PreviousNext

BFAIR & Greylock Federal Distribute 250 Bicycle Helmets

BFAIR's Tara Jacobson and Christine Meiklejohn hold signs at the trailhead off the Connector Road. Last year, the organization was able to distribute 200 helmets. 

LANESBOROUGH, Mass. — Saturday's word of the day was "safety" at the Ashuwilliticook Rail Trail as two organizations partnered to distribute hundreds of free helmets in honor of National Brain Injury Awareness Month. 

Stationed at the trailhead on connector road, representatives of Berkshire Family and Individual Resources and Greylock Federal Credit Union handed out 150 helmets for ages 6-13 and 100 helmets for those 14 and older. 

"This is our second annual bike helmet distribution in honor of Brain Injury Awareness Month, which is in March but we wanted to do it in April because the bike trail was open and more people are out here," BFAIR's Director of Development Tara Jacobsen said. 

"We are able to distribute these helmets through funding through Greylock Federal Credit Union and this year, we have about 250 helmets that we're going to be distributing today and I think they're going to go pretty quickly." 

The event ran from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and community members were lined up for helmets even before the event kicked off. 

Jennifer Connor-Shumsky, Greylock's vice president of community support and events, said the credit union values its partnership with BFAIR and that, hopefully, the distribution will prevent as many injuries as possible.  

"We're just delighted to be here," she said. "[BFAIR] is a community gem and they are one of our many partners and we're proud of what they do. They provide such valuable services to our community so we're delighted, we have been working with them for a long time." 

BFAIR works with people who have developmental disabilities, autism, and acquired brain injuries. There are six residences dedicated to acquired brain injuries, which happen after birth and can be the result of a trauma impact, degenerative disease, and toxins. 

The helmets aim to prevent any possible injuries from impact and came with a complimentary fitting to ensure the best protection possible. 

Jacobsen explained that an ill-fitting helmet is "like a car without brakes." 

"So we want to make sure that not only we're supplying resources to the community but we're actually giving them resources that they can use," she said. 

Last year, BFAIR partnered with the non-profit organization All Out Adventures Inc. in Northampton to hand out around 200 helmets. 

"It was just such a rousing success because I think helmets are one of those things that people don't always think about or don't always have the resources or the means to get," Jacobsen said. 

"And so being able to provide it to the community to help promote healthy and safe brains is really something we're looking forward to."

Nonprofit Center of the Berkshires Honors Leaders, Volunteers

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff
09:07AM / Sunday, May 24, 2026

Liana Toscanini presented the Founder's Choice Award to Smitty Pignatelli for his years of support as state representative. 

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Nonprofit Center of the Berkshires held its ninth annual nonprofit awards last week honoring the contributions of those who have helped the community in their own way.

 

The gathering at the Country Club in Pittsfield on Tuesday included the introduction of new nonprofit Executive Director Samantha Anderson, who steps in for retiring founder and director Liana Toscanini. State Reps. Tricia Farley-Bouvier, John Barrett III and Leigh Davis attended the event.

 

Toscanini, who created NPC in 2016, was honored at the conclusion of the evening to mark her decade leading the organization. 

 

"Founders don't just lead organizations, they are the organization in the deepest sense," said NPC Board President Emily Schiavoni. "Their relationships, their instincts, their fingerprints are on everything, and when someone has poured a decade of herself into building something from the ground up, the act of stepping back is not a simple handoff, it's an act of extraordinary trust and courage that brings me to what Leanna actually built." 

 

NPC became something of a chamber of commerce for nonprofits under Toscanini's guidance, creating a hub of support for leadership and networking for the small and large nonprofits that fuel much of the activity within the Berkshires. 

 

She developed more than two dozen programs, including Get on Board, which helps connect community members with nonprofit boards, and a giving-back guide, volunteer fairs, and a resource directory.

 

Schiavoni described Toscanini as a great mentor who has had a big impact in strengthening local nonprofits.