Prosperous Partnership with AmeriCorps

Greetings! My name is James Swinchoski and I am the current Economic Prosperity VISTA at Berkshire United Way – in partnership with the AmeriCorps Volunteers in Service to America (VISTA) program. The VISTA program is a national service program designed to help end poverty. My tenure will be from August 2018 to August 2019 as a part of an AmeriCorps year of service.

James Swinchoski, AmeriCorps VISTA intern in Economic Prosperity.

I am a recent graduate of the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts with a B.A. in Interdisciplinary Studies. I held concentrations in Psychology and Sociology – with a double minor in Social Work and Social Justice Studies. My aim with wedding these programs together was to learn about community organization on a micro and macro level as well as creating positive change our community.

I previously interned with the North Adams Friendship Center – helping them survey those in need of meal support and social services. I also helped them with web development and assisted with the food pantry, while I honed my grant writing skills and so much more.

In the coming year, I will be working with Berkshire United Way on their Economic Prosperity Impact Council (EPIC) and Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) programs, assisting our with free tax preparation and recruiting young people to the Berkshires and helping them get the training they need to thrive here (EPIC).

I am incredibly excited about this opportunity to build a stronger community and have had a great couple of weeks here at Berkshire United Way. I will be posting updates from time to time, so expect to hear more from me in the weeks and months ahead!

Warmest regards,

James, VISTA Volunteer

Collaborations result in a stronger community

In a recent blog post you heard directly from Charlotte Cahillane, Positive Youth Development intern here at Berkshire United Way.  One of the projects Charlotte worked on while she was with us was the Positive Youth Development Impact Council Resource Fair.

On July 18^th, 14 different youth-serving programs from across the county took part in the Positive Youth Development Impact Council (PYDIC) Resource Fair held at the Hillcrest Center Campus Gymnasium in Lenox. The primary objectives of this event were to enable program staff who work with young people to connect, learn more about the community resources that are available, and strengthen their referral networks.

Participating organizations included: the Berkshire Environmental Action Team, Berkshire Children and Families, Berkshire County Kid's Place, Berkshire Family YMCA, Berkshire Pulse, Boy Scouts, The Brien Center, Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, Child Care of the Berkshires, Massachusetts Rehabilitation Commission, North Adams Public Schools, Northern Berkshire Community Coalition, Railroad Street Youth Project, and United Cerebral Palsy Association of Berkshire County. 

During the second part of the fair, local business community members joined us to learn more about youth-focused initiatives in the Berkshires and the various volunteer opportunities that are available. Activities like this are just one of the many ways Berkshire United Way impacts the community through resource coordination, or the idea that no one person, program or agency can do it all and our collaborations result in a stronger community.

Elizabeth LeSage from Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts (MCLA) talks with Logan Malik from Berkshire Environmental Action Team (BEAT), as Sarah Lampro from Berkshire Children and Families looks over informational materials provided by BEAT.

To learn more about the Positive Youth Development Impact Council (PYDIC) or volunteer opportunities with young people, please contact Kat Toomey, Coordinator of Positive Youth Development at ktoomey@berkshireunitedway.org or 413-442-6948 x 15.

I look forward to hearing from you!
Kat

Back to School with the “1000 Backpack Challenge”

In a few short weeks, local youngsters will be crowding the stores in search of needed school supplies. While many families look forward to this as a sort of “rite of passage,” others struggle with the financial burden of getting their child ready for a new academic year. 

Berkshire United Way’s goal to create a pathway of success from cradle to career recognizes the important collaborations happening in our community.

In conjunction with The Berkshire Eagle, Greylock Federal Credit Union and numerous other sponsors, will distribute 1,000 backpacks to children in need throughout Berkshire County. Families may pick up their FREE backpack filled with school supplies at the Boys and Girls Club of the Berkshires at 7 Melville St. Pittsfield MA. on August 22^nd from 3pm-6pm on a first-come-first-served basis.

The goal is for every child in Berkshire County to start school on the right foot with the supplies they need. In addition to the backpack giveaway, free haircuts will be offered from 3-5 pm along with a host of other activities, including health checkups, and financial tips for parents/caregivers.

Berkshire United Way is pleased to be an active participant in this event and will have a variety of new books on hand for children to tuck into their backpack and read throughout the year. As community partners join forces to support our children, we build a stronger community, together.

Stephanie Adornetto
Coordinator of Early Childhood Development

Building a strong foundation

Berkshire United Way collaborates with many community partners throughout the county, to help our children arrive at kindergarten ready to learn, so they are reading proficiently by third grade.  Last year, we invested more than $134,380 in early education and care programs at Berkshire Children and Families, Child Care of the Berkshires, Lee Youth Association, and Gladys Allen Brigham Community Center. Together, we impacted more than 425 children’s lives.

These quality early education and care programs recognize what research has shown – that “children learn best” when academic learning, like language and literacy is intertwined with building social emotional skills, such as sitting quietly for circle time and sharing with others.

Children enrolled in Gladys Allen Brigham Community Center’s Early Childhood Education program listen to a story as they sit quietly during circle time.

The early education and care programs we invested in, report that 93% of the children they serve maintained or progressed socially and emotionally and 92% maintained or improved their language skills.  This is in comparison to 77% of children achieving comparable developmental milestones through investments made by other United Ways.

A young child who was referred to Lee Youth Association’s Busy Bee Preschool by the Department of Children and Families. Upon his arrival, he had absolutely no verbal skills, was walking on his toes, and had trouble forming attachments to adults. Program staff obtained services from the Pediatric Development Center, who came to see him two to three times a week and provided tools for the Busy Bee staff to continue his therapy within the classroom; teachers worked tirelessly with the child every free chance they had. As a result, he is beginning to talk in 2-3 word sentences. He has completely stopped “toe walking”—in fact he’s even running—and has become attached to all his teachers, who look forward to seeing what the future holds for this amazing little boy!

Impact like this is a collaborative effort that’s possible only through the generous support of our donors and hard work of our community partners and volunteers. A child’s earliest years set the foundation for later learning and life success.  The investment we make there now pays incredible dividends later.

We welcome volunteers who are interested in joining us in this important work. To learn more or support our work in early childhood development by giving to Berkshire United Way, please visit berkshireunitedway.org.

Julie
Program Manager, Community Impact

A Legacy of Caring

On July 15^th, I had the honor of participating in the dedication of a new Berkshire United Way Book House at the Dalton CRA in memory of William T. West.  Since 2016, Unistress employees and their friends have participated in the annual Bikers for Books ride—a motorcycle ride throughout the county—installing or repairing Berkshire United Way Book Houses along the way.  Bill West was part of this group prior to his death in May, and his friends and family chose to honor his memory in a way that also gives back to the children of our community.  As kids and their parents take a book and leave a book at the CRA, they will be greeted by Bill’s wonderful smile. 

Unistress employees gather around a newly installed Berkshire Book House at the Dalton CRA on Sunday, July 15, 2018.  The Book House, where children are encouraged to take a book and leave a book in its place, was dedicated to William T. West, a big supporter of the Dalton CRA, and contained his picture on the front.

Our community lost another good friend in May when Carolyn Sawyer passed away.  Carolyn was dedicated to Berkshire United Way’s Book Houses, spending her retirement biking a customized route to check on the many Pittsfield locations, and reporting back to us which houses needed books or repairs, and then filling them.  She spent hours sorting and organizing the many books donated to Berkshire United Way.  Carolyn and her family generously chose Berkshire United Way to be the beneficiary of gifts in her memory, and we have created a fund to support the Book Houses in her name.  In this way, Carolyn will continue to look over the Book Houses and our children as they experience the love of reading.

Our community is blessed by the legacies of so many kindhearted spirits, and it is an honor to be their steward.

Jennifer Kerwood

Vice President of Development

An intern's insight

Hello!  My name is Charlotte Cahillane and I'm the summer Positive Youth Development Intern here at Berkshire United Way.

Charlotte poses for a photo opp in front of Berkshire United Way's South Street office in Pittsfield.

I grew up in Berkshire County, attending Lenox Public Schools from kindergarten until high school graduation in 2015. After leaving high school, and taking a semester off, I began studying at Middlebury College in Vermont. At school I study French and Global Health while volunteering and working. It’s been over a year and a half since I've spent more than two weeks in the Berkshires and I'm thrilled to be home!

When I was looking for internship positions for the summer months, I became interested in Berkshire United Way because of its commitment to build a dynamic, engaged community. Although I'm focusing on global health at school, I'm very interested in public and community health as well as community building. As a funding source for dozens of non-profits throughout the county, Berkshire United Way seemed a principal source of community-based activity. I particularly wanted to learn more about positive youth development, community health practices, LGBTQ support and community organizing, or the coordination of efforts by local residents to build a stronger community together, in Berkshire United Way’s work.

As a member of the team for the next couple months, I'm supporting several projects, including:

•       Supporting the recent positive youth development resource fair where 14 organizations compared programming to determine how they could overlap and strengthen referral networks.

•       Researching youth programs in the Berkshires, particularly those that support career or college readiness programs, to aid in a project that strive to connect these resources and promote college and career readiness.

•       Overseeing the Humans of the Berkshires Facebook and Instagram pages – I love learning more about the aspirations of local youth.

There's a lot to do and only a few weeks to do it, but I'm glad to have this opportunity to learn and grow with Berkshire United Way!

-Charlotte

When you volunteer through United Way, you’re joining 2.9 million people who are giving back so others can get ahead. Join our global community of game changers today! To learn more about volunteer opportunities through our Positive Youth Development Impact Council, please contact Kat Toomey, Coordinator of Positive Youth Development at ktoomey@berkshireunitedway.org or 413-442-6948 x15.

Driving Our Community Forward

In case you missed the Pittsfield Parade on the 4^th of July, we have some BIG and exciting news for you!  Anyone who Drives Our Community Forward by participating in our 2018 campaign, will be entered into a drawing to win the three-year lease of a 2019 Ford F150 Supercab FTX.

This is the 19^th year that The Johnson Dealerships and Greylock Federal Credit Union have generously sponsored the car truck promotion to encourage participation in Berkshire United Way's campaign. The money raised through the campaign impacts more than 15,000 lives in 32 communities throughout Berkshire County in ways that no single person, program or agency can do alone.

Be sure to look for the Berkshire United Way truck at various locations throughout the fall, and check it out. For more information on how you can Drive Our Community Forward, please visit our office at 200 South Street in Pittsfield or give us a call at 413.442.6948.

The actual drawing will take place on May 9, 2019 – make sure you save the date! One lucky winner will be driving this truck.

Duffy
Development Manager