Sheila Myers To Speak at Ventfort Hall

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LENOX, Mass. — Author and college professor Sheila Myers will talk about how historical homes shape cultural memory on Tuesday, July 21, at 4 pm.

A tea will be served after her presentation.

She will share the research behind her five historical novels, exploring how historic homes—both grand and unassuming—shape our cultural memory. 

According to a press release:

Sheila Myers is an award winning author and college professor who lives in Upstate, NY. When she's not writing, she likes to venture out into the wilderness, swim in lakes, and make the occasional trip to a cemetery to find inspiration. Human failures and passions are always good starting points for a plot and there is plenty of that to go around. Her favorite thing to do when she's bored is binge watch the Antiques Roadshow.

She's been a featured guest on the History Channel, numerous podcasts, and has published essays and short stories in Adirondack Life Magazine, Appalachia Journal, Great Lakes Review and Stone Canoe literary magazine. Her trilogy on the infamous Durant family of the Adirondacks received the Adirondack Center for Writing Best Book of Fiction Award and her most recent novel, The Painting was a finalist for the Daphne Du Maurier Award for Mystery and Suspense.

Tickets are $45. Members receive a discount code for $5 off all ticket prices. Students 22 and under are $22. Ticket pricing includes access to the mansion throughout the day of this event from 10 am to 4 pm. Reservations are strongly encouraged as seats are limited. Walk-ins accommodated as space allows. For reservations visit https://fareharbor.com/embeds/book/ventforthall/items/722948/?full-items=yes&flow=1597425 or call (413) 637-3206. Note that all tickets are nonrefundable and non-exchangeable. The historical mansion is located at 104 Walker St. in Lenox.

Listed on the National Register of Historic Places and designated by the Massachusetts Cultural Council as an important partner of the Lenox Cultural District, one of the five such Berkshire County districts, Ventfort Hall Gilded Age Mansion & Museum was built in 1893 for George and Sarah Morgan, the sister of legendary financier J. Pierpont Morgan.

 

 

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Josh Billings Athletes Can Support Local Non-Profits

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PITTSFIELD, Mass. - A new fundraising initiative is giving participants in  one of the Berkshires’ most recognized community traditions a simple way to support local  nonprofits.
 
Launched this year by the Josh Billings RunAground and Mill Town Foundation, the Finish Line Fund allows participating teams to select a Berkshire-based nonprofit and invite friends, family members, colleagues, and others to support the organization through a  team fundraising page.
 
With time still remaining before the Sept. 20 event, participating teams already have raised more than $16,000 for local nonprofits.
 
“The Finish Line Fund is about expanding participation in local philanthropy,” said Andy Wrba, Program Director at Mill Town Foundation. “You don’t need to make a large gift to have an impact. When hundreds of people contribute $10 or $20 to organizations they care about, those individual gifts can add up to something significant. We want to make local  giving accessible, personal, and connected to an event people are already excited to be part of.”
 
Rather than directing all fundraising to a single beneficiary, the Finish Line Fund places the  choice in the hands of participants. Teams select a Berkshire nonprofit that is meaningful to them and use their own networks and personal stories to build support for the organization.  Donations made through each team’s fundraising page go directly to its selected nonprofit.
 
The initiative reflects a peer-to-peer approach to philanthropy in which individuals become  ambassadors for the organizations and causes they value. In addition to raising funds, the  program is designed to introduce more people to Berkshire nonprofits, expand their networks of supporters, and encourage community members to see themselves as active participants in local giving.
 
To encourage broad participation, Mill Town Foundation will also contribute an additional $500 to the nonprofit represented by each of the five teams that attracts the greatest number of individual donors. The incentive is based on the number of unique supporters – not the total amount raised – reinforcing the message that gifts of every size matter.
 
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