Berkshires Beat: NAMI Berkshire County Raises $15,000 at Cupcake Wars

Cupcake Wars

The National Alliance on Mental Illness of Berkshire County raised approximately $15,000 at its fourth annual Cupcake Wars fundraiser at Berkshire Hills Country Club on Feb. 1, 250 in attendance. The event began with an Italian dinner prepared by UNICO of Pittsfield. Following dinner, three judges sampled the unique confections prepared by the following bakers and bakeries vying for the best cupcake in various categories: Gould Farm; Linda's Pastries; Berkshire Pathways, a Program of Viability; Simply Sweet; Gimme Some Sugar; Sarah's Cheesecakes & Cafe; and Jennifer's Cookies, Cupcakes & Confections.

The winners were:

People's Choice: Simply Sweet

Best Tasting: Berkshire Pathways, a Program of Viability

Best Presentation: Gimme Some Sugar

Most Creative: Linda's Pastries

All proceeds support the programs of NAMI Berkshire County, which provides information, referrals, classes, workshops, support groups and advocacy to family members and caregivers of people living with mental illnesses throughout Berkshire County. The event’s sponsors included The Austen Riggs Center; Berkshire Pathways, a Program of Viability; The Brien Center; Gould Farm; Greylock Federal Credit Union; ServiceNet; and Your Personal Best: Workshops for Success.

Dancing to beat cancer

More than $6,300 was raised at this year's Cabin Fever Dance.

The Cancer Center Community Crusaders hosted their fourth annual Cabin Fever Dance at the Elks Lodge in Bennington, Vt., on Saturday, Feb. 24. The event welcomed more than 300 guests who enjoyed an evening themed with the great outdoors including flannel, beard contests, a basket raffle, a 50/50 drawing, door prizes, and DJ services donated by John Wooddell.

Through tickets sales and fundraisers the evening raised over $6,300 for the Southern Vermont Regional Cancer Center's Patient Resource Fund. The 4C's mission is to provide short-term financial, physical, and emotional support to cancer patients who live within the SVRCC service area. The group's 3-year fundraising total tops $125,000. Financial assistance from the SVRCC Patient Resource Fund is available to those currently undergoing cancer treatment and struggling to make ends meet. Types of assistance available include travel expenses for treatments or second opinions, gas cards, help with utility and fuel expenses, dental care, wellness classes, and more.

Picture perfect

The Laurel Hill Association and Stockbridge Land Trust have launched their third annual photo contest. The contest celebrates Stockbridge’s natural beauty and supports the organizations’ conservation efforts. People are invtied to submit up to 10 photos of Stockbridge’s natural environment, in any season, by April 30. There is no fee for submission. For contest rules and to submit photos, go to the website.

The winning and honorable mention photos will appear on the Laurel Hill Association website, and the winning photos will also appear on cards and other items that the Laurel Hill Association and Stockbridge Land Trust will sell as a joint fundraiser.

All proceeds from the sale of the cards will go to Stockbridge Land Trust, whose mission is to preserve the natural, historic, and community resources in Stockbridge, and to The Laurel Hill Association, whose mission is to do such things as shall serve to improve the quality of life and of the environment in Stockbridge.

Good grant

The Upper Housatonic Valley National Heritage Area has received a grant of $388,508 to assist in the restoration of Great Barrington's historic Clinton A.M.E. Zion Church. The funds will be used for Phase 1 construction work to address the most critical needs of the property, located at 9 Elm Court.  It is anticipated that the grant funding will allow work to begin by early summer.

The National Park Service African American Civil Rights Grants Program is part of $12.6 million awarded to 51 projects in 24 states that preserve sites and highlight stories related to the African American struggle for equality in the 20th century. The Phase I work on Clinton Church will focus on areas of the building that most urgently need attention, and will include a new wood shingle roof, abatement of mold and mildew, improved drainage, replacement of the basement floor slab, raising the building to make the basement useable, and repair or modification to the parsonage to prepare it to be used for programming and interpretation.

The Upper Housatonic Valley National Heritage Area is a partnership program administered through the National Park Service, and serves the 29 communities of the Housatonic River watershed in Massachusetts and Connecticut.

How to help

Fairview Hospital will host a full day of free programs offering important life-saving skills for lay persons and health and safety professionals on Saturday, March 31, in the Conference Room at Fairview Hospital. Advance registration is required for each program due to limited space. Those interested are asked to call 413- 854-9609 to reserve. There is no charge.

In the morning, two of the programs, both titled "Stop the Bleed Save a Life" will teach the skills of how to control bleeding. The first program, from 9 to 11 a.m., is designed for healthcare providers, emergency medical technicians, first responders and representatives from local police and fire departments. Two hours of EMS Community Education will be offered to those who attend. The second program, targeted to lay persons, will also offer attendees the opportunity of learning the basics of bleeding control. This program will be one hour long, from 11 a.m. to noon.

In the afternoon, "You Are the Help Until Help Arrives" will take place from 1 to 4 p.m. This three-hour class is designed to teach attendees basic skills to keep people with life-threatening injuries alive until professional help arrives. Topics that will be covered include calling 911, keeping you and others safe, how to stop bleeding and how to provide comfort. This class was developed in coordination with Federal Emergency Management Agency's individual and Community Preparedness Division in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response and its Medical Reserve Corp.

For the dogs

The Pittsfield City Clerk's Office has begun mailing postcard reminders, a new feature this year, to dog owners about required licensing. In the past, residents have received a notification letter. The annual license period for dogs in the city begins April 1. The postcards were chosen as a cost-savings measure. For more information, please call the City Clerk’s Office at 413-499-9361.

Channel changes

Northern Berkshire Community Television n North Adams has had their channels moved on Spectrum Cable's local channel listing.  The channels, which were formally located on Channels 15, 16, and 17 for subscribers, are now located on Channel 1301 (Public Access), 1302 (Educational Access) and 1303 (Government Access).

Pittsfield Celebrates Robert 'Bob' Presutti on Arbor Day

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
05:33PM / Friday, April 26, 2024

Bob Presutti, right, is presented the Hebert Award in 2017 for his volunteer efforts at Springside Park. He died in 2023 at age 88.

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — A tree has been planted next to the Berkshire Athenaeum in honor of local "giant" Robert Presutti.

Officials celebrated Arbor Day on Friday by installing a commemorative plaque next to the American elm sapling. This is a tree that James McGrath, the city's park program manager, said Presutti would have been particularly proud of.

"Today is a day where we yes, celebrate trees, but today is also a day where here in the city we intentionally try to acknowledge the good work of folks in our community who spend their time and their efforts and their talents to make Pittsfield a more beautiful place," he said to a crowd of about 20 people.

"Today we are honoring a longtime community volunteer named Bob Presutti. I'm sure a lot of you here know Bob and know his contributions to the city, not only when it comes to trees and parks but also to the Retired Senior Volunteer Program."

The longtime volunteer passed away last year at the age of 88. He contributed more than 10,600 hours to RSVP and had great impacts on the Parks Department over the years from sharing his knowledge and talents to ensuring that workers were safe when working on trees.

"This morning I went through my emails to see how many emails Bob Presutti sent me since the year 2001 when I started with the city. Bob Presutti sent me 14,000 emails and nearly every single one of those was about trees," McGrath said, prompting laughter and smiles from attendees.

One thread struck him as particularly important because it showed Presutti's empathy when it comes to the safety of city workers while caring for trees.

"There were multiple emails from Bob about the need to get the Parks Department maintenance guys into a program learning about chainsaw safety and learning about ladder safety. He was really into making certain that our city workers were well cared for and had all of the instruction that they needed and in fact, he even offered his own time and services after he became certified to teach our city workers," McGrath said.