CREDIT: Daniel Spinetto

CAPTION: Stephen Spinetto is seen after the 112th Boston Marathon.

While completing the Boston Marathon is a great achievement for anyone, longtime Charlestown resident Stephen Spinetto had to go the extra mile to finish the race.
“I never dreamed I’d be in the race, so crossing the finish line on Boylston Street was a real rush,” Spinetto said after completing the April 21 marathon in a hand crank wheelchair. “There were places where the crowd was so loud your ears hurt.”
Spinetto, who has served as commissioner of the City of Boston’s Commission for Persons with Disabilities since 1995, had never considered taking part in the approximately 26-mile race until he received a call from the Achilles Track Club last year. Just weeks before the marathon, Spinetto was able to convince the Boston Athletic Association to waive the deadline and secure race numbers for members of the New York City-based organization that enables people with disabilities of all kinds to participate in athletics. While Spinetto didn’t take part in the 2007 Boston Marathon, he joined Achilles after team members furnished him with a hand crank wheelchair and went on to finish the New York Marathon on Nov. 4 of last year.
Like his fellow Achilles teammates, Spinetto knows firsthand about overcoming a disability after losing his leg as a teen in a 1967 boating accident.
“When you first become disabled, everything is grueling and nasty,” Spinetto said. “Especially after your accident, it’s just depressing.”
Spinetto was always athletic, however, and started skiing soon after his accident. “You feel better about yourself in general,” he said of staying active.
In addition to the Boston and New York marathons, Spinetto raced alongside Achilles members in the Miami Marathon in January. And he has seen his times steadily improve from a finish time of 2 hours, 16 minutes, 38 in Miami to a flat 2:16:00 time in Boston. (Spinetto finished 32nd out 64 in the Boston Marathon’s hand-cycle category).
“I was hoping to finish in under two hours, but it wasn’t in the cards,” Spinetto said. “I kind of burnt myself out at the beginning of the race. Heartbreak Hill did its work.”
The Boston Marathon also allowed Spinetto the chance to give visiting Achilles members the VIP treatment in his hometown. At the request of Achilles Coordinator Jennifer Griffin and longtime veterans rights advocate Noreen Dunn, the Constitution Inn YMCA in the Navy Yard agreed to provide lodging for eight male and female veterans of Iran and Afghanistan who traveled from the Water Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C., to participate in the race.
“[The Constitution Inn YMCA] knows how to treat people, especially veterans,” Spinetto said. “They really treated them with enormous respect. I think we’d go back there again.”
Achilles members and their significant members also enjoyed a free lunch at the Union Oyster House and free transportation around the city courtesy of Yankee Bus Lines, but the biggest thrill for many came when Red Sox donated tickets to them for the team’s April 20 game against the Texas Rangers at Fenway Park.
“One {Achilles member] threw out the first pitch… a sportscaster commented that it was one of the best pitches of the day,” Spinetto said.
In anticipation of next year’s Boston Marathon, Spinetto is work to recruit disabled people to participate in the race. So far, around 30 have expressed interest.
“I’m trying to get more young people involved,” Spinetto said. “We’re hoping to get funds through Achilles to get these people hand cycles.”
Meanwhile, Spinetto said he can’t wait to cross the Boylston Street finish line once more.
“I’ll do Boston again next year, God willing,” he said.
For more information about the Achilles Track Club, call 212-354-0300 or visit www.achillestrackclub.org.

CAPTION: MGH President Janis Bellack is inaugurated.

The MGH Institute of Health Professions may be one of the best-kept secrets in Charlestown, but recognition by two well-respected magazines is beginning to change that perception.
The graduate school, which has been located in the Navy Yard since the end of 2001, held the largest commencement ceremony in its 31-year history when 308 students graduated under a tent on the historic grounds of Harvard Medical School on Saturday, May 3.
The school also inaugurated its fifth president when board of trustees chair George Thibault officially named Janis P. Bellack as its new leader.
Bellack’s installation comes on the heels of the recent U.S. News & World Report rankings in which the entry-level Doctor of Physical Therapy program was tied for seventh in the country, and the Master of Science in Speech-Language Pathology in the Communication Sciences & Disorders Program was ranked 24th nationally. Both programs are first among New England schools. Also, the school broke into the ranks of the annual Boston Business Journal Graduate School listing, ranking as the 25th largest graduate school in Greater Boston.
A nationally-recognized expert in the health professions, Bellack told the overflow crowd of more than 2,000 that the school’s new graduates play a crucial role in the future of health care.
“I firmly believe that every one of you graduating here today has both the capacity and the commitment to be a leader,” Bellack said. “As you go out into the practice world, we expect you to embrace this special commitment – not only to be and do your personal best as a health care practitioner, but to lead and to be a leader.”
The graduation was the culmination of several events that week celebrating Dr. Bellack’s appointment. More than 75 people attended Wednesday’s Celebrating Women in Leadership dinner at the school’s Catherine Filene Shouse Building (formerly Building 36), where former Social Security Administration commissioner Shirley S. Chater spoke. The event included a number of area female university or college presidents and senior academic leaders, including Roxanne Mihal, dean of nurse education and health professions at Bunker Hill Community College, and a 1998 graduate of the MGH Institute.
Nearly 100 donors, community and health care leaders, and MGH Institute supporters turned out for Thursday’s presidential reception at the USS Constitution Museum. Among the attendees were Charlestown residents Jeanette Ives Erickson, senior vice president for patient care services at Massachusetts General Hospital, her husband Paul, and 2003 MGH Institute alumnus Ray Siegelman.
More than 100 people braved the damp weather at Friday morning’s Inaugural Colloquium to hear several speakers discuss the five strategic priorities of the school as it enters its fourth decade as an academic affiliate of Massachusetts General Hospital. The school’s current priorities are: growth and innovation, interdisciplinary education, research and scholarship, diversity, and furthering its relationship within Partners HealthCare.
Later that day, Dr. Edward H. O’Neill, director of the Center for the Health Professions at the University of California, San Francisco, told a crowd huddled in a tent on the lawn of the Navy Yard’s Commandant’s House that the country’s healthcare system needs to shift from the current acute care method in hospitals to managing patients in their own communities.
“If this doesn’t happen, health care will be worse and much more expensive,” O’Neill warned, noting that Americans must change their habits to be healthier as the lifespan of people continues to increase.
More than 850 students attend the MGH Institute, studying to earn graduate degrees or certificates in clinical investigation, communication sciences and disorders, medical imaging, nursing and physical therapy.

CAPTION: David Rosenblatt and Bradford Mei with the prototype.

Soaking in raucous applause from more than 300 fellow students, a jubilant high school freshman from Charlestown claimed a $15,000 first-place prize in the Third Annual Power of an Idea Scholarship Contest sponsored by Boston-based law firm Burns & Levinson LLP on Thursday, May 8.
“What will I do with this money?” Bradford Mei, 16, asked his fellow students at the John D. O’Bryant School of Math & Science in Roxbury. “I’m going to put it toward MIT and I’m going to be an engineer and learn how to play music. And I’m telling every student here today to get involved with Power of an Idea.”
With those words, students gathered in the school’s auditorium chanted “Bradford! Bradford! Bradford!” as the Charlestown resident celebrated onstage.
Mei invented a so-called “sleep-alert wristband” that awakens individuals when their pulse reaches a certain rate. Judges lauded the invention for its usefulness to truckers, heavy equipment operators and others. Mei was one of 50 applicants in the contest; six students made it to the final judging round. Following the event, Mei displayed his prototype to well-wishers gathered around the stage.
With the first-place win, Mei earned a $15,000 scholarship to be used for tuition and expenses for higher education beyond high school and legal patent services from Burns & Levinson. Burns & Levinson recently filed a provisional patent on Mei’s behalf with the United States Patent and Trademark Office and will file a full patent application within one year.
Mei, beaming after the event as organizers took photos of him with attorneys, school officials, judges and his mother, Li Li Liao, urged his peers to dream.
“Everyone has the potential to do great things,” said Mei. “Know no limits on how far you will go. We all have the power to achieve the American dream. I’m proud to be the winner of the Power of an Idea scholarship and I’d like to thank everyone who helped me.”
David P. Rosenblatt, managing partner for Burns & Levinson, noted that the law firm remains committed to supporting Boston public school students.
“We wanted to make an investment in Boston and in the youth of Boston, particularly in the area of science and technology,” Rosenblatt told the assembly. “We also think it’s critical that a sense of creativity and scientific inquiry remain strong in Boston schools for years to come.”
Dr. W. Peter Hansen, one of the judges for the contest, encouraged the youngsters to follow their dreams.
“If you keep your eyes a little above the horizon, there’s a world out there,” said Hansen, chief science officer for PointCare Technologies Inc. of Marlborough. “And your idea does not need to service Boston or even the state. With your creativity, you can go anywhere. Start thinking about the world because the world needs you.”
Marchelle Raynor, a member of the Boston School Committee who attended the event, lauded Mei’s efforts and noted that science and technology exploration continues to take place throughout the school system. “There is lots of enthusiasm in each of our schools in Boston so hopefully the energy created from an event like this can be incorporated into the overall student body,” said Raynor.
Students of Boston public high schools and charter schools (grades nine through 12) were invited to participate in the scholarship contest. Initially 50 students throughout Boston filed applications to participate and 25 submitted final reports describing the details and the beneficial use of their inventions. Five finalists were selected with one joint entry totaling six students in the final competition.
Judges for the contest were Jacob N. Erlich, a partner at Burns & Levinson; Dr.Yakov Korkhin, patent agent for Burns & Levinson; Dr. Kollol Pal, CEO of Rishi Pharmaceuticals; and Dr. Hansen.

On Friday, May 9, more than 350 people turned out to the 17th Charlestown Community Appreciation Awards banquet at the Knights of Columbus Hall. Established by the Charlestown Neighborhood Council in 1991, the Charlestown Community Appreciation Awards Committee acknowledges members of the community whose good deeds might otherwise go unnoticed. Award categories include Business, Organization, Public Servant, New Resident, Senior, Youth, Alumnus and Unsung Hero. This year’s award recipients included The Joy of Old (Business), Michelle Gorman (Public Servant), Lindy Williamson (New Resident), Judy Burton and Rose Lyman (Seniors), Hector Kilgoe (Youth),Charlie McGonagle (Alumnus), Joe McGonagle (Unsung Hero). Lifelong Charlestown resident Jim Conway also received a special award at the banquet for his contributions to the community.

PHOTO 1 CAPTION: Mayor Thomas M. Menino is seen with the Youth Award recipient, 15-year-old Hector Kilgoe of Medford Street. Kilgoe spends a great deal of time at the Charlestown Boys & Girls club serving as junior staff, and he is a member of the Boys & Girls Club board of directors as one of two youth delegates. He is the president of the Keystone Club and takes part in the Club's community action team that established a recycling program. He also volunteers at an assisted living facility, helped raised funds to go to New Orleans to assist with the disaster relief. He also serves on the BGCB's President's Youth Council.

PHOTO 2 CAPTION: Mayor Thomas M. Menino and the Public Servant award recipient Michelle Gorman. She has been a Charlestown Community Center employee for 25 years. Gorman received over 40 nominations for this year's award. Co-workers and friends who nominated her said that she is always dedicated, honorable, caring and always gives that little extra that's needed. Gorman goes above and beyond with work, her community and life. She is currently fighting brain cancer with all the spirit, enthusiasm, positive energy and hope that she puts into her daily life.

PHOTO 3 CAPTION: Mayor Thomas M. Menino presents Jim Conway with a citation declaring June 17, 2008, as Jim Conway Day in Boston.

CAPTION: Zelma Lacey House Resident Care Director Laurie Turner displays the Mass-ALTA Program Innovation Superstar Award.

For the third consecutive year, the Massachusetts Assisted Living Facilities Association recognized the Zelma Lacey House for enhancing the lives of its residents.
“Assisted living, if done in the correct manner, can enhance the lifestyles of seniors,” said Zelma Lacey House Executive Director Margaret Driscoll. “The Zelma Lacey House is dong just that, and we’re very proud of it.”
On May 12, Mass-ALFA presented the Zelma Lacey House with the Program Innovation Superstar Award for its healthy living program at its 14th Annual Super Stars Awards Dinner at the Marriott Hotel in Burlington. This was one of only eight awards that the Waltham-based non-profit gives to 196 assisted living facilities throughout the state each year, Driscoll said.
Under the guidance of Laurie Turner, a veteran registered nurse and resident care director of the Zelma Lacey House, the West School Street facility launched a pilot program in conjunction with the Visiting Nurses Association that can be duplicated in any other assisted-living environment. Components of the comprehensive program include an exercise program, aerobics, yoga, strength training and nutritional workshops, as well as a “light side” menu that offers healthy choices in the Zelma Lacey House dining room daily.
“We review the health needs of all residents and visiting nurses assist by offering additional support, physical therapy, occupational therapy counseling and additional nursing services,” Turner said. “The whole goal is to optimize the additional wellness of each resident.”
Driscoll applauded Turner’s contributions to the Zelma Lacey House since coming onboard.
“[Turner] brings a level of sophistication in resident care that is unusual and is highlighted by wellness and a commitment to a healthy lifestyle that all assisted living facilities,” Driscoll said. “It focuses on living versus aging in place. There’s life after aging if it’s done in a supportive environment that focuses on wellness.”
In 2006, Zelma Lacey, the Mount Vernon Street resident and longtime advocate for seniors for whom the assisted living facility is named, won the Mass-ALFA award for volunteerism.
Last year, Mass-ALFA presented the Zelma Lacey House with its Community Spirit Award in recognition of staff member Dodie Boyle’s program that raises money for Christmas gifts for residents.