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Home My WebLink About2025-09-04-YC-min Town of Lexington Lexington Youth Commission Minutes of Meeting Held on Thursday, September 4th, 2025 A Meeting of the Lexington Youth Commission was held on Thursday, September 4th, 2025. The meeting began at 7:00 pm in the Lexington Police Department Conference Room. Absent: Nethra Ramaiah, Khayal Das, Henry Kamich, Tyler Ross, Eva Benet, Andrew Najarian, Aaron Yu, Carys Roberts, Bariza Quader, Bart Byers, Shaurya Kasi, Amelia Tanin, Sonal Setty, Alice Ma, Avery Baker Nielsen Present: Anthony Marbardy, Emma Kain, Sadie Maloney, Brett Robinson, Sofia Saleeby, Owen Rosenthal, Rohan Banerji, Ava Kieval, Elle Kieval, Sarah Chen, Adam Rovner, Violet Clarke, Zoey Simon, Allie Hesik, Grette Buttne, Eliza Babson, Meera Krishnan, Keya Doshi, Raghav Shrivastava, Vivian Lou, Emily Hoefhens, Blake St. Louis, Brendan O'Shaughnessy, Brooke Pan, Victoria Wu, Sophie Read, Margot Byers, Debra Hankins, Kristina Hankins, Shannon DeGuglielmo, Tom Romano, Rohan Singh, Sarah Kocki, Sarah Beuttell, Samantha Quattlebaum, Lucy Applegate, Amanda Quattlebaum, Kimly Nguyen, Doug Lucente Introduction, Members' Expectations, and Icebreakers Deb welcomed everyone and introduced Anthony Marbardy as the new adult advisor. He was on the LYC during his time at LHS, and served many roles, including President. She emphasized the importance of regular attendance, noting that missing meetings results in missing important information, and it is your responsibility if absent to READ minutes, reach out and sign up for upcoming events, or to pick up handouts from meetings. If you are unable to attend a meeting, you need to reach out to your team leader. Members then separated into their assigned teams for the year to participate in icebreaker activities. The group reconvened for a final round of introductions, during which each member stated their name aloud along with the answer to an icebreaker question. This was very successful, and we immediately got to know each other. Community Service Projects for September, October, November, and December Lexington Community Center 10-Year Celebration I Friday, September 12th, 1:00-8:00 PM (LHS half day) Location: Lexington Community Center (39 Marrett Rd) Tom outlined volunteer responsibilities, which include managing outdoor game stations, organizing video game tournaments, preparing a music playlist for families (to be completed in advance), overseeing a crafts station, greeting attendees, and assisting with general event logistics. Confirmed volunteers: Sofia Saleeby, Brett Robinson, Sarah Kochi, Raghav Shrivastava, Vivian Lou, Allie Hesik, Zoey Simon, Eliza Babson, Adam Rovner, Grette Buttner, Emma Kain, Emily Hoefhens, Margot Byers, Sadie Malone LYC Fall Island Clean-Up I Tuesday, September 30, 5:00-6:30 PM Location: Small island at Park Dr & Clarke St, near Center Fields and playground We will trim and remove summer plantings, plant fall flowers and pumpkins. Pizza will be provided following the clean-up and dessert. Your team leader will reach out to you on Sunday, September 28th for confirmation, so we are able to order the food accordingly. Lexington Community Center Haunted House I Friday, October 24th, 7:00-10:00 PM (LHS half day) Location: Lexington Community Center (39 Marrett Rd) Sadie talked about her volunteer role last year, and what a great experience and fun it was. Some of the roles are, acting in haunted scenes, leading tours, face painting, arts and craft tables, etc. Tom noted that volunteers are also needed for setup between 1:00-7:00 PM for those unavailable during the main event, who still wanted to participate. Those interested in volunteering should email Tom at tromano@_Iexingtonma. ov, he will send you the link to sign up. Lexington Center Halloween Balloon Hanging I Friday, October 31st, 11:30-1:00 PM (During LHS Lunch) Brett talked about this event, working with the downtown merchants, for the afternoon children's trick or treating. Volunteers will be divided into groups, each assigned specific businesses to attach balloons to their doors. Pizza will be provided by Upper Crust. We will put together a list of names at our October meeting. Bells/Ribbons I Date TBD in November 3:15-4:15 Location: LHS Art Room Sofia shared that volunteers tie ribbons to approximately 500 bells to be distributed at the Depot Square Tree Lighting event on Friday, November 28th. Date and sign up will be at October's meeting. Lexington Food Pantry Holiday Drive - 2000 Pound Challenge I Saturday, November 15th, 12:00-2:00 PM Location: C&W (240 Bedford St) Sarah explained that volunteers will collect canned and non-perishable goods for the Lexington Food Pantry. Bags will be distributed at the October meeting for members to hand out and ask neighbors, friends, and family to fill. Deb noted that last year, the group filled an entire school bus with donated items. Our goal is to collect 2000 pounds of food. We began this program during COVID, and we have exceeded this goal every year. Let's make this year another successful one. Members who miss the October meeting should make arrangements for a member (friend) to get your bags from you at the October meeting or see Deb in Room 202 (next to the Black Box). At this event, we will have all the food there, checking expiration dates, sorting by food groups, boxing it up, and delivering it to the Lexington Food Pantry. We do ask that we have as many hands as possible to help due to the volume of food we collect. Thanksgiving Dinner Delivery I Wednesday, November 26th, 2:00-4:00 PM Location: C&W (240 Bedford St) Ava talked about this event, volunteers will deliver Thanksgiving meals to families in need throughout Lexington. We work in collaboration with the Lexington Rotary Club. We need drivers, and helpers to deliver approximately 30 homes in Lexington. These dinners include a big uncooked turkey, all the trimmings, and dessert. Depot Square Tree Lighting I Friday, November 28th, 5:30-7:00 PM Meeting Location : William Raveis Real Estate (1713 Massachusetts Ave) Sofia shared that this is one of our most fun events, volunteers may dress in festive holiday costumes, we also have headbands, hats, light up necklaces, etc. We mingle at the Depot with approximately 500* residents who attend. We are distributing bells, candy canes, and taking lots of pictures with children. Prior to Santa arriving on the fire truck we also get on stage and lead with a sing-along. This event is coordinated with Lexington Merchants. Snacks and drinks are provided at William Raveis Real Estate for you. Toys for Tots I Saturday, December 6th, 10:00 AM-3:00 PM Location: Meet at the Lexington Police Station, walk to CVS in Lexington Center Deb talked about this event. We work in partnership with the Lexington Police Department, volunteers will collect toys for children in need, as people drop the off, and pack the cruiser. Deb noted that last year, Lexington collected more toys than any other town or city in our area. This event is a lot of fun, LPD provides hot drinks, and snacks. Tom's Time Tom introduced himself and described his role with the Lexington Recreation and Community Center. He provided additional details about the upcoming 10-Year Celebration on Friday, September 12th and encouraged members to participate. For those who were not at the meeting, he is still in need of volunteers. You can sign up for 1-2 hours as your schedule allows. Please reach out to him if interested. Closing Comments, Ideas, and Thoughts Doug spoke about the VO250 Arch located outside the town office buildings, which symbolizes volunteerism in Lexington. The goal is that we reach 250,000 of volunteer hours by Patriots Day 2026. Milestone events will be held as service hours accumulate; the first lighting of the arch will take place on Friday, September 12, at 7:00 pm. Deb has submitted all members hours for April - July 2025 for those who participated in community service with LYC. To submit hours or learn more, visit 1ex250.org/yo250/ Our next meeting is scheduled for Thursday, October 9th, at 7:00 pm at the Lexington Police Department Conference Room. Respectfully Submitted, Brett Robinson LYC Secretary