Moments in Medford

Connection is the key to community. We often see our neighbors and other residents while browsing books at the library, perusing the grocery store, or walking through the various parks of Medford, but we rarely glimpse into their daily lives - their hobbies, their routines, the things that bring them joy.

Kate Godin, Divya Anand, and Lisa Tonello, the founders of the Medford Moments Calendar, set out on a mission to accomplish this exact goal

These three women approached the calendar from varied backgrounds. Lisa has deep ties to the Medford Housing Authority. She works closely with residents and engaged them to participate in the project. Divya is a faculty member at Cambridge College and the Founder of the consultancy Gaia Connections.

After living in Medford for a few years, she wanted to focus on community work, providing a space where her children could learn and make friends and where people who identified as outsiders felt included. Divya knew Lisa, which made the collaboration with the Medford Housing Authority a natural choice. Kate works in research at Harvard University and knew Divya. The two spearheaded the creative process of the calendar project.

The first calendar

The first calendar was born in 2019, released in 2020, and centered on food and cooking. The Housing Authority population includes elders, elders with disabilities, and families. The residents didn’t know each other well and that was part of the intent of the calendar project. Over the course of the year, the founders met with residents in the kitchen and together they prepared various dishes.

Kate, Divya, and Lisa noted that people get a sense of pride from seeing themselves in a calendar and it’s a great feeling knowing they are highlighted in something special.

With the success of the 2020 calendar, the founders got to work on what was next, but the COVID-19 pandemic halted their momentum. They re-ignited in 2021 and took to social media to ask MHA residents and community members to submit photos of what brings them joy.

The digital strategy proved a success! Kate, Divya, and Lisa released their second calendar in 2022 with a myriad of photos across Medford. They explained how one person was given the calendar and beamed with delight when she realized the front yard pictured was her neighbor’s. That brings me back to when I could talk to my neighbor over that garden, the woman said.

Word quickly spread of the calendar and the founders received more interest in copies. It was with this heightened engagement that Kate, Divya, and Lisa started researching grants that could help fund the project. They found the Medford Arts Council grant program and knew it would be a great partnership to give them more money and time to dedicate to the project as well as allow them to think about expanding into other avenues, such as a nonprofit.

2023 Calendar - yes it exists!

The focus of the 2023 calendar was the emergence from the pandemic and the celebration of small gatherings and social interactions. The proceeds from the calendars go towards the Medford Housing Authority and, through the years, have helped residents in need.

Out of the Medford Moments project, the founders developed the ArtPreneurs Project, an initiative focused on the creative development of youth and teens. Through their work with ArtPreneurs, the founders now collaborate with JustFlix, an initiative that provides youth with the training and motivation to film short documentary-style videos about community justice.

Kate, Divva, and Lisa hope that these projects provide the greater community with an understanding that there are many families and youth in Medford whose stories and voices need to be heard. Many teens and adults at the MHA often feel unwelcome in public spaces and the founders want these initiatives to help others understand the value in equity, inclusion, and diversity, and more importantly building community.

Available for purchase

To purchase a 2023 calendar, please go to the Medford Moments Calendar Givebutter website and donate within your means. For more questions about the project or how you can get involved in ArtPreneurs and/or JustFlix, reach out to Kate Godin at ksgodin@gmail.com.