"The Ultimate Demonstration of Compassion:" Butler Rides Through Pittsfield

By Jen Thomas08:48PM / Friday, June 29, 2007Print Story | Email Story

David Butler arrived in Pittsfield this afternoon as part of a three-day cross-state bike ride to raise awareness about youth affected with HIV/AIDS.

Pittsfield - Kicking off his bike/run tour in Pittsfield this afternoon, Dave Butler left the worst of his journey behind him. Butler arrived back in the state at 4 a.m. after an unexpected series of layovers and delayed flights pushed back his arrival from California. Originally scheduled to start off the â€œKeep the Alive IIâ€ tour to raise awareness about HIV/AIDS on the New York/Massachusetts border, Butlerâ€™s itinerary was updated to accommodate the one hour delay Butler was forced to make after his bicycleâ€™s tire went flat on the way to the city. â€œYouâ€™re late,â€ Mayor James M. Ruberto quipped when Butler arrived at City Hall at 12 p.m. He was scheduled to arrive at 11 a.m. Butler, the founder and CEO of the Save Haven Project, is biking across Massachusetts on Routes 20, 7 and 2 in an effort to â€œre-lightâ€ the publicâ€™s interest in outreach for youth affected by the spread of HIV/AIDS. Along the way, heâ€™ll meet with community leaders and project coordinators to publicize events and presentations that promote education and prevention. The Safe Haven Project is a Northampton-based charity that sponsors free camps across the United States to children living with HIV or AIDS, along with programming aimed at social outreach to villages in Ghana, West Africa. The staff of the HIV/AIDS program at the American Red Cross of Berkshire County were also present at City Hall to lend their support to Butlerâ€™s three-day ride. â€œWe came out to support Dave and acknowledge that there are services in the community to help people with HIV or AIDS,â€ said Kristina Biasin, a home-based health services nurse at the Red Cross. She was joined by Kelly Pizzi, the director of the program and Pat Wood, the case manager. The Berkshire Red Crossâ€™ HIV/AIDS Client Services Program is the only service of its kind in the county to provide aid to individuals living with HIV. The program offers comprehensive case management and home-based health services that focus on helping patients maintain finances, providing support groups and informing clients of their health options. â€œThe whole issue of AIDS is something we all have to be incredibly sensitive to, and the Red Cross has been active here in Berkshire County to address this issue,â€ said Ruberto. Butler said he firmly believes in the role of local organizations in helping tackle the global epidemic. â€œItâ€™s great to hear that there are people in the local community working on this. There are some people here in Pittsfield who have the same heart and compassion but not the same notoriety or celebrity as Bono or Oprah,â€ said Bulter, referring to U2 frontman Bono and famed TV show host Oprah Winfrey, celebrities both known for their contributions to fighting the spread of the AIDS epidemic. As Butler prepared to get back on his bike - named â€œBlack Lightningâ€ - and move onto Greenfield (where heâ€™ll stay tonight), Ruberto sent him off with kind parting words. â€œIâ€™ve always believed that in order to have any organization be successful, [that organization] has to be based on value. This ride is the ultimate demonstration of value and compassion,â€ said Ruberto. Jen Thomas may be reached via email at jthomas@iberkshires.com or at (413) 663-3384, ext. 23.

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Dalton Resident Ranks Third in National Snocross Race

By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff
06:18PM / Sunday, December 21, 2025

Sal LeBeau on his machine with his sister, Kenna, in the black hat, and friend Brandon and his sister Alea.

DALTON, Mass. — At just 16 years old, Salvatore LaBeau is already making avalanches in the national snocross racing scene.

Last weekend, LaBeau raced in the Mount Zion Snocross National race in Ironwood, Mich., the first of eight races in the national circuit series.

Competitions take place across national circuits, attracting racers from various regions and even internationally.

Labeau rides for CT Motorsports, a team based in Upstate New York, on a 2025 Polaris 600R.

This is LaBeau's first time competing on the CT Motorsports team. Years prior, he raced for a team owned by Bruce Gaspardi, owner of South Side Sales and Service in North Adams.

Despite a bad first day on Friday when he fell off his snowmobile and didn't make the final, LaBeau carried on with confidence and on Saturday obtained his first national podium, placing in third for the Sport Lite class.

"I'm feeling good. I'm gonna start training more when I come home, and go to the gym more. And I am really excited, because I'm in 11th right now," the Wahconah High student said.

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