In today’s daily 5 Things You Need to Know feature, ThisWeekinWorcester.com explores five important items and stories that Worcester and Central Massachusetts residents should keep a close eye on.
These five things can cover a whole range of subjects and issues that we feel are pertinent to understanding what’s going on in the city and the cities and towns surrounding Worcester.
In today’s edition – Thursday, May 13 – the Worcester Department of Public Works opens seasonal hiring, the Worcester Division of Public Health opens a racial and ethnic community health project, a free concert for Worcester County seniors is on-demand on Sunday, the YWCA appoints a new executive director, and see the best and worst states to be a police officer.
Seasonal Employment with City of Worcester
The Parks, Recreation and Cemetery Division of the City of Worcester’s Department of Public Works & Parks seeks to fill multiple seasonal positions for the upcoming summer months. The Division is looking to hire in the following positions:
- Aquatics Director
- Assistant Aquatics Director
- Water Safety Instructor (WSI)
- Seasonal Maintenance Director (Park Steward Program)
- Assistant Seasonal Maintenance Director (Park Stewards Program)
- Head & Assistant Lifeguards
- Head Gate Keepers & Gate Keepers
- Lifeguards
- Seasonal Maintenance Crew Supervisors (Park Stewards Program)
- Seasonal Maintenance Workers (Park Stewards Program/ 20 Hours/Week)
- Temp Seasonal Maintenance Workers (35 Hours/Week)
Hiring and start date is contingent upon COVID-19 emergency.
If you have interests or questions regarding seasonal employment with the City of Worcester Department of Public Works & Parks – Parks, Recreation, and Cemetery Division – please contact the Division at (508) 799-1190 or email [email protected] for more details.
Also, check the City of Worcester website for anticipated seasonal employment opportunities at worcesterma.gov.
Preference given to Worcester residents.
Racial and Ethnic Community Health Project
The Worcester Division of Pubic Health announced Promotores de Salud/Health Promoters to help reach and educate members of the Latino/Latinx community about the Racial and Ethnic Approaches to Community Health (REACH) Project.
REACH, a health and wellness project, is aimed at addressing inequities affecting the health of the Latino/Latinx community in Worcester.
The project results from a five-year cooperative agreement awarded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to support policies, programs and local resources focused on five main areas: early childcare and education, breastfeeding, food systems, build environment, and clinical-community referrals.
Working with Dr. Marianna Calle, PhD, Associate Professor and Chair of Health Sciences at Worcester State University, the LEI is implementing a model called Promotores de Salud/Health Promoters. The team works closely with the Division of Public Health to provide education and outreach to the Latino/Latinx community in Worcester. The Promotores have been trained by Dr. Calle in Nutrition and general health, and are also collaborating with other organizations to provide information for services such as high blood pressure screening, nutrition counseling, and breastfeeding.
The referral network allows all partners to connect the resources and provide free services, increasing efficiency of services while being sensitive to linguistic and cultural needs.
Free Concert for Worcester County Seniors
The Dr. Ted Conna Memorial Concert, presented by Worcester Chamber Music Society [WCMS]. premiers Sunday, May 16, at 4 PM and will be available on-demand through June 30.
This concert is free for senior citizens throughout Worcester County.
The concert, recorded at Briarwood Retirement Community, presents Mozart’s artistry as we present two of his most beloved chamber works: Flute Quartet in D Major, K. 285 and String Quartet No. 19 in C major, K. 465 “Dissonance.”
Dr. Ted Conna (1931-2016) was a child psychiatrist and social activist in Worcester for more than forty years. He was also a talented pianist with a great love of classical music. The Conna family is pleased to sponsor the Annual Free Senior Concert in his honor.
Tickets are $20 for adults, $38 for households, $5 for students, free for EBT/WIC cardholders and youth 17 and under.
For more information, visit Worcester Chamber Music Society website.
YWCA Central Massachusetts’ New Executive Director
The board of directors of YWCA Central Massachusetts announced on Tuesday, May 11, the appointment of Deborah Hall as the new Executive Director of the organization.
Executive Director Linda Cavaioli announced her retirement in June after 30 years of service to the organization.
Hall is currently Director of Domestic Violence Services at the YWCA Central Massachusetts and was a board member from 2016 to 2018. Hall is also a board member of the Worcester Eastside CDC.
Hall was previously Domestic Violence Program Manager at Crossroads RI in Providence from 2016 to 2019 and Director of Supportive Services at RCAP Solutions in Worcester from 2014 to 2015.
Best and Worst States to be a Police Officer
A new study by Wallethub.com ranked all 50 states and the District of Columbia (Washington D.C.) to find the best and worst states to be a police officer.
The study considered 30 key metrics across three broad categories to compile its rankings.
In those three categories, Massachusetts ranked as follows:
- 12th – Job Hazards and Protections
- 23rd – Opportunity and Competition
- 25th – Law Enforcement Training Requirements
The study ranked each state on a 100 points scale. Massachusetts ranked 14th with a score of 49.03.
The top five states ranked overall, and their scores, are:
- 1st: California – 63.76
- 2nd: Connecticut – 60.72
- 3rd: Maryland – 57.99
- 4: District of Columbia – 57.06
- 5: Ohio – 54.54
The five worst states in the study were found to be:
- 47th: West Virginia – 30.99
- 48th: Louisiana – 30.06
- 49th: Kentucky – 29.47
- 50th: Nevada – 29.38
- 51st: Hawaii – 28.61
See the full study and its methodology at Wallethub.com.
