Berkshire South Regional Community Center announces new Board of Trustees
Great Barrington— Berkshire South Regional Community Center is pleased to announce that Erica Jaffe is joining the Board of Trustees as the Board Chair. Jaffe is stepping in for Barbara Manring who has served as the acting Interim Chair for the last two years. Other newly appointed officers include Tony Scott, Second Vice Chair, and Jaclyn Sinay, Clerk. Ethel Patterson is also returning to the BSRCC Board after a two-year hiatus.
Erica Jaffe, a full-time Housatonic resident, brings over 15 years of branding and marketing experience through her work at New York-based creative agencies including BrandFire, 100 Mile Group, and MGX Lab. Most recently, Jaffe co-founded SAYS WHO, a company that designs, patents, and launches products for children and families with disabilities and special needs. “We are thrilled to have Erica join the Board at Berkshire South. We look forward to her enthusiasm and innate appreciation for the value of community to help guide our way forward,” said Jenise Lucey, Executive Director.
Berkshire South exists today because of Erica’s grandfather, Edwin Jaffe. In 1996, he assembled a group of Southern Berkshire County community members to discuss the need for a space to bring people together and tackle the issue of rural isolation. They recognized that many local people lacked access to the few recreational, educational, cultural, health, and social organizations there were in South County at the time and sought to improve the social well-being of the people in the region. In 2002, their efforts resulted in Berkshire South Regional Community Center opening its doors to the public and, for the last 21 years, connecting people through health and wellness programs, art classes, children’s enrichment opportunities, and special events. Erica Jaffe said, “I am extremely honored to serve as the next Board Chair of Berkshire South. The Center provides so many vital services to the people of Southern Berkshire County. I am thrilled to play a part in ensuring its continued success and seeing my grandfather’s vision serve the next generation of community members.”
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Berkshire Center for Justice awarded $24,000 grant by Berkshire Elder Services
Great Barrington— The Berkshire Center for Justice (“BCJ”) has been awarded a Title III grant totaling $24,000.00 to help fund its Justice for Elders program. These funds are earmarked to provide free legal services to income qualified people aged 60 years old and older with a focus on those residing in South Berkshire County. The Grant period is through September 30, 2025. Clients will be served on a first come, first served basis in areas of real estate transfer, deed construction, family, landlord/tenant, Wills/Power of Attorney/Medical Proxy document construction, bankruptcy, educational debt, among other areas of law.
BCJ attorney, Eve Schatz, is a certified Limited Assistance Representative in Housing Court and can help those with time sensitive matters such as filing answers to a complaint. She is the 2020 recipient of the Massachusetts Bar Association Access to Justice award.
The Berkshire Center for Justice is a 501(c)3 non-profit, charitable organization that provides legal, educational, and mentoring services that promote social and community justice. The organization has been in operation since 2006 and is well known for offering Free Legal Clinics and other legal services throughout Berkshire County. If you would like to help support their justice programs, donations can be made on their website at BerkshireCenterforJustice.org, or call 413-854-1955 for more information and volunteer opportunities.
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1Berkshire’s 2023 Annual Meeting at The Stationery Factory highlights a year of achievement and welcomes new members to Board of Directors
Dalton— On Thursday, December 14th at the Stationery Factory in Dalton, 1Berkshire held its 2023 Annual Meeting. Focused on achievements of the past year, nearly 200 attendees gathered to hear the 1Berkshire team cover a year in review, program successes, and welcome new members to its Board of Directors.
Margaret Keller, Executive Director for Community Access to the Arts (CATA) and 1Berkshire board member, kicked off the presentation with a warm welcome and thank you to sponsors who helped make the event free to members and the attending public.
Following Keller’s remarks, 1Berkshire Board Chair and Berkshire Bank Berkshire/Vermont Regional President, Lori Gazzillo Kiely, conducted the official Business Meeting during which the membership accepted the Nominating Committee’s recommendation to welcome for a term of three years the following Directors: Christian Hanson (Balderdash Cellars), Scott St. George (Berkshire Health Systems), Dubois Thomas (Blackshires Community Empowerment Foundation), and Ari Zorn (Devine Retail Cannabis). Each was approved.
The membership renewed a term of three years for each of the following Directors: James Birge (MCLA), Jonathan Denmark (MountainOne Insurance Agency, Inc.), Margaret Keller (Community Access to the Arts), Scott Kirchner (Mad Macs, Inc.), and Christina Wynn (Berkshire Community College). Departing Directors included: Gene Dellea (Berkshire Health Systems), Jason Lyon (Boston Symphony Orchestra), and Mindi Morin (Canyon Ranch).
Jonathan Butler, President and CEO of 1Berkshire, started his remarks by thanking the staff of 1Berkshire for its dedication and passion in supporting the health of the Berkshire economy and promoting its tourism sector. He also reported on the financials and the strength of 1Berkshire’s membership of 600+ Enhance and Core members, and retention rate of 85%, a metric that is above the national benchmark. He thanked 1Berkshire’s 28 investors for their continued support and loyal contributions, which directly impact 1Berkshire’s ability to fund its initiatives. Through FY23, 1Berkshire has seen growth in programs, grants, and other income areas to make FY23 a successful income year.
1Berkshire Vice President of Economic Development, Ben Lamb, provided an update on a number of programs such as “the jobs thing,” which posted 304 jobs in FY23, representing consistent trends with national workforce recruitment. The Berkshire Youth Leadership Program graduated its 13th class in May and welcomed its 14th class into the program in June; over 360 students have graduated the program to date.
Butler then gave a report on tourism and marketing beginning with tourism impact numbers from FY22 – notably, direct visitor spending is up 7% over 2021. The year saw a number of successful campaign tactics for promoting the region, such as ongoing social media ads and retargeting that resulted in 5.3 million impressions and 95,000 clicks to berkshires.org. The public relations program helped place Berkshire-centric stories in 32 news outlets such as AFAR, Boston Globe, Forbes, The Today Show, Time Out, and Travel + Leisure, all of which resulted in 158 million impressions. Overall, marketing programs drove 2 million impressions to berkshires.org and more than 1 million impressions to 1Berkshire member listings on the site.
Butler wrapped the presentation with a positive outlook for 2024, citing the ongoing work of 1Berkshire in conjunction with partner organizations and emphasized a continued focus on housing for the coming year. Afterward, attendees enjoyed refreshments, networking, and a photo booth.
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Berkshire Bank and its Center for Women, Wellness & Wealth announce an innovative collaboration with the Massachusetts General Hospital Dementia Care Collaborative
Boston— Berkshire Bank and its Center for Women, Wellness & Wealth (CWWW) are excited to announce a new effort to support the Dementia Care Collaborative (DCC), a program at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) Division of Palliative Care & Geriatric Medicine. This innovative collaboration will bolster the support patients and families living with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias receive in Boston and beyond. The partnership also includes a philanthropic contribution from the bank’s foundation.
There are an estimated 6.5 million Americans living with Alzheimer’s disease and more than 11 million caregivers who are unpaid family members and friends (DCC Annual report). According to research, Alzheimer’s disease is twice as common in women. Berkshire understands there is a need to educate and support those living with dementia, caregivers, healthcare providers, and the community. By joining together with the DCC, we will assist with financial wellness and financial security, which is crucial to the aging population and their caregivers.
Supporting women through various stages of life is core to Berkshire Bank’s CWWW, which launched in 2022. CWWW seeks community collaborations to help women gain confidence in their personal finances and to help them pursue their dreams and goals. By joining efforts with the DCC, Berkshire Bank can enrich the financial stability, balance, and growth for women in the Boston community and beyond.
