alarming disappearance of honeybees and the greater meaning it holds about the realtionship between mankind and mother earth. As scientists puzzle over the cause, organic beekeepers indivate alternative reasons for this tragic loss. Conflicting options abound and after years of research, a definite answer has not been found to this harrowing mystery.

SPONSORED BY: Somerville Climate Action, Somerville Community Growing Center,SCAT, SunBug Solar, ReCover Green Roofs

For more information: email [email protected]

The 14th Annual Bike Party and Benefit for MassBike and the New England Mountain Bike Association (NEMBA) at Redbones is almost here! On June 6th, bike, walk or drive to Redbones in Davis Square to celebrate and support cycling with two advocacy groups and a block party outside the restaurant that includes great food, drink, live music and an amazing raffle.

Date: Monday, June 6   (rain date: June 13)

Ride By for the Biggest Bike Party of the year!

Time: 5 - 9 pm, raffle drawing @ 7:30 pm

Place: Redbones, 55 Chester Street, Somerville

Information: 617.628.2200 & www.redbones.com

Entertainment: Live music by The SAPS - Second Line Social Aid & Pleasure Society Brass Band: We aim to please if the cause is true and the time is right.

Tickets: $15.00 includes bicycle valet parking, a Redbones sandwich, soft drink or beer & a raffle ticket.   All tickets purchased on site. No advance sales.

Additional raffle tickets: 1 for $2.00 & 3 for $5.00

Proceeds from entry & raffle ticket sales go to: MassBike & NEMBA

Sponsors & Raffle Prizes:
The Grand Prize, a custom made cargo bike, is being donated by returning lead sponsor, Alternative Needs Transportation (ANT).   Many additional sponsors have donated awesome prizes for the raffle including  bikes, gear & lots of swag.

For a complete list of sponsors, please click here.

Bike Party Background:

Previously held in May during Bike to Work Week, the party moved to June three years ago to benefit from warmer weather, additional daylight, and more cyclists on the road for the season. The June date has proved to be a popular choice, attracting more people and proceeds every year - each of the last two, over $11,000 was divided between MassBike and NEMBA.

Redbones first Bike Party was conceived in tandem with Redbones free Bicycle Valet parking introduced in 1996.  Robert Gregory, co-owner of Redbones and a mountain biker initiated the valet parking for the cyclists who ride to the restaurant, as well as other destinations in Davis Square.   Success of the parking lead to the Redbones Rib Rider, a custom designed cargo bike from ANT, used for free dinner delivery in neighborhoods surrounding the restaurant.
Fifteen years later, the party is eagerly anticipated by cyclists, sponsors, and beneficiaries alike.

For more information regarding NEMBA or MassBike, please visit their websites.

Redbones, 55 Chester Street, Davis Square, Somerville, is open 7 days for lunch, dinner, and late night dining plus Sunday brunch.  Redbones is known for its authentic, real pit barbecue, carefully chosen selection of draft and bottled beer and full bar.  Take out, delivery and catering available.

By Katie Riedman

Spring Has Sprung Networking Event

It was only 6:15 when I walked into the Foundry on Elm for Somerville Local First’s Spring Has Sprung Networking Event. And while the party had only started 15 minutes earlier, the Somerville community was already a few sample cups deep in socializing, munching, and good old fashioned networking.  At one end of the room, Pretty Things Beer & Ale Project set up shop, offering guests a selection of their quirky beers.  At the other end, MS Walker highlighted an array of fine wines from the classic pinot to an adventurous zinfandel.  And in between these two sampling stations were the familiar, and not so familiar, faces of the many villen’s who made it out to celebrate. Not to mention, the delicious hors d’oeuvres provided by the Foundry’s Executive Chief.

Among the crowd floated SLF members Somerville Cleaning Company, YUM: A Taste of Immigrant City, Recover Green Roofs, Centering Touch Massage Therapy & Bodywork, Union Square Main Streets, Truly Good Design, Union Square’s Grand, and SLF Community Members—just to name a few.

As I waited in line to sample one of Pretty Thing’s unique beers, I caught up one attendee. She had just arrived from work, and although she didn’t know many people at the event, she was eager to meet the other faces who representative and supported SLF.  Making my way through the crowd, I stopped to hello to a few of the SLF board members who introduced me to the Recover Green Roofs crew. Why did they stop by the Foundry that night? To catch up with friends, check out the venue, and support an event that brought the community together.

Social Networking

One newer SLF Member decided to check out the event in order to expand his network, connect with other members, and promote his business. A group of SLF Community Members said they attended because they’ve enjoyed previous SLF events while others attended simply to welcome in spring. Some guests came as plus ones, twos or threes, while some flew solo to sample the Foundry’s delectable dishes. A few couples were even on date night. However, by the end of the evening, the unanimous reason for attending wasn’t the delicious flatbread pizza. It was to join together and support the work of Somerville Local First.

Well after the event ended, there was a small crowd still mingling and catching up with old friends. When I asked one of the remaining guests what they thought of the event, he replied there is no better way to greet spring than by being in a room, surrounded by people who share a common goal and passion— to engage business and community leaders in building economies that are green, local and fair. With that, Somerville Local First has taken one step closer to strengthening the unique community of the Ville.