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Garden Tea will honor downtown housing nonprofit leader

Date: 6/14/2023

WESTFIELD — Each year the Westfield Woman’s Club honors a Westfield area resident at its annual Garden Tea. This year’s honoree will be Domus Inc. Executive Director Ann Lentini.

Lentini will be awarded the Westfield Woman’s Club Miriam Reed Award, presented to an individual or organization which has made a significant contribution to the quality of life in the community.

“I was very surprised to see that I was being honored,” Lentini replied. “I’m very happy about it because it means a great deal and it’s a wonderful way to promote what Domus does.”

Domus Inc. provides housing for people with mental or physical disabilities, as well as those who are low- to moderate income and those who are homeless. Domus has redeveloped 11 historical buildings, including the former Prospect Hill and Mosely schools, and also runs the Westfield Community Education program, enabling tenants to get their high school diploma. Domus also provides storefronts for five commercial businesses on the first floors of its downtown buildings.

“Ann is a big part of the community and has done these accomplishments in such a quite unassuming way,” said Julie Kennedy, chair of the Westfield Woman’s Club Garden Tea Committee. “She’s a humble person and as far as her contributions, she doesn’t look at it as anything out of the ordinary. To her, this is how we should be acting. We should all be reaching out into the community and do our part.”

Lentini loves being active and involved in groups that achieve their commitment. She received her bachelor’s degree in 1968 from Dunbarton College of Holy Cross in Washington, D.C., and her master’s degree in 1970 from the University of Bridgeport in Connecticut.

She and her husband moved to Westfield in 1972, and she started working with him at the Boys Club doing arts and crafts with the club members. Then she did administrative work for other companies, eventually becoming a contract manager for Western Massachusetts Administrative Services and for the state Department of Mental Health. She was also on the department’s board of directors for a number of years. In July 1986, Lentini took over the Westfield Area Mental Health & Retardation Board Inc.

“When I first got a hold of it, I thought the name was too long to use,” Lentini explained. “I looked up the Latin word for ‘homes,’ which is ‘domicile,’ and I adjusted it to Domus.” She went on to say, “I want Domus to be remembered as the agency that cared enough about our community to build and rebuild these historic buildings. Because all of the buildings that I have done are historic buildings, refurbishing them means that they are going to last another 100 years, and that’s what you want. You want to be able to say I’m working for and with this community, so when I’m gone, things are still going to be here and still move forward.”

This year Lentini is in the process of developing the Old Town Hall into housing for veterans with approximately 18 apartments, a mix of one-bedroom and single-room-occupancy units. The building will include veterans services space in the basement which can be used by any veteran — not just residents — to socialize and to ensure they are receiving all the benefits they need. This project will be completed in 2025.

“There are four elements I profess often,” Lentini said. “God, my family, my community and my country. Each element depends on each other. I want my community to be solid and lasting, not just for me and my family, but for everybody. It’s important and we have to push forward.”

Domus Inc. is located on 4 School St., Westfield, on the second floor. For questions, call 413-568-4494 or visit www.domusinc.org.

The annual Garden Tea will take place 1-4 p.m. Wednesday, June 28, at the Stanley Park Pavilion. The tea will include a selection of sandwiches, scones with strawberry jam and cream, fresh fruit and trifles. Attendees are invited to wear their best hats and enter the hat contest. There will also be a basket raffle featuring more than 40 beautifully wrapped baskets.

For more information about the tea or to purchase tickets, contact Julie Kennedy at 413-562-8097, or mail a ticket request and $25 payment directly to the Westfield Woman’s Club, P.O. Box 651, Westfield, MA 01086. The reservation deadline is June 20.