LUK, Inc. was recently awarded $25,000 in funding from the Amelia Peabody Foundation to support their Mentoring program.

LUK Mentoring pairs caring, responsible adults with youth age 6-17 in the community who would benefit from having an additional trusted adult in their life. Mentors serve as positive role models for the youth, encouraging healthy behavioral and social development.

The organization has received funding from the Amelia Peabody Foundation for Mentoring since 2013. These funds will directly support providing site-based and community-based mentors for new youth in the program.

“We have been fortunate to be a recipient of Amelia Peabody Foundation funds for several years and they are instrumental for us to help sustain our programming,” said Assistant Director of Community Engagement and Support Services, Shawn Fleurie. “We have a waitlist of 75 or more youth seeking a mentor, and these funds will help us to recruit, onboard, train, and match mentors to 13 of those youth throughout Worcester County.”

LUK is grateful for the ongoing support of the Amelia Peabody Foundation in helping them build stronger communities.

We’re thrilled to announce that The Bull Run has been selected as the Massachusetts recipient of the Backing Historic Small Restaurants Grant, a national program from the National Trust for Historic Preservation in partnership with American Express.

This initiative supports 50 independently owned historic restaurants across all 50 states, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. To qualify, restaurants must demonstrate their historic significance (The Bull Run is proudly listed on the Massachusetts State List of Historic Buildings), maintain independent ownership, and show how they serve as an integral part of their community.

As part of our grant proposal, we submitted plans to update our ADA entrance—a project that will improve accessibility while preserving the character of our historic building.

Here’s what’s in store:

• Removal of the current front ramp
• Construction of a new gradual ADA-compliant slope at the west end of the porch near our iconic Bull
• Replacement of flashing and clapboards
• Re-bricking of the walkway
• Installation of new iron railings, columns, and bluestone steps
• Bluestone capping for the existing stone wall

The porch renovation is expected to be completed by early November, with all work finalized by January 2026.

Learn more about the National Trust grant here.

Mediation Services of North Central Massachusetts (MSI) is excited to share our schedule of events for this year’s Conflict Resolution Week!

Join us in celebrating the power of peaceful problem-solving. Each event is designed to help individuals, families, and organizations learn practical tools to communicate more effectively, resolve disputes constructively, and strengthen our communities.

Let’s work together to make conflict resolution a part of everyday life!

Come enjoy a delicious holiday luncheon at Great Wolf Lodge. Treat your staff or come with family and friends.

Come and enjoy the feel of a big holiday party at a small holiday price. Attendees will receive a gift from Great Wolf Lodge for 2 waterpark passes to be used on a future date. Enter to win some fabulous prizes given out by Santa himself!

Entertainment provided by local country artist Darren Bessette.

If you want to sit together with friends, coworkers or family Please book as a group and not individually.

Event Details:

Date: Friday, December 12, 2025
Time: Registration begins at 11:00 am, Lunch Buffet served at 11:30 am.
Location: Great Wolf Lodge, 150 Great Wolf Drive, Fitchburg, MA
Price: $39 plus fees and taxes

Leominster location provides Massachusetts residents with an avenue for donating gently used items

GreenDrop® is opening a new donation center in Leominster, MA, on September 30. The donation site will provide Massachusetts residents with a convenient location to donate their gently used items to GreenDrop’s nonprofit partner, the Epilepsy Foundation New England. This marks GreenDrop’s first-ever donation center in Massachusetts, expanding its mission-driven, eco-friendly donation model into a new state.

The Leominster donation center will be located at 1 Water Tower Place, Leominster, MA, conveniently situated in Water Tower Plaza, just off Route 12. It will be open daily from 10:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. EST to accept drop-offs of lightly used clothing, shoes, blankets, kitchenware, books and housewares. These items, in turn, will provide critical funding for the Epilepsy Foundation New England.

“We are thrilled to bring our sustainable services to Leominster and provide another easy, earth-friendly way for residents to support the Epilepsy Foundation New England,” said Brooke Evans, Director of GreenDrop Donations. “We look forward to joining the community with the new Leominster site.”

“We’re thrilled to partner with GreenDrop® as they open their new Leominster location,” said Brad Rich, President at Epilepsy Foundation New England Donation Center. “The generous funding this partnership provides is vital to our mission, helping fund programs that improve the lives of individuals and families impacted by epilepsy and seizures.”
GreenDrop makes it easy to donate clothing and household items at its Leominster location. Donors conveniently drive up to the donation center where they are greeted by a GreenDrop attendant who collects the items on behalf of the Epilepsy Foundation New England. Donors in return receive a tax deductible receipt.

For more information about GreenDrop or to find a donation center near you, visit our website at www.GoGreenDrop.com.