This Thanksgiving, I am giving thanks for the community that I live in. Wayland has shown perseverance in the face of hardship and is a gracious community that gives back to people in need. Recently, Mr.Griffin, one of WHS’s guidance counselors, was diagnosed with cancer, and our community has come together to help support him and his family through letters, emails, meals and cards.

The Middlesex Savings Bank established  the Jim Griffin Family Support Trust, so people can directly contribute to help Mr. Griffin in their own way.

One of his high school basketball players, Isabelle Farrell said, “He is really focused on knowing everything about your game and he pays attention to detail with each player.”

Needless to say, Mr.Griffin cares about his students, and the students have responded with their own efforts to help him fight his battle.

This past weekend at the Sudbury Fieldhouse, some of our Wayland High School students participated in Free Throws for Jim.  Family and friends pledged money for every shot the students made.

Earlier this fall, the field hockey team played in a game to raise money and continues to  sell “Strength-JG” bracelets for Mr.Griffin.

“He always knows exactly the right thing to say to make me feel better. I really couldn’t ask for a better mentor,” said Bailey MacAfee, one of the field hockey players who helped organize the fundraiser game.

The bounty of support for Mr.Griffin from the Wayland community is inexpressible.  However, this isn’t the first time our community has responded to adversity.

This summer The Lauren Dunne Astley Memorial Fund was created to honor the life of Lauren Astley. The foundation promotes dynamic educational programs, particularly those involved in the development of healthy teen relationships, the arts and community service.

To honor Lauren, the  Wayland girls volleyball team raised close to $10,000 this past October for the memorial fund.

Monday night, the a capella groups performed in the Little Theater, and donations were collected for both the Lauren Astley and the Jim Griffin Fund. Astley’s former a capella group, the Muses, also began to sell their CD, from which half of the proceeds will go Astley’s memorial fund.

In 2003, Wayland Angels was started by Jean Seiden and Pam Washek, who had battled cancer and were touched by the support the community showed them during their illness.  They created Wayland Angels, now called Neighbor Brigade, to give people the support that they need from their community during their struggle. Since then, the organization has spread to 23 neighborhoods.

Soon after 9/11/2001, Karen Kiefer and Juliette Fay, two Wayland residents, started Spread the Bread to say thank you to local heroes who are policemen and firemen. Spread the Bread was established not only to help deserving people but to create an initiative for kids and teenagers to get involved in volunteer work.

For the tenth anniversary of Spread the Bread, McKenna Kiefer wanted to honor Astley, so she thought of selling T-shirts. The proceeds from the T-shirt sale went to Lauren’s fund.

Kiefer said, “Lauren helped many charities, and although Spread the Bread was not one of them, we wanted to spread her message.”

It is this support that makes me so very thankful that I live in this community.

Our community gives back, we support each other, and we never back down.

For this I am thankful.  Happy Thanksgiving!