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Mount Wachusett Community College has received a Career Readiness and Educational Access Grant from the Community Foundation of North Central Massachusetts. This grant will enable MWCC to expand its Child Watch drop-in program for student-parents to use while they are on campus attending classes, meeting with advisors, participating in study groups, or otherwise working toward their degrees.
The Child Watch program was launched in April 2022 with support from the federally funded Child Care Access Means Parents in School (CCAMPIS) project and the federal work-study program. The Child Watch program provides children with enrichment, play, and socialization with peers and the opportunity to see their parents pursue academics, creating a family value tied to academic growth and perseverance.
“By providing childcare for student parents, MWCC will help to increase educational access and equity for parents and create a pathway for parents to earn their degree and obtain gainful employment to support their families,” stated MWCC President James Vander Hooven.
“In its first year, over 50 students utilized the child watch, but this only scratches the surface of the current need,” notes Ann Reynolds, CCAMPIS Advisor at MWCC. “This program has helped our parenting students to stay in school. Childcare is an overlooked basic need for many student parents.”
For many student-parents, access to childcare can mean the difference between earning their degree or dropping out. With many of our parenting students attending part-time or in the evenings, the lack of evening childcare leads parents to take fewer classes and increases their time to graduation. Additionally, parents with unreliable childcare options may miss significant numbers of classes, leading to a decrease in their academic performance and possible loss of financial aid.
In addition to the expanded child watch program, MWCC has a number of programs for parenting students including the Parent Support Group, Family Resource Center, and Lactation Room and hosts the MOC Child Care and Head Start Services at the Garrison Center for Early Childhood Education. More information on these programs is available at mwcc.edu/student-parents.
Monty Tech School District and MT Nites are the recipients of now THREE Workforce Development grants through the partnership of MassHire North Central Career Center, made possible by Commonwealth Corporation.
This Fall we are offering free training in the fields of CNC Operator and Culinary Arts to underemployed and unemployed MA residents, seeking a new start in their career. All participants will receive industry recognized credentials, full sets of tools & materials, hands-on training, and job placement assistance, all at NO COST.
Applicants:
To Apply, please email cti@montytechnites.com
Pathways for Change received a grant to pilot the Males Advocating Change (MAC) program. Pictured left to right is Wendy Aguilar, Assistant Director of Education & Outreach; Marguerite Mowry, Youth Education Specialist and Amparo L. Cruz, Director of Education & Outreach.
Grants given to eight agencies to tackle rising youth mental and behavioral health issues stemming from COVID-19 pandemic
United Way of North Central Massachusetts (UWNCM) recently awarded $90,000 in grants to 8 local agencies to pilot youth mental and behavioral health initiatives. The grants are part of a new area of work for UWNCM that seeks to address challenges faced by young people arising from increased isolation during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.
The following agencies received grants: Boys & Girls Club of Fitchburg/Leominster, Boys & Girls Club of Lunenburg, Girl Scouts of Central & Western Mass, LUK Crisis Center, Inc., Montachusett Community Branch YMCA, Mount Wachusett Community Foundation, Pathways for Change, Inc., and Spanish American Center, Inc.
Grants will support a variety of programs serving diverse populations from different perspectives, from providing free behavioral health services for uninsured marginalized youth, to enabling girls to discover art and nature as tools for mental well-being, and using dance movement therapy to support youth who identify as Latino, Black, and Indigenous.
UWNCM first identified a need for increased youth mental and behavioral health services after hosting a community roundtable on the topic in December 2022. Participants, including representatives from local agencies and the health field, noted that in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, many young people have become isolated and unprepared for healthy social relationships.
The grant program is a new initiative for UWNCM that seeks to begin identifying the most effective ways of delivering services to young people who are struggling with mental and behavioral health. Grants will run through June 30, 2024, and results will be used to create targeted programs going forward.
Pathways for Change, Inc., based in Worcester, received a grant to pilot Males Advocating Change (MAC), a program that will engage middle school, high school and college-aged men to address male violence, particularly sexual and dating violence against women.
Kim Dawkins, CEO/President of Pathways for Change, says, “We are grateful to UWNCM for our recent Youth Mental/Behavioral Health grant. The role of MAC is to raise awareness of the myths about masculinity and play a part in building and expanding young males’ understanding of healthy, non-violent masculinity. These funds will provide critical resources needed to continue our work to engage young males and train them to be leaders in our effort to end sexual violence in North Central Massachusetts.”
Judy Tomlinson, Director of Community Impact at UWNCM, adds, “Youth mental and behavioral health problems are reaching crisis levels in our region. With our new grant program, UWNCM is dipping our toes in the water of a larger issue and learning as we go. We are excited to support a wide variety of initiatives that will use creative methods to support our youth.”
The United Way of North Central Massachusetts serves the communities of Ashburnham, Ashby, Athol, Ayer, Devens, Fitchburg, Gardner, Groton, Harvard, Hubbardston, Leominster, Littleton, Pepperell, Lunenburg, Petersham, Phillipston, Royalston, Shirley, Templeton, Townsend, Westminster and Winchendon.
The MassHire Department of Career Services (MDCS) is pleased to announce that MassHire North Central Career Center is the recipient of the MDCS Jobs for Veterans State Grant (JVSG) Incentive Award. The MassHire North Central Career Center is the 2023 JVSG “RISING STAR” Winner of $3,105.
The JVSG Incentive Awards recognize the efforts of an entire One-Stop Career Center (not just a Veterans unit or Veterans staff) whose efforts demonstrate: improvement and modernization of employment, training, and placement services for Veterans; the reward and celebration of excellence in priority of service; development and delivery of best practice techniques and improved performance outcomes for Veterans.
The North Central Career Center demonstrated these ideals through their teamwork, using a unified approach to engaging partners and employers in support of Veterans through a tight integration of all Career Center staff and programs.
Creates Network Upgrades to benefit new Community Center at Waterford Street School and Improve School Security
Mayor Mike Nicholson and Anne Gobi, Massachusetts Director of Rural Affairs at the Grant Award Ceremony for the Commonwealth Community Compact Municipal Fiber Grant Award Ceremony. Director Gobi presented the awards on behalf of the Healey-Driscoll Administration.
The City of Gardner was awarded a $200,000 grant as a part of the State’s Community Compact Municipal Fiber Grant Program. The funding will allow the city to connect its School Department, Police Department, and the new location of the Gardner Senior Center at Waterford Street School to a single fiber optic network. This will allow for a streamlining of the management of IT infrastructure by adopting a unified approach which covers network monitoring, cybersecurity, records management, and backup and recovery, achieving a long-held goal of more efficient and secure communications between city departments.
Speaking on the Grant, Mayor Michael Nicholson expressed high hopes for the new project, “This funding will do a lot of good in helping us improve our public safety efforts and our work to create a new community center at the Waterford Street School location. Thank you to Director Gobi, Rep. Zlotnik, and all of our state partners for their efforts to give local governments the tools they need to be successful. I would also like to thank our City’s Director of Technology, Bob O’Keefe, for his efforts in writing and obtaining this funding for the City.”
“The immediate benefit will be the police will have access to school cameras from the Police Station. Future benefits include faster internet and greater internet connectivity.” said Gardner Director of Information Technology Bob O’Keefe, “The fiber connection to the former Waterford School will bring Internet Service without a monthly recurring cost. This will save our Senior Center approx. $60,000 over the next ten years. The savings will also be available for the non-profits that will be in that building. With the fiber the City’s Tech Dept will be able to monitor and maintain its computers, phones, and security without leaving City Hall.”
The Municipal Fiber Grant Program offers competitive grants to support the closing of critical gaps that exist in municipal networks. Awards are focused on connecting municipality-owned facilities and assisting municipalities in achieving critical goals associated with their fiber networks, including protection from the growing risk of cyber security exploits targeting local government, the expansion of remote work and meeting the expectations of constituents who enjoy the convenience of interacting with government online.
State Representative Jon Zlotnik also voiced his opinion of the importance of the grant, stating, “These funds from the state are important Mayor Mike Nicholson and Anne Gobi, Massachusetts Director of Rural Affairs at the Grant Award Ceremony for the Commonwealth Community Compact Municipal Fiber Grant Award Ceremony. Director Gobi presented the awards on behalf of the Healey-Driscoll Administrationto make sure Gardner’s IT infrastructure is capable of serving its purpose to the fullest, and is secure. These systems are critical to the operations of the City and the services it provides, so these investments are equally important.”
The substantial funding received through the Community Municipal Fiber Grant Program will pave the way for an essential communication upgrade in the city, enabling crucial connections between the School Department, The Police Department, The Senior Center, and the connection to the Radio Repeater. With this integration, the city has taken a significant step towards streamlining its IT infrastructure management. By adopting a unified approach encompassing network monitoring, cyber security, records management, backup and recovery, this development will provide for an improved communications environment amongst crucial city departments.
Representatives of Cities and Towns who were awarded grants from the Commonwealth Community Compact Municipal Fiber Grant Program gather with Massachusetts Rural Affairs Director Anne Gobi as awards are announced. Mayor Nicholson represented the City of Gardner at the ceremony.
“Having reliable communication is important for delivering quality emergency response to the citizens as well as providing a critical safety lifeline to first responders” said Fire Chief Greg Lagoy, going into detail about the importance of the connection to the radio repeater for first responders. “The City is in the process of making upgrades to the site, including the installation of a new communications equipment shelter building. This new fiber connection will provide a dedicated, reliable connection for radio, data, and security systems from the repeater site to the City’s Public Safety agencies and the Central Dispatch Center at the Police Station. This is an excellent upgrade for the City, and will provide future expansion capability for emerging technology in Public Safety communication systems.”
This project continues the progress that the City has made in connecting its municipal buildings to one fiberoptic network. Currently, Gardner City Hall, Gardner Fire Headquarters, and the Gardner Police Headquarters are all connected by fiberoptic cable.
City Council President Elizabeth Kazinskas added “The installation of these services is costly and essential, and the receipt of this grant is a financial and operational win for our city. Rep. Zlotnik and our State partners continue to recognize our needs in Gardner, and in this instance have rewarded our active pursuit for assistance to improve infrastructure – many, many thanks to them.”
In this round of funding, $4 million was given as grants to benefit 32 municipalities and school districts across Massachusetts.
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
OFFICE OF MAYOR MICHAEL NICHOLSON:
Colin Smith, Executive Aide to the Mayor
csmith@gardner-ma.gov
978-630-1490
OFFICE OF STATE REPRESENTATIVE JON ZLOTNIK
Nolan King, Legislative Aide
Nolan.king@house.ma.gov
OFFICE OF CITY COUNCIL PRESIDENT ELIZABETH KAZINSKAS
ekazinskas@gardner-ma.gov
Hometown Financial Group, parent company of bankHometown, announced today that it was named a 2023 Financial Services Industry Top Workplaces national award winner.
This award is based solely on feedback from employees of participating workplaces, gathered through an anonymous, third-party survey administered by Energage, LLC, a leading provider of technology-based employee engagement tools. Top Workplaces Industry awards celebrate organizations that have built a people-first workplace culture and mark them as an employer of choice within their sector.
This is the second year in a row that bankHometown’s parent company has been recognized nationally in the financial services industry category. The company also was named a national Top Workplaces USA winner as well as a Hartford Courant Top Workplaces winner in 2022.
“To be nationally recognized as an employer of choice in financial services is a tremendous honor, particularly since it’s the direct result of feedback from those who know us best: our employees,” said bankHometown President and CEO Robert J. Morton. “I’m proud of our employees’ passion and dedication to helping our customers, our communities, and each other unlock their potential, every day. As an employer, we’re equally committed to nurturing an environment where everyone feels valued and respected, and where employees can unlock their own potential, personally and professionally.”
“Earning a Top Workplaces award is a badge of honor for companies, especially because it comes authentically from their employees,” said Eric Rubino, Energage CEO. “That’s something to be proud of. In today’s market, leaders must ensure that employees have a voice and are heard. That’s paramount. Top Workplaces do this, and it pays dividends.”
About Hometown Financial Group
Hometown Financial Group is a $4.5 billion mutual multi-bank holding company headquartered in Easthampton, Massachusetts, and is the parent company of bankESB, bankHometown, and Abington Bank. For more information, visit bankHFG.com.
About bankHometown
Founded in 1889, bankHometown is headquartered in Oxford, Massachusetts and has $1.3 billion in assets and 16 branches located throughout Central Massachusetts and northeast Connecticut. Through its sponsorship and charitable giving program, The Giving Tree, bankHometown and the Hometown Bank Community Foundation support non-profit organizations and causes throughout Worcester and Windham Counties. In 2022, The Giving Tree donated approximately $320,000 and over the last decade has donated more than $2.5 million. For more information, visit bankhometown.com.
The City of Fitchburg Health Department invites the public to attend an Overdose Awareness Vigil to be held on Thursday, August 24, 2023 at the Upper Common, Main Street, Fitchburg. A variety of Resource tables will be available at 6:15 pm and the Vigil will begin at 7 pm.
This is a time for the community to join together and remember lives lost to overdose while giving hope to those struggling. The gazebo will be lit up purple in honor of those who have passed. Speakers will reflect on the impact overdose has had on their lives and music will be provided by members from Restoration Recovery Center.
Narcan training and distribution will be available throughout the evening. Luminary Bags will be available for remembrance and Purple ribbons will be distributed for citizens to wear on International Overdose Awareness Day on August 31. The Salvation Army Canteen will provide free refreshments.
Residents are asked to bring a photo of a loved one lost to overdose to be displayed at the Vigil or you may email photos to SChristensen@fitchburgma.gov. August 22 is the deadline to email a photo.
Photo Caption: Berkshire Bankers volunteered for a cleanup day at Camp Fuller, part of YMCA of Greater Providence, RI.
Berkshire Bank, a leading, socially responsible community bank with financial centers in New England and New York, announced more than $845,000 in Foundation philanthropic investments during the second quarter of 2023. These investments contributed to helping the communities Berkshire Bank serves.
Grants awarded cover a wide range of projects that help foster upward economic mobility, support overall well-being, and enhance opportunities for the success of individuals and small businesses, particularly for underrepresented populations. These investments also support the company’s BEST Community Comeback which includes a planned $15 million in community contributions by the end of 2024.
In total, the Berkshire Bank Foundation assisted 190 nonprofit organizations during the second quarter of 2023 by providing funding to support needs such as food insecurity, health, wellness, homelessness, educational advancement, arts, youth development, culture, diversity, and inclusion. The Berkshire Bank Foundation is committed to supporting programs that provide equitable opportunities for economic prosperity.
“Though our financial support and volunteer service, we are proud to help lift up the communities that we serve,” said Director of the Berkshire Bank Foundation, Lori Gazzillo Kiely. She added, “We are pleased to continue to assist nonprofits doing great work to positively impact individuals, families and small businesses within the Berkshire Bank footprint.”
Barbara A. Shaw, LCSW, executive director, Hands On Hartford shared “Berkshire Bank provided $2,500 to support Hands On Hartford in CT Foodshare’s Walk Against Hunger and an additional $5,000 contribution and volunteer assistance this September during the bank’s annual Xtraordinary Day. Through funding and volunteerism, Berkshire Bank directly impacts the lives of the folks who turn to Hands On Hartford for help with food and housing security, which are especially important in these challenging times, and we couldn’t be more grateful for the bank’s partnership.”
In addition, the foundation supports programs that align with Berkshire Bank’s Center for Women, Wellness, and Wealth (CWWW)* to provide opportunities for women to build a future enriched with financial stability, balance and growth.
“Funding from Berkshire Bank Foundation has been transformative to our work advancing women’s economic security across our four western-most counties, and particularly in Hampden County where we just released a new report,” stated Donna Haghighat, CEO of the Women’s Fund of Western Massachusetts. She continued, “While the report painted a bleak picture of how vulnerable particularly women of color are, it also contained the seeds of promising solutions raised by the 195 women surveyed and the nonprofit employees of our seven community partners who conducted the surveys.”
The Berkshire Bank grant recipients listed below are just a sample of the projects the bank has supported to strengthen organizations throughout Massachusetts, New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island and Vermont during the second quarter of 2023. Recipients include:
Additional details on the Foundation’s grant programs and focus areas can be found at berkshirebank.com/foundation.
LUK, Inc. recently was awarded funds by the George F. and Sybil H. Fuller Foundation to provide scholarships for youth from Boylston and Worcester to participate in LUK’s TREK programs.
TREK (Teaching, Reaching, Experiencing with Kids) is a program through LUK that provides adaptive adventure-based, experiential-learning (AB/EL) activities that motivate youth to try new things, develop social skills, and participate in physical fitness while having fun. TREK is a flexible model with sessions tailored for populations such as youth with Autism or developmental delays and youth who have experienced trauma (abuse/neglect, witness to community/domestic violence).
The TREK model focuses significantly on social and emotional competencies. Activities vary depending on the season, weather, and the interests and skills of the youth, and may include team building games, leadership skills, a challenge course, and fun active components such as paddling, swimming, snowboarding, and more. TREK staff use teachable moments to role model, reinforce skills and safe behaviors, and promote positive experiences. Staff also help redirect if participants are having trouble with emotional regulation and reinforce positive frustration tolerance.
By expanding scholarship opportunities to TREK, the Fuller Foundation will benefit the community and LUK by eliminating obstacles and creating more openings for youth and families who would like to engage in adventure-based therapy. These funds will support youth from historically underserved and marginalized populations. LUK hopes that participants of the TREK program walk away from their experience feeling like they have made connections and progress towards a fulfilling life.
LUK, Inc. is a non-profit organization dedicated to improving the safety, health, and well-being of youth, families, and adults in Central Massachusetts. As a community-based organization, LUK’s mission is to challenge and inspire youth, adults, and families to realize their unique potential through community-based prevention, intervention, education, and support services.
For more information about LUK, Inc. visit www.LUK.org, call (800) 579-0000, or find them on Facebook (@LetUsKnowINC). Join us in building stronger communities, family by family!