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Officer Nick Dabrowski, Lucas, Lucas' father Scott and mother Jen, and his brother, Christopher, stand with Police Chief Scott Kelley and Keven Calnan of Cops for Kids with Cancer.

Cops for Kids with Cancer Gives Adams Boy A Boost

By Jack GuerinoiBerkshires Staff
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Lucas is given a bag of gifts that included a very huggable stuffed puppy. 
ADAMS, Mass. — Lucas Solak, an 8-year-old boy battling leukemia, received a $5,000 check from Cops for Kids with Cancer on Tuesday, bringing support to his family during a challenging time.
 
"We feel incredibly blessed and incredibly lucky, and it has been across the board. We have had so much support," said his mother Jen Solak. "We're just incredibly grateful because we are traveling across the state like four times a month. Eight times this coming month."
 
She said the entire community has rallied around Lucas with support from the AYJ Fund, PopCares, Palliative Care of the Berkshires, and a Hoosac Valley Elementary fundraiser where anyone at the school could throw a pie at various teachers’ and administrators' faces. This fundraiser was organized by Police Officer Nick Dabrowski who was the one who contacted Cops for Kids with Cancer.
 
"This is why we became police officers, to help people," Dabrowski said. "My wife is going through cancer, and I got a call asking if I could sponsor this kid. I did not have to do anything beyond that. I am honored to help them. They are a great family."
 
And now, Cops for Kids with Cancer has stepped in to offer some more support.
 
"The idea that it's law enforcement is protecting and serving everywhere," said Kevin Calnan, a retired officer and representative with Cops for Kids with Cancer. "We try to show the good side of law enforcement."
 
The organization originated with the Boston Police Department and the Irish An Garda Siochana raising money for families with children struggling with cancer. They officially became a charity in 2002 and eventually expanded to all of New England 
 
He said 99 percent of the money donated goes back to children. 
 
"Everyone is a volunteer. There's only two people on payroll and that's the accountant and the webmaster," he said.
 
He said typically social workers from hospitals recommend children to them. Sometimes local police officers recommend children as well.

Tags: cancer,   donations,   

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Cheshire Opens Tree Festival, Clarksburg Children Sing

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff

Santa arrives in Cheshire to lead the parade to the tree lighting. 

CHESHIRE, Mass. — The town center was alive with holiday cheer on Sunday evening as Santa Claus led a brigade of hay rides from the Festival of Trees to the Christmas tree lighting.

Cheshire was one of three North Berkshire communities on Sunday that marked the beginning of the holiday season with tree lightings and events.

The third annual festival, which opened on Sunday, showcases more than 70 decorated trees from local businesses and town departments. It has grown yearly, with 32 trees in the first year and 53 in the second year.

DPW Director Corey McGrath said the event exceeded expectations and the camaraderie between town departments made it easy to plan.

"It falls into place," he said. "… you put it out there, you build it, and they come."

McGrath sais when he started the event, there were going to be 13 town committee trees to match the windows of the Cheshire Community House's main room "and they said 'No, go big.'"

"That's what we've got now," he said. "Through the whole month, it will just be endless people all day."

The evening began at the tree show with live holiday music and adorned greenery around every corner.  Santa arrived in a firetruck and attendees were transported to the Old Town Hall for the Christmas tree lighting, later returning to the Community House for refreshments.

Town Administrator Jennifer Morse said businesses and departments called to reserve trees donated by Whitney's Farm and voters will choose a winner by the end of the festival. The best in show will get a free tree from the farm next year.

There was also a raffle to benefit the Recreation Committee.

"It’s open all the way until the 29th," Morse said. "So people are welcome to come in at any point [during open hours] and look at it."

Selectwoman Michelle Francesconi said planning has been "really smooth."

"I think that the town employees and volunteers have all kind of settled in now that it is the third year of the event and the festive atmosphere starts the week of Thanksgiving when all of the trees start getting set up and Christmas music is playing in town offices," she explained.

"There is so much interest that we have more interest than we have space for the trees so, at some point in time we'll be pretty full but I think that the community is anticipating the event now every year and the word is spreading."

She added that there is a lot of interest in tree theming and that volunteers and businesses are enthusiastic about creating something new and exciting.

The tree at Old Town Hall was donated by Youth Center Inc. and a child was selected to help Santa light it.

"Differences are always put aside when it comes to something like this," McGrath said.

Adams also hosted carriage rides around the downtown, a visit with Santa Claus in the Town Common's gazebo and hot cocoa and candy from the Adams Lions Club. The tree was lighted about 4:30.


Santa, or one of his helpers, was also in Clarksburg, above, and in Adams.

In Clarksburg, preschoolers and kindergartners from school serenaded the crowd at annual Christmas tree lighting at Peter Cooke Memorial Town Field.

More than 100 people turned out to welcome Santa Claus as he arrived by fire engine and cheer as he threw the switch to illuminate the tannenbaum and get the season going in the town of 1,600.
 
The scene then shifted to the park's gazebo, where the youngest pupils from the town school — joined by a few first-graders — sang "Must Be Santa" and "We Wish You a Merry Christmas."
 
Then it was time for the main purpose of the season: giving to others.
 
The Clarksburg Veterans of Foreign Wars once again distributed checks to local non-profits.
 
The VFW chapter distributed $10,250 that it raised over the past year from a mail campaign and its annual golf tournament.
 
The biggest beneficiary was the Parent-Teacher Group at the elementary school, which received $4,000. Other groups benefiting from the VFW program included the cancer support groups AYJ Fund and PopCares, the Drury High School band, the St. Elizabeth's Rosary Society, the Clarksburg Historical Commission, town library and Council on Aging.
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