Hi folks,

I just happened across an appeal for funds from the folks at Wikipedia.  They're near the end of their 2010 fund-raising and have almost reached their goal of 16 million dollars (they've raised $14 M to date!)

Did you know that Wikipedia is run by a non-profit organization?

As the year winds down and we consider our blessings here at Westborough.com, I thought that it'd be nice to help out the folks at Wikipedia, and sent them a $25 donation.  I figure there's got to be a number of Westborough residents who occasionally benefit from Wikipedia, and I figure this donation thus indirectly supports our local community.

One nice thing about Wikimedia Foundation: they're a fully qualified 501(c)3 non-profit, and from what I understand, donations are fully tax-deductible on your US federal taxes! (Of course I have to now say, "please consult your own tax professional about this." :-)

If this is something that may appeal to you, I invite you to check them out before we say good-bye to 2010.

Here's the nice thank you letter I received:

Dear Michael,

Thank you for your gift of USD 25.00 to the Wikimedia Foundation, received on December 30, 2010. I’m very grateful for your support.
Your donation celebrates everything Wikipedia and its sister sites stand for: the power of information to help people live better lives, and the importance of sharing, freedom, learning and discovery. Thank you so much for helping to keep these projects freely available for their more than 400 million monthly readers around the world.

Your money supports technology and people. The Wikimedia Foundation develops and improves the technology behind Wikipedia and nine other projects, and sustains the infrastructure that keeps them up and running. The Foundation has a staff of about fifty, which provides technical, administrative, legal and outreach support for the global community of volunteers who write and edit Wikipedia.
Many people love Wikipedia, but a surprising number don't know it's run by a non-profit. Please help us spread the word by telling a few of your friends.

And again, thank you for supporting free knowledge.

Sincerely Yours,


Sue Gardner
Executive Director

* To donate: http://donate.wikimedia.org
* To visit our Blog: http://blog.wikimedia.org
* To follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/wikimedia
* To follow us on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/wikipedia


This letter can serve as a record for tax purposes. No goods or
services were provided, in whole or in part, for this contribution.
The Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. is a non-profit charitable corporation
with 501(c)(3) tax exempt status in the United States. Our address is 149 New Montgomery, 3rd Floor, San Francisco, CA, 94105. Tax-exempt number: 20-0049703

While other parts got socked yesterday, the "home office" for Westborough.com didn't seem to get that much snow.  Here's hoping y'all did well.  

Kudos to officials for closing offices today, and a *HUGE* thanks to our hard-working DPW crew for their ceaseless efforts for our safety.

Happened across this great link from National Grid which displays power outages.  Here's a map from from 10:30 a.m. this morning:

Curious if your family or friends have any power outages?  You can get a idea of where the trouble spots are by visiting  http://www1.nationalgridus.com/masselectric/stormcenter/ for the latest status.  

The site's map is dynamic -- you can scroll and zoom it as desired -- and it's updated as new reports are received, and after services have been restored.

Westborough’s annual Interfaith Thanksgiving Service will be held this year at Congregation B'nai Shalom, 117 East Main St., on Wednesday, Nov. 24, at 7:30 p.m.

Faith communities in Westborough come together for this annual service, to worship and celebrate in prayer and song, led by clergy from our local churches and synagogues.

Music will be especially celebrated in this year's service, with songs and hymns led by an interfaith choir, and instrumental selections from both the "Good News Ringers" handbell choir of First United Methodist Church, and an interfaith flute choir.

Rev. Elaine Gaetani of the Evangelical Congregational Church will deliver the sermon this year, and Rev. Cindy  Frado of the Unitarian Universalist Society will tell a “story for all ages”.

The service and celebration is open to all in the Westborough community.  Please come!

Congregation B’nai Shalom may be contacted at 508-366-7191.