Framingham recognizes its ‘senior heroes’

By Nance Ebert, Contributing Writer

FRAMINGHAM – In every community, there are unsung heroes. Framingham is ensuring some of its seniors get the recognition they deserve. This year’s recipients of the Framingham Senior Heroes Awards for Diversity and Inclusivity, which were presented at a May 23 event, are Maureen Dickey, Carol Lach, Cynthia Villanueva and Judith Grove. 

Improving community health

Dickey was given this award for Health/Healthcare. She has volunteered in hospice, a money management program and at a blood pressure clinic each Wednesday for almost eleven years. 

“When I first started volunteering there, we would see about fifteen or so people come each week. In January, when I left, there were over thirty people who would come. Some would just simply come to socialize,” said Dickey. 

She had not heard of this award before being nominated and emphasized that volunteering is such a rewarding thing to do. Most people when working full-time are not able to volunteer. 

“Volunteering is such a joyful and welcoming gift. Often, the person volunteering gets more out of it than the recipient. It is wonderfully exciting and a great honor to be nominated for this award. I am truly overwhelmed,” said Dickey. 

Helping marginalized communities

Villanueva received the award for Social Development and could not be more humbled. She retired from her high school teaching position in June 2022 and was the ESL department chair. 

“About 10 years ago, I worked with a colleague to write grants to get money from local businesses,” said Villanueva. “We were able to purchase desktop computers, which we were able to refurbish and gave 150 of them to students that could not afford them. We also gave them flash drives, so they were able to transport their homework.” 

During the COVID-19 pandemic, she and members of her faculty would reach out to their immigrant families to make sure they understood the seriousness of the disease and assess their needs. They worked until eight or nine o’clock in the evening. 

“There were a lot of families working late and we needed to reach them after they returned home. There was a lot of COVID among this population as English was not their native language,” said Villanueva. 

Villanueva also worked to give turkeys to families as a surprise for holiday dinners and got the school to recognize the LGBT community and the importance of a gender-neutral bathroom in the high school. Working with the city, she advocated to get flags placed at all the schools during Pride Month and with the help of fundraising efforts, bought two LGBT books for all of the elementary schools and three LGBT books for the middle school libraries as well. 

“My best work was after turning 69. Your experiences can truly lead to change. I wish we could all pay it forward,” said Villanueva. 

Advocating for youth

Grove was recognized for Public Service. She joined town meeting, having lived in the area for thirty years. She was contacted by Herb Chasan (founder of non-profit Hoops for Homework) who asked her to come with him to see one of the town parks on the south side of town that was being neglected. It became her mission to focus on environmental justice and build a skate park where kids could enjoy fresh air, exercise, and socialization.

There was a lot of skepticism but after much research and lengthy persistence, Grove managed to get hundreds of signatures on a petition. She faced pushback as others at town meeting wanted to improve Loring Arena, Cushing Park and other properties first. It was finally decided that a skate park would be built at Farm Pond. It was completed in 2018 and is easily accessible to many of its users. 

She was on the first city council representing District Eight. She was a teacher in a minority community, a foster parent for abused children, a teacher’s aide, a chair of a United Way campaign, and retired at the age of sixty-three from a career in ophthalmology. She is passionate about her community, and not intimidated by those who try to stop her efforts. 

“What I’ve done is so important to me,” Grove affirmed. “Age is not the issue, it’s the experiences you have. If I hadn’t taught in that school or been a foster parent, I wouldn’t have had the background and the determination to change things.”  

Embracing diversity in the arts and culture

Lach was recognized for Culture/Arts. She retired in 2013 from the State Department of Education. She traveled all over the state looking at technology and math and didn’t realize how diverse different towns were. 

“Framingham has a Gifted Ed Program and I assumed it was statewide, but it wasn’t. In some of the tiny towns, there are no Advanced Placement classes,” said Lach. 

She began volunteering with the Framingham History Center and worked with third graders while in period costume as the “Old School Mom.” She had a show with Access Framingham TV where she would interview authors, many of whom were Latino. She joined the Latino Americano Group at the Callahan Center and has become fast friends with many who participate. 

“Our humanity of understanding other people depends on our ability to stop and listen to them,” said Lach. “I am honored, flattered and excited to be getting this award. The whole idea of it is that being kind to others doesn’t cost anything.” 

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