Frelinghuysen Morris House awarded grant from the National Trust for Historic Preservation
Lenox— The Frelinghuysen Morris House has been awarded an $18,000 grant from the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
This comes as part of the National Trust’s Dorothy C. Radgowski Learning Through Women’s Achievement in the Arts grants. The goal of the grant is to expand educational programming and help students engage with the inspiring stories of women in the arts. This year, a total of four sites will receive a collective $71,000 in grant support as part of the program.
Frelinghuysen Morris House & Studio received the award for “Suzy’s Palette: Exploring Abstract Color Relationships with Personal and Mathematical Insights.” By examining the paintings of opera singer and abstract artist, Suzy Frelinghuysen (1911-1988,) the museum staff and local educators will create pilot workshops and a lesson plan for fourth and fifth graders that uses math as a method to teach students to appreciate and understand the color proportions and formal composition principles in abstract art.
“We are so fortunate to have a donor who understands the importance of this type of groundbreaking educational programming,” said Chris Morris, senior director of preservation programs at the National Trust and leader of Where Women Made History. ”As part of our larger commitment to increasing gender equity in our work, these grant projects are changing the ways in which the public–particularly young people–encounter women’s stories and achievements at historic places.”
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Flying Cloud Institute celebrates 40th Anniversary
Great Barrington— The year 2024 marks Flying Cloud Institute’s 40th Anniversary.
The organization was founded in 1984 by Jane and Larry Burke with David Schwarz, as a center for community education specializing in environmental education, energy and land conservation, and the arts. It now offers an array of programs in the arts and STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math) that serve over 2,000 youth and local educators annually.
To celebrate this landmark anniversary, Flying Cloud is hosting a series of events, while gathering individual stories of the organization’s impact and sharing these recollections with the community. The events kicked off with a silk screening party on March 2nd at Bon Dimanche in Great Barrington. During the party, participants silk screened t-shirts and totes with the Flying Cloud logo. The next event will celebrate the Young Women in Science program with a “Women in Science Trivia Night” on May 2nd at Berkshire Innovation Center in Pittsfield.
“Jane and Larry started something special, shared their home and talents with this community for 40 years, and we think that’s worth celebrating! The whole Flying Cloud team is proud to continue that work, to inspire the next generation of scientists and artists,” said Executive Director Maria Rundle.
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Hawthorne Valley Farm served as distribution site for fourth annual Hudson Valley ‘Farm Bulk Order Program’
Ghent, N.Y.— On March 15th and 16th, Hawthorne Valley Farm (HVF) served as one of two distribution sites for the Hudson Valley Farm Bulk Order’s fourth annual pick up. Thirty-six area farmers came to HVF over the two days to pick up supplies that were ordered as part of the farmer-to-farmer cost savings program.
The Hudson Valley Farm Bulk Order Program was started by Hudson Valley farmer Faith Gilbert in 2021 as a farmer-to-farmer cost savings program designed to combine purchasing power to achieve product discounts on necessary farm supplies and reduce shipping costs. The program is now coordinated by Ella Schwarzbaum and works with nine vendors to source everything from cover crop seeds, harvest knives, bulb crates, fertilizer, seeding trays, potting mix, and irrigation parts.
In 2021, the first Bulk Order program served 63 farms, collectively purchasing $140,000 in farm supplies and passed on $17,000 of discounts to participating farms. This year, 82 farms participated, purchasing just over $200,000 worth of goods with a savings of $42,000 passed on to farmers. Learn more about Hudson Valley Farm Bulk Order online.
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Berkshire Bank recognized among ‘Top 10 Most Trusted Banks in America’
Berkshire— Berkshire Bank has been recognized as one of the top 10 most trusted banks in America by Newsweek magazine.
It’s the third consecutive year Berkshire Bank has been on the list of Newsweek’s “Most Trustworthy Companies in America.” It is the only bank recognized this year that is headquartered in Massachusetts.
Newsweek’s Most Trustworthy Companies in America 2024 includes 700 companies across 23 industries that were evaluated by U.S. customers, employees, and investors. Results were based on an independent survey from a sample of about 25,000 people who evaluated publicly and privately held companies based in the United States with revenues over $500 million. Respondents rated companies on customer, employee, and investor trust. Results also reflect a survey of what was said about a company in various media online.
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Berkshire Community College wins grant for new Automatic External Defibrillator (AED)
Pittsfield— Berkshire Community College (BCC) is the recipient of a $2,326 grant funded by the Healey-Driscoll Administration, for the purchase of an Automatic External Defibrillator (AED) device. The grant specifically covers a device for use inside one of BCC’s security vehicles for easy access when traversing the campus.
In total, the Commonwealth awarded more than $165,000 in grant funding to 58 municipalities, 13 public colleges and universities, and nine nonprofits to purchase AEDs for emergency response vehicles. The program is designed to increase access to lifesaving equipment during medical emergencies, when every second matters.
An AED is a medical device used to support people experiencing sudden cardiac arrest, which is the abrupt loss of heart function in a person who may or may not have been diagnosed with heart disease. An AED analyzes the patient’s heart rhythm and, if necessary, delivers an electrical shock, or defibrillation, to help the heart re-establish an effective rhythm.
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Downtown Pittsfield, Inc. announces Pittsfield grant opportunity
Pittsfield— Downtown Pittsfield, Inc. (DPI) and the Pittsfield Economic Revitalization Corporation (PERC) are co-facilitating the 2024 “Boost! North Street” cohort made possible with funding from MassDevelopment’s Transformative Development Initiative (TDI). Competitive grants of $7,500 will be awarded to ten North Street businesses.
Awardees will be required to attend one mandatory in-person cohort meeting and engage in at least two one-on-one Zoom meetings with a business consultant to guide district business improvements and use of funds towards one of the following categories:
- Sales, Marketing and Digital Presence
- Financial Organization or Growth Strategy
- Website and eCommerce Development
- Operations and Workflow
This grant is now open, and the application is due on April 30th 11:59 pm. Grant awardees will be announced on May 15th. More information can be found online.
