News from our members

The Bull Run Awarded National Historic Preservation Grant

The-Bull-Run-Awarded-National-Historic-Preservation-GrantWe’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.

Social Security & Medicare Workshop

Join Rollstone Investment Services for an Educational & Informative Workshop.

Rollstone-Investment-Services-Social-Security-SeminarWe’ll cover topics such as:

  • choosing the right time to file
  • receiving benefits while working
  • provisional income and tax implications
  • options for spouses and ex-spouses

When: Monday, October 20, 5:30pm
Where: 24 Monument Square, Leominster, MA

Presented by:
Matthew Smith of Rollstone Investment Services
& Kevin Flynn of Lincoln Financial Distributors

Please RSVP to Matt at 978.353.2875. Space is limited.

Refreshments will be served.

 

 

Mediation Services of North Central Massachusetts Conflict Resolution Week!

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!

Mediation-Services-of-North-Central-Massachusetts-Conflict-Resolution-Week

Silent Auction and Stand Up Comedy

North Star Family Services, Inc. invites community members to a special evening of entertainment and giving at its upcoming Silent Auction and Stand-Up Comedy Night. This event aims to raise critical funds to support local families with children who are experiencing homelessness.

Schedule of Events

6:30 PM – Doors Open: Guests are welcome to get an exclusive look at auction items they can bid on for the upcoming week, enjoy light refreshments, and find their seats.
7:00 PM – Comedy Show Begins
8:30 PM – Program Concludes

All proceeds directly benefit North Star Family Services and its mission to provide shelter, case management, and supportive services to families in need.

Register Here

Great Wolf Lodge Holiday Mixer

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

Register Now

Movie Under the Stars at Boys & Girls Club of Fitchburg and Leominster

Join the Boys & Girls Club of Fitchburg and Leominster for Movie Under the Stars!

Grab your lawn chair and blanket, and get ready for a night of family fun and games at the BGCFL!

Admission is free and open to the entire community, so bring the whole crew for a great night out.

Date: Friday, October 3
Time: 5:30–8:00 PM
Location: 365 Lindell Ave, Leominster

Popcorn, concessions, and raffle tickets will be available for purchase.

Come together for a night of entertainment, connection, and community spirit. We look forward to seeing you there!

GreenDrop® Opens New Donation Center in Leominster

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

GreenDrop-Opens-New-Donation-Center-in-LeominsterGreenDrop® 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.

Help Shape a Safer Future for the MRPC Region

Help-Shape-a-Safer-Future-for-the-MRPC-RegionThe Montachusett Regional Planning Commission (MRPC), in collaboration with the Montachusett Regional Transit Authority (MART) and technical consultant WSP, has released the MRPC Region Vision Zero Safety Action Plan. This comprehensive strategy aims to significantly reduce roadway fatalities and serious injuries across MRPC communities.

The plan is grounded in extensive data analysis and shaped by robust public engagement. It includes example projects tailored to each MRPC member community and outlines targeted infrastructure improvements, policy recommendations, and educational initiatives to make the region’s roadways safer for all users.

Review the Draft Plan: Your feedback helps the plan reflect the voices of MRPC communities. Please review the draft plan and share your comments by Tuesday, October 14.

Read the Plan: https://bit.ly/MRPCVZPlan

Submit Comments: or via mail: Montachusett Regional Planning Commission, Attn: George Snow 464 Abbott Avenue, Leominster, MA 01453

MRPC does not discriminate. For more information, see: mrpc.org/home/pages/title-vi-policy-and-procedures

 

Busy Bees Preschool Center’s 50th Anniversary!

Join us as we celebrate 50 incredible years of learning, laughter, and community at Busy Bees Preschool Center Inc. For half a century, Busy Bees has been a cornerstone of early childhood education and family support in Fitchburg and now it’s time to celebrate this remarkable journey!

Friday, September 26, 2025
5:00 PM – 7:00 PM
3 Harugari Street, Fitchburg, MA 01420
RSVP: Please email Ms. Maria at

This special evening will include a ribbon-cutting ceremony, opportunities for alumni to contribute to a time capsule, and plenty of time to connect with current families, past students, and community partners who’ve been part of the Busy Bees family over the decades.

Whether you’re a longtime friend of the school or discovering Busy Bees for the first time, we’d love to see you there to help us honor this major milestone.

Come celebrate 50 years of impact, growth, and buzzing with love! Busy Bees Preschool Center's 50th Anniversary!

How High is Up? Using Data Analytics to Determine the Right Liability Insurance Limits

Insurance losses due to reviver statutes for legacy abuse claims, social inflation and nuclear verdicts are driving up liability insurance rates. Some underwriting executives including those at Hub International have posited that reducing policy limits saves money and can make nonprofits less attractive targets for the plaintiffs’ bar — but choosing the right level of insurance protection requires a deeper analysis.

When plaintiffs’ attorneys prosecute abuse and molestation cases, one of the first lines of questioning typically involves the target’s insurance protection: What type of policy and how much will it cover? Many attorneys take a pragmatic “grab-and-go” approach by demanding policy limits, collecting those sums and moving on to new opportunities rather than face a jury trial. In such instances, low insurance limits may discourage aggressive, protracted litigation.

However, limited insurance protection won’t immunize an organization for an egregious case of willful, wanton misconduct — such as serial abuse or vehicular manslaughter by an impaired driver. Juries won’t tolerate wanton negligence and won’t stop at an organization’s insurance limits when awarding financial damages. The bankruptcies of multiple Roman Catholic dioceses and the Boy Scouts of America illustrate the perils of inadequate insurance protection.

Use Data Analytics to Determine the Correct Insurance Mix

Weighing the benefits of lower liability limits against maintaining potentially insufficient coverage if a calamitous event occurs requires a deep dive into an organization’s net assets, annual revenues, location and relative prominence. While many organizations look to benchmarking data as a barometer, this is a flawed approach because finding “comparable” nonprofits is subjective. Do you benchmark organizations by Standard Industrial Classification (SIC)? By revenues or net assets? Headcount? Location?

Even if the benchmarking sources use a credible pool of organizations sharing similar characteristics, are the decisions made by those nonprofits necessarily appropriate for the organization seeking insurance guidance?

A better approach is to take an inwardly focused look at the organization’s metrics. A nonprofit can use analytics modeling tools to examine its own claims history and financials, and run thousands of loss simulations against a robust industry database of benchmark incidents. These Monte Carlo simulations will generate a wide range of potential situations, outcomes and probabilities, quantifying the organization’s projected loss frequency and severity from those events.

This data equips the nonprofit with information it needs to select an optimal insurance structure and yields objective recommendations for risk management and a defensible basis for insurance decisions.

Calibrating your insurance limits in today’s dynamic legal environment doesn’t have to be a guessing game. A skilled risk advisor can be a valuable resource to stretch your insurance dollars and fortify protection where it’s needed most.

Learn More