Williams College libraries receive collections of Sterling Allen Brown
Williamstown — Williams College’s libraries have received collections of books, manuscripts and record albums documenting the life and work of poet and scholar Sterling Allen Brown, a 1922 Williams graduate.
Brown’s family made the donation to the Williams College Archives, where the materials will be preserved, cataloged and made accessible to researchers in Special Collections. The gift includes Brown’s personal library, manuscripts, photographs and sound recordings, providing deeper insight into his legacy, especially his devotion to the development of a literature about authentic Black folklife.
“The Sterling A. Brown archive will be the cornerstone of our 20th-century American literary collections,” said Lisa Conathan, head of Special Collections. “With this generous gift, Williams Libraries has acquired an extraordinary resource for the study and teaching of African American poetry.”
Materials from the Sterling Brown collections will be available to researchers by appointment through Williams Special Collections in Sawyer Library. The Archives will hire an archivist for a two-year term appointment and interns to help process the materials, beginning in summer 2020, and will offer research fellowships to support original research using the materials beginning in the 2020-21 academic year.
–E.E.
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Shakespeare & Company’s season brochure receives award
Stockbridge — Berkshire Brochure Display has announced that Shakespeare & Company’s 2019 season brochure is the Northeast Regional Award winner in the 2019 International Best Brochure Awards given by the International Association of Visitor Information Providers. The brochure was submitted to the competition by Berkshire Brochure Display.
From a possible field of over 19,000 brochures representing the collective client base of the association’s membership, nominees were narrowed down to a list of 72. The nominated brochures were evaluated through competitive comparisons using specific criteria including headline, construction, content, digital connection, and overall appeal. The judges were industry professionals representing brochure distribution companies from across the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Europe and South Africa.
–E.E.
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$100,000 matching gift offered to Berkshire South
Great Barrington — Berkshire South Regional Community Center has been offered a $100,000 match for its current year-end fundraising campaign by Bob and Mary Ann Norris.
Bob Norris has been involved with Berkshire South since its inception. “The extent of services provided by Berkshire South was not provided 20 years ago,” he said. “We developed a worthy mission, and it is so gratifying to see the mixtures of people and programs here today.”
Berkshire South executive director Jenise Lucey noted: “Annually we must raise $1 million, which is 40% of our operating budget, through philanthropic gifts. Memberships alone, for which we are grateful, are not enough.”
Last year, Berkshire South served nearly 5,000 community supper meals; saw more than 31,000 miles run on its fitness center treadmills and 1,280 pool lengths swum by Special Olympians; hosted 34,450 hours of active play by summer campers; and shared its spaces with nearly 3,000 community members.
–E.E.
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Grant will help Greylock expand community empowerment programs
Pittsfield — Greylock Federal Credit Union has been awarded $525,000 in grant funds from the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Community Development Financial Institutions Fund. The award will expand products for low-income members and increase services that promote financial inclusion.
This is the second CDFI grant awarded to Greylock. The first award of $686,500 was received in 2017, the funds from which were leveraged to generate over $15 million in special lending in Berkshire County. The initial award also supported the program creation at the Community Empowerment Center that opened in Greylock’s Kellogg Street branch earlier this fall. The new grant will enhance outreach and education efforts and allow greater flexibility to develop new products that meet the unique needs of the community.
–E.E.
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Nonprofit Center of the Berkshires receives multiple program grants
Great Barrington — The Nonprofit Center of the Berkshires has received three grants: $8,175 from the Guardian Life Insurance Company for the creation of a philanthropy curriculum for Berkshire schools; $2,500 from the Dr. Robert C. and Tina Sohn Foundation for the fourth annual Giving Back guide; and $1,000 from Greylock Federal Credit Union for the 2020 Berkshire Nonprofit Awards.
“We have wanted to get a ‘philanthropy-in-the-schools’ program off the ground,” said NPC Berkshires founder Liana Toscanini. “We are thrilled to have this critical gift from Guardian Life which will allow the creation of a unique curriculum by an innovative and experienced teacher.” The pilot program will launch in January at Reid Middle School in Pittsfield.
–E.E.
