Salisbury Bank contributes $10,000 to Community Health Programs
GREAT BARRINGTON — Salisbury Bank has donated $10,000 to support Community Health Programs’ food distribution programs and bolster CHP’s funds for families and individuals facing financial emergencies.
CHP Senior Vice President for Family Services Michelle Derr said, “This gift from Salisbury Bank reflects a community alliance that provides stop-gap support for our neighbors in need. These funds are used to help our clients avoid eviction or utility shutoffs, loss of transportation, and problems getting health care.”
“The need in Berkshire County and surrounding communities is great, particularly during these unprecedented times, and we are pleased to be able to offer our support,” said Rick Cantele, Salisbury Bank’s president and CEO. “Salisbury Bank has an unwavering commitment to support, sponsor, and volunteer in the communities we serve, and one of the ways we uphold this commitment is through support for qualified non-profit organizations and programs in our area. We take great pride in our support of Community Health Programs (CHP) as they share a similar philosophy.”
Since the start of the COVID-19 crisis in spring of 2020, CHP has seen a spike in the need for free, nutritious food, as well as a sharp increase in emergency assistance to individuals and families in need of help with utility bills, car repairs, and rent, among other challenges.
For information about CHP Family Services programs, contact 413-528-0457.
—A.K.
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Jacob’s Pillow announces new senior staff roles
BECKET — Jacob’s Pillow recently announced two new senior staff appointments as part of an ongoing restructuring to meet evolving needs: Jared Fine has been hired into a new role as the organization’s first Chief Marketing Officer, and Melanie George, who filled the part-time role of Associate Curator with Jacob’s Pillow since September 2020, has been appointed to an expanded position as full-time, year-round Associate Curator and Director of Artist Initiatives. Both new hires support the Pillow’s strategic goal to provide expert leadership as it transitions from summer festival to year-round organization, and prepares for its 90th anniversary.
Fine will begin the new position October 18 and provide leadership as a member of the Jacob’s Pillow Executive Team, supervising communications, creative, and patron services departments. George’s expanded role, which she took on in September, is designed to broaden the pool of dance artists the Pillow regularly supports, strengthen its ability to identify new voices in the field, and increase the perspectives involved in programmatic decision-making at the organization. Ali Rosa-Salas, who has served as the Pillow’s other Associate Curator since September 2020, will continue in her existing part-time role. George will serve as a resident dramaturg for artists in the Pillow Lab, a resident scholar for selected weeks each summer, and on the Pillow’s leadership team advising on planning and IDEA initiatives, among other responsibilities.
Jared Fine is the Director of Marketing at New York’s Public Theater. Prior to joining the Public in 2015, Fine worked as Creative Director of Marketing for the National Artists Management Company, which produces commercially on Broadway and around the world with productions including “Chicago The Musical,” and as the Associate Director of Marketing and Communications for the American Repertory Theater in Cambridge, Mass. He received his BFA in performing arts from Hofstra University. Fine will be responsible for managing both the marketing and patrons services departments, including brand management and retail offerings.
Melanie George is an educator, dramaturg, choreographer, scholar, and certified movement analyst. Named one of Dance Magazine’s “30 over 30” in 2021, she is the founder of Jazz Is… Dance Project. As a dramaturg, she has contributed to projects by David Neumann and Marcella Murray (on the Obie Award-winning “Distances Smaller Than This Are Not Confirmed”), Kimberly Bartosik/daela, Raja Feather Kelly, Susan Marshall & Company, and Urban Bush Women, among others. Current projects include new works by Helen Simoneau Danse, Ephrat Asherie Dance, and Caleb Teicher & Company. A teacher and choreographer of the neo-jazz aesthetic, her choreography is regularly commissioned by colleges throughout the U.S. She is the former Dance Program Director at American University, and has guest lectured at Harvard, Juilliard, and The Yale School of Drama.
—A.K.
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Berkshire Money Management sponsors $25K match for Thanksgiving Angels
DALTON — Berkshire Money Management (BMM) is partnering with the Thanksgiving Angels — a collaboration of 19 food pantries, organizations, and faith communities — to provide more than 1,500 Berkshire families with a full Thanksgiving meal (turkey, pies, butter, fresh vegetables, and other fixings) in their own homes.
“We really ramped up our efforts to address food insecurity as the pandemic began,” says BMM Founder and CEO Allen Harris. “In years past, the BMM team physically handed out turkeys and Wohrle’s gift certificates around Thanksgiving time. But the good people at the Thanksgiving Angels have perfected the logistics behind reaching out to and feeding thousands of Berkshire families. To have the biggest impact, we decided to team up with the Thanksgiving Angels just as they began their fundraising campaign this year.”
BMM’s donation of $25,000 will help the Thanksgiving Angels double their donation dollars and keep that spending here in the Berkshires. The donation will be spent at Wohrle’s, a family-owned wholesale and retail food distributor that has been in business since 1921.
This year, according to the Thanksgiving Angels committee, more requests for meals have come in, due largely to the devastating impact of the pandemic and ensuing unemployment and housing insecurity.
To make a donation to the Thanksgiving Angels, please visit the South Congregational Church website, and select “Thanksgiving Angels” from the “Designation” drop-down menu. You can also mail your donation to: Thanksgiving Angels, c/o South Congregational Church, 110 South Street, Pittsfield, MA 01201.
—A.K.
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Clark Art Institute names Daphne Birdsey to lead advancement efforts
WILLIAMSTOWN — The Clark Art Institute recently announced that Daphne B. Birdsey has been selected to serve as its Chief Advancement Officer, leading the Institute’s philanthropy and membership programs. Birdsey is currently the Deputy Chief Development Officer for the Director’s Office at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. She will assume her role at the Clark on November 1, 2021.
Birdsey has worked in the Metropolitan’s development office for 13 years, where she has been a part of key fundraising initiatives that supported major projects at the museum. She also has managed both its Chairman’s Council and International Council. Birdsey holds a master’s degree in visual arts administration from New York University and a bachelor’s degree in political science from Davidson College, Davidson, North Carolina.
—A.K.
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Lee Bank Foundation announces community funding; next deadline Dec. 1
LEE — Lee Bank Foundation has awarded $40,500 to nine Berkshire area organizations in its third round of 2021 community grant awards. Recipients were awarded grants ranging from $1,000–$13,500 to support their local programming. Included in the awards are a series of Arts Access Grants for arts and culture organizations to expand access to programming for underserved audiences.
The following organizations received funding from Lee Bank Foundation:
- Alliance for a Viable Future
- Berkshire Area Health Education Center
- Berkshire Innovation Center
- Berkshire Museum
- Berkshire Pulse
- Community Development Corporation of South Berkshire
- Extra Special Teas
- Goodwill Industries of the Berkshires & So. Vermont
- Shakespeare & Company
Arts Access Grants of $1,000 each were awarded to Berkshire Pulse and Shakespeare & Company.
To date, the Lee Bank Foundation has received over 75 grant applications for its first three rounds of funding. The deadline for the final round of 2021 Foundation funding is December 1. The application and more information can be found on the Community Impact section of Lee Bank’s website.
To be considered for grant awards, applicants must be a (501)(c)(3) nonprofit organization. The Foundation is focused on funding programs that work to bridge income and opportunity gaps in our region. Funding requests should reflect one or more of Lee Bank Foundation’s primary focus areas:
- Education and literacy
- Food security and nutrition
- Economic growth and development
- Health and human services
- Mentorship, internship and “school to work” initiatives
- Arts and culture
Applicants may submit only one application in a 12-month period.
—A.K.
