It’s fitting that Ellen Flynn, a poet and retired librarian, finds inspiration in Mattapoisett by watching the sea and walking the wooded trails, because she is a force of nature.

Taken together, Flynn’s contributions are humbling to behold: Between her time in Mattapoisett during the Seventies and since her return in the early 2000s, she has impacted thousands with her service. For her tireless work in the Tri-Town and beyond, Flynn is The Wanderer’s recipient of the 2013 Mattapoisett Keel Award.

“My motivation comes from the fond feeling I have for Mattapoisett and its lifestyle,” Flynn said. “There are so many different opportunities for people to take advantage of such a marvelous community.”

Mattapoisett is indeed marvelous – or, if you go by the bumper sticker on the back of Flynn’s car, “Mattapoisett … is Special!” – and it’s due in large part to her volunteering. Flynn has served as President and Vice President of the Woman’s Club, including stints as Chair of both the Great Decisions Foreign Policy Discussion group and Scholarship Committee sponsored by the Club.

A passionate Ikebana floral artist, Flynn has also chaired the Garden Tour and is a member of the Garden Group. She serves as Director of the Land Trust, while chairing the Education and Scholarship committees, and has chaperoned the Center School’s third-grade trip to the Buzzards Bay Coalition for the past three years.

“It’s a great opportunity to work in the educational aspect of the Land Trust, so I jumped immediately into what I could do for children,” Flynn said. “A driving concern of mine is maintaining what makes Mattapoisett charming and wonderful for people who haven’t yet fully discovered it. And I love witnessing the children’s experience, watching them learn what’s going on outside of their own community.”

But make no mistake, this community is first in Flynn’s heart. The former Vassar College librarian who “will always love walking through a library” is Vice President of the Friends of the Mattapoisett Library, a member of its Writers’ Group, and a director at its Summer Reading Program’s Outdoor Theater. She is also a Life Member of the Historical Society, where she created a children’s herb and wildflower garden at the museum. For good measure, she also presents a Monarch Butterfly Program at the Sippican Health Care Center.

The list of accomplishments goes on and on. She is unstoppable. In fact, it seems that the only thing Flynn isn’t capable of is talking about herself. Luckily, her daughter Cobey is visiting during our interview.

“I was out here for Mother’s Day, and she had four things she was doing, plus preparing for the Land Trust’s annual board meeting,” Cobey said. “She’ll do these events and then will clean up the kitchen and bring the food to those who might need it. She’s amazing. She’s so positive every time I talk to her.”

I suggested that Flynn – who some jokingly refer to as the “Mayor of Mattapoisett” – run for office, and that Cobey serve as her campaign manager.

“My mom is known for taking it to the next level,” she said. “You might volunteer, but she’ll be like, ‘You know what else we could do? We could do this, this, and this to make it better.’ And everybody will say, ‘Oh, Ellen, that would be great!’”

Flynn shook her head.

“I never think about the things I do,” she said. “I just do it because I love it, and I want to do it.”

“She’s never looking for credit,” Cobey agreed. “She does it because it’s the right thing to do. Watching that while growing up has meant so much to me.”

It means a lot to Mattapoisett, too.

by Shawn Badgley

The Wanderer congratulates Kevin J. Woodward for receiving one of its 19th Annual Keel Awards, which honor nominees from Rochester, Marion and Mattapoisett who have gone above and beyond with service to their community.

Woodward is the winner for the town of Rochester. Recently, Woodward, who grew up in Rochester and attended RMS and ORR, decided that RMS needed to do something about its lack of a proper area for students to get some sort of physical activity at recess. At the time, they were playing in a parking lot.

“RMS was undergoing renovation expansion,” Woodward said. He said that, initially, the budget for the renovation allowed for the construction of a playground, but that it eventually was removed from the budget.

“We tried to raise some money to build something that will service our kids at the schools,” he said.

Woodward said they did so by combining a traditional walk-a-thon with RMS’s field day, calling it the “Miles for Memorial Fitness Challenge.” The challenge involved students walking a 2-mile loop, as well as several other physical activities, with the idea of promoting fitness as well as to raise money for the new playground.

Students were asked to get sponsors on a per-mile or flat rate. The result was that the students helped to raise more than $25,000, which eventually led to the construction of the new playground, which breaks ground on August 10.

“I’m super fortunate to have had the backing of this kind of community,” he said. “We’re looking forward to August 10, and counting on some parents and volunteers to have something in place to welcome our kids back to school in the fall. It’s been a long time coming.”

Woodward added that some of the current students at RMS have been without a playground for at least four years, and that they’ve been involved in the whole process from its inception.

“This will be all new for them,” he said. “They were there for the whole experience.”

by Nick Walecka