PITTSFIELD - The Berkshire Memory Walk is being honored as one of the top five "walks" in the country this year by the Alzheimer's Association for overall participation based on population.
More than 350 participants turned out this September for the walk. Amy McNally, a team recruitment chairman for the Berkshire Memory Walk, will travel to San Diego in January to share ideas with other Walk leaders.
McNally, who works with Epoch Assisted Living at Melbourne, will attend the Alzheimer's Association's Memory Walk SuperStar Symposium. She will be accompanied by Marcia McKenzie, coordinator for the Western Massachusetts Alzheimer's Association.
Other Berkshire Memory Walk Steering Committee members include Chairmen Bill Kittler and Michael Kachadoorian, from Berkshire Health Systems; Christine Pringle of Craneville Nursing Center; Denise Vigna of Sugarhill Assisted Living; Steve Smith from Home Instead Senior Care; Mary Whitman from CIAO of the Berkshires; and Karen Gold, board member of the Alzheimer's Association of Massachusetts.
The SuperStar Symposium is the Alzheimer's Association's annual conference to recognize top volunteers and staff members in many categories, including fundraising, participation efforts, recruitment and team coordination. The symposium will be held Jan. 3-4.
"Amy is involved in the Alzheimer's Association efforts on so many levels," said Diane Weinstein, Epoch's executive director. "She and her family donate much time and energy for the Memory Walk, she helps coordinate our team here for the event, and she is regularly organizing educational talks and events around memory care."
McNally has been a volunteer with the association for five years. She helped to raise $350 individually this year through the Memory Walk.
Her son, Jacob, walked with her in the last five Berkshire Memory Walks and has been a strong fundraiser, too, raising $410 through pledges.
Statewide more than 8,000 participants walked and raised more than $1.6 million for the cause.
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Pittsfield Council Passes $232.7M Budget
By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The City Council unanimously approved a $232.7 million budget for the upcoming fiscal year.
It is a modest, almost 2.9 percent increase from FY26.
"I do want to give the community kind of a heads up as we move forward on budgets. What we see coming out of the federal government that's trickling down to the states, it's going to be harder and harder for us as a community to meet our needs under the Proposition 2 1/2," Councilor at Large Alisa Costa said.
"We're going to have challenges, as we've seen communities across the state trying to override the Proposition 2 1/2, because we have dwindling amounts of money coming from the state and federal government."
She pointed out that, at the same time, utility bills are going up for both residents and the city, as are the costs of pavement and other items.
The amended budget of $232,777,720, down from the $232,782,090 originally proposed, includes cuts to the Department of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and the restoration of funds for councilors to attend the annual Massachusetts Municipal Association conference.
The Pittsfield Public Schools' $86,855,061 budget includes $68,886,061 in state Chapter 70 funding and $18 million from the city. With $345,000 in school choice and Richmond tuition revenues, it totals $87,200,061 and is an approximately $300,000 increase from the Pittsfield Public Schools' FY26 budget of $86.9 million.
The district's budget will fund 13 schools, as Morningside Community School will retire in the fall, and includes the middle school restructuring.
Councilors also approved the use of $2 million in certified free cash to reduce the tax rate, and appropriated $450,551 for parking-related expenditures.
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