Berkshires event raises $120,000 for Dana-Farber Cancer Institute

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LENOX – Organizers of the 2007 Annual BrockTrot announced today that they will present a check for $120,000 to the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute on Wednesday, March 12th. The check represents funds raised through the Second Annual BrockTrot, a 10K race held in October of each year where kids, adults, seniors and the entire community participate. The ceremony will take place at 10 a.m. at Founders’ Theatre at Shakespeare & Company’s campus at 70 Kemble Street in Lenox.

Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (www.dana-farber.org) is a principal teaching affiliate of the Harvard Medical School and is among the leading cancer research and care centers in the United States. It is a founding member of the Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center (DF/HCC), designated a comprehensive cancer center by the National Cancer Institute.

Race director John Toole, who is owner of Toole Insurance Agency, says he couldn’t be more thrilled by the event’s success.

“Being a part of the BrockTrot has truly been a highlight of my life,” he says. “Working with such positive people in carrying out our mission of highlighting Brock’s life and promoting the values of community, inspiration, motivation, love and commitment, and raising funds for cancer research is such a rewarding experience.”

BrockTrot is named for Brock Wilkerson, a Stockbridge resident who had a talent for amassing friends and trained relentlessly for several marathons. He participated in his final marathon, the 2005 Boston Marathon, just four months before he succumbed to lung cancer.

Toole will present the donation to Abby M. Kussell of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.


Over 300 people participated in the Brocktrot in its first year, netting the race $40,000 which it then donated to Dana-Farber. And the event continues to grow – last year’s Brocktrot attracted over 400 runners/walkers, despite the frigid temperature.

Toole says local sponsors are responsible for making the event a success.

“We are grateful for our sponsors and contributors,” adds Toole. “As a result of their amazing generosity, we are able to realize a major part of our mission. This substantial contribution to Dana-Farber Cancer Institute is only made possible through their enthusiastic support.”

This year’s race will take place on October 19th at Shakespeare & Company’s Kemble Street campus. Shakespeare & Company has been home to the event since its inception in 2006.

“We are very proud to host this event each year,” says Nick Puma, Managing Director at Shakespeare & Company. “We congratulate the organizers of the BrockTrot for all their hard work and are pleased to be a part of their cause.”
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A Boutique Hotel is Bringing Guests a Luxury Stay in Lenox

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff

LENOX, Mass. — A new Inn is bringing a boutique-style stay for visitors and locals to enjoy.

Owners, Sullivan Capital LLC, purchased the property, located on 135 Main Street, in 2024. After a year or renovations, Garden Gables Inn is open for business. 

"Garden Gables started off as one of the many Berkshire cottages, 1790 was the date on that, and it's always operated as an inn," said Hospitality Manager Yvonne Walton. "It's just a great gathering place and relaxation spot for people to come and get the feel of Lenox, and just slow down and enjoy the nature and the surrounding area...get culture and art and see some great concerts. I think it'll be a wonderful place, definitely does more of the upper-scale hospitality." 

Owners Niko Giallouis and Eric Sullivan bought the property from the former owner. Sullivan had his eye on Lenox since attending a wedding almost 10 years ago.

"I came to a wedding in Lenox, probably six or seven years ago. Personally, just kind of fell in love with the area, and I guess that's kind of how it got on my radar. So you know from that perspective, as we got into the hotel business out towards an area, it was a place I was kind of monitoring and waiting for the right property to show up."

After purchasing the two underwent a full renovation, a project that cost around $1.5 million. The building, first built in 1780, required some TLC. Sullivan's wife, Jessica, who owns Jessica Sullivan Design, designed the inn.

Sullivan said they installed a new roof, repainted everything, renovated the bathrooms, installed new floors, a new HVAC system, and new plumbing.

"We really touched everything from the outside...I mean, all the aesthetics and layouts changed a bit," he said. "As I said, put about a million and a half into it. All new furniture, fixtures, everything. The design's completely different. It wasn't a full gut, but it was a heavy, heavy renovation."

The two like to collaborate with local businesses, and they make a point to direct visitors to local restaurants, businesses, and attractions.

"If guests are asking for recommendations, our customer service team, our guest services team, will relay that kind of information. Even if we can call and make a reservation for somebody, happy to do it," he said. "We aren't doing breakfast, but what we do is we have partnerships with a lot of the breakfast places downtown. We actually purchase a gift certificates for each person each day, so that they can use that to go downtown."

Sullivan hopes that guests don't see their inn as just a place to sleep and dump their bags, but make it an experience for anyone who stays.

"We really focus on kind of the experience side of things, so again, we want to give you the best experience you can have here...and we want that not just to be the place you put your bag and go do things. It's important to think of everything," he said.

Sullivan said partnerships are important to their business and are a way to connect with locals.

"The local partnerships, I can't stress that enough, because no matter how much and how great the room is, people are still going to want to go do other things," he said. "So, I think it just benefits everybody if we're all working together and so forth, and supporting the community, being neighborly too, because we are surrounded by residential homes...But we really try to put a lot of blood, sweat, and tears, a lot of love into the building, all the details, really care about the senses," Sullivan said.

The Inn's check-in and reservations are completely online. When guests arrive, all they have to do is check in online and receive their code that they will use to enter their room. Sullivan hopes this helps create less stress for guests and gets them to their room as fast as possible, especially after a long trip.

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