In gratitude for the support shown from the local community EXIT New Options Real Estate real estate brokerage recently collected gifts for NCMAR Holiday Helping Hands. Every Holiday the Realtor Board, gathers lists from Seniors, Homeless, Veterans and Childrens services organizations. This season NCMAR helped 234 children, seniors, and adults with gifts. EXIT New Options Real Estate with IC Federal Credit Union helped provide toys, clothing, and books for 52 children!
Head Elves Do It Again!
“We appreciate being a part of this wonderful community and welcome the opportunity to give back,” says Denise Wortman & Susan Wright, Owners of EXIT New Options Real Estate.
About EXIT Realty: EXIT Realty is a company founded and built on human potential. A full service, forward-thinking, real estate franchisor with offices across North America, EXIT has to-date paid out more than a half a billion dollars in single-level residual income to its associates. The Expert Marketing Suite™ including geolocation Smart Sign™ technology gives sellers an edge in a competitive marketplace. A portion of every transaction fee received by EXIT Realty Corp. International is applied to its charitable fund, and to-date, $6 million has been allocated to charity. For more information, please visit www.exitrealty.com and www.joinexitrealty.com.
EXIT New Options Real Estate is located at 12 Main St. For more information, please call 978-852-7955 or visit our website www.exitnewoptions.com.
Mount Wachusett Community College, with generous support from the Shannon Grant, has launched a new program aiming to connect with students and provide them with support, coaching and workshops in academic, employment, and life readiness. The program is intended for high school seniors and HiSet participants or graduates who are interested in attending MWCC in the fall for either credit degree or certificate programs, or non-credit training programs.
Once accepted into the program, students will participate in various workshops including study strategy techniques, selecting college courses, completing career assessments, building self-esteem, preparing to transition to college, college admissions procedures, and completing financial aid forms.
“Through this program, I’ll be providing coaching, accountability and training to students,” noted Senior Success Program manager, local personal growth and development specialist, and MWCC outreach counselor Maria Vazquez. “I work to make sure these students are getting what they need through the completion of their senior year, on through the summer, and into their first semester at the Mount. My goal is to ensure that they are reaching their full potential.”
Students must reside in Fitchburg, Leominster or Gardner, be a first-generation college student, and meet one or more other risk factors (low-income, single parent household, etc.) in order to be eligible. Individuals interested in the program can visit mwcc.edu/senior-success to complete the application questionnaire.
About the Shannon Grant
Funded by the Executive Office of Public Safety and Security’s Office of Grants and Research, the Charles E. Shannon Community Safety Initiative (Shannon) is modeled after the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention’s Comprehensive Gang Model. Shannon is a multi-sector approach used to address a community’s gang and youth violence problem. Each community receiving Shannon funding demonstrates the presence of risk factors for youth and gang violence.
Aging Services of North Central Massachusetts (ASNCM), which serves as the region’s Aging Services Access Point (ASAP) is pleased to welcome three new members to its Board of Directors: Susan McCarthy, Director of the Pepperell Council on Aging; Michael Ellis, Director of the Gardner Senior Center; and Ellen Birchander, Graduate Program Director, Management of Aging Services Program, University of Massachusetts, Boston.
Lori A. Richardson, Chief Executive Officer of ASNCM commented, “We are excited to have Susan, Mike and Ellen, each a proven leader in aging services join our Board of Directors. Their unique and tremendous practical experience will support our mission of providing comprehensive information and quality services so that older people, individuals with disabilities and their families are empowered to make personalized choices to ensure a life of dignity, safety and respect.”
ASNCM is also pleased to announce the appointment of new Clerk, Jennifer Conrad. Current Board Officers include President Christine Dixon; Vice President, Peter MacDonald; Treasurer, William McSheehy; Mary Mathieu, Julie Johnson, Esq., and Donald Parker.
To learn more about the Aging Services of North Central Massachusetts—including programs and services being offered, ways you can donate or volunteer, please visit www.AgingServicesMA.org or contact David Ginisi, Chief Marketing Officer, at (978) 466-1571 or by email at .
Massachusetts is exploring the future of natural gas used in homes and businesses and by large commercial and industrial customers. We’d like your thoughts.
Whether you live in Massachusetts or run a business here, the future of natural gas impacts us all. That’s why we would like your input on a plan to ensure a safe, reliable, and equitable transition to the future of energy in our state.
The Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities (DPU) directed the Massachusetts gas companies to explore pathways for a clean energy future – for you and our future generations. This includes the critical goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050. Our part in achieving “net zero” includes removing the same amount of greenhouse gases we produce or avoiding them altogether through new technologies, to reduce emissions that contribute to climate change. These new technologies could impact home appliances like heating systems, boilers, gas stoves, and water heaters and a variety of commercial and industrial equipment that use natural gas. That’s a big job, and one that needs the public’s support and input to succeed.
Here’s how to share ideas and get involved:
Attend a live webinar to learn more and provide your feedback. Please register below for one of the sessions to reserve your spot, attendance is limited.
Pictured L to R: Barbara Mahoney, President & CEO, LCU; Kristen Cote, Marketing Specialist, LCU; Carolyn Read, Executive Director Habitat for Humanity North Central Massachusetts; Craig Madonia, SVP Lending, LCU.
Leominster Credit Union’s recent Shred-a-Thon raised $1,000 for Habitat for Humanity, North Central Mass.
LCU’s Shred-A-Thon is a free event open to the public. Each year LCU partners with Habitat for Humanity, and participants may make a donation to the organization. The event was held at LCU’s North Leominster branch where many members and non-members stopped by to have their sensitive documents shred on site by the secure shredding service, New England Security Shredders.
“This was our most successful Shred-A-Thon to date,” commented Barbara Mahoney, President and CEO. “We were pleased to be able to hold the event this year, where due to COVID had to postpone the events last year and this past spring. LCU’s semi-annual Shred-A-Thons are a great community event and assist in preventing identity theft, by offering a secure venue to shred confidential documents. The generous donations collected went to a great organization, Habitat for Humanity.”
A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held last month to celebrate the opening of Solvus Global’s new Center for Scaled Innovation in Manufacturing at 272 Nashua St. in partnership with North Central Massachusetts Chamber of Commerce and the city, attracting local and state officials as well as interested parties.
Solvus Global CEO and co-founder Dr. Aaron Birt addresses the attendees of the ribbon cutting ceremony held in October to celebrate the opening of Solvus Global’s new Center for Scaled Innovation in Manufacturing in Leominster. (COURTESY NICOLE BOYSON/SOLVUS GLOBAL)
Solvus Global is a technology-solution provider for materials and manufacturing founded in 2017 specializing in the areas of additive manufacturing, machine learning and sustainable materials processing. Headquartered in Worcester, it now operates out of three locations — research and manufacturing facilities in both Leominster and Worcester and a collaborative center in Webster.
Solvus Global co-founder and CEO Aaron Birt said the goal of cSIM is to create a place where innovative manufacturing solutions can be scaled from their research and development facility in Worcester and demonstrated in full production environments.
“It’s really a showcase of how government, industry and academia can come together to solve major supply chain challenges that we face as a country today,” he said.
Birt said two primary products will be coming out of the cSIM facility.
“One will be specialty powder materials that serve the cold spray industry, a growing community that specializes in both 3D printing and repair of legacy parts that are worn out or damaged,” he said. “The second is what we call production of large format additive components, which are parts at least one foot by one foot by one foot that are typically made of specialty materials like Inconel or titanium. We will be fabricating, treating and finishing these parts for our customers across the defense and industry sectors.”
Christine Nolan, director of the Center for Advanced Manufacturing at the MassTech Collaborative based in Westborough, said cSIM is important for the greater community, as it will benefit those beyond Leominster as well.
Christine Nolan, Director of the Center for Advanced Manufacturing at MassTech, speaks at the ribbon cutting ceremony held last month for Solvus Global’s new Center for Scaled Innovation in Manufacturing in Leominster. (COURTESY NICOLE BOYSON/SOLVUS GLOBAL)
“Companies like Solvus show local students that today’s manufacturing jobs are not the repetitive or dirty jobs of the past but are high-tech careers that call for teamwork, an interest in cutting-edge digital tools, and critical thinking,” she said. “North Central Massachusetts is full of innovative, high-tech manufacturers like Solvus, places where Massachusetts students can find rewarding career opportunities once they graduate.”
MassTech Collaborative jointly manages the Massachusetts Manufacturing Innovation Initiative, or M2I2, grant program along with the Commonwealth’s Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development. During the ribbon-cutting, Nolan announced a new $1.6 million M212 grant to Solvus Global and its partner, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, which will support both an infrastructure investment, establishing a first-of-its-kind, fully automated robotic Arc-DED (Direct Energy Deposition) manufacturing line, along with an apprenticeship program spearheaded by Solvus and partners WPI and the national manufacturing institute ARM Robotics.
As part of the award, Solvus will establish an apprenticeship program with local technical schools such as Worcester Technical High School and Mount Wachusett Community College, and program curriculum facilitated by WPI will be established which highlights key skills needed by the advanced manufacturing workforce.
“The commonwealth’s support for this program is investing in infrastructure but also in a training program, which taps into educational institutions that have strong ties to the manufacturing sector including schools like WPI, Mount Wachusett Community College, and Worcester Tech,” Nolan said.
Solvus Global CEO and co-founder Dr. Aaron Birt addresses the attendees of the ribbon cutting ceremony held in October to celebrate the opening of Solvus Global’s new Center for Scaled Innovation in Manufacturing in Leominster. (COURTESY NICOLE BOYSON/SOLVUS GLOBAL)
She said Solvus Global’s cSIM and the apprenticeship program aligns well with the region’s historical manufacturing roots.
“Massachusetts and the North Central region in particular have a long history of manufacturing leadership,” she said. “We’re now leading when it comes to advanced manufacturing, where manufacturing meets high-tech innovation. Through the M2I2 grant program we’re making critical investments in the tools, training programs and partnerships that will help keep our ‘Made in Mass.’ manufacturing sector in this leadership role for decades to come.”
As CEO of Solvus Global, Birt said much of his job “is setting up the vision for our future and helping to pull together the high-level people and resources necessary to make those visions a reality” through projects such as cSIM.
“Our goal is to be in full production with these innovative manufacturing solutions by the end of 2022 while at the same time serving as a resource for the region to support reskilling our workforce for the next era of manufacturing,” he said. “It’s something that we and many of our partners are passionate about and so we’re looking for ways to work together to create an environment that’s supportive of both the people and the industry.”
Mount Wachusett Community College (MWCC) will utilize the $73,903 Activation Fund grant from The Health Foundation of Central Massachusetts at its Dental Clinic to enhance its sterilization center. This enhancement will allow MWCC to improve training for dental hygiene and dental assistant students in state-of-the art sterilization and infection control procedures and processes.
The grant will enable MWCC’s Dental Education program to expand its offerings into new certification and continuing education programming in the area of Infection Control and Safety in the Dental Setting. Additionally, the grant enables MWCC to host the Montachusett Regional Vocational Technical School Dental Assisting program students in the clinical setting.
Community Health Connections has partnered with MWCC’s Dental Education program since its inception, playing a key role in the programs founding in 2005 through its support of the Oral Health Initiative of North Central Massachusetts, a Round 1 Synergy Initiative project also funded through The Health Foundation of Central Massachusetts. The clinic is co-located with CHC Community Health Center on Nichols Road in Fitchburg, enabling students to learn alongside CHC dentists. Since the program’s founding, 257 dental hygiene and assisting graduates have entered the dental workforce and over 9,000 patients have been served by students in MWCC’s Dental Education Clinic.
“The partnership between MWCC and Community Health Connections has and will continue to have an impact on oral health in Central Massachusetts and across the Commonwealth,” stated Cindy Cadoret, Director of Dental Education Programs at MWCC.
Aging Services of North Central Massachusetts (ASNCM) is pleased to announce the return of the Cards for Caring imitative for the holiday season.
In collaboration with Congresswoman Lori Trahan and Congressman Jim McGovern, ASNCM will reach across the 21 communities in North Central Massachusetts to gather warm holiday greeting cards made by individuals which will then be distributed to the aging community throughout the region who may be living in isolation during the holiday season.
“The progress we’ve made over the past twelve months in the fight against COVID-19 is a testament to everyone who took the virus seriously. It also means that for many, the holidays will be spent with loved ones – safely,” said Congresswoman Trahan. “As we prepare for the holidays, I’m thrilled to partner once again with Aging Services of North Central Massachusetts and Congressman McGovern for our Cards for Caring Initiative. This important program will help us spread holiday cheer while also continuing to prioritize the safety of everyone in our community. I hope folks will join us again this year by submitting a personal, handwritten card as a small way to spread some joy this holiday season.”
“The COVID pandemic has reminded us how a single act of kindness can mean the world to someone. Cards for Caring is connection in action,” said Congressman Jim McGovern. “Taking a little time to send a greeting card can have a big impact by making sure no one spends this holiday season feeling alone.”
“Last year we spread holiday wishes to over seven hundred individuals. We hope to reach more this year. We will not meet the person who receives the card. But we do know everyone is on their own journey. The journey may include loneliness, grieving from the loss of a loved one, suffering from declining health, struggling with financial issues or uncertainty as to what tomorrow will bring. We do know that we are a caring community. For a moment as a card is opened, I hope there is a true feeling of being a part of a community that truly cares. ASNCM is grateful to partner with Congresswoman Trahan and Congressman McGovern and our entire community to make a positive difference one person at a time, one card at a time”, stated Lori A. Richardson, Chief Executive Officer at Aging Services at North Central Massachusetts.
Outreach and coordination have also begun with the region’s superintendents of schools as students are more than welcome to participate in this very thoughtful campaign.
Members of the community are invited to drop cards in unsealed envelopes at a drop box located at Aging Services of North Central Massachusetts, 680 Mechanic Street in Leominster, MA, by Friday, December 11, 2021.
Business or community members interested in learning more about ASNCM’s Cards for Caring campaign should visit www.AgingServicesMA.org or contact David Ginisi, Chief Marketing Officer, at (978) 466-1571 or via email at .
Sandra Quaye, Vice President of Finance and Administration
Mount Wachusett Community College (MWCC) is welcoming new members to its Leadership Team and to other leadership positions throughout the college.
MWCC welcomes Sandra Quaye to the college as Vice President of Finance and Administration. Quaye replaces retiring Robert LaBonte who held the position since 1994. Quaye comes to MWCC from Franklin Pierce University in Rindge, NH after a twenty-two year career in roles of increasing responsibility. Most recently Quaye has held the role of Vice President of Finance and Administration, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer since 2014.
“We are thrilled to welcome Sandra to the college,” stated MWCC President James Vander Hooven. “She is a valuable addition to our Leadership Team.”
“I am excited to be joining the MWCC community,” noted Quaye. “The opportunities MWCC provides to students, faculty, and staff as well as the local community are endless. I am energized by the work ahead and look forward to contributing to the success of MWCC.”
MWCC has also made a number of leadership promotions within the Academic Affairs and Lifelong Learning and Workforce Development department following the departures of Vice Presidents Paul Hernandez and Rachel Frick-Cardelle.
John Eisler, who joined MWCC from Springfield College in 2020, will be serving as Interim Vice President of Academic Affairs.
Adam Duggan will be stepping into the role of Vice President of Workforce Development and Lifelong Learning after six years as Dean of Adult Basic Education.
In addition, Senior Dean of Students, Jason Zelesky, will assume the role of Interim Vice President of Student Affairs.
In addition, Melissa Sargent, a 28-year veteran of the college, has been promoted to Dean of Academic Affairs; Director of Nursing, Kimberly Shea, has been named Dean of Nursing, and Veronica Guay has been named Dean of Math, Science, Engineering, Business and Technology.
“I am grateful to each of our team members for their openness to take on new and evolving challenges and opportunities. I look forward to supporting them in their new roles.” Vander Hooven added. “I am so thankful for the years of service Bob, Paul and Rachel provided to the college. Their leadership and professionalism will be missed.”
Fidelity Bank recognized for overall financial strength, security of operations
Fidelity Bank today announced it has earned a 5-Star “Superior” rating from BauerFinancial, the nation’s leading independent bank rating and research firm. A 5-Star rating ranks Fidelity Bank among one of the strongest banks in the nation on BauerFinancial’s Recommended Report.
“This rating reflects our overall financial strength and the vigilant efforts we put towards maintaining the safety and security of the bank,” said Ed Manzi, Jr., Chairman and CEO, Fidelity Bank. “Our clients should feel very well protected, and we are proud to give them the clarity they need to make informed decisions and move forward with confidence.”
Fidelity Bank was evaluated in several areas, including capital and asset quality, and profitability. No institution pays BauerFinancial to rate it, nor can it choose to be excluded. In addition to this strong rating, clients of Fidelity Bank also benefit from 100% of their deposits being insured by the FDIC and the Depositors Insurance Fund (DIF).
