Nonprofit staff and board members of Berkshire United Way celebrate at the annual Greylock Society reception.Casey Pease, a staff member for state Sen. Paul Mark, presents the Harnetts an official citation from the State Senate in recognition of this honor.
Award recipients Rosemary and Larry Harnett, center, with United Way President Thomas Bernard and board Chair Laurie Gallagher.
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — More than 100 guests joined Berkshire United Way at Bousquet Mountain Lodge last week to celebrate the spirit of philanthropy and to honor Rosemary and Larry Harnett, longtime Berkshire United Way supporters, with the Ruth P. and Nicholas Boraski Leaders in Philanthropy Award.
The event also announced Berkshire United Way's 2023-2024 grant award recipients. With the support of more than 3,000 donors, Berkshire United Way awarded just more than $1 million in grants to 28 organizations, including five new first-time grant recipients. This investment will enable its partners to serve the community during the funding year from July 1, 2023, to June 30, 2024.
"At Berkshire United Way, our ability to convene, collaborate, and create solutions is our superpower," said Berkshire United Way President and CEO Tom Bernard. "It's how we help bring visibility to community needs and work to create community-based solutions, and it's something we are able to do thanks to our many generous donors and supporters. As Larry Harnett reminded us, it's work we are called to do and to support because so often we can see ourselves in the needs of others."
As part of this year's application process, BUW piloted a general operating support model that allowed agencies the option to apply for a grant to support their mission any way they see fit, while still working within one of BUW's three priority areas: early childhood development, positive youth development, or economic prosperity.
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Berkshire United Way to Massachusetts: Early-Learning Educators Need Better Wages
By Katherine von Haefen Guest Column
As reported in iBerkshires, state education officials met with Western Massachusetts childcare and early education advocates at Berkshire Community College recently. I had the opportunity to share the following testimony on behalf of Berkshire United Way and our community partners.
Early childhood education provides tremendous benefits to our region. High-quality child care dramatically influences brain development and the future health and success for children in school and life, as well as provides a safe and secure space for our youngest community members so their parents or caregivers can work and provide for their families.
Berkshire United Way has invested in improving early childhood development opportunities in the Berkshires for decades. We fund high-quality nonprofit child-care centers that provide slots for income-constrained families. We also support the sector by co-hosting monthly child-care director meetings to work on shared challenges and collectively propose solutions. We advocate for early childhood education and have a great partner in this work, state Rep. Tricia Farley-Bouvier.
Staffing is a key component of high-quality care. The research shows that skilled and consistent educators in a classroom create long-lasting change for children. However, wages are stagnant and frequently do not provide educators with basic financial stability. We often hear that educators have left the field because they are unable to make their finances work. Wages need to improve to better reflect the expertise and indelible impact teachers have in the field.
When we look specifically at our region, our data is concerning.
As Berkshire County emerges from the pandemic, we are struggling with transportation, affordable housing and lack of mental health resources, much like the rest of the state. We are also seeing a rise in economically challenged households.
After nearly 10 years of decline, Berkshire County has experienced a significant jump in income inequality, now exceeding the state and national trends and far above comparable counties, according to the Berkshire Regional Planning Commission. Over half of our population are "economically challenged," meaning they are working but struggling to make ends meet. A single parent with a school-aged child needs between $70,000 and $80,000 in income and public benefits just to meet their basic needs.
A large limb from a 32-foot sugar maple in the park fell next to the fountain area over the weekend. Caution tape and traffic barrels now surround the aftermath.
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The last estimate for construction was overly optimistic because, at the time, it was unclear how long obtaining the two easements would take, Town Manager Thomas Hutcheson said.
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Full cost estimates have not been completed but based on recent repairs made to the Clapp Park splash pad, it is estimated to cost between $350,000 and $450,000.
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King Kone had a soft opening at the end of the week, offering the frozen treats on a "pay what you will" basis while employees perfected the craft.
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