Salisbury Bank donates to CDC
Great Barrington — The Community Development Corporation of South Berkshire has announced that Salisbury Bank and Trust Company has made a $5,000 donation in support of the organization’s affordable housing project at 100 Bridge St.
The 100 Bridge St. redevelopment project will include 45 new units of affordable rental housing for working individuals and families living in the southern Berkshires. By donating the funds, Salisbury Bank was able to utilize the Massachusetts Community Investment Tax Credit Program. In addition to receiving a Federal Tax deduction, the bank will receive a 50 percent cash refund ($2,500) from the state of Massachusetts, enabling it to triple its impact in the region.
CDC was granted approval in August 2016 by the Great Barrington Zoning Board for the affordable housing component of the 100 Bridge St. redevelopment. CDC is applying for state funding to build “beautiful, safe and highly energy efficient apartments in the very center of town.” said Timothy Geller, CDC’s executive director.
–E.E.
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1Berkshire, MCLA to hold Business Bootcamp
Pittsfield — 1Berkshire has announced the region’s first-ever Business Bootcamp as part of its Berkshire Starts program. The creation of the 1Berkshire/Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts Business Bootcamp is the result of a strategic collaboration between 1Berkshire and MCLA, aimed at fostering an entrepreneurial ecosystem throughout the Berkshires. The objective of Business Bootcamp is to provide participants with basic understanding of the essential elements involved in successfully starting and growing a business venture.
Business Bootcamp will provide 10 workshops covering design thinking, the Lean Canvas Business Plan model, business accounting, funding, marketing and more. The three-hour workshops will be co-presented by MCLA faculty paired with experienced business executives serving as mentors in the Berkshire Starts program. This program is free for the selected applicants.
Business Bootcamp is open to entrepreneurs, early-stage business owners, students and individuals aspiring to start new ventures. The workshops will begin Tuesday, March 14, and run through Tuesday, April 18. The deadline to apply is Wednesday, March 1. An online application form is available.
–E.E.
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Williams College students win grant to address food insecurity
Williamstown — Two groups of Williams College students who will work collaboratively to address food insecurity issues in northern Berkshire County have won a $5,000 grant from the Campus Kitchens Project.
Williams Recovery of All Perishable Surplus and Moo-Mami, a student cooking group, will continue a long-term project with the college’s Dining Services to gather, prepare, and distribute free, healthy meals to area housing communities and organizations. WRAPS and Dining Services have partnered on the project for several years and the funds from Campus Kitchens Project will enable the groups to purchase supplies needed for the packaging and transportation of the meals. Last year WRAPS delivered 1,409 meals.
Currently, WRAPS uses existing Dining Services kitchen space during off-hours to repackage and prepare balanced and nourishing meals that are delivered to the Mohawk Forest apartments and Louison House in North Adams. Under the Campus Kitchens Project, WRAPS and Moo-Mami leaders will combine forces and talents to organize weekly shift operations to recover food, prepare meals, deliver meals and do programming and outreach.
–E.E.
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Dr. Elizabeth Roberts joins CIP
Lee — The College Internship Program has announced that Elizabeth Roberts, PsyD, recently joined its organization to serve as the national director of clinical support services.
Dr. Roberts has spent her career assessing, diagnosing and treating individuals with autism spectrum disorders, ADHD and other learning differences. In her most recent position, she was a neuropsychologist at the New York University Child Study Center in New York, working primarily with individuals who have autism spectrum disorders and their families. She also served on the faculty at the NYU School of Medicine.
–E.E.
