Pittsfield UNICO Awards 2024 Scholarships

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PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Pittsfield Chapter of UNICO National held its scholarship awards ceremony on July 23 at the Italian American Club. 
 
Since 1987 UNCO has awarded thousands of dollars in scholarships to students from Berkshire County high schools. The UNICO Scholarship Committee, chaired by Julia Salatino, awarded $19,000 in scholarships this year to local high school graduates who are continuing their postsecondary education.
 
Scholarship Recipients
 
Alexandra Bills of Wahconah Regional High School received the the Gloria Powers Scholarship. The daughter of Mark and Teresa Bills, she will be attending the University of Massachusetts at Amherst's Isenberg School of Management.
 
Dominic Carnevale of Mount Greylock Regional School received the Richard Rilla Scholarship. The son of Alaina Moresi and Justin Carnevale, he will be attending Westfield State University.
 
Katarena Castagna of Pittsfield High School received the Francis Fazio Scholarship. The daughter of Krystal and Tony Castagna, she will be attending Roger Williams University in Bristol, R.I.
 
Jake Duquette of Pittsfield High received the Honorable Rudolph Sacco Scholarship. The son of Christopher and Alysia Duquette, he will be attending Fairfield (Conn.) University.
 
Kailynne Errichetto of Taconic High School received the Edward DiAngelo Scholarship. The daughter of Stephen and Ashley Errichetto, she will be attending Westfield State University.
 
Olivia Gamberoni of Wahconah Regional received the Francis Sanginetti Scholarship. The daughter of Patrice and Anthony Gamberoni, she will be attending UMass at Amherst's Isenberg School of Management.
 
John Pignatelli of Lenox High School received the Honorable Paul E. Perachi Scholarship. The son of Shannon Miller and Scott Pignatelli, he will be attending UMass at Boston.
 
Christian Salzarulo of Taconic High School received the Joseph Bonaquisti Scholarship. The son of James and Gina Salzarullo, he will be attending Westfield State University.
 
Nico Sondrini of Pittsfield High received the Louis Shogry Scholarship. The son of Peter and Tracy Sondrini, will be attending Westfield State University.
 
Ava Telladira of Pittsfield High received the Ralph DiBlasis Scholarship. The daughter of James and Diana Telladira, she will be attending UMass at Boston.
 
Kaeleigh Tornicelli of Taconic High received the James DiSimoni Scholarship. The daughter of Kimbery Tornicelli, she will be attending Siena College in Loudonville, N.Y.
 
Nevaeh Williams of Taconic High received the Mario DiMartino Scholarship. Her guardian is Lori Cook and she will be attending Fitchburg State University.
 
Cameron Williamson of Pittsfield High received the Robert Quattrochi Scholarship. The son of Wesley and Jena Williamson, he will be attending Berkshire Community College.
 
Baseball/Softball Hall of Fame Scholarships
 
Daniella Barry of Wahconah High, daughter of Gregory and Lynn Barry, will be attending Pennsylvania State University.
 
Ashton Bock of Pittsfield High, son of Phil and Nadia Bock, will be attending Siena College.
 
Nicholas Brindle of Pittsfield High, son of Paul and Laurie Brindle, will be attending St. Joseph's College.
 
Caleb Petruzella of Taconic High, son of Denise Petruzella, he will be attending Hudson Valley Community College in Troy, N.Y.
 
Vocational/Technical Scholarships
 
Damaris Escalon-Brizuela of Taconic High received the Sheriff Thomas Bowler Scholarship. The son of Douglas Escalon and Maria Bruzcela, he will be attending Westfield State University.
 
Anthony Fiorini, also of Taconic High, received the John Pignatelli Scholarship. The son of Matt Fiorini, he will be attending McCann Technical School in North Adams. 

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ADOPTED! Companion Corner: Cali and Kyzer at Berkshire Humane Society

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff

Great news, Kyzer and Cali found a home for Christmas already! Still looking for a new friend for the holidays? There are plenty of dogs and cats and small animals at Berkshire Humane who would love to go home with you.

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — There's a bonded dog pair awaiting a new family at the Berkshire Humane Society.

Kyzer and Cali are both poodles. Kyzer is the male and is 7 years old, a quite a bit bigger than his sister Cali, who is a miniature of Kyzer and 8 years old.

Canine adoption counselor Rhonda Cyr introduced us to the two.

"They came from a household that couldn't hold on to them, and it sounds like they may have been abandoned by their previous owner with somebody else, and so they came to us looking for a new home," she said.

The two love to be around you and snuggle. But both are very happy dogs.

"Kyzer is 7 years old, and his personality is that he kind of wants to be in everything. He's very loving, very snuggly, as you can tell. And Callie here, she's 8 years old, and she is kind of like the life of the party," said Cyr. "She wants to tell you everything about her day, and she's a little bit of a little ham."

The two are considered seniors and really like soft treats as Cali just had a few teeth removed and Kyzer has a tooth procedure coming up.

"Currently, they really like soft treats, because they are both on the senior side of things. So they have had some dental work, so they are really in need of something softer. They are not big chewers at this age, really, their main focus right now is just really socializing and cuddling," Cyr said.

The two would love a quiet home with someone who wants to snuggle. They shouldn't go to a home with bigger dogs but if you have a dog, you can bring them in for a visitation with the poodles to see if they will get along. Cats will be fine and the preference is for older and more responsible children so that the pups don't get hurt, as they are senior citizens.

"The perfect home for them would be a quiet home that's not too active. Like I said, they're very social, so they could handle some visitors," she said. "They're very friendly, but I don't think that they would really enjoy any other dogs in the home."

Poodles need to be regularly groomed, and the prospective adopter will have to keep an eye on their health. Kyzer has a heart murmur that needs to be monitored. This doesn't mean he is in bad health, as he could live a perfectly normal life, but he will need to be checked by a veterinary specialist routinely.

"Ideally, he would go to a home that could provide further health care with a specialist in cardiac care. And you know, he could very well live out the rest of his life comfortably and happy," Cyr said. "We just don't have all that information at the moment, but I think that you know the way he's going right now. He's got a good spirit, and he seems to be pretty happy."

The shelter is hoping the to get them a home for the holidays.

"We would love to get them a home in time for the holidays. They've been here since the eighth of November, and they're really, really looking as much as the staff loves them here, we're really looking to get them into a home and somewhere nice and cozy so they can spend the rest of their life together," she said.

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