ADAMS, Mass. — Like most Americans, Bryana Malloy watched with shock last month as more than 100 people died in a series of wildfires on the Hawaiian island of Maui.
Unlike most of us, she decided to do something about it.
Malloy, the coach of the McCann Technical School cross country teams, and her student-athletes put their empathy into action by organizing a fundraising 5-kilometer race to benefit victims of the fire.
The teams' Walk/Run for Maui kicks off with the 5K race at 8:30 Saturday morning at Whitney's Farm on Ingalls Road in Cheshire.
For Malloy, the cause is personal. She and her husband lived on Maui for four years before returning to the Berkshires.
"I lived there between 2017 and 2020," the 2011 McCann graduate said after coaching her teams in a dual meet on Tuesday at the Greylock Glen. "We moved back here in 2021."
Watching the tragedy unfold from half a world away was a lot to handle.
"Just devastation," she said. "It's just horrible because it was my community. Knowing so many people who lived there and friends and family who lived in Lahaina, their homes burned down. I had to wonder if they were OK."
Fortunately for Malloy's circle, no one she knows personally died in the fires. But she still feels a connection to the island
"It's such a special place — Lahaina especially, so historic," Malloy said. "And all of Hawaii, there's such a unique culture. And it's just kind of devastating for that to happen for so many people.
"Being so far away, I wished I could do something to help. I had so many friends and family and old colleagues that had been affected."
Her runners were looking to do a fundraiser, and fire relief was a natural fit.
For a registration fee of $20 ($25 on Saturday), participants can compete in the 5K trail run or the 1 mile stroller-friendly walk with all proceeds benefiting victims of the Lahaina fire.
Children under 10 can run or walk for free. Registration through the Berkshire Running Center website will have an additional $3 processing fee.
Malloy expressed gratitude to the people at Whitney's for hosting the event.
"Erica Whitney is just very generous," she said. "A farm store is, in a sense, very supportive of a community, supplying food and what not. They're very generous in allowing us to hold the event there."
In addition to the main event, the run/walk, the fund-raiser will benefit the McCann Tech cross country teams through a bake sale, raffle and the sale of "Spread Aloha" race T-shirts ($20).
While Northern Berkshire County is a long way from the Hawaiian Islands, Saturday's event has had a global reach.
"Within an hour of iBerkshires posting something about the race for us, somebody from Alaska reached out to me, and she said that she was searching for charity runs for the Maui wildfires, and our fund-raiser came up," Malloy said. "She said she wanted to participate, and that she would virtually run with us and order a T-shirt as well."
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New Greylock School Vote Edges Yes Victory
By Tammy DanielsiBerkshires Staff
The vote was close with some 1,309 voting no for the debt exclusion over concerns of burdensome tax increases.
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The new Greylock School project will move forward after a successful debt exclusion vote on Tuesday.
The proponents won a narrow victory with a 136 votes. The unofficial tally was 1,445 yes to 1,309 no.
The vote was to determine a debt exclusion that would allow the city to bond out nearly $20 million over 30 years. The Massachusetts School Building Authority will be picking up $42.2 million of the $65 million cost with the balance being covered by a federal grant for a geothermal system.
"We're very excited, and we look forward to moving this project forward, in the best interest of our kids and the future generations of North Adams," said Mayor Jennifer Macksey.
Opponents of taking on the debt are considering appealing. One of the leaders of the effort, Marie T. Harpin, said she thought there were enough irregularities in the close vote to take another look. She referred to a number of voters who had been deemed inactive and other issues.
Both opponents and proponents of the new school, however, were cheered by the amount of engagement they'd seen from the community.
Harpin, a former city councilor and a leader on the vote no side, said she'd spoken to one man who was voting for the first time in four years.
"He was showing up for this vote, so people are concerned," she said. "I think it's probably going to be close. I think there's division in the community, just naturally, so I think it'll be close ...
There is only one question on the ballot, whether to approve a debt exclusion that will allow borrowing for the project outside the limitations of Proposition 2 1/2 for the life of the loan. It is not an override. click for more
Wahconah High senior Tim Kaley Sunday earned his second Berkshire Classic Championship by shooting a 77 at the Country Club of Pittsfield. click for more