Letter: April Is National Volunteer Month

Letter to the Editor01:00PM / Friday, April 15, 2022Print Story | Email Story

To the Editor:

Kindness and Compassion. April is National Volunteer Month.

Why do people volunteer? What do they get out of it?

We're taught from a very young age that we will feel good if we help others. It's true, volunteering gives us a sense of meaning, of purpose.

Thanks to a website, nextdoor.com, people can post requests for help. I just saw such a request from someone who knew of an elderly woman who was unable to walk her beloved dog and would have to give him up if she couldn't find help walking him. "Her health is declining, and the dog is her best friend."

I believe it's common knowledge that having something to care for can make a huge difference in someone's mental health as well as physical health; it can reduce anxiety and aid in recovery. Giving and receiving love is a basic need we all have. Sometimes a pet is all someone has. This is especially true of many elderly persons who would suffer social isolation without their pets.

Wouldn't it be wonderful if our towns took the reins to provide help to their citizens who are in need. Perhaps include the Police Department – this would be a great way for them to strengthen community partnerships. Schools could create clubs that would teach students community service and perhaps even give them credit. Dog walking would be a great job for a student!

Diane Perault
Williamstown, Mass.

Tags: volunteers,

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Images Cinema Community Rallies to Aid Departed Managing Director

By Stephen DravisiBerkshires Staff
05:34PM / Thursday, March 12, 2026

Janet Curran's friends started a gofundme to help her through the transition.

WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — The community is rallying to support the longtime managing director of Images Cinema after her job was eliminated late last year.

As of Thursday morning, a Gofundme campaign for Janet Curran had raised more than $12,500 from 90 contributors.

"I feel really held and supported by the community right now," Curran said this week. "I'm really moved that people appreciate the work that I did at Images."

Curran did that work for about a quarter of a century, first as a volunteer in 2000, then as an intern in 2002 and finally as the managing director, a position she held since 2007.

"If you've been to Images Cinema in the last 25 years … you've probably been helped by her, welcomed by her, or had a conversation with her that you still think about," the creators of the Gofundme campaign wrote.

"Janet is one of those people who makes a place worth living in. She's kind without making a show of it, dependable in a way many people aren't, and she has given more to this community than she'd ever say herself."

Two days before Thanksgiving 2025, Curran learned from the Spring Street theater's board of directors and Executive Director Dan Hudson that her position was being eliminated. Her last day at the non-profit movie house was Jan. 2.

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