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Susan Kubert was born and raised in Central Massachusetts, and she traveled extensively as a military wife before settling down in the Albany NY area. Throughout her life, she used writing to cope with childhood pain and trauma. Writing was a powerful form of therapy and it continued to carry her through chronic illness, as well as great love and pain, later in life. To help others to heal their own trauma, Susan became an Energy Healing Practitioner, which includes many modalities such as Reiki, Emotional Freedom Technique, and Positive Affirmation Life Coaching. This passion to teach and help others through her writing and healing practice has become her true life’s mission. Susan now enjoys a quiet life in rural Vermont where she now resides.

~Photos by Claudia Ferro

On Wednesday, April 26, Marcus Santos from Grooversity Global Drumming Network led a hands-on interactive, multicultural show, showcasing a friendly body movement adaptation of traditional rhythms and dances from different countries at the Somerville Council on Aging’s Holland Street Center. The audience became part of the show that included the use of body movement, technology and cultural diversity awareness. The group had everyone grooving in their chairs and dancing in the aisle to music from across Latin America during the Council’s April Cultural Event Series.

On Wednesday, April 26 2023, The Metro Boston CIT TTAC completed an 8 hour Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) training. This is a nationally recognized certificate training that gives participants the skills to assist someone facing a behavioral health crisis. Trainees learn strategies for how to help someone in both crisis and non-crisis situations.

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Nancy Bacci, Somerville’s Director of Human Services, welcomes the city’s ADA Coordinator Adrienne Pomeroy to discuss accessibility services and how residents can take the Americans with Disabilities Act Community Survey.

By Mandile Mpofu

It’s a rainy Sunday, and Somerville resident Rana McLaughlin wants to take her two kids to the local library or, perhaps, the pool. There’s only one problem: they’re closed. This scenario has played out often for McLaughlin, so when the City of Somerville introduced its inaugural Participatory Budget, she knew exactly the project to propose: keep the Ginny Smithers Pool and Library open on Sundays when families are most available. Her idea is just one of more than 700 that the city must parse through before putting the top 20 to a vote.