Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation

Berkshire Taconic Awards $127,000+ to Community Groups in Berkshire County

February 17, 2011

SHEFFIELD, MA—Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation announced today that it is awarding more than $127,000 to local causes through three of its Berkshire County-focused funds. The foundation’s William J. and Margery S. Barrett Fund for Adams, Cheshire and Savoy recently awarded grants totaling $102,860 to 15 nonprofit organizations in those three towns and the Central Berkshire Fund awarded $25,000 in grants to ten groups in Dalton and the hill towns.

“Berkshire Taconic is proud to be the steward of Margery Barrett’s legacy, as well as of the contributions made by the many committed donors to our Central Berkshire Fund,” said Jennifer Dowley, president of the foundation. “These are people who cherish their communities and through Berkshire Taconic, their beloved towns benefit from their care and generosity in perpetuity.”

The William J. and Margery S. Barrett Fund for Adams, Cheshire and Savoy was established in 1995 by Margery Barrett using Pfizer stock inherited from her father and husband. The fund seeks to forever improve the quality of life for all residents in those 3 towns. Mrs. Barrett remained anonymous until she died in 2000, when the remainder of her trust was added to the fund. The fund has since distributed more than $2 million to worthy projects. This year, the two largest Barrett grants were awarded to the Elizabeth Freeman Center ($17,500) for the Violence Prevention Program at Hoosac Valley Middle and High School and to Youth Center, Inc. ($16,000) for youth programming, including outreach, a drop-in center, classes and special events.

The Elizabeth Freeman Center Violence Prevention Program reaches all 672 students at Hoosac Valley Middle and High School. It helps young people develop skills to identify, deal with and prevent violence for themselves and their peers. Interactive workshops cover such topics as bullying, dating violence, sexual harassment, violence prevention strategies, and positive bystander action. Hoosac Valley programming funded by the Barrett Fund grant will also include workshops on race, gender and sexual orientation. Elizabeth Freeman Center Executive Director Janis Broderick said, “Our goal is to increase the youth community’s sense that stopping violence is a shared responsibility rather than simply an individual’s problem. Berkshire Taconic’s support of this program will have a positive impact for generations to come.”

Youth Center, Inc. will use its Barrett Fund grant to provide youth in Adams, Cheshire and Savoy with educational enrichment activities and programs through outreach to area schools, special events, field trips and vacation programs. The outreach program occurs at Adams, Cheshire and Savoy elementary schools for students in grades 1 through 6 and serves a high percentage of low-income and at-risk youth. Classes such as karate and the Red Cross baby-sitting course occur year round, along with special family-friendly events, such as the Egg Hunt, which typically draws more than 500 participants. The grant will also support the center’s Drop-In Program, which provides after-school homework help, access to the computer lab, a pool/air hockey table and a lounge that offers students a safe place in which to spend time with friends.

In addition to Elizabeth Freeman Center and Youth Center, Inc., the other nonprofit groups that received Barrett Fund grants include: Adams Police Department ($14,000) for the Police Athletic League, a program that allows the department to work closely with area youth in a structured athletic setting through basketball; Family Life Support Center ($12,500); Berkshire Nursing Families ($9,000) for the North Berkshire Lactation Project, a program that provides comprehensive breastfeeding support services for families in Adams, Cheshire and Savoy; Elder Services of Berkshire County ($7,500) for Meals on Wheels and group meals for seniors in Adams, Cheshire and Savoy; Berkshire Dance Theatre ($5,000) for the Berkshire Dance Gymnastics Program; Topia Arts Center ($5,000) Local/Global Community Connections Initiative; BArT Charter Public School ($3,500) for the BArT school lunch program; CT Plunkett School ($3,500) for the CT Plunkett Summer Achievement Program; Tapestry Health, Inc. ($3,000) for the Youth Counseling Program for Violence Prevention; Pope John Paul Charity Center ($2,500) for youth counseling; Berkshire County Head Start Child Development Program ($2,000) for the Children Able to Learn Project; and Adams-Cheshire Regional School District ($1,810) for the Dancing to Learn Program.

David Mixer, now a resident of Rhode Island, created Berkshire Taconic’s Central Berkshire Fund in 2001 to support programs in the arts, education, environment, health and social services in his native Dalton and the surrounding hilltowns of Windsor, Hinsdale, Peru, Cummington, Washington and Becket, MA. Dozens of other donors have joined Mixer in building an endowed fund that will serve as a permanent community resource. Over the past decade, the Central Bserkshire Fund has distributed $256,600 in grants to support food pantries, enrichment programs for schools, community recreational trails and youth empowerment programs. This year, the two largest Central Berkshire Fund grants were awarded to Becket Athenaeum ($3,000 ) for the Media Apprenticeship Program and to Elder Services of Berkshire County ($3,500) to provide Meals on Wheels to Hilltown residents.

Becket Athenaeum will use its recent Central Berkshire Fund grant to support the second year of its Media Apprenticeship Program. Through this program, young adults (primarily high school students) commit to an apprenticeship in video production and webcasting. Mentored by trained professionals, they learn how to develop, produce, edit and webcast short documentary videos chronicling the living history of Berkshire County.

Elder Services of Berkshire County will use its grant to help cover the costs of preparing, serving and delivering meals to the Berkshire seniors who need them. The organization’s Meals on Wheels program annually provides over 21,000 hot, nutritious, noontime meals to seniors in the towns of Becket, Dalton, Hinsdale, Peru, Washington and Windsor.

In addition to Becket Athenaeum and Elder Services of Berkshire County, the other nonprofit groups that received Central Berkshire Fund grants include: Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival ($2,500) for a dance residency at Becket/Washington School; Berkshire Theatre Festival ($3,000) for a BTF Plays! school residency; Berkshire Lyric Theater ($3,000) for youth programs; Sculpture Now ($1,500) for an outdoor exhibit in Becket; Dalton Free Public Library ($1,500) for the Dalton and Neighbors Read Project; Hilltown Community Development Corporation ($2,000) for the School-to-Work Intern Program; Berkshire Environmental Action Team ($1,500) for the Wildlife Trackers Program; Food Bank of Western Massachusetts ($2,000) for the Brown Bag Program; and Dalton CRA ($1,500) for the Special Needs Program.

Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation builds stronger communities and improves the quality of life for all residents of northwest Litchfield County, CT; Berkshire County, MA; and Columbia County and northeast Dutchess County, NY, acting as an agent for positive change in the region. Since 1987, Berkshire Taconic has managed a growing collection of charitable funds created by individuals, families and businesses. Each year, the foundation distributes over $7 million through grants and scholarships for programs in the arts and education, health and human services and environmental protection, helping thousands of donors achieve their philanthropic goals and hundreds of nonprofits carry on their good work. Berkshire Taconic is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit public charity.

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