News & Events
Join the Longevity Bench Walk Challenge
Bench Walk Challenge
Tally Card
Click on the image below to view a printable PDF:
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On the sixth anniversary of our launch, the Longevity Bench Project threw a party! Donors, supporters and sponsors were honored and we begin a summer-long partnership with the Parks and Recreation Department that will underscore the value of the “network” these ADA compliant benches provide in Manchester’s neighborhoods.
“Many residents can now walk from their homes around their neighborhoods, switch over to adjoining loops and walk into town, visit friends and enjoy the outdoors bench-to-bench”, explained Lisa Bonneville, founder of the Project. “Only through the generosity of our donors and sponsors and town support have these benches become possible.”
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Between May 10 and October 20, residents and friends of all ages and abilities are encouraged to visit every bench and walk all eleven loops – a challenge called the “BENCH WALK CHALLENGE”.
To enhance the experience of walking the loops, guided tours have been organized twice during each month, May until October. On these walks you may learn about the trees, wildlife and houses you pass, hear donor stories about each bench and make new friends. A walk leader will be your guide, with maps and tally cards to document your bench visits. Printed brochures and tally cards are available at Town Hall Parks & Recreation Department and COA office, and will be provided on all organized walks. Click organized walks for information about the dates, locations and start points of each walk with a map showing the Town Loops and bench locations on page 2.
Bring your tally card to the Masconomo Park gazebo stage on Saturday, October 20th (time TBD) where officials will celebrate your accomplishments and awards will be given for noteworthy milestones. Those who visit all benches could be inducted into the “Longevity Bench Project Hall of Fame.”
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May 10, 2024 Certificates of Appreciation were awarded to sponsors Jeffreys Creek Land Contractors owners, Paula and John Filias (pictured above) and to Artfluence Graphic Design owners, Lynne and Jay Havighurst (pictured below) for their six year commitment to the Project. Sponsor Keystone Ridge Designs was not present but also honored.
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Below: Board member Jane Metrano and her daughter Christine Metrano Barber decorated a cake of the entire Longevity Bench Project map. Amazing and delicious!
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24th and 25th Longevity Benches Installed in 2023
We are delighted to announce that Longevity Benches #24 and #25 have now been installed. One, adjacent to the new sidewalk across the street from the newly opened Pine Street Ball Field and the other, in front of 21 Ocean Street with a spectacular view of the White Beach Marsh. We thank the family and friends of Elaine Bonneville and Richard and Pricilla Singleton for these generous donations to the Longevity Bench Project network. Two more places to rest while taking a walk in the neighborhoods of Manchester-by-the-Sea. Six more benches will complete the goal of this Project.
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Click photo for a larger view:
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November 2023 E. Bonneville Longevity Bench #24 on Pine Street
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Longevity Bench #24 Plaque
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View of Ball Park from Longevity Bench #24
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Singleton Longevity Bench #25 on Ocean Street
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Longevity Bench #25 Plaque
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View of White Beach Marsh from Longevity Bench #25
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South Carolina Visitors Stop at a Longevity Bench
September 2023 Young mothers from South Carolina visiting Manchester enjoyed a rest on a Longevity Bench along Woodholm Road. And...they discovered a new use for Longevity Benches - sit down, stand up exercises. What fun!
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Longevity Benches are Enjoyed by All Ages
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July 2023 Two youngsters take a break on the Harrington Longevity Bench. All ages appreciate these rests along the way.
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Longevity Benches Provide a Seat to Watch the Fourth of July Parade and Festivities
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July 4, 2023 Linda Gamage and family (3 generations!) found the perfect seat on the Harrington Longevity Bench on Woodholm Road to watch Manchester-by-the-Sea’s Fourth of July parade.
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July 4, 2023 These three ladies are enjoying Manchester-by-the-Sea’s Fourth of July parade on the Siljeholm Longevity Bench on Pleasant Street.
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July 4, 2023 Two friends have a seat on the Morss Longevity Bench at Tuck’s Point.
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Longevity Bench Project Celebrates 5th Anniversary
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May 10, 2023 Gathered in front of newly installed Morss Bench at Tucks Point to celebrate the 5th Anniversary of the Longevity Bench Project are board members (left to right) Jane Metrano, Linda Feuerbach, Sue Harrington, Lisa Bonneville, and Gillian Kellogg. Missing from the photo are Louisa Mackintosh, Leigh Scharfe, and Sonne Bialy.
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22nd Longevity Bench Installed in 2023
Everett and Pamela Morss generously donated the Morss Longevity Bench #22 at Tuck’s Point in Manchester-by-the-Sea, MA.
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Longevity Bench #22 Plaque
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21st Longevity Bench Installed in 2023
Click article for a larger view:
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A Bench Sponsor Highlights the Longevity Bench Project
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Keystone Ridge Designs Highlights the Longevity Bench Project
”Summer is the ideal time to get outdoors and appreciate how something as simple as a walk can improve our health and well-being. Manchester-By-The-Sea, MA is one town where strides are being made to not only recognize that but also to support and encourage it through the Longevity Bench Project, Inc. With the use of our Everett bench and product customizations, this project has been near and dear to our hearts since its inception in 2017.”
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Published in The Cricket, May 12, 2023: Tanya Ferretto (left) and Tanya Trevett on the new Longevity Bench at Proctor Cove in Manchester-by-the-Sea.
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Longevity Bench #21 Plaque
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Joan Snow Honored with 23rd Longevity Bench
Published in The Cricket, November 11, 2022
November 11, 2023 Surrounded by loving family, Joan Snow is presented with newly dedicated Longevity Bench in honor of her and her late husband, Jim.
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As a complete surprise, Longevity Bench #23 was presented to Joan Snow by her five children, their families and many friends in front of the new Pickleball courts at Sweeney Park. Dedicated to her and her late husband, Jim Snow, longtime residents of Manchester and avid tennis players who supported the use of local tennis courts for many years.
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“I want to thank you for bringing this bench to this spot”, exclaimed an unidentified young woman leaving the courts as she approached Joan and the gathering. “I know I will use it often.”
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Longevity Bench Project founder, Lisa Bonneville, thanked the new donors to the Project now sharing in the mission to place benches throughout Manchester as a “place to rest while taking a walk”. Joan’s 90th birthday was May 23rd and it is so special that her bench is now #23 in the network.
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Joan Snows enjoys a rest on the occasion of a Longevity Bench being dedicated to her and her husband.
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SeniorCare Honors Longevity Bench Project
SeniorCare’s 50th Anniversary Celebration: An Evening of Remembrance and Heart
During the 50th Anniversary Celebration of SeniorCare, Inc. held Thursday night, September 22, 2022 at the Beauport Hotel, Manchester’s Longevity Bench Project’s founder, Lisa Bonneville, was honored with the Board of Directors Community Service Award. Celebrating with Lisa were a number of Bench Project board members, sponsors, friends and family members. SeniorCare Director, George Nickless from Manchester personally shared his well wishes as a supporter of her nomination for this award. At the end of the evening, Lisa delivered her heartfelt thanks for this high honor.
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Longevity Bench Project family, board members and sponsors (left to right): George Davis, Dominic Pang, Fleur Davis Pang, Linda Feuerbach, Sonne Bialy, Lisa Bonneville, Leigh Scharfe, John Filias, Paula Filias and Gillian Kellogg
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Congratulations to the guests of honor (left to right): Jim Nentwig, Santa’s Magic, Rosemary F. Kerry Community Service Award; Posie Mansfield, Good Company, Myra L. Herrick Outstanding Older American Award; Felicia Webb, Cape Ann Transportation Authority, Board of Directors Community Impact Award; Lisa Bonneville, The Longevity Bench Project, Board of Directors Community Service Award; Not pictured: Darlene Prinz, Beverly Police Department, Board of Directors Community Impact Award
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Twenty Installed and Six Benches More
The Select Board of Manchester-by-the-Sea, MA approved three new Longevity Bench sites in their meeting on July 5, 2022. The generous donors of these benches will be published and added to the website Site Map upon installation; one in September and two more will be installed in the first quarter of 2023. And we are very excited to report that three additional benches are currently in the works. As these benches are installed, they will be added to the Town Loop Map.
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Click the video below for 1623 Studios’ Cape Ann Today interview with Project Founder, Lisa Bonneville:
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Parade News Coverage
Click on the image below to read the news coverage of the parade:
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Our Brochure
Click on the image below to view a printable PDF:
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Manchester-by-the-Sea’s 375th Anniversary Parade
The Longevity Bench Project hit the road on Saturday, September 25, 2021 with a float in Manchester’s 375th Anniversary parade. What a fun ride it was! Proudly won the float award for “Most Ecological”, as we celebrated our milestone 20th bench. Thanks to Chapman’s Greenhouse for their colorful flowers that created a garden around the bench and banners and to Jeffrey’s Creek Land Contractors for the extra large float bed we shared with the town’s Anniversary Planning Committee chairs, Sue Thorne and Tom Kehoe. It is our set-up team that deserves the most gratitude. That’s you, Linda, Sonne, Sue, Louisa, Mary Ellen, Ann, and the magnificent George Davis. And our special guest riders and walkers; Joan Snow, Dorothy Anderson and Michelle Langille and Sonne Baily, and board members Ann Noble-Kiley, Sue Harrington and Louisa Mackintosh. We had so much fun!!
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