Biz Briefs: Wild Oats Donates to Habitat for Humanity

Passing it on

The member-owners of Wild Oats Market have selected Northern Berkshire Habitat For Humanity as the recipient of this quarter's donation from its Pass It On Program. Created in April to coincide with Earth Day, this initiative promotes reusable shopping bags by charging 10 cents per paper bag requested at checkout.

Every three months, these funds are donated to a local organization chosen via an online vote by the store's membership. On Friday, Nov. 15, Northern Berkshire Habitat For Humanity's president, Elisabeth Goodman, visited Wild Oats and received the check for $765.20 from Operations Manager Renate Kopynec. For more information about Wild Oats' Pass It On Program, contact Marketing & Owner Relations Manager Scott Menhinick.

Youth Center aid

Adams Community Bank has contributed $12,500 to help the Youth Center offset the costs of moving into the former Cheshire Elementary School. Adams Community Bank's CFO and the Youth Center Inc.'s Vice President, Andre Charbonneau, noted the new space is a great location for staff and children to enjoy for years to come.

The mission of the Youth Center is to provide community-based educational, recreational and social activities in a safe supportive environment.  To learn more, visit the website.

Hurricane help

Big Y World Class Markets collected donations from customers and employees from Sept. 11-22 for American Red Cross disaster relief Hurricane Dorian. Community and employee donations along with additional support from Big Y resulted in a donation of $30,000 which will be donated to both Massachusetts and Connecticut American Red Cross Chapters in support of the ongoing relief efforts in Bahamas and the Southeast United States.

A formal check presentation to the Massachusetts American Red Cross was held on Oct. 25th at the May Street Big Y World Class Market in Springfield. John Menard, Store Director, of Big Y Foods presented the contribution to Erin Ryder, regional manager of Donor Relations, Massachusetts Chapter.

Big Y, its customers and employees have a strong tradition of supporting those in need through the American Red Cross. Past relief campaigns include the 2004 Tsunami, Hurricane Katrina, and the earthquakes in both Japan and Haiti, Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria. Last year at about this time, Big Y drives made a positive impact on the Red Cross responses to Hurricane Florence, and those impacted by the Merrimack Valley Fires & Explosions. The 10-plus-year partnership has now raised over $1.6 million to support international and domestic disasters.

CNA training grant

MassHire Berkshire Workforce Board has received $218,750 to run certified nursing assistant (CNA) training programs for the next two years. This project is funded by a Sen. Kenneth J. Donnelly Workforce Success Grant (Workforce Competiveness Trust Fund FY’19 appropriation) through the Massachusetts Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development and is administered statewide by the Commonwealth Corporation, and locally administered by the Berkshire Workforce Board.

Through a comprehensive partnership of Berkshire County’s healthcare employers, educators, workforce professionals, social service agencies and career development agencies, the Berkshire Nursing Assistant program proposes to directly address the needs of the region's healthcare industry via intensive outreach, recruitment, education and training efforts to develop 70 certified nursing assistants throughout the two-year grant. The partnership looks to establish a daytime CNA program, as well as an online CNA program (with Department of Public Health approval) with weekly support services to address a growing and persistent problem of nursing assistant shortages. The trainings and services will be free-of-charge for participants and geared toward un/under employed Massachusetts residents, beginning in February 2020.

With DPH approval, the online program will be the first of its kind in the state and provides opportunities to those in our largely rural county who cannot participate in current evening offerings due to lack of transportation options.

SVMC employees honored

Front, left to right: Terry Thibodeau of Peri-Operative Services; Katie Plue of Environmental Services; Billie Lynn Allard, MSN, RN, on behalf of Nancy White, LNA, of the Intensive Care Unit; Jessica Woodward of Human Resources; and Kyle DeGraff, RN, of SVMC Cardiology, accepted Putnam Awards from Thomas A. Dee, FACHE, Southwestern Vermont Health Care’s president and CEO, at back.

Southwestern Vermont Health Care leaders and staff gathered last month at the Mount Anthony Country Club on Oct. 16 to honor employees for their service to the organization's mission. One award every year is presented for each of the organization’s five core values: quality, empathy, safety, teamwork, and stewardship. The employees who received the awards are noted standard bearers and role models within the organization.

The 2019 Putnam Award Honorees are: Quality, Katie Plue of Environmental Services; Empathy, Nancy White, LNA, of the Intensive Care Unit; Stewardship, Terry Thibodeau of Peri-Operative Services; the Dr. Richard Guerrero Patient Safety Award, Kyle DeGraff, RN, of SVMC Cardiology; and Teamwork, Jessica Woodward of Human Resources

The evening also honored those celebrating employment anniversaries. Many were honored for 10, 20 and 30 years of employment with SVHC. Thirteen employees were noted for having surpassed 40 years of service, including Christine Bacon, Joy Bull, Judy Carpenter, Joyce Caslin,  Mary Anne Cushing, Cheryl Jacobs, Gregory Jacobs, Laurie Lachant, Marie McAuliffe, Maydene Mort, Roberta Smith, Jane Wright, and Colleen Wyman.

Chamber election

The Stockbridge Chamber of Commerce elected new officers during the annual meeting held at Wheatleigh on Nov. 4. Barbara Zanetti, executive director of the chamber, said officers elected for the 2020-21 term included President Margaret Kerswill of Mutability in Motion; Vice President Lee Watroba of the Austen Riggs Center; Assistant Vice President Douglas Goudey of Wheeler & Taylor; Treasurer Susan Higa of the Red Lion Inn/Main Street Hospitality Group; and Secretary Mary Flournoy of the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy.

Four others will be joining the board as members-at-large: Mike Tucker of Qualprint, Alyssa Stable of Berkshire Theatre Group, Pam Boudreau of Lee Bank and Doug Bagnasco of 1800 Devonfield Country Inn. Resigning as vice president is Jeff Bell of the Inn at Stockbridge after serving four years on the Board of Directors.

The Stockbridge Country Inn's Diane & Vernon Reuss were recognized for all they have done to advocate the chambers commitment to the support of the businesses and the overall well being of the town of Stockbridge and its environs. Marc Wilhelm, the managing director of Wheatleigh, hosted the evening's event.

Each year, the chamber sponsors such programs the Stockbridge Main Street at Christmas event, the Arts & Crafts Show and the Stockbridge Children's Halloween Parade and Party.  In addition, the chamber produces a widely distributed guide, promotes the economic welfare of Stockbridge and its environs and responds to all inquires made to the office located in its new location at 50 Main St.

Share the Love

Hillcrest Educational Centers is participating in Subaru of America's 12th annual Share the Love campaign. Subaru will donate $250 to charity for every new Subaru vehicle purchased or leased at more than 628 participating Subaru retailers nationwide, including Berkshire County's own Haddad Subaru.

Along with a handful of national charities, Subaru retailers can add local charities for customers to support. This year, Haddad Subaru has chosen Hillcrest Educational Centers as their hometown charity. The Share the Love campaign runs from Nov. 14, 2019, to Jan. 2, 2020.

Puppets Teach Resilience at Lanesborough Elementary School

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff
05:30PM / Monday, April 27, 2026

The kids learned from puppets Ollie and a hermit crab.

LANESBOROUGH, Mass. — Vermont Family Network's Puppets in Education visited the elementary school recently to teach kids about being resilient.

Puppets in Education has been engaging with young students with interactive puppets for 45 years.  

The group partnered again with Bedard Brothers Chevrolet, which sponsored the visit. 

Classes filtered through the music class Thursday to learn about how to be resilient and kind, deal with change and anxiety, and more.

"This program is this beautiful blending of other programs we have, which is our anxiety program, our bullying prevention and friendship program, but is teaching children the power of yet and how to be able to feel empowered and strong when times are challenging and tough," said program manager Sarah Vogelsang-Card.

The kids got to engage with a "bounce back" song, move around, and listen to a hermit crab deal with the change of needing a new shell.

"A crab that is too small or too big for its shell, so trying to problem solve, having a plan A, B and C, because it's a really tough time," Vogelsang-Card said. "It's like moving, it's like divorce of parents, it's changing schools. It's things that children would be going through, even on a day to day basis, that are just things they need to be resilient, that they feel strong and they feel empowered to be able to make these choices for themselves."

The resiliency program is new and formatted little differently to each of the age groups.

"For the older kids. We age it up a bit, so we talk about harassment and bullying and even setting the scene with the beach is a little bit different kind of language, something that they feel like they can buy into," she said. "For the younger kids, it's a little bit more playful, and we don't touch about harassment. We just talk about making friends and being kind. So that's where we're learning as we're growing this program, is to find the different kinds of messaging that's appropriate for each development level."

This programming affirms themes that are already being discussed in the elementary school, said school psychologist Christy Viall. She thinks this is a fun way for the children to continue learning. 

"We have programs here at the school called community building, and that's really good. So they go through all of these strategies already," she said. "But having that repetition is really important, and finding it in a different way, like the puppets coming in and sharing it with them is a fun way that they can really connect to, I think, and it might, get in a little more deeply for them.

Vogelsang-Card said its another space for them to be safe and discuss what's going on in their life. Some children are afraid because maybe their parents are getting divorced, or they're being bullied, but with the puppets, they might open up and disclose what's bothering them because they feel safe, even in a larger crowd. 

"When we do sexual abuse awareness that program alone, over five years, we had 87 disclosures of abuse that were followed up and reported," she said. "And children feel safe with the puppets. It makes them feel valued, heard, and we hope that in our short time that we're together, that they at least leave knowing that they're not alone."

Bedard Brothers also gave the school five new puppets to use. Viall said the puppets are a great help for the students in her classroom, especially in the younger grades. 

"Every year, I've been giving the puppets to the students. And I also have a few of the puppets in my classroom, and the students use them in small groups to practice out the strategies with each other, which is really helpful," she said. "Sometimes the older students, like sixth graders, will put on a puppet show. They'll come up with a whole theme and a whole little situation, and they'll act it out with the strategies for the younger students. It's really cute, they've done it with kindergarteners, and the kids really like it."

Vogelsang-Card said there are 130 schools in Vermont that are on the waiting list for them to come in. Lanesborough Elementary has been the only Massachusetts school they have visited, thanks to Bedard Brothers. 

"These programs are so critical and life-changing for children in such a short amount of time, and we are the only program in the United States that does what we do, which is create this content in this enjoyable, fun, engaging way with oftentimes difficult subjects," she said. "Vermont is our home base, but we would love to be able to bring this to more schools, and we can't do this without the support of community, business funders or donors, and it really makes a difference for children."

The fourth-grade students were the first class to engage with the puppets and a lot of them really connected with the show.

"I learned to never give-up and if you have to move houses, be nervous, but it still helps," said William Larios.

"I learned to always add the word 'yet' at the end," said Sierra Kellogg, because even if she can't do something now, she will be able to at some point.

Samuel Casucci was struck by what one of the puppets talked about. "He said some people make fun of him if he dresses different, come from different place, brings home lunch, it doesn't matter," Samuel continued. "We're all kind of the same. We're all kind of different, like we have different hairstyles, different clothes. We're all the same because we're all human."

"I learned how to be more positive about myself and like, say, I can't do this yet, it's positive and helpful," said Liam Flaherty.

The students got to take home stickers at the end of the day with contact information of the organization.