Williamstown Rotary Members Support Louison House

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Bill Svurluga, Jason Miles, Anne Skinner, Valerie Hall, Susan Clarke, Jim Mahon. Not shown: Sam Humes, Vincent Marinaro, Francis Moriarty and Bob Ware
WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — On April 15, Rotary members showed up at Louison House with supplies and tools, ready to get their hands dirty.  
 
They built a sandbox, cleaned up the play area for the upcoming season, planted flowers and repaired a worn-out play set.
 
"Rotary members are people of action.  Our club raised funds and used matching grants from Rotary District 7890 to buy the materials needed to spruce up the playground," Susan Clarke, Rotary Club of Williamstown President said. "Then we had more than eleven members and friends show up and get the project done.  We're glad to help provide the kids at Louison House with a great play area to enjoy."
 
Rotary members from Williamstown have long supported the community through a range of service projects. Members have also purchased and installed shelving for the Williamstown Food Pantry, helped to replace the commercial range at the Berkshire Food Project, and contributed windows and appliances to local Habitat for Humanity homes.
 

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Williams College Students Start Encampment over Gaza

By Stephen DravisiBerkshires Staff
WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — Several dozen student protesters Wednesday began an encampment at the heart of Williams College's campus to amplify their demands that the school divest from companies with ties to Israel’s military campaign in Gaza.
 
The move follows months of protests on campus, at the Field Park rotary and in town hall from students and other residents concerned about indiscriminate bombing that has reportedly killed more than 30,000 Palestinians since Israel began its response to the Oct. 7 terrorist attack by the Gaza-based Hamas terrorist group.
 
It also mimics similar encampments on college campuses around this country, most notably at places like New York’s Columbia University, where student protests led to the occupation of an administration building and, ultimately, the arrest of nearly 300 protesters.
 
At about 1 p.m. on Wednesday, students sang protest songs and listened to speakers on the Williams Quad, surrounded by a ring of tents set up in the wee hours of the morning.
 
On Monday, Williams College President Maud Mandel sent a campus-wide message reminding students of the college’s policies on demonstrations and noting that encampments, “in and of themselves do not violate any college rule.”
 
On Wednesday afternoon, senior Hannah Bae and sophomore Deena Iqbal of the local chapter of the group Students for Justice in Palestine, said that they were aware of the college’s policies and that the encampment was not violating them.
 
The pair said the students planned to sleep in the tents, and they put no timeline on the protest.
 
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