News from our members
A Call to Action: Fitchburg is Welcoming to All
UNF, Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, North Central Massachusetts Minority Coalition and others to hold press conference in support of immigrant and Muslim communities in Fitchburg
WHAT: Community leaders in Fitchburg will be holding a press conference to condemn Trump administration executive orders against immigrants and refugees and call on allies to support the Safe Communities Act (SD.1596 and HD.3052), an act that would ensure local police resources for fighting crime, not enforcing federal immigration law and pledge no state support for a Muslim registry.
WHO: Speakers confirmed include:
- State Representative Stephen Hay
- Ijaz Ahmed, President of the Fitchburg Chapter of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community USA;
- Adrian Ford, Chief Administrator and CEO of Three Pyramids, Inc./ North Central Massachusetts Minority Coalition;
- Kimatra Maxwell, former candidate for state representative and Founder of Fitchburg Naturals;
- Pastor Thomas Hughes;
- UNF Executive Director Joana Dos Santos
- Other speakers are being confirmed.
WHEN: Friday, February 3rd at 12:00pm
WHERE: In front of Immigrant statute, on corner of Prichard and Main St, Fitchburg, MA.
FOR MORE INFORMATION: Please contact Eric Rodriguez, Director of Organizing at 774-573-3459 or by email at eric_r@cleghorncenter.org.
Wachusett Joins Zipcar for Special Promotion!
Wachusett Mountain has teamed up with the popular car-sharing service Zipcar to offer skiers and snowboarders yet another easy alternative to reach the central Massachusetts ski resort.
Zipcar has introduced “Wachusett Wednesdays” to its members in Boston and Providence to encourage them to drive to the ski area for a midweek day of skiing or snowboarding. The promotion will run Wednesday, January 18 & 25; February 8 & 15 and March 1, 8, 15, 22 & 29. Zipcar members are encouraged to visit www.Zipcar.com/Wachusett to learn about their special deals. To qualify for the special “Z.I.P.” treatment, they will be provided with a special online code for a discount on their Wachusett lift ticket (at www.wachusett.com); a $10 Zipcar driving credit; priority parking at Wachusett Mountain and a discount on Demos and logo wear at MTNside Ski & Ride Shop at Wachusett. The first 2 Zipcar drivers to the mountain each Wednesday will also receive a special ZIP gift bag (while supplies last).
“Being located so close to Boston and Providence, Zipcar provides our guests with an easy way to travel to the mountain,” said Wachusett General Manager David Crowley. “We’re only one hour from Boston and a little over an hour from Providence, so skiers or snowboarders who don’t have their own transportation can use this as a great opportunity for a midweek getaway to the mountain. We’re already the most accessible ski resort in New England and this program with Zipcar just makes us more accessible!”
Wachusett Teams with Head Skis to Launches “Headway” guaranteed learning program!
As winners of the 2016 National Ski Areas Association Conversion Cup, Wachusett Mountain Ski Area is already well known across the country for offering some of the nation’s finest programs to turn new skiers or snowboarders into “lifelong” enthusiasts. In conjunction with the Head Ski Company, Wachusett’s beginner programs have expanded again for the 2016-17 season.
The central Massachusetts mountain is the first in the eastern USA to launch the Headway Teaching Program – a customized learning experience which guarantees results in just one day. This “total immersion” program combines specially-designed rental skis with all-day instruction to help skiers learn at a faster pace. Wachusett’s Headway Program runs from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. including a full day of instruction and use of three different length skis as skiers progress during their lesson.
The three lengths include a shorter ski which allows for new skiers to work on balance; they then progress to a medium-length ski to work on gliding and stopping; then they utilize a regular length ski to perfect their steering skills. Head has outfitted the Wachusett Rental Shop with just 10 sets of these customized teaching skis. Each ski is pre-set for the customer to provide easy transition through the various stages of learning. In the Wachusett Ski & Snowboard School, students will be paired into groups no larger than 5 with their instructor. The program guarantees students will be skiing blue square intermediate trails by the end of the day.
Cost for the intensive one day package is only $299 per person (only available online). As an added bonus, Headway participants also receive:
- Three more visits for only $79.50 (1/2 price 3-Peat Card) – that’s just over $27/day.
- 2 FREE Rentals and 1 1/2-price Demo
- MTNside Ski & Ride Shop “essentials” Discounts (20% off gloves, hats, goggle, socks, neck warmers).
For more details or to purchase online, visit www.wachusett.com.
Wachusett Sets New Snowmaking Record Thanks to Expanded System!
The ski season is not even half over and Wachusett Mountain has already made more snow this winter than ever before in an entire season.
That is thanks to the mountain’s $2 million snowmaking expansion this past summer more than doubling the resort’s water pumping capacity. Snowmaking crews have taken advantage of opportune snowmaking temperatures every chance they’ve gotten enabling the mountain to build base depth topping out at more than four feet. Thanks to the record snowmaking effort since snowmaking began in late November, it’s also notable is that Wachusett’s base depths are among the highest in New England even with the mountain only receiving 40 inches of natural snow thus far this winter.
“Machine made snow is much more durable than natural snow,” said Wachusett President Jeff Crowley. “So even when the natural snow melts in people’s back yards, we’ve been able to maintain a solid base.” With the critical Christmas Holiday week and Martin Luther King Holiday behind, snowmaking efforts will continue as weather permits as the mountain now heads toward the February vacation period.
“To put our snowcover in football terms, our crew could have covered 250 football fields so far this season with 1 foot of snow,” added Crowley. “Better yet, with everyone thinking about the New England Patriot’s playoff run, that’s like covering the field at Gillette Stadium with 250 feet of snow!”
Thanks to its strong commitment to snowmaking and grooming, Wachusett already offers one of the only “snow guarantees” in New England, stating that if a skier or snowboarder doesn’t like the conditions, they can return their lift ticket within the first hour of purchase and be credited equal value for a future visit. For daily snow conditions updates, visit www.wachusett.com.
Groundbreaking Ceremony for 50 Henry Street, Fitchburg
Habitat for Humanity North Central MA will be hosting a groundbreaking ceremony for 50 Henry Street, Fitchburg at 10:00 a.m. on January 27th. 50 Henry Street is their latest building project and this fall held a “$25K in 25 Days” campaign. The funds raised by the campaign were used to install the foundation at the build site before the winter season.
Habitat for Humanity North Central Massachusetts is a non-profit housing ministry that builds simple, decent houses with people in need. It is the local affiliate of Habitat for Humanity International, serving 25 towns and cities in north central Massachusetts, including Acton, Ashburnham, Ashby, Ayer, Berlin, Bolton, Boxborough, Clinton, Fitchburg, Gardner, Groton, Harvard, Hudson, Lancaster, Littleton, Lunenburg, Leominster, Maynard, Pepperell, Princeton, Shirley, Sterling, Stow, Townsend, and Westminster. Habitat NCM also operates the Leominster ReStore which raises funds through the sale of discounted or recycled materials and furniture.
MWCC Job Fair 2017 on Wednesday, March 29th
It’s hard to believe, but Spring Term 2017 is in full swing at Mount Wachusett Community College with students enrolled at our Gardner, Leominster and Devens campuses! As a participant of last year’s Job Fair and/or a currently active recruiter on-campus, I am sending you a priority invite to attend this year’s Job Fair 2017 on Wednesday, March 29th in addition to offering our other recruiting options.
Feel free to choose any or all recruitment options as follows:
Option 1 Join us for Job Fair 2017: Wednesday, March 29th: SAVE THE DATE FLYER WITH DETAILS ATTACHED!
Reserve your table today by emailing: pbrewerton@mwcc.mass.edu (Free to our participating employers!)
Option 2 Free Online Job Posting: Don’t forget to take advantage of our Online Job Posting offered free to participating employers! Jobs are posted year round, including full-time, part-time and temporary positions. Positions that are emailed are also routed directly to major specific faculty and announced in class. Please email to: pbrewerton@mwcc.mass.edu
(Please keep in mind that MWCC offers job placement information to students and employers as a college and community service. This service does not imply the screening of either applicant or employer and as such, the college may not be held liable for situations occurring in employment resulting from job referral.)
Option 3 On-Campus Recruiting Table: Every Monday through Thursday, we feature one employer at our Recruiting Table. The table is located in a high traffic area to maximize your exposure to a large number of students. Your company is advertised to faculty and students in advance.
Tables are FREE for our participating employers! Call to reserve now!
Leominster Credit Union to hold annual Blanket and Warm Clothing Drive
Leominster Credit Union is collecting new blankets and warm clothing for the annual blanket/clothing drive to provide warmth and aid to families in need in our local communities. The blanket and warm clothing drive is in partnership with Massachusetts Credit Unions and the Massachusetts Coalition for the Homeless. Donations may be dropped off at any Leominster Credit Union office through Friday, January 27, 2017. For more information contact Rachel Terrell at 978-466-7221 or rterrell@leominstercu.com. Blankets and clothing will be distributed to area shelters and organizations to help those in need.
Casting Call for a short film based on the feature film The Extraordinary World of Cecily Blinkstop!
We are excited to announce that we are creating a short film based on the feature film The Extraordinary World of Cecily Blinkstop!
You heard that correctly: we are shooting a short film based on the first 15 pages of the feature film! As first time feature filmmakers, it is imperative that we demonstrate our vision and our ability as filmmakers to bring Cecily’s story to life on the screen. It has become increasingly clear that this “proof of concept” is necessary for us to move forward with the feature film. Many feature films started as short films including Beasts of the Southern Wild, Short Term 12, and Whiplash.
We are in the process of recruiting crew and have opened up a casting call for all roles, with the exception of the role of Kevin (the father) which will be played by actor Will Bouvier of Shirley, MA, who previously acted in the Sundance award-winning film Black Rock. We are just beginning to solicit funding through grants and individual contributors and plan to raise all remaining funds in March through a crowdfunding platform. We will be shooting in June 2017 with the goal to have the final product completed by September in time to apply for major festivals.
Casting Call!
Union and non-union actors interested in auditioning for one of the roles listed below should send a headshot and resume to cecilyblinkstop@gmail.com with the name of the role in the subject. Actors must be able to commute to central Massachusetts for auditions, rehearsals, and filming. Actors do not need to be the same age as the character – just need to look the same age. All headshots and resumes must be received by January 27. Further details on the audition process will be sent out after all resumes are received.
Casting for short film does not guarantee casting in feature film.
AVAILABLE ROLES:
Helen Blinkstop
30-40 years old. Mother of Cecily Blinkstop. Struggling to function after the death of her baby daughter. Open to actresses of all races.
Cecily Blinkstop
7 years old (can be 6-8 years). Lead role in film. Open to young female actors of all races. Looking for a fearless girl who can bravely take on a role that is both serious and adventurous.
Kimberley Blinkstop
12-13 years old. Cecily’s older sister. Open to female actors of any race.
Barney Blinkstop
4-6 years old. Cecily’s baby brother who stopped speaking after his baby sister died. Looking for a boy who is expressive, has a sweet baby face, and can handle a long day on set. Open to young male actors of any race.
Amanda Jane
6-8 years old. Cecily Blinkstop’s imaginary friend. Amanda Jane does not speak. Actors who audition for Cecily will also be considered for the role of Amanda Jane.
Commitment to New England:
We are committed to hiring 80% of our cast and crew from the New England region.
Commitment to Women:
We are committed to buidling a cast and crew with at least 50% women.
If you would like to be considered for a crew position for the short film version of The Extraordinary World of Cecily Blinkstop, scheduled to film June 2017 in central Massachusetts, please email your resume with “crew” and department/position of interest in the subject line. We will be filling all crew positions by the end of March.
You are receiving this email because you either signed up to receive our news or you have a special relationship with one or more of the people who make up our filmmaking team. We need your support to help us get the word out about this exciting project.