Flying Cloud Welcomes New Board Members

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GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass. — Flying Cloud Institute (FCI) welcomes Liliana Atanacio Garcia and Sarah Reynolds North to the organization's Board of Directors.
 
Liliana Atanacio Garcia is the co-founder of Latinas413, a nonprofit organization that advocates for Latina representation in Berkshire County. In recognition of her efforts, she received the "29 Who Shine" Award from the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education in 2018. 
 
Garcia serves as the Grant and Program Administrator at Mill Town Foundation, where she supports grantmaking related to the foundation's activities, programmatic operations, and daily administrative functions. Prior to this role, she served as the Workforce Training Orientation and Youth Programming Manager at Berkshire Community College (BCC). While at BCC she organized BCC's first Hackathon and worked to establish the Eleanore Velez Scholarship.
 
Originally from Mexico, the Berkshires became Garcia's home in 2009. She is the mother of two teen girls. Garcia is passionate about traveling, gastronomy, and philanthropy. 
 
"Flying Cloud Institute fosters an open-minded approach to learning science and engineering. As an engineer, creator and educator, I look forward to contributing to the organization's success as a Board Member," said Garcia.
 
Sarah Reynolds North is the founder and baker at Found Bread. She has worked in bakeries around the northeast and in Europe, and trained at the San Francisco Baking Institute. North moved to New Marlborough in 2022 with her family, where she bakes mainly sourdough and fermented breads, and teaches baking classes. She's a firm believer in using locally-sourced, grown and milled ingredients.
 
Before becoming a full-time baker, North was a public radio reporter and producer for WNYC, NPR for several years. She also helped non-profits to develop and produce stories about their work. North worked with the Southern Poverty Law Center's Immigrant Justice Center and was a Peace Corps Volunteer and Instructor in Guatemala.
 
"I love the work Flying Cloud is doing in public schools – to merge art and science through innovative curriculum for all kids in our region. Our Board strives to make it one of the best educational organizations in Massachusetts," said North.
 
They join officers Cathy Ingram, Director of Development at Miss Hall's School, as Chair; Dana Vorisek, Economist for the World Bank Group, as Treasurer; and Barbara Viniar, retired former President of Berkshire Community College, as Clerk. Additional members of the Board of Directors are Alison Brigham, AVP of Marketing & Community Engagement at Lee Bank; Leigh Doherty, Executive Director of the Literacy Network; and América López, community health worker at Volunteers In Medicine.
 
"I am honored to welcome Liliana and Sarah to the board and to serve as Board Chair with the rest of our dedicated and talented board members and staff as we continue the impactful work bringing science and art to the Berkshires community," said Cathy Ingram.
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Must-Experience Spring Events in the Berkshires

By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff
The sun has finally risen from the clouds and shines its golden rays on the bare trees bringing the wildlife back to life and awakening the wildlife from their blissful sleep. The snow melts and the sky cries with joy, showering the ground and  filling the air with the smell of petrichor.
 
The grass becomes green, the leaves return, and the flowers pollinate, filling the world with the forgotten color. Nature celebrates the coming of spring and so should you. Here are some events happening this spring to help with your celebration.
 
SpringFest 
Saturday, May 9 
Berkshire Botanical Garden, Stockbridge
 
The 24-acre botanical garden will have free admission family fun designed to celebrate spring and community. The event features food trucks and enough children's activities to keep the youngest visitors happily busy for hours including a petting zoo, pony rides, face painting, and more. A traditional maypole dance will add an old-world flourish to the day's lineup.
 
The festival is part of the garden's immersive weekend experience Mother's Day weekend, coinciding with its 49th annual Plants-and-Answers Plant Sale from May 8 through 10.
 
The event was established in 1977 and has become a cherished Mother's Day weekend tradition for gardeners across the region. This year's edition, curated by its horticulture staff, offers hundreds of perennials, annuals, herbs, and vegetables — each selected with an emphasis on diversity and nature-based landscaping.
 
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