March 27, 2024
Five-month-old Bennett Younkin had his first meeting with the Easter Bunny last Saturday at the Dorchester Day Parade Committee’s family-friendly Sundae Fundraiser. The event drew several hundred people to the Murphy School cafeteria in Neponset. Story, more photos, Page 16.
Seth Daniel photo
The Dorchester Day Parade Committee held a new fundraising event last Saturday (March 23) at the Murphy School cafeteria with ice cream sundaes and a visit from the Easter Bunny.
Committee co-chairs Kelly Walsh and Brianne Gore said they were very excited at the turnout as hundreds of young people came out to feast on Lazy Bear ice cream and dance with the Easter Bunny. They said the event was a financial success and helped to alert the neighborhood that the June 2 parade is approaching.
They are still looking for volunteers to help at upcoming events, including the Chief Marshal’s Banquet, a Parade Brunch on April 13, and the Little Miss Dorchester contest in June, among others.
Other volunteer opportunities include joining the Parade Committee to help organize the Parade and coordinate divisions on Dot Day.
In another note, Megan Driscoll, who is running for mayor of Dorchester this year, was planning a fundraiser trivia night for Wednesday of this week at the Dot Tavern. To get involved in the Parade or to get more information, email info@dotdayparade.org.
Former Police Commissioner Willie Gross made an appearance to support the Dorchester Day Parade, and to make a special presentation to Brenda Ruggiero, the mother of Parade Committee Co-Chair Brianne Gore. Ruggiero’s late husband, John Ruggiero, was Gross’s 8th grade history teacher at Dorchester’s Oliver Wendell Holmes School in the 1970s. Gross said that Ruggiero, who passed away last year, instilled a love of history in him that he had never known. It is something, he said, that he carries with him and shares with young people.
Parade Co-Chairs Brianne Gore and Kelly Walsh with this year’s Dorchester Day Parade shirts.
Tommy and Leanne Morton enjoyed the afternoon.
Volunteers James Neff, Conor Olsen, and James Swanson dished out ice cream all afternoon.
City Councillor John FitzGerald with his wife Meghan and their children, Callan, Mac, and Reese.
Lily Yuan reached into the Easter basket to get her favorite treat during the Dorchester Day Parade Easter fundraiser on Saturday.
Marty Martinez, Matthew Hall, and Damien Martinez-Hall enjoyed the afternoon supporting the Parade.
Shannon Foley and Méabh McLoughlin wait in line for an ice cream sundae.
