Dance lessons, a new scholarship, and how to overcome odds
By Diana Bravo Globe Correspondent,Updated January 26, 2021, 11:50 p.m.
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NORTH
The
Medford Public Library is hosting a series of free lessons with a local ballroom team known as Dance Caliente. The second session of the three-part series will take place on Feb. 18 from 7 to 8:30 p.m. and will teach participants how to dance Bachata, which originated in the Dominican Republic. The classes are free and open to all skill levels, but participants must register in advance at www.dancecaliente.us.
The
Salem-based Lappin Foundation is holding a virtual live screening on Feb. 8 of the film âSpace Torah,â about the copy of the sacred text that astronaut Jeffrey Hoffman brought with him aboard the Space Shuttle Columbia. After the 7:30 p.m. screening, executive producer Rachel Raz and Hoffman will lead a question-and-answer session. The event is free to attend, but requires registration at lappinfoun
Framingham mourns its fiercest advocate for the disabled, Karen Foran Dempsey
FRAMINGHAM Karen Foran Dempsey hated words like wheelchair-bound and wheelchair-restricted.
Dempsey saw her motorized scooter as a gift, not a burden, according to her sister, City Councilor Janet Leombruno. It helped get her to places she needed to go.
“Karen would say, ‘No, I’m not restricted to a wheelchair. These are my wheels. These are my legs. This is my freedom,’” Leombruno recalled.
For the past few decades, Dempsey made a name for herself in Framingham as a tenacious advocate for the disability community, using her various roles in public office to make her hometown a more accessible place.
FRAMINGHAM Karen Foran Dempsey, a Framingham School Committee member and fierce advocate for those with disabilities, died suddenly on Christmas Eve, according to her family.
In a Facebook post, Dempesy’s sister, City Councilor Janet Leombruno, said it “was sudden and unexpected and we are all heartbroken.” She said Dempsey, 54, left behind “a world that loved her, one she spent her life making better.”
“Her life wasn’t the easiest, but you would never ever know it. We want to say thanks to the first responders for everything they did, and for the huge outpouring of love. She’s flying high with angels now, and free of pain forever,” wrote Leombruno.