Pittsfield Dentist Named Volunteer Hero by the Massachusetts Dental Society

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PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Dr. Thomas J. Sakshaug was recently recognized as a William McKenna Volunteer Hero by the Massachusetts Dental Society, a statewide organization serving nearly 5,000 member dentists.

Dr. Sakshaug was acknowledged by his peers for substantial contributions to organized dentistry at both the state and local district levels.

Sakshaug, who has been practicing dentistry in the Berkshires for 30 years, has been a member of the Berkshire District Dental Society for 30 years, serving as treasurer for the past 13 years. He has also volunteered extensively with Volunteers in Medicine (VIM) Berkshires, a Great Barrington-based organization that provides care for working, low-income residents in the county.

In a non-dental capacity, he has volunteered with the Berkshire Environmental Action Team and the American Chestnut Restoration Project. Locally, he also has served as campaign manager for Mayor Linda Tyer, vice chair on the Conservation and Animal Control Commissions in Pittsfield, and is current chair of the Airport Study Committee.



Sakshaug is a graduate of the Case Western Reserve University School of Dentistry. He resides in Pittsfield with his wife, Kathleen Ochs Sakshaug.

The Volunteer Hero award is given in memory of the late Dr. William H. McKenna, who was a driving force behind the development of the Yankee Dental Congress and considered by many to have been a model of volunteerism within the MDS.
 

 


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Pittsfield Housing Project Adds 37 Supportive Units and Collective Hope

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff

PITTSFIELD, Mass.— A new chapter in local efforts to combat housing insecurity officially began as community leaders and residents gathered at The First on to celebrate a major expansion of supportive housing in the city.

The ribbon was cut on Thursday Dec. 19, on nearly 40 supportive permanent housing units; nine at The First, located within the Zion Lutheran Church, and 28 on West Housatonic Street.  The Housing Resource Center, funded by Pittsfield's American Rescue Plan Act dollars, hosted a celebration for a project that is named for its rarity: The First. 

"What got us here today is the power of community working in partnership and with a shared purpose," Hearthway CEO Eileen Peltier said. 

In addition to the 28 studio units at 111 West Housatonic Street and nine units in the rear of the church building, the Housing Resource Center will be open seven days a week with two lounges, a classroom, a laundry room, a bathroom, and lockers. 

Erin Forbush, ServiceNet's director of shelter and housing, challenged attendees to transform the space in the basement of Zion Lutheran Church into a community center.  It is planned to operate from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. year-round.

"I get calls from folks that want to help out, and our shelters just aren't the right spaces to be able to do that. The First will be that space that we can all come together and work for the betterment of our community," Forbush said. 

"…I am a true believer that things evolve, and things here will evolve with the people that are utilizing it." 

Earlier that day, Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities Secretary Ed Augustus joined Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll and her team in Housatonic to announce $33.5 million in federal Community Development Block Grant funding, $5.45 million to Berkshire County. 

He said it was ambitious to take on these two projects at once, but it will move the needle.  The EOHLC contributed more than $7.8 million in subsidies and $3.4 million in low-income housing tax credit equity for the West Housatonic Street build, and $1.6 million in ARPA funds for the First Street apartments.

"We're trying to get people out of shelter and off the streets, but we know there are a lot of people who are couch surfing, who are living in their cars, who are one paycheck away from being homeless themselves," Augustus said. 

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