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Drop Off Your Used Solar Eclipse Glasses To This Massachusetts Gymnastics Group! They’re Mailing Them To South America

Author Ayla Brown
KidPower Gymnastics is collecting used and undamaged solar eclipse glasses. If you live near Charlton, MA, you have until April 20th to drop them off at the gymnastics location!
KidPower Gymnastics is a local gymnastics club in Charlton, Massachusetts and they’re on a mission. The kids who are members of the gymnastics club are collecting used solar eclipse glasses to mail to schools in South America.
President and Owner of KidPower Gymnastics, Kelly Pucci, ultimately reached out to me with all of the information, but it all started with a text message I received on our Country 102.5 text line. It was from the parents of Isabella, who is in the “Shockwaves” class. They told me that their daughter was part of the group that’s doing their best to collect as many glasses as possible. She put me in touch with Kelly, and I promised I would do my best to spread the word for them.

Kelly outlined the details of the initiative. From April 8th to April 20th, individuals are encouraged to drop off their used and undamaged solar eclipse glasses at the KidPower Gymnastics club. The goal is ambitious yet simple – to collect as many glasses as possible to send them to schools in South America. This will enable students to witness the upcoming solar eclipse slated for October 2, 2024.

  • Drop-off times: April 8-20th. Monday-Thursday 4-7:15pm and Saturday 9am-1pm (also during the 4/11 open gym times of 9:30-10:15am and 10:45-11:30am)
  • Location: 221 Sturbridge Road – Route 20 – Charlton, MA
  • Phone Number For any questions you have: 508-439-9987

The Reason Why KidPower Is Collecting Solar Eclipse Glasses

By repurposing used solar eclipse glasses, KidPower Gymnastics not only contributes to reducing waste but also facilitates educational opportunities in regions where access to such resources might be limited. Through this gesture, KidPower Gymnastics not only enriches the educational experiences of students in South America but also cultivates a sense of global citizenship among its own community members.

And lastly, the timing of the initiative is impeccable. With the next solar eclipse set to grace South America on October 2, 2024, the donation of these glasses ensures that students can safely witness this celestial phenomenon firsthand.

Related:

Massachusetts Has 7 of the 25 Best Small Cities in America in new study, Including #2!

Wallet Hub is back at it again! The team behind the Wallet Hub app, which aims to help improve your credit and save you money, has a fun side-hustle coming up with buzzworthy studies and blogs. Their latest says some really nice things about Massachusetts, the state you likely call home since you clicked on this article, so let’s get to smelling those flowers!

Their latest study looked at the Best Small Cities to Live In in the United States. Massachusetts didn’t finish 1st… but we did finish in second place AND Massachusetts also had the most small cities in the Top 25. High five and high five, Massachusetts! (I guess that makes a high 10?) Massachusetts had 7 entries on the list, the state that had the next most was surprisingly Indiana with 5.

Wallet Hub looked at 1,321 small cities across America and compared them on the following 5 key dimensions: Affordability (20 points), Economic Health (20 points), Education & Health (20 points), Quality of Life (20 points), and Safety (20 points). So every small city finished with an overall score (all 5 key dimensions added together) with a top possible score of 100. This will be helpful to understand when looking at Massachusetts’ 7 small cities that made the Top 25 below.

Holyoke finished as the WORST small city in Massachusetts, in case you were curious. Now on to the best. By the way, Carmel, Indiana was named the very best small city to live in in America. Carmel had an overall score of 71.16 out of 100. A Massachusetts small city took second place (see below), followed by Brentwood, Tennessee, Westfield, Indiana, and Fishers, Indiana in 3rd, 4th, and 5th respectively.

As said before, Massachusetts got 7 entries in the Top 25 Best Small Cities to Live In in America… and here they come! Below you’ll find all 7 small cities that made the list, wrapping up with the #2 Best Small City to Live In in the US – Massachusetts’ #1 Best City to Live In according to the study:

  • READING, MA

    Reading finished at #25 – the 25th Best Small City to Live In in the US. It had an overall score of 67.59 out of 100.

  • NEWTON, MA

    Newton finished at #23 – the 23rd Best Small City to Live In in the US. It had an overall score of 67.74 out of 100.

  • ARLINGTON, MA

    Arlington finished at #20 – the 20th Best Small City to Live In in the US. It had an overall score of 68.08 out of 100.

  • NEEDHAM, MA

    Needham finished at #14 – the 14th Best Small City to Live In in the US. It had an overall score of 68.82 out of 100.

  • MELROSE, MA

    Melrose finished at #8 – the 8th Best Small City to Live In in the US. It had an overall score of 69.21 out of 100.

  • MILTON, MA

    Milton finished at #7 – the 7th Best Small City to Live In in the US. It had an overall score of 69.29 out of 100.

  • LEXINGTON, MA

    Lexington finished at #2 – the 2nd Best Small City to Live In in the US. It had an overall score of 70.61 out of 100.

  • See the entire rundown of Best SMall Cities in America...

    Check out Wallet Hubs’s complete report of the goods and the bads: RIGHT HERE!

    best small city America Lexington Milton Melrose MA

Ayla Brown has been an on-air morning show host with Country 102.5 since 2018. Before taking this once-in-a-lifetime job, Ayla was (and still is) a country music singer. In 2006, she placed 13th on American Idol. In 2012 and 2013 she celebrated her Grand Ole Opry and Ryman Auditorium debut, and over the years she has visited 13 countries overseas to sing for the American Troops. Country music is in Ayla Brown’s soul. Not only does she sing it, but she gets to talk about it every day on “Country Mornings with Jonathan and Ayla.” Ayla is happily married to singer-songwriter, Rob Bellamy, and they welcomed a son named Barrett in August of 2022. In her free time, she loves to sew baby bibs and experiment with new recipes in the kitchen. She also loves to travel and try new foods. Ayla writes about Boston area happenings, parenting, holistic lifestyle and living, and travel.

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