Berkshire HorseWorks Gets Grants to Expand Literacy, Mental Health Programs

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RICHMOND, Mass. — Berkshire HorseWorks has received multiple grants to support its literacy and mental health programs, expanding access to its equine-assisted educational initiatives for children from underserved communities.

The nonprofit secured a $2,500 grant from The Dave McGillivray Finish Strong Foundation to fund scholarships for third- through eighth-grade students with learning disabilities to participate in the Horse Powered Reading (HPR) program. This initiative incorporates horses in ground-based activities to strengthen five key reading skills—phonetic awareness, decoding, vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension—while also funding staffing and care for the therapy herd.

In addition, Berkshire HorseWorks received three grants from the Berkshire Taconic Foundation. The Central Berkshire Fund awarded $5,000, and the William J. & Margery S. Barrett Fund contributed $9,000 to support enrollment in the Ranch Life 101 summer program, which helps children develop emotional intelligence, regulation, and interpersonal skills. These funds will provide full scholarships for children from multiple towns across Berkshire County. The Greylock ABC Fund granted $7,500 to ensure that 25 students from Reid Middle School, particularly those from low-income backgrounds, can access the Horse Powered Reading program.

“These funds come at a critical time for children in our community facing academic and social-emotional challenges,” said Hayley Sumner, founder and executive director of Berkshire HorseWorks. “Our herd of rescued equines helps bridge the gap in learning, ensuring that no one is left behind because of how they process information.”

Berkshire HorseWorks, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, has provided equine-assisted psychotherapy, learning, and team-building programs for over a decade. Recently, the organization expanded into education with the introduction of Horse Powered Reading and Math curriculums. Its programs serve at-risk youth, veterans, families, and other vulnerable populations across the Berkshires and New England, funded through grants, donations, and corporate team-building initiatives.

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Pryor & Peacock's Whimsical Furniture Environmentally Friendly

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff
 

The company uses digital printing to create the upholstery fabric, saving water and saving vintage furniture from ending up in landfills.

STOCKBRIDGE, Mass. — A unique furniture store has popped up on Elm Street this month.

Mom-and-daughter store Pryor & Peacock is hosting the pop-up storefront from Aug. 13 to Aug. 25 at 6 Elm. The New Marlborough business is co-founded by Rosalina Wright and Luca Shapiro, who is also the creative director. 

Their online shop was created in 2024 but they wanted people to see the pieces in person, so they're renting the space for a limited time before a long-term tenant moves in.

The store sources prints to create unique fabrics and reimagines vintage and antique furniture acquired at auctions, local shops, and online.

"We source prints from all over the world that date from the late 1600s up through mid-20th century, and Luca turns those prints into fabric by manipulating them, scanning them, oftentimes has to add or subtract things, and then we manufacture the fabric using only digital printing, which is very environmentally friendly, unlike traditional textile printing," Wright said.

Upholstering the furniture can take weeks of work. Shapiro looks for the perfect design for each piece and, if need be, uses Adobe Photoshop to extend the art work to fit or enhance the print.

"One of the most difficult parts comes in marrying the fabric to a piece of furniture because we only use antique and vintage frames also to be earth friendly, and they're also more beautiful and durable than new furniture," Wright said. "So the image has to go with the furniture, so that takes a lot of work."

One of Pryor & Peacock's missions is to be environmentally friendly. Digital printing doesn't use the same amount of water as traditional textile productions do nor does it contaminate water with ink according to their website.

Not only are they saving water, but they are saving furniture from going into the landfill while also using more durable furniture that doesn't break as easily as current pieces. They started their business to create something unique and to help the environment together.

"It's creating something nobody else is doing. People can't continue to buy throwaway furniture. Six percent of American landfills is furniture, and digital printing not only opens up the possibility of being able to put unique images on a piece of furniture, but it also is, as I said, environmentally friendly. So, for us, the excitement is to take an old East Lake settee that somebody's going to store in their barn and forget about, and make it something completely new and surprising," Wright said.

They hope their furniture helps bring a pop of fun to someone's home.

"We think our furniture is very whimsical and surprising, and most furniture today is oatmeal colored couches and gray neutral chairs, and it's boring," she said.

The two named their business after their mothers' maiden names to honor them and believe the name reflects their pieces.

Shapiro works in interior design outside of the business and the two liked working together and thought it would be great to start a business together. Shapiro says they can work well together and that her and her mother, Wright, has flipped houses before and have the same eye for design.

"So it's very easy for us to work together. When we see something, generally we agree on whether it works or doesn't work on a piece. We agree on the color schemes and that sort of thing. So it's very fun and fulfilling to work together," Shapiro said. 

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