PEABODY, MA – The day before Thanksgiving, there was a massive chemical explosion at a Danvers, Mass., printing plant, not far from Brooksby Village. According to the Boston Globe, the force of the explosion damaged some 90 buildings in a half-mile radius, knocking homes off foundations, splintering glass, and cracking chimneys. Despite the destruction, no one was seriously hurt or killed, although hundreds of people were left homeless. To help them, people who live and work at Brooksby Village recently raised more than $300 for the Beverly Hospital Hunt Center’s Danvers Explosion Fundraiser.

“We collected money for a few weeks so we were thrilled to raise a few hundred dollars for families [affected by] the Danvers explosion,” said Gayle Hills, executive assistant at Brooksby Village. “I was contacted by the men's fraternity group here at Brooksby Village, so we were happy to help in any way we could.”

The Beverly Hospital event took place March 3 and raised just over $1,707 in all, which is going to the Danvers Community Council Relief Fund.

In addition, residents and staff Brooksby Village wanted to do something for the many children affected by the explosion, so they have invited them to come to Brooksby Village this week for some fun and games.

“Everyone here had been reading so much about events planned for the adults affected by the Danvers explosion so they wanted to reach out to the children,” said Hills. “We thought it was high time the kids had some fun.”

Sixteen children are scheduled to come to the campus on Friday, when they will check out Brooksby Village’s in-house state-of-the-art television studio, make crafts, do some fun exercises, and watch a movie. The fun begins at Brooksby Village on Friday, March 23 at 3 p.m. (Dani G. Baldassare)

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