Boston Scenes

Legendary folk singer and human rights activist Odetta performed to some 300 fans last Tuesday as part of the Elma Lewis Playhouse in the Park series, her first return to the park in 40 years. The Los Angeles native has dabbled in acting, but she is best known for her music career, which has included forays into blues, jazz, spirituals and more on the way to recording 30 albums. (Don West photo)

John Reed, a teacher and chapter president of the Cape Cod NAACP, received a prestigious award in Washington, D.C., on July 2. The National Education Association honored Reed with a Human and Civil Rights Award known as the H. Councill Trenholm Memorial Award. In addition to being a respected community leader and educator, he received the award for his heroic efforts in helping to calm Hyannis, Mass., when it was on the verge of erupting into violence in the early 1990s. (Lauren Burke photo)

Friends, family and members of Greater Boston’s philanthropic community turned out on June 30 to support Renae Grey (third from left) of the Boston Women’s Fund at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts’ headquarters in Boston. She is undergoing a live transplant this fall. (From left): José Massó of the Nellie Mae Education Foundation, Kelly Bates of Access Strategies Fund, Grey, Tommie Hollis Younger of the Haymarket People’s Fund, Kip Tiernan of Rosie’s Place. (Tony Irving photo)

Boston Summer Scholars, a summer jobs program for 500 Boston teens jointly developed and sponsored by John Hancock Financial Services and The Boston Globe Foundation, started last week with a kickoff press conference. (From left): Globe intern Unique Coren, John Hancock CEO John DesPrez, Mayor Thomas M. Menino, Globe Publisher P. Steven Ainsley, Boston University President Robert Brown and John Hancock intern Luis Rivera. (Photo courtesy of John Hancock Financial Services)

Whole Foods Market team leaders joined staff and participants at The Wellness Community (TWC) at Dimock on June 26. The Whole Foods Markets at Symphony and Charles River Plaza donated 5 percent of net sales on April 16, 2008, to TWC at Dimock, raising over $8,000. (From left): Harriet Berman, The Wellness Community-Greater Boston; Andrea Williams, TWC at Dimock; Jodi Silton, The Wellness Community-Greater Boston; Serena Hsu, Whole Foods Market at Charles River Plaza; Chuck Olivieri, Whole Foods Market at Symphony; Terri Petrunyak, Whole Foods Market; Heather Steinberg, The Wellness Community-Greater Boston; Miriam Price-Eubanks and Marjorie Hicks, TWC at Dimock. (Kaicee King photo)

Mr. and Mrs. Louis Miller recently celebrated 60 years of marital bliss with family and friends at the Phillips House Restaurant in Boston. Gertrude (Dolly) Miller retired after 30 years of service with the state Registry of Motor Vehicles, and her devoted husband of six decades retired after 30 years of service in the U.S. Defense Contract Agency. They are the parents of three children, the grandparents of three and the great-grandparents of two. (Carl Vickers photo)

Milly Quezada, internationally known as the Queen of Merengue, performed in front of a crowd of over 10,000 at the Latino Health Festival on Sunday. The festival, named Celebra La Vida Con Salud y Musica (Celebrate Life with Health and Music), was organized by La Alianza Hispana, Celebra La Vida Con Salud and El Jolgorio de Massachusetts in collaboration with Mayor Thomas M. Menino’s office. Alongside musical performances by Grammy nominees, culturally competent health promotion, and illness prevention information was provided. The festival was the largest of its kind in Boston. (Tony Irving photo)

Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program (BHCHP) nurse Leticia Allen of Dorchester collects socks from Red Sox fan Caroline Scheer, 8, of Cambridge. BHCHP collected 14,700 pairs of new white socks at this past weekend’s games, where the Red Sox faced off against the Baltimore Orioles. BHCHP nurses and doctors distribute thousands of socks every year to their homeless patients. (Joslyn Allen photo)

LaVerne Venable of Mattapan (left) and a friend wait for Bobby Vee to take the stage at the July 9 opening concert of the 35th year of the Dorothy Curran Wednesday Evenings on the Plaza. For a schedule of upcoming shows, visit www.cityofboston.gov/parks. (Photo courtesy of the City of Boston Parks & Recreation Department)

(From left): Dr. Ricky Stern of e-inc, Pappas Enterprises President Tim Pappas, and Larry Mayes, human resources director for the City of Boston were among the attendees at the recent e-inc “Planet Protectors” swearing-in ceremony held at the headquarters of City Year in the South End. At the ceremony, more than 75 students from local schools who completed an environmental after-school program were sworn in as “planet protectors” by Mayes. (Photos courtesy of e-inc)

Madison Park Technical and Vocational High School received the JFYNet Achievement Award for Outstanding Effort in Support of Student Achievement at a recent ceremony held at the State House in Boston. (Back row, from left): Teacher Patricia O’Connor, headmaster Charles McAfee, teacher Kathy Doyle, teacher Jessica Martinez, teacher Joseph Jackson, state Sen. Dianne Wilkerson, JFYNetWorks Executive Director Gary Kaplan. (Front row, from left): Student Jayde Smith, JFYNetWorks Associate Program Director Joan Reissman. (Photo courtesy of JFYNetWorks)

Flanked by political colleagues, incumbent state Sen. Dianne Wilkerson expresses gratitude for her supporters as she starts off her 2008 reelection campaign. Over 250 people attended the Wilkerson campaign’s recent kickoff party. (Tony Irving photo)