Bits & Bytes: Multicultural BRIDGE summer camp; Israel Consul-General in Lenox; Greylock donates to Berkshire South; Austen Riggs scholarships awarded

Multicultural BRIDGE summer camp at the Guthrie Center

Great Barrington — Multicultural BRIDGE will again be offering its summer educational opportunity for students ages 5-12 at the Guthrie Center, 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. on August 10-14.

BRIDGE’s newly designed program, Happiness Toolbox, combines cultural, social, and emotional learning models with positive psychology to support resilience, engagement, and happiness. Students will have an opportunity to speak Spanish and learn about cultures that speak the Spanish language; learn Berkshire history; practice cross-cultural communication skills and skills of mindfulness, service leadership, and resilience; and participate in traditional summer activities such as outdoor exploration, games, and arts and crafts.

The program cost is $150 and there is limited space; need-based scholarships are available. Morning and afternoon snacks will provided. Parents can register their children by emailing adminsupport@multiculturalbridge.org. For more information call (413) 394-4029.

–E.E.

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Israel Consul-General to New England to deliver briefing

Yehuda Yaakov, Israel Consul-General to New England, will speak at Lenox Memorial High School on August 11.
Yehuda Yaakov, Israel Consul-General to New England, will speak at Lenox Memorial High School on August 11.

Lenox —  The Consul General of Israel to New England, Yehuda Yaakov, will share his insights on the diplomatic and security challenges facing Israel in a special event co-sponsored by Friends of the Israel Defense Forces, New England Chapter and the Jewish Federation of the Berkshires.

The briefing will take place at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, August 11, at Lenox Memorial High School’s Duffin Theatre. Yaakov will also discuss how Israel unearthed and destroyed terror tunnels from the Gaza Strip during last summer’s Operation Protective Edge. Joining the veteran Israeli diplomat will be several Israel Defense Forces (IDF) officers, including FIDF IMPACT! Scholarship recipients.

Yaakov is a veteran of Israeli public diplomacy and strategic affairs. He has been a member of Israel’s Foreign Service since 1989. Since 2008 he has focused on the public-diplomacy aspects of the Iranian crisis, for which he received the Israeli Foreign Ministry Director-General’s Award for Excellence in 2012.

The event is free and open to the public. RSVP to newengland@fidf.org or (617) 559-3600.

–E.E.

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Greylock Federal Credit Union donates to Berkshire South

Great Barrington — Greylock Federal Credit Union has donated $11,000 to Berkshire South Regional Community Center. Berkshire South will use the $11,000 to purchase food and supplies for its weekly Free Community Supper program.

Greylock President Marilyn L. Sperling said, “Berkshire South’s weekly Free Community Supper program is well deserving of Greylock’s support. The program offers the comforts of good food and camaraderie to attendees and great opportunities for volunteerism.”

Over the past year, Berkshire South has served over 5,000 meals to the Berkshire population with attendees coming from 17 towns in Berkshire County, New York, and Connecticut. Guests range in age from infants to seniors, with over half of attendees being older people seeking not only a good dinner but quality time and conversation with others. Area chefs donate their time and talents to create nutritious, tasty meals.

More information on the weekly community suppers is available at the Berkshire Edge calendar.

–E.E.

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Scholarships to high school students from Austen Riggs Center

Stockbridge — Each year since 2000, the Erikson Institute of the Austen Riggs Center has awarded the Evelyn Stefansson Nef Scholarship to three graduating high school seniors selected for their academic achievements, pursuit of study in the social sciences or pre-medicine, and their leadership in the community. The 2015 recipients are Katherine Donovan from Monument Mountain Regional High School who will be attending the Commonwealth Honors College at UMass Amherst and majoring in chemistry; Rishabh Kedia from Lenox Memorial High School who will be attending the Boston College pre-med program; and Samantha Reynolds from Lee High School who will be attending UMass Amherst to study psychology.

The scholarships are named for Evelyn Stefansson Nef, an important member and benefactor of the extended Austen Riggs community. Mrs. Nef was the donor of the largest gift in the history of the Center: a $3 million dollar bequest to endow the directorship of the Center’s Erikson Institute for Education and Research.

–E.E.