Gala Celebration of Youth Alive and ROPE Legacy

11:48AM / Thursday, November 06, 2025Print Story | Email Story

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — A gala celebration in honor of the impact and legacy of Youth Alive (YA) and the Rites of Passage & Empowerment (ROPE) program will be held on Saturday, Nov. 8 at the Berkshire Innovation Center, 45 Woodlawn Ave. in Pittsfield.

The ticketed program will begin at 6 p.m. and feature guest speaker the Rev. Nakeida Bethel-Smith. All proceeds will support the ROPE scholars, mentors and ambassadors global service trip to Ghana in West Africa. Tickets can be purchased here.

This year, Youth Alive marks its 30th anniversary, while ROPE is celebrating a 15-year milestone. YA is a multicultural community-based arts program providing arts and educational opportunities to young people 8-18 years of age with a focus on dance forms including Step, African and Hip-Hop. ROPE's mission is to celebrate and honor the entry of female adolescents into adulthood and provide them with skills and knowledge that they need to be successful, independent and responsible people.

"I'm eternally grateful for the support our community has shown over the life of Youth Alive and ROPE There has been a generation of young adults that benefited from the mentoring, guidance. leadership development and empowerment," said Shirley Edgerton, founder of both groups. "You're invited to celebrate and plant a financial seed to ensure the future of these impactful and transformative programs continue to thrive."

Gloria Williams of Pittsfield, 16, is a scholar in the ROPE program, and says ROPE has had a tremendous impact on her life.

"I was born and raised in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. I joined ROPE four years ago, and I am so glad that I did. For me, ROPE has provided limitless opportunities. Aside from the traveling and cultural aspect, it has allowed every single young woman here to make connections with so many people in so many different places that they never would have otherwise."

For more information, visit www.facebook.com/ROPEinGhana

iBerkshires.com Text Ads

rk MILES Blding Materials

Are You Ready to Update Your Home? Start With rk MILES. 4 Locations (800)670-7433

www.rkmiles.com

Greylock Youth SummerFest

Come join in on the wealth building fun! August 3-8. Click for event details. Insured by NCUA.

www.greylock.org

If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.

Fenton: Governor's Council Must Deliver for the Berkshires

Community submissionGuest Column
10:22AM / Friday, August 28, 2026

I am a Springfield lawyer running for Governor's Council and I am asking for Berkshire County residents to support me over an incumbent from North Adams.

Here's why: Last year I learned about staffing issues in our regional courts that I could not ignore. In 2025, it was reported that four of Western Massachusetts' 11 Superior Court judgeships were vacant, all at the same time. A few weeks later, that grew to five vacancies. This meant there were only six Superior Court judges serving all of Western Mass at a time when Berkshire, Hampshire, Franklin, and Hampden counties had more than 100 pending homicide cases.

Those numbers were alarming to me, so I started to engage with leaders in the community who work most closely with the court system and I came to learn that these vacancies were only the tip of the iceberg here in Berkshire County.

I learned that no Superior Court or District Court judge had been appointed from the Berkshires since the current incumbent took office. As a result, there is not a single Superior Court judge who lives in the Berkshires today, and several of the District Court judges drive in from other counties to support Berkshire courts in Pittsfield, Great Barrington, and North Adams. Court staff also informed me about severe staffing shortages at the Berkshire Clerk of Courts office resulting in other counties needing to loan staff to the Berkshires just so hardworking employees can take a brief and planned summer vacation. This is not normal. These issues are a reflection of genuine problems with the Berkshire County court system and show a lack of proactive attention from our Governor's Councilor.

Instead of focusing on regional equity, I watched as the current incumbent celebrated that she has voted against the governor's nominees more than any other councilor, without much explanation as to why. Most recently, she voted against two extremely qualified former prosecutors for the Parole Board. This was despite an in-person plea from the governor and a letter of support from all the three of the district attorney's from Western Mass. Those votes do not show independence or standing up for principles, they demonstrate naivete, and an unwillingness to work with the key stakeholders.

I had seen and heard enough. I decided to jump in the race and challenge the incumbent to address these problems head-on.

I am a partner of a regional law firm. I understand our courts and the importance of having qualified, fair and hardworking judges. And I know how important it is to have judges from the Berkshires serving the Berkshires. To achieve that, you need strong relationships with the legal community and local stakeholders. You need to know how to use the power of the Governor's Council to fight forcefully for our region. And you need to be laser focused on identifying vacancies before they occur so that they can be filled quickly with local candidates.

View Full Story