CoalitionApril 2015, Volume XXIX, Number 8

An update from

Inside the April IssueAge Friendly Communities ........................................2

Job Openings at nbCC! .............................................3

UNITY/nBn News ..................................................4

The Family Place/Mass in Motion ............................5

Mayor’s Fitness Challenge: NA vs. Pittsfield! ...........6

Coalition Calendar ..................................................7

Coalition Musings ....................................................8

Northern Berkshire Community Coalition

news

nbCC thanks our April newsletter sponsor:

“Accelerating” the Conversation on Transportation

There was a great turnout for nbCC’s March transportation forum with 105 interested community members, and stakeholders attending.

Access to transportation is important to almost everything we do, going to work, getting groceries, accessing healthcare and other things to maintain our quality of life. The goals of the forum were to learn about existing transportation resources as well as share new information and ideas to improve our local transportation network.

Erica Girgenti of the Adams Council on Aging spoke about the RCC (Regional Coordination Council) and she explained its function as an advisory body to exchange information, and make decisions about regional transportation priorities. Erica also presented the Ride Guide (download a copy at http://bit.ly/berkrideguide), a compre-hensive list of transportation providers in Berkshire County to help everyone get where they have to go.

Currently, there are several resources available to help residents get to doctor’s appointments or medical treatment. Lynn Penna of Elder Services Berkshire County, spoke about the PT-1 Form for MassHealth

members to get free non-emergency transpor-tation services. Discounted tickets are also available for people with disabilities which individuals can apply for through the BRTA.

Help is available for residents who need transportation for medical treatment. Jana Hunkler from BerkshireRides explained the HINT Grant Program– Help I Need Trans-portation – available to eligible residents of northern Berkshire seeking non-emergency medical transportation, with priority given for out of county travel to specialists or one-time treatments for patients that do not have another means of transportation. She also talked about how education can be key to removing intimidating barriers associated with taking the bus. BerkshireRides provides travel training to remove these barriers for seniors, youth and people with disabilities, helping them to live more independently within our community.

There are new technologies to make ride-sharing and navigating public transportation easier. Bob Malnati of the BRTA spoke about the Charlie Card, a rechargeable electronic ticketing system (smart card) offering a flex-ible, and convenient way to ride. Money is deposited on the card and fares are deducted

when you ride the bus. ‘Where’s My Bus?’ is an application for those with a smartphone. You can find bus schedules and timetables based on your current location.

Ridesharing is another way to get around. Adam Blye of Mass DOT shared about ‘NuRide’, a free website to help match people making similar trips. People can make arrangements with other NuRiders to carpool or vanpool.

Bicycling and walking are resources equally a part of our transportation. Aman-da Chilson of Mass in Motion Northern Berkshire informed us she is working with different groups to create an environment that is more walkable and bikeable and safe for cars, bikers, and walkers to be on the road together.

Doug Plachcinski of the Berkshire Re-gional Planning Commission provided these statistics on transportation in Berkshire County: 80% of people drive to work alone and only 1% use public transportation and only 5% of workers walk to work.

Forum participants were broken into four groups to share concerns, ideas, insights, and visions about transportation in Northern Berkshire. The takeaways from this exercise will be forwarded to the RCC to further help in their efforts to improve regional transportation. (See box on page 6 for a list of these takeaways)

One question that arose is how willing are we all to sacrifice by rearranging our minds and lives to walk, bike, or use public transit. New attitudes are sometimes required to overcome challenges and embrace new ways to get around.

“Everyone can help the system. Use pub-lic transportation once or twice a week,” said State Representative Gail Cariddi.

2 NorthernBerkshireCommunityCoalition,61MainStreetSuite218,NorthAdamsMA01247•(413)663-7588•www.nbccoalition.org

April 2015Coalition NewsImproving the quality of life for people in Northern Berkshire by organizing, supporting, and empowering the community.

To submit announcements to the Coalition E-zine:

The Coalition E-zine is a weekly e-blast published every Thursday and contains announcements from Northern Berkshire agencies and organizations. Submissions must be received by 9:00 a.m. Tuesday morning to be considered for inclusion in that week’s issue. All submissions are subject to editing and should be 50 words or less. All events related to Northern Berkshire community public health will be considered for publication. Banner ads are available for your fundraising events. For more information, please call 663-7588, or to submit an announcement, please email phzine@nbccoalition.org.

Our Mission“Dedicated to improving the quality

of life for people in Northern Berkshire by organizing, supporting, and empowering the community.”In pursuit of this mission, we place particular emphasis on the following:• Strengthening neighborhoods and com-

munity life• Preventing alcohol/substance abuse• Fostering economic development•Mitigating poverty• Supporting positive youth development•Building bridges between residents and

service agencies

Coalition SupportersPublic Sources•MA Dept. of Children & Families•MA Cultural Council•MA Department of Public Health •MA Department of Public Health,

Bureau of Substance Abuse Services•City of North Adams Community

Development Block Grant

Foundation Supporters •Fund for North Adams

Local Support •Contributions from our many

individual supporters

The Coalition is a member agency of the Northern Berkshire United Way and the Williamstown Community Chest.

Northern Berkshire Community Coalition

nbCC’s April Forum Topic:

Creating an Age Friendly CountyThe Northern Berkshire community will once again

gather together to discuss important issues facing its residents. On Friday, April 10th, nbCC’s monthly fo-rum will talk about creating an age friendly county.

Participants will get a better understanding of:

a. the definition of an “Age Friendly” county.b. the benefits to communities in becoming “Age

Friendly”.c. the current efforts to create an “Age Friendly”

county. d. how you can get involved.

What will it mean for us all to grow up, live and age in a county where half the citizens are over the age of 50? How can we create an environment in which our residents can age in place? Join us in this conversation to learn and share how we can create an age friendly northern Berkshire county.

We look to engage community members from all walks of life for this important Coali-tion meeting. We will begin, as always, with a round of introductions, followed by brief announcements of your upcoming events or projects. Please do not forget to bring flyers about your announcements also, as there will be a table available for display at the forum. We hope to see you on Friday, April 10, 10 a.m. to noon, at the First Baptist Church in North Adams. Please note: The organizers of the Friendship Center Food Pantry ask friends who attend the nbCC forums please bring a healthy non-perishable food item for donation.

Interfaith Action Initiative is Five Years Old!The Friday, April 17, meeting of the North-ern Berkshire Interfaith Action Initiative will focus on the upcoming annual Letter Carrier food drive, which will be held on Saturday, May 9. Volunteers from the Friendship Cen-ter Food Pantry regularly work that day to help collect and sort the food donated from North Adams, Clarksburg and Florida. We need volunteers!

The meeting will be held at 10 a.m. at the First Baptist Church of North Adams, Eagle Street Room. All are welcome.

We spoke to Lindsey Maynard of the Berk-shire County’s Sheriff’s Office at the March 20 meeting. The department is now running a branch of its Pittsfield-based re-entry pro-gram for former offenders in the Eagle Street Room between Friendship Center Food Pantry sessions on Wednesdays.

At the meeting, we also made the first presentation on the recently created NBIAI Interfaith Events and Programs Subcommit-tee, which is open to interested people in our area.

The Friendship Center Food Pantry keeps going strong. After the three and a half years of growth in the number of weekly visitors, we seem to be leveling off a bit – with slightly fewer visitors this March than last March --- though this might be due to the weather!

April marks the fifth anniversary of the NBIAI, which grew out of the April 2010 nbCC forum on the intersection of faith and the community. We could not have started without the encouragement of nbCC Execu-tive Director Al Bashevkin, nor could our pantry have begun or thrived without the sup-port of Al and the Coalition staff and board.

The Northern Berkshire Interfaith Action Initiative is a group of people of different faiths and denominations working with others of goodwill to serve our community. It runs the Friendship Center Food Pantry, among other activities. For more information and recent news, visit http://northernberk-shireinterfaith.blogspot.com, like our page on Facebook or call Mark at 413-664-0130.

-Mark Rondeau

NorthernBerkshireCommunityCoalition,61MainStreet,Suite218,NorthAdamsMA01247•(413)663-7588•www.nbccoalition.org 3

April 2015Improving the quality of life for people in Northern Berkshire by organizing, supporting, and empowering the community.

Coalition News

Northern Berkshire Community Coalition

Board of Directors2014-2015

COURTNEY SHAPIRO-VAN DUSEN, President

Adams Community Bank

STEVE GREEN, Vice PresidentCommunity Resident

DEB KUSHNET, TreasurerGreylock Federal Credit Union

SUZY HELME, ClerkBusiness Owner, Shima

CRAIG BARD, Executive CommitteeCommunity Resident

AL NELSON, Executive CommitteeCommunity Resident

DEB ROSSELLI, Executive CommitteeDirector of Special EducationNorth Berkshire School Union

PAUL HOPKINS, Finance CommitteeCommunity Resident

SARA LaLUMIA, Finance CommitteeProfessor of Economics, Williams College

JEN CIVELLOMarketing Director, BFAIR

ERICA GIRGENTIAdams Council on Aging

KRIS MALONEYHuman Resources, Williams College

GAIL OBERSTSocial Worker, BFAIR

DAN RANDALLPastor, New Hope United Methodist Church

GREG ROACHWild Oats Market

RICH TASKINAttorney at Law

Gwendolyn Hampton VanSant of Multicultural BRIDGE to Speak at NBYC in April

Coming in June!Northern Berkshire Community Coalition’s

29th Annual MeetingLook for more details next month.

On Wednesday April 1st from 11:00am to 12:30pm, the Northern Berkshire Youth Collaborative (NBYC) participants will get the opportunity to hear from Gwendolyn Hampton VanSant, co-founder of Multicul-tural BRIDGE, a grassroots organization dedicated to promoting cultural competence and integration of diverse groups in Western Massachusetts. Gwendolyn has established herself as an expert in diversity leadership and cultural competence. She has worked with

corporations, schools, colleges & universi-ties, law enforcement, hospitals, teaching and leadership institutes and more. This month, NBYC will be held at The Family Place, just across the hallway. All youth workers in the northern Berkshires are invited to join us for this workshop. If you are not a regular attendee of NBYC, please RSVP to Jessica Sweeney by calling (413) 663-7588 or by email at jsweeney@nbccoalition.org.

-Jess Sweeney

Administrative Assistant:The Northern Berkshire Community Coalition (nbCC)

is seeking a part-time administrative assistant with primary responsibilities to support The Family Place. If you are someone who enjoys interacting with the public, is great at multi-tasking, has strong communication and technology skills, is proficient in data management (File Maker Pro or similar), and is a motivated

self-starter this is the job for you. In addition to typing, filing, and answering phones this position will also perform duties of data management and coordination of parent education workshops and program events. Filing will include the assembling and han-dling of confidential and sensitive information about the families that receive support through The Family Place. This position deals with a diverse group of external calls and visitors, as well as internal contacts with nbCC. This position may also work to assist the Coalition in its administrative efforts. Independent judgment is required to plan, prioritize, and organize diversified work requirements, as well as recommend changes in office practices and/or procedures. Please send resume and cover letter to Amber Besaw, Director of Community Programming, nbCC, 61 Main Street, North Adams, MA 01247. nbCC is an equal opportunity employer.

Community Health Worker (CHW) Position Available!As part of the Prevention and Wellness Trust Fund, the Northern Berkshire Commu-

nity Coalition is hiring a CHW. Be part of a team and work with community members to provide basic education, screening, and facilitate referrals to clinical and community based resources. Interested candidates are asked to e-mail a job application, cover letter and resume to Liz Boland at lboland@nbccoalition.org or mail to nbCC, Attn: Liz Bo-land, 61 Main Street, Suite 218, North Adams, MA 01247. Visit http://bit.ly/nbccjobs for a job description and application. AA/EOE

4 NorthernBerkshireCommunityCoalition,61MainStreetSuite218,NorthAdamsMA01247•(413)663-7588•www.nbccoalition.org

YLP Looks Towards Spring ProjectsYouth Leadership Program (YLP) is back to the drawing board and is preparing for their next projects for the upcoming season. The teens are looking to host a fundraiser in either late May or early June to support the creation of a youth center in North Adams. The teens want to support the Youth Center project because they strongly be-lieve that local teens need more positive things to do around North Adams and they need more opportunities to creatively engage with other teenagers. The reality is that they’ve had a positive experience with different youth development programs in the area and believe more teens in the area could really benefit from a Youth Center, which could offer similar support and creative enrichment. Stay tuned for more details on the fundraiser.

The YLP teens are also always looking for small projects to do on the side, such as beautification of the city, helping in gardens, or general clean up. If you are reading this and think of a project that YLP could help out with please let us know. For more information please contact Adam or Jess, Program Associates at (413)-663-7588 or email, atobin@nbccoalition.org or jsweeney@nbccoalition.org.

nBn Busy This Spring!Community Outreach Training

The Community Outreach Training is in full swing with 10 Northern Berkshire residents participating. Come March, the train-ing will have completed its outreach portion (in which participants learn about the various health and human service agencies in the area) and will move onto the civic engagement section, which will incorporate workshops on topics such as meeting facilitation, con-flict management, community organizing and much more. Also in this section, participants will conduct a community assessment that will lay the foundation for projects that will either meet or address a community need.

TWW Nears April PerformanceThe Teen Writing Workshop (TWW) is nearing in on its last work-shop days for the year. The young writers are working on editing their finest work to be published in their own literary publication, “Somewhere Between”. This publication includes writing from TWW participants and original artwork for the cover. The publi-cations are not sold, but if you’ve been itching to hear what these talented young writers have to offer then we suggest you come to the final public performance in April. The final performance will most likely be held on April 24th at Gallery 51 and will offer the opportu-nity for anyone in the community to come witness the true artistry of the Teen Writing Workshop. For more information, please contact program associate, Adam Tobin, at (413)-663-7588 or email atobin@nbccoalition.org.

p A group of YLP teens try and untangle their arms in this team building exercise, “The Human Knot”.

UNO Community CenterConstruction has been well underway at the UNO Community

Center since ground broke on MLK Day, and as the construc-tion crew is busy remodeling, Shirley and Annie are busy putting together a planning committee that will help determine how the Community Center will be used, both programmatically and logisti-cally. It is our hope that the Community Center will be a second home to folks in the UNO neighborhood- a hub for friendships and activities.

Neighborhood UpdatesBoth of the Brayton Hill and Greylock Valley neighborhoods are

looking to spring to jump start activity in their neighborhoods, and have been meeting regularly to determine plans for events and activi-ties to do so. Greylock Valley is looking to partner with the North Adams Housing Authority on a neighborhood cleanup day on Sat-urday, April 25th and Brayton Hill is exploring collaboration with Brayton Elementary School for a pancake breakfast and movie night.

Stay tuned for more information about the neighborhoods and Community Outreach!

NorthernBerkshireCommunityCoalition,61MainStreet,Suite218,NorthAdamsMA01247•(413)663-7588•www.nbccoalition.org 5

North Berkshire Mass in Motion

March Mass in Motion Health Ambassador Spotlight

Join Us for Café Time!The Family Place invites you to join our weekly conversations about parenting in an in-formal, warm and friendly environment. Enjoy a craft and refreshments as we discuss the joy and stress of being a parent. Refreshments will be served. Call (413) 663-7588 for more info.

Thursdays, April 2,9,16,23, and 3010:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.

Great News for The Family Place- Full Steam Ahead!It’s been a bit since we shared what we have been up to. Things at The Family Place have been up and down in the past several months. Some may remember that back in July 2014, we were faced with the circumstances of reapplying for our funding. This opportunity was a challenge, but we took it on and submitted an application in September of 2014. We waited for many weeks, then months, anticipating an answer regarding our funding. Finally, in March 2015 we heard the news…we were funded! We were so happy, after so long I think we all began to wonder. Now, with our funding in place, we will move forward and expand our family resource center program.

Our services will continue as they have, with the expansion to serve families with youth 0-18, the addition of staff positions, as well as services specific to those identified as Families Requiring Assis-tance and Children Requiring Assistance. We are enthusiastic about our ability to continue to meet the needs of our communities, as well as hopeful that our work continues to make a positive impact in the lives of families and children we serve.

As we look ahead, we are also delighted to be in the midst of a Parenting Journey group, a 24-7 Dad group, as well as partnering with Goodwill to bring a Soft Skills group to North Adams. There is lots of work to do and we are moving forward, full steam ahead!

Welcome Donna…. Many at The Family Place, affec-

tionately know Donna as “Ma” and as a woman in our community who gives much to many. Donna has been involved with our Café Time group, as well as the Grandparents Raising Grandchildren group for over a year. Donna has been so helpful to our program; we were more than pleased when she accepted our offer to join the team. Donna brings life experience and a true sense of warmth to our community. Come on down and meet her, say “Hello”, and have a chat…she would love to meet you.

Continued on page 6

This month Mass in Motion is featuring a health ambassador of Northern Berkshire who walks the walk of what Mass in Motion is all about and is constantly working to create a healthier community in the places in which she lives, works and plays.

Kathy Hill is the Physical Education (PE) teacher at CT Plunkett School in Adams. She is from Dalton, MA and before working at CT Plunkett, moved 14 times in the past 23 years, as she married a Marine. Throughout all of her travels in the United States the com-mon thread was working in the school systems, taking notice of the number of students that were overweight or obese at a young age and continuing to spread her passion and enthusiasm about health and fitness. Now at CT Plunkett School, Kathy goes above and beyond ensuring all students, Kindergarten to fifth grade have the opportunity to incorporate health and wellness into their lifestyles, gaining an early love to be physically active.

Kathy created a new holistic PE program that focuses on the whole child, she works at teaching students lifelong health habits, skills, nutrition and teamwork. The National Association of Physical Education (NASPE) recommends 150 minutes per week of physical education, on average most students only receive 80. Kathy works hard at promoting the 150 minutes not only in PE, but through a “whole school approach”. She sends teachers monthly activities of how physical activity can be incorporated into the classroom sub-jects, and she also includes classroom subjects into the movement and activities that students are doing in PE. Kathy states, “Research has proven that physical activity improves academic performance in school-aged children.”

Mrs. Hill has also taken it upon herself to start a before school walking program in the gymnasium, giving students the option to walk for 10 minutes in the gym, versus sitting in the auditorium for 10 minutes, waiting to go to their classrooms. There are around 100 students that participate in the walking club, giving them an op-portunity to talk and walk with friends, get the blood flowing, and beginning their day on the right foot with a clear mind.

Kathy also initiated the Mighty Milers program, a free program through the New York Road Runners, who sponsor the NYC Mara-thon. Students in Kindergarten through fifth grade receive training on how to run through fun games and activities. Students are given incentives as they increase their mileage throughout the school year, with the goal that each student runs a marathon (26.2 miles) by the

Morning Walking Club at CT Plunkett

6 NorthernBerkshireCommunityCoalition,61MainStreetSuite218,NorthAdamsMA01247•(413)663-7588•www.nbccoalition.org

April 2015Coalition NewsImproving the quality of life for people in Northern Berkshire by organizing, supporting, and empowering the community.

Are you ready for the Mayor’s Fitness Challenge?

North Adams vs. Pittsfield!May through July

Registration begins in April!The 2nd annual North Adams Mayor’s

Fitness Challenge will begin in May and run through July. This year Mayor Alcombright and

the City of North Adams has challenged Mayor Bianchi and the City of Pittsfield, adding fun competition and a twist to this year’s Challenge. This 10-week Challenge will continue to encourage and motivate the community to keep moving, be mindful of what they eat and work to improve overall health of our community.

1. “Like” and “Share” the North Adams Mayor’s Fitness Chal-lenge page on Facebook- https://www.facebook.com/NorthAdamsMayorsFitnessChallenge.

2. Think about putting a team together, this could include your family, neighbors, co-workers or you may register on your own.

3. Follow North Adams Mayor’s Fitness Challenge Facebook page for the registration link as well as locations in which sign up sheets will be located.

4. Join us for the Mayor’s Fitness Challenge Kickoff on Friday, May 8th at 5:30pm at the YMCA to get registration packets, enjoy some healthy samples, and learn of the health and well-ness options in our community.

5. This year’s Challenge will again focus on tracking points through physical activity, eating fruits and vegetables, drinking water and many fun opportunities to earn bonus points.

end of the school year. Every five miles they run, they receive a paper sneaker with their name on it to move along the wall. Kathy encour-ages the importance of walking and running with family as well, giving students credit when they walk with their families after school or during local events. Kathy’s motto is, “Families that walk together, talk together!”

To keep the work Kathy is doing sustainable and to encourage the staff, faculty, administration and families at CT Plunkett to under-stand the importance of health and wellness, Kathy and a team of school and community members revised and updated the wellness plan for the school. Kathy was aware that CT Plunkett had one that had not been looked at in some time, “Why have one, if it is not going to be used?” The plan is complete and will soon be presented to the School Committee for review and adoption for the 2015-2016 school year. The wellness plan will be available to the public on the school’s website.

It is inevitable the drive, motivation and passion Kathy has to help others live a healthy lifestyle, her enthusiasm for it, is contagious. She has gone above and beyond to make the healthy lifestyle choice the easy choice for the entire school community at CT Plunkett. Thank you Kathy Hill! -Amanda Chilson

Continued from page 5Kathy Hill, MiM Health Ambassador. . .

Questions/Takeaways/Needs from our March Forum These are just a sample of the many issues discussed at our Transportation Forum in March. The complete list will be sent to the RCC (Regional Coordination Council), an advisory body to exchange information, and make decisions about regional transportation priorities as well as the Berkshire Regional Plan-ning Commission to inform their work in Berkshire County.

Remaining Questions:• Whatisthepublicable/willingtopayfortransportation?• Howcantheinterfaithcommunitybeinvolved?• Howmucharewewillingtochange…ashiftinconscience?• Whatarethebarriersforcarpooling&utilizationofpublic

transportation?• Istherearoleforvolunteers?Doesitaffectyourpersonal

auto insurance?• Howdowesupportvolunteertransportation?• Howcanwemakepublictransportation/alternativetranspor-

tation the simple choice?• Whataboutpublictransportationinthehilltowns?• Whatifindividualsaretoosick(physically)totakethebus?

Takeaways:• Gapsinfunding,whereweare&whereweneedtobe• Somanydifferentresources• Veteranshaveaccess• Traveltraining• Appsavailablefortransportation• 80%aredrivingtoandfromworkalone• Small%ofpeopletakepublictransportation• Varietyof(transportation)optionsnotunified

Things We Need: • Onestopshopfortransportationinformation• Schedulesandmapsatbusstops/Signageforwherestopsare• Lesstechnologydependent(forthosewithoutcomputers/

smartphones)• Regulatoryoversightonfor-profittransits(taxisystem)• Promotingwalkability/bikeability/BikeShare• Laterbusschedules…busesrunninglongerhours• Needforcomprehensivetravelinformation• Socialnorms(re:carpooling,publictransportation)cam-

paign• 2nd&3rdshifttransportation• Employerssetuptransportationbenefitplans

NorthernBerkshireCommunityCoalition,61MainStreet,Suite218,NorthAdamsMA01247•(413)663-7588•www.nbccoalition.org 7

April 2015Improving the quality of life for people in Northern Berkshire by organizing, supporting, and empowering the community.

Coalition Calendar

Friday, Apr. 17, 10:00 a.m.

No. Berk. Interfaith Action Initiative

The Northern Berkshire Interfaith Action Initiative (NBIAI) meets the third Friday of each month at 10 a.m. at the N. Adams First Baptist Church. All people of goodwill are welcome to participate. NBIAI is a group of people of faith working to-gether with others of goodwill to find ways to serve our community. For more info, contact Mark Rondeau at markrondeau@earthlink.net.

nb21 Strategy Team Meetings

nb21 North Adams Mon., Apr. 6, 10-11:30 amnbCC Conference Room

nb21 Mt. GreylockTues., Apr. 14, 6-7 pm

Town Hall, Williamstown

nb21 Adams-CheshireTues., Apr. 21, 5:30-6:30 pm

Adams Visitor’s Centernb21 is a grass-roots initiative to reduce teenagers’ access to alcohol and drugs. Strategy teams made up of local citizens meet monthly to guide project priorities and actions. For Adams, contact Corinne Case at ccase@nbccoalition.org. For Mt. Greylock, contact Ed Sedarbaum at esederbaum@gmail.com. For North Adams, contact Jessica Dennis at jdennis@nbccoalition.org. For more information about the nb21 program, contact Wendy Penner at (413) 663-7588.

Mondays, 7:30 p.m.Fridays, 8:00 p.m.

N. Berkshire ToniteThe talk show of the Northern Berkshire Community Coalition seen on local Channel 15 or 116.3. This month, Amanda Chilson and Amber Besaw host guests Brian O’Grady and Bobbie Orsi to talk about creating an age friendly county.

Find us, then like us!

Go to www.facebook.com and search for

Northern Berkshire Community Coalition

or enter http://on.fb.me/nBnbVo

in your browser.

See what we’re up to!

Improving the quality of life for people in Northern Berkshire by organizing, supporting, and empowering the community.

Northern Berkshire Community Coalition

61 Main Street, Suite 218, North Adams, MA 01247(413) 663-7588

Find us, then like us!

Go to www.facebook.com and search for

Northern Berkshire Community Coalition

or enter http://on.fb.me/nBnbVo

in your browser.

See what we’re up to!

Improving the quality of life for people in Northern Berkshire by organizing, supporting, and empowering the community.

Northern Berkshire Community Coalition

61 Main Street, Suite 218, North Adams, MA 01247(413) 663-7588

Wed., Apr. 1, 11:00 a.m.

N. Berkshire Youth Collaborative

This monthly meeting is held the first Wednesday of each month at the Coalition, 61 Main St., Suite 218, North Adams. We strongly encourage any North County based youth serving agencies or programs to join us monthly to discuss solutions to issues and problems facing our youth. To get on the group’s e-mail list, contact Jessica Sweeney at jsweeney@nbccoalition.org. (attendees are encouraged to bring a bag lunch).

Mon., Apr. 6, 2:00 p.m.CCB 3rd Fl. Conference Room

NBSOCCThe N. B. Systems of Care Commit-tee (NBSOCC) consists of families, providers, and community members who live and cope with children with emotional ups and downs every day, who are the true experts qualified to adequately define, prioritize, and seek to address the needs of these children. For more information, con-tact Carrie Crews at (413) 629-1091. Pot luck item encouraged.

Friday, Apr. 10, 10:00 a.m.

Monthly ForumThis month’s forum will focus on creating an age friendly community in Northern Berkshire. See page 2 for more details. The meeting will be held at the 1st Baptist Church in N. Adams (Eagle Street entrance.) Please bring a healthy non-perishable food to benefit The Friendship Center Food Pantry.

Let someone know you appreciate them. . .Thank someone for their support. . .

A Semi-annual Community Recognition Ceremony Celebrate someone who has made a

positive impact in your life or community!

Spring NeighborliesWednesday, May 13 - 5:00 to 6:30pm

Light refreshments will be served. Nominate someone now! To nominate, call Annie at

(413) 663-7588 or visit http://bit.ly/neighborliesto nominate someone online.

Mondays, 8:00 p.m.

Stop! In the Name of HealthThe new talk show of nbCC focusing on preventative measures we can all take to stay healthy. Watch it on our local Channel 15 or 116.3. This month Wendy Penner and Amanda Chilson will host Dr. Jennifer Michaels, Medi-cal Director of Brien Center and Paul Hickling, Division Director for Adult and Family Services. They will provide the community with a snapshot of their sense of the major substance use issues in our region, as well as shar-ing services that Brien offers for substance use recovery and, in particular, what’s new and different in North County and Pittsfield..

Save the Date! Saturday, May 9thLetter Carriers Food Drive

The Berkshire County Letter Carriers’ Branch #286 at our post offices in North Adams, Adams, and Williams-town will not only deliver your mail, but will partner with volunteers to fill the shelves of Northern Berkshire pantries

in helping to alleviate the increasing plight of food security for many of our neighbors. This includes families with children, the working poor, and seniors. It’s a fact, one in six people need emergency food!

You’ll make a difference in someone’s life by joining others in our area by leaving a bag of non-perishable food by your mailbox, your door, or business before your regular mail delivery on May 9th. The food will be distributed to the Friendship Center, Berk-shire Food Project, Salvation Army, and The Dream Center in N. Adams. In Williamstown to Saints Patrick & Raphael Parish, and Community Bible Church. The Saint John Paul II Charity Center has designated the Family Life Support Center’s Louison House to be the recipient of the food and hygiene products in Adams.

It will be a day of unloading mail trucks, weighing and sorting the thousands of pounds of generous healthy donations. Volun-teers will be needed to give a helping hand. Contact the Friend-ship Center, Mass In Motion at nbCC, the food pantries in Williamstown, and the Louison House in Adams. Your help will deliver hope for those in need!

U.S. Postage PaidNon-Profit Org.

Permit #35North Adams, MA

01247

Join us for our monthly forum on

Friday, April 10.

“Creating Age Friendly Communities”

See page 2 for date, time, and location.

All are welcome! Please bring a non-perishable food

item with you to benefit The Friendship Food Pantry.

Coalition StaffExecutive Director

Al Bashevkin: abashevkin@nbccoalition.org

Business & Administrative StaffLiz Boland: lboland@nbccoalition.org

Northern Berkshire NeighborsAnnie Rodgers: arodgers@nbccoalition.org

UNITY Program AssociateAdam Tobin: atobin@nbccoalition.org

UNITY/nBn Program AssociateJessica Sweeney: jsweeney@nbccoalition.org

Grants Manager, nb21Wendy Penner: wpenner@nbccoalition.org

The Family PlaceAmber Besaw: abesaw@nbccoalition.orgChris Griffin: cgriffin@nbccoalition.org

Sarah Kline: skline@nbccoalition.orgDonna Senecal: dsenecal@nbccoalition.org

Mass In MotionProject Coordinator

Amanda Chilson: achilson@nbccoalition.org

Communications CoordinatorBert Lamb: blamb@nbccoalition.org

nbCC is supported by:

Northern Berkshire Community Coalition61 Main Street, Suite 218, North Adams, MA 01247

-- Al Bashevkin

Coalition Musings. . .

Find this newsletter online atwww.nbccoalition.org

It’s springtime and change is in the air. While change may be challenging, it’s inevitable. Until we figure out how to stop time, the only constant we have is the knowledge that things never stay the same.

Most of the world has heard about my decision to leave my position at the nbCC and look for new work adventures. It’s bittersweet. I love working here with all the folks that I have grown to know over the past twenty-nine years. And I love the thought of doing some-thing completely different. This change should work for me and for the organization (heck…new blood and new thinking is good to maintain vibrancy).

Working as the Executive Director of the Northern Berkshire Community Coalition is a great job and I’m hoping that others who might like leading this organization will check out the ad coming out within the month for my position. Consider applying and help take the nbCC into its next decades of life.

Continuing the theme of employment and change, thanks to the work of the Prevention and Wellness Trust Fund and the progressive thinking of all those involved in this county-wide project, the nbCC is about to hire its first Community Health Worker to assist with this project. Much of the work that we do with Mass in Motion and Northern Berkshire Neighbors is community health work. It is a new direction for the health industry that will grow over time, and one that is long overdue. I sometimes worry that we are way too depen-dent on health professionals for our answers and hope that the advent of community health workers into our community will make health care more accessible to all. So, you can be part of this movement now, or later, as I hope other Community Health Worker positions will open up in the future.

Whether it’s the weather, our lives, our families’ lives, or the way we do things, change will happen. We can count on that and let’s work to embrace it.