Mayor Marc Laredo unveiled the Newton Volunteer Corps, a new city program connecting residents with local volunteer opportunities. Laredo announced the initiative at the Setti D. Warren Plaza dedication on Sunday, Sept. 20, during Newtonville Village Day.

Tassy Warren, wife of the late former Mayor Setti Warren, will lead the program as a volunteer. Laredo made the announcement at the Austin Street plaza, where a crowd gathered to honor the former mayor who died in November 2025 at age 55.

The Volunteer Corps will connect residents with organizations and causes across Newton that need help, Laredo said in remarks posted on the city's website. He described the program as a direct extension of Warren's approach to public life, saying Warren believed everyone has something to contribute and that getting people involved makes a community stronger.

Warren served as Newton's mayor from 2010 to 2018 and was the first popularly elected Black mayor in Massachusetts history. He grew up in Newtonville, was class president at Newton North High School and student body president at Boston College.

The plaza bearing his name sits between Caffè Nero and Starbucks on Austin Street, as the Newton Beacon reported. The space was once a parking lot. Former aldermen Susan Albright and Marcia Johnson led the effort to obtain a special permit for its transformation into a gathering spot, a project Warren championed as mayor.

Scott Oran, who worked closely with Warren, first suggested dedicating the plaza in his honor. Aaron Goldman helped bring the project to life, and Hattie Kerwin-Derrick and John Rice from the Mayor's Office coordinated the dedication.

Former Secretary of State John Kerry spoke at the ceremony. Kerry and his wife Teresa Heinz-Kerry are godparents to Warren's daughter Abigail, who just started her first year at Boston College. Warren's son John is a sophomore at Newton North.

Former city councilor Rick Lipof, who helped run Warren's mayoral campaign, recalled the day Warren walked into his office unannounced to say he wanted to run for mayor. Warren then left to serve in Iraq and returned a year later to pick up the conversation.

Tassy Warren addressed the crowd directly. "He would have loved this so much," she said. "He would have loved the flags. He would have loved seeing all of you. And he would have loved it because he loved being mayor."

Newton North students sang at the ceremony. State Rep. Amy Sangiolo and former Alderman Jay Charney also attended.

The city has not yet announced how residents can sign up for the Newton Volunteer Corps or which organizations will be involved.