- Protect their assets from taxes and probate
- Discuss difficult topics surrounding death and inheritance
- Organize their estate and financial documents
- Define end-of-life wishes and ensure legal protection
Berkshire Hills Chorus welcomes Sunhwa Reiner as new music director, celebrating new chapter
Pittsfield— The Berkshire Hills Chorus is thrilled to announce the appointment of Sunhwa Reiner as its new Music Director. With a passion for choral music and a commitment to fostering a vibrant musical community, Sunhwa Reiner brings a wealth of experience and fresh energy to the chorus. After 11 years of devoted service, former directors Gail Wojtkowiak and Pat Feldman will be stepping back onto the risers and participating in the chorus as singers going forward.
Sunhwa Reiner is a seasoned music professional with a diverse background in choral direction, vocal and piano performance, and music education. Her experience includes producing and directing musicals, teaching K-12 music classes and private lessons, directing music and songwriting workshops, and collaborating with community groups. She is also a recipient of the “40 Under 40” Berkshire County Award, awarded in recognition for her music education and community engagement accomplishments.
“We are incredibly excited to have Sunhwa Reiner join us as our new Music Director,” said Leslie Murray, President of the Berkshire Hills Chorus. “Her talent and enthusiasm are contagious, and we believe she will inspire our members to reach new heights on their musical journey.”
The Berkshire Hills Chorus looks forward to a bright future under Sunhwa Reiner’s direction and extends a warm invitation to new members to join the group. Whether you’re an experienced singer or simply someone who loves to sing, the chorus welcomes all women singers to audition. Rehearsals are held weekly, providing a supportive environment for members to develop their vocal skills, make lasting friendships, and experience the joy of singing together. More information can be found online.
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Bennington College welcomes Bryn Mooser and Eddie Ubell to its board of trustees
Bennington— Two Bennington College alumni, both entrepreneurial leaders, have been elected to join the Bennington College Board of Trustees. They are Bryn Mooser ’01 and Eddie Ubell ’09.
Mooser is an Emmy-winning and Oscar-nominated filmmaker and media entrepreneur who founded the immersive media company RYOT, which was acquired by Verizon in 2016. He built the industry-leading documentary studio XTR and streaming platform DOCUMENTARY+ as well as the AI animation studio Asteria.
Ubell is the founder of Sunshine Enclosures, one of the foremost branding agencies and sustainable packaging manufacturers in the alternative health industry.
Bennington College’s Board of Trustees consists of twenty-five members. Most are alumni, including two recent graduate trustees. In the role of Trustee, Mooser and Ubell will collaborate with the College’s president, senior leadership, and faculty to approve long-term plans for the College, oversee the budget, and preserve the institution’s reputation by helping to define and protect its educational mission.
“Bryn and Eddie really exemplify what we hope Bennington students and alumni can accomplish during their time here and in their lives after they graduate,” said Nicholas Stephens ’77, Chair of the Board. “Their insights as creatively attuned, driven, and successful business people will greatly enrich the Board’s discussions.” Learn more at bennington.edu.
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MountainOne recognizes ‘Mountaineers’ with volunteer awards
North Adams— MountainOne hosted a memorable evening of celebration at the Publick House Historic Inn, bringing together employees (known as “Mountaineers”) from across Massachusetts for the All-Mountaineer Event on Thursday, September 5th. Mountaineers from the Berkshires, South Shore, and Pioneer Valley gathered to recognize and celebrate the remarkable contributions made over the past year.
To express appreciation for their dedication, MountainOne presented Mountaineer Volunteer Awards to Mountaineers who exemplified exceptional service, leadership, and community spirit. Each award recipient received a certificate and $1,000 to donate to charities of their choice. The selected organizations in the Berkshires include Berkshire Dream Center and No Paws Left Behind.
From the Berkshires, Alyson Lesure, Claims Representative & Branch Support Supervisor won the Peak Mountaineer Volunteer Award; and Erik Ray, Community Banking Officer won the Mountaineer Volunteer of the Year Award.
The Peak Mountaineer Volunteer Award recognizes a Mountaineer who consistently supports team efforts and collaborates effectively. Alyson Lesure’s contributions this year have been outstanding. From her involvement in the MountainOne Steel Rail Races, Steeplecats games, and North Adams Farmers Market, Alyson has been a reliable and impactful force in our volunteer initiatives. Her readiness to contribute wherever needed and her strong commitment to teamwork have significantly enhanced every event she’s been part of.
The Mountaineer Volunteer of the Year Award honors a Mountaineer with exceptional dedication to volunteerism and community engagement. Erik Ray’s commitment extends well beyond community events, including North Adams Pride and Downtown Trick-or-Treat. His active involvement with local nonprofits, such as serving on the board of Child Care of the Berkshires, and the Northern Berkshire United Way, underscores his significant impact on the community. Erik’s ability to inspire and motivate his colleagues to participate in MountainOne’s initiatives truly embodies the spirit of volunteerism and makes a meaningful difference both within and outside the company.
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Second Street Second Chances to hold ribbon cutting and open house
Pittsfield— In celebration of its newly expanded, more welcoming client service center, Second Street Second Chances (2nd Street) will hold a ribbon cutting and open house on Monday, September 30th at 2 p.m. at 264 Second Street in Pittsfield. The event is free and open to the public.
Housed in the former Berkshire County Jail and House of Correction, 2nd Street opened in 2022. At that time, 2nd Street occupied space on the second floor, consisting of an open area with workstations for community resource navigators and an administrative assistant, a few work terminals for clients, a small office for the executive director, and a space for workshops and meetings.
Now, 2nd Street’s space has expanded from 1,500 square feet to 4,600 square feet. The remodeled space encompasses the first floor, including the building’s rotunda. The area accommodates two offices shared by two community navigators each, plus an office for private meetings with representatives of legal aid, housing services, mental health counseling, and other individual sessions. The new office space also includes a large room with client workstations used for workshops and meetings, as well as attractive common areas. The second floor will continue to be used for administrative functions and additional meeting space.
The newly designed common space includes an installation of “Insight Out,” an exhibition of visual art created by presently or formerly incarcerated individuals in Berkshire County. Berkshire Museum, which displayed the exhibition last fall, reinstalled the artwork into the new space.
The event also serves as the launch of “Using Our Outside Voices,” a literary journal featuring works by currently and formerly incarcerated individuals from Berkshire County, and will include a reading by one of the contributing authors. Copies will be available at no cost to attendees.
The space occupied by 2nd Street, including the newly expanded portion, is provided by the Berkshire County Sheriff’s Office free of charge, including utilities and maintenance. “The Berkshire County Sheriff’s Office is proud to support 2nd Street and its mission. The services they provide for formerly incarcerated individuals are critical to our mission of giving as much support as possible to those who are re-entering their communities,” said Sheriff Tom Bowler. “We couldn’t be more pleased with the expansion of the 2nd Street space and with the work 2nd Street is doing.”
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Irwin Feld Design celebrates first anniversary
Hillsdale, N.Y.— With more than 25 years of design and merchandising experience, Irwin Feld, Hillsdale resident, and owner of Irwin Feld Design, which also maintains a presence in Manhattan’s New York Design Center, is celebrating his first anniversary in Hillsdale.
Located in the historic Althouse-Higgins house, a restored 1845 home at 2666 State Route 23 in Hillsdale, Feld is expanding his design and consulting business to include Fine Art and Fine Art Photography in addition to items from his extensive vintage and custom home furnishings collections.
Feld has also added a collection of terrariums, housed in vintage glass apothecary and candy jars, each with a special theme such as “Message in a Bottle” and “Working Garden”. The containers date back to the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It is an evolving collection as Feld is always sourcing the unique, and in flawless condition. Upcoming will be a glass pumpkin filled with Autumnal goodies.
“I have added the fine art photographs created by my wife, Marcy Feld, whose current exhibition focuses on local nature in the Hudson Valley and the Berkshires.” I have also dedicated a separate gallery space for a collection of etchings by renowned artist Vincent Longo. Both artists will be on permanent display in the studio,” says Feld. Additionally, a collection of handmade pillows fabricated from vintage Japanese kimonos by John Mahoney of Nippon West are being given a special spot in the ever-evolving space.
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Berkshire/Columbia Counties Pay Equity Project announces ‘Passion Doesn’t Pay the Rent,’ a pay equity summit at The Mahaiwe
Great Barrington— On Wednesday, September 25th from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., the Berkshires/Columbia Counties Pay Equity Coalition, made up of 18 arts and culture organizations, will hold a summit at The Mahaiwe to release their second report showcasing progress made and remaining barriers, according to employers and workers themselves.
Coalition work began in 2021, as part of a year-long Inclusive Leadership program facilitated by Multicultural BRIDGE and supported by Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation. The project was inspired by the cultural employees that found outlets for their voices in 2020 through the open letter “We See you White American Theater, Change the Museum, and Change Berkshire Culture,” as well as our colleagues.
In June of 2023, the Berkshire/Columbia Counties Pay Equity Project, then six arts and culture organizations, released its initial report which dramatically told the story of how working in the arts caused financial hardships, mental hardships, trauma and inequity. The initial report included original survey data, the voices of workers themselves, and concrete recommendations for employers – to which Coalition members committed themselves.
Closing the knowledge gap that exists around the work of entry and mid level arts workers is a recommendation from the first report. To that end, the coalition invites regional arts and culture organizations, nonprofit leaders and board members, press, entry- and mid-level workers, area creatives, funders, policy makers, researchers, and equity activists and experts to join us to hear how our coalition is implementing changes and making our organizations more equitable.
Register for the free event here: https://mahaiwe.org/event/berkshires-columbia-county-pay-equity-coalition-2024-summit/
Fairview Hospital ‘Golf Classic’ raises funds for equipment
Stockbridge— Over 120 golfers from the area convened at Stockbridge Golf Club on Thursday, September 5th for Fairview Hospital’s 28th annual Golf Classic which raised $50,000 to support Fairview Hospital equipment needs, providing valuable support for Fairview Hospital, Berkshire Health Systems’ 25-bed critical access hospital in Great Barrington. Golfers and volunteers enjoyed perfect fall weather for the mixed scramble format which was followed by a post-play reception.
Prizes were awarded to the top five gross and net teams. In the net division, 2023 Champion Berkshire Bank defended their title (Ed Harvey, Jeff Harvey, Wenny Moony and Bob Coons,) followed by 2nd place Unitech Sound (Jack Henault, William Dougherty, Shaun Wheatley, Julie Wheatley.) The third-place winner was the team of Emmett Schuster, Jeff Cella, Michelle Cella and Matt Risley. Fourth place was earned by Obanhein Electric (Jim Obanhein, Kim Obanhein, Bill Barry and Lynn Barry) with fifth place taken by Party of Fore (Donna Wichman, Luke McDonnell, Joseph Soudant and Ray Briggs.)
Gross division winner Lee Bank (Chris Kinne, Jim Nejaime, Heidi Nejaime, and Matt Freitag) was followed by runner up Team Schoenfeld (Stephen Schoenfeld, Stu Berkowitz, Andy Consolati, and Skipper Singer.) Third place gross was won by Greylock Federal Credit Union (Sheila Labarbera, Bob Massetti, Tom Marchetto, and Ken Lemme.) Fourth and fifth gross were won by the teams of Smith Watson (Bryon Sherman, Max Joiner, Jodi Hermanski, and Jamie Esola) and NBT Bank (Aidan Gilligan, Rich Cantele, Linda Cantele, and Dr. Mark Taylor,) respectively.
Additional prizes were awarded for men’s longest drive (Jon Kellogg,) women’s longest drive (Jen Race,) men’s closest to the pin (Jim Obanhein,) women’s closest to the pin (Kate McCormick,) men’s closest to line (Jeff Delisle) and women’s closest to line (Cassandra Barry).
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Ventfort Hall awarded grant for parking lot paving and accessible
Lenox— Ventfort Hall Guilded Age Mansion and Museum has been awarded a FY2025 Destination Development Capital (DDC) Grant of $55,000 from the Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism for excavating, re-building, re-surfacing, and adding lighting to the driveway and visitor parking area. This grant was matched with a donation by Louis Schroeter.
These areas have deteriorated over time due to extremes of heat, cold, and ice causing potholes and muddy conditions, and sometimes rendering parts of the parking lot unusable. At the same time, restoration efforts and expanded programming have increased visitation, requiring greater parking capacity.
Ventfort Hall Guilded Age Mansion and Museum was built in 1893 for George and Sarah Morgan, the sister of legendary financier J. Pierpont Morgan. Since rescuing it from destruction in 1997, the Ventfort Hall Association has maintained and continued to restore this landmark estate, a magnificent example of early 20th century architecture and a museum dedicated to the history of the Gilded Age, a significant period in the history of Lenox. This elegant Jacobean-Revival Berkshire “cottage” is open to the public year-round and is available for private rental. More information can be found online.
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Berkshire Environmental Action Team receives state funding for a community commercial dishwasher and durable place settings
Pittsfield— Berkshire Zero Waste Initiative (BZWI,) a program of Berkshire Environmental Action Team (BEAT,) has been selected as a recipient of one of Mass DEP’s “Reduce, Reuse Repair” micro-grants.
The award will be used to purchase and install a commercial dishwasher at BEAT’s Environmental Leadership and Education Center, located in Pittsfield, as well as to purchase supplies for a stock of at least 100 reusable place settings, including plates, bowls, silverware, glasses, coffee mugs and tea cups, and some serving dishes and utensils.
The dishwasher will be used by BEAT and BZWI to sanitize all dishwares used at BEAT events, both those held at the center and elsewhere in Berkshire County. The 100+ place settings will also be made available to community groups for public gatherings as well as individuals for private parties. Community members will be able to reserve the type and amount of dishes needed in advance, pick them up at the BEAT office, and bring them back for washing after use.
Berkshire Zero Waste Initiative’s mission is to help move Berkshire County towards zero waste. This project aims to do so by eliminating barriers associated with choosing alternatives to single-use items, especially plastic foodware, including money and time spent on durable dishwares and their cleaning. Use of this community resource is intended to be accessible to all, and is expected to be in place by the end of this year. More information can be found online.
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City of Pittsfield profiles Berkshire Community College’s ARPA grant-funded paid internship program
Pittsfield— The City of Pittsfield has selected the internship program at Berkshire Community College (BCC) as one of the next American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funded community partners to be profiled through city social media and other publicity outlets.
The BCC Internship Program is available for BCC students who are residents of Pittsfield. Interns gain valuable knowledge, skills and professional experience by working outside the classroom with a Pittsfield employer. Interns work 10 to 15 hours per week for one semester and are paid a stipend following the completion of the internship, which is supplemented by an ARPA grant.
“The ARPA funds and support have made a great impact on our students, with strong internships here in Pittsfield,” said Dean of Students Celia Norcross. “The connections interns make with local companies looking to fill workforce needs are invaluable. We are delighted to be selected for ARPA profiles, which will give recognition to the wonderful interns here.”
The paid internship program is yet another financial incentive at the College, complementing free tuition for eligible students through the Commonwealth’s MassReconnect and MassEducate programs. For more information on BCC’s Internship Program, visit www.berkshirecc.edu/internships.
Over the past several months, the city has been using its platforms to highlight ARPA-funded work being done in the community. Additionally, the profiles are intended to raise awareness about how these funds are helping city residents and/or small businesses who were negatively impacted by the pandemic. ARPA Community Partner Profiles can be viewed on the city’s website at www.cityofpittsfield.org.
