CHP Welcomes New Board Members

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GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass. — Community Health Programs (CHP) welcomes new board members, Marlene Eichholz and Derek Scammahorn. 
 
Marlene Eichholz has been a patient with CHP since moving to the Berkshires almost 20 years ago, and her partner and mother also rely on CHP for their care. 
 
"CHP plays a critical role in delivering care, and maintaining that access, especially for those who may otherwise face barriers, is something I care deeply about," said Eichholz.
 
Her background in community health began with her service as a Peace Corps volunteer, where she worked on health and nutrition programs in rural communities. That experience shaped how Eichholz thinks about healthcare.
 
"It's a perspective I continue to carry with me," she said. "As a member of the Berkshire community, I want to do my part to help ensure that CHP remains strong and accessible, and continues to serve as a vital resource."
 
A Senior Leader at SAP Americas, Inc., since 2012, Eichholz brings experience in governance, strategy, and operational leadership, including building scalable programs, aligning stakeholders, and strengthening systems to support sustainable growth.
 
Derek Scammahorn's career spans human resources, community engagement, behavioral health operations, and creative industries. As the current Community Engagement/Public Relations Coordinator at Guidos Fresh Marketplace, a natural foods grocery rooted in the Berkshires community with locations in Great Barrington and Pittsfield, Scammahorn manages outreach initiatives, community involvement, and strategic planning to enhance the company's investment in the community. His commitment to community wellbeing drew him to CHP's mission of expanding access to health and human services across the region. 
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King and Confidantes Debate Hope and Change in 'American Five'

By Alan PetrucelliSpecial to iBerkshires
STOCKBRIDGE, Mass. — Fiction and fact meld in the regional premiere of "The American Five," now playing at the Larry Vaber Stage of the Unicorn Theatre. 
 
The play takes a fictionalized look at the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and his four closest confidants in the months leading up to the famed March on Washington on Aug. 28, 1963. The quintet, through differing opinions, animated arguments, constant threats of violence and a late-night meal featuring challah bread and wine, become a family as they prepare for the history-making march that galvanized the Civil Rights movement.
 
Most of us know the King saga. It's the second act in which playwright Chess Jakobs' genius shines. Prejudice runs rampant here: Is Stanley Levison, a Jewish lawyer from New York who shows up in Montgomery to join the fight for racial equality and "to repair the world," viewed as white? Jewish? Both? And march strategist and organizer Bayard Rustin experiences his own fight for civil rights because of his homosexuality. Here, Jakob explores prejudice on different levels.
 
The cast is top-notch with many emotional highs. As King, Rashun Carter (who would look more like his character if he had a full moustache) and Sydney Elisabeth (as Coretta Scott King) are at their best during a scene that bounces between humor and poignancy. 
 
She questions her husband about his meeting with President John F. Kennedy; he is angry and refuses to discuss it. "There is no 'you' out there, without a 'me,' in here," she says, leading King to agree that because of her self-worth and unwavering devotion to him, she is "Coretta Scott Queen."
 
As Clarence Jones, King's personal counsel, Brett Diggs has assurance and dignity; Harry Smith's portrayal of lawyer Stanley Levison, is nothing short of extraordinary. Destan Owens' performance as gay Bayard Rustin is the play's most outstanding performance as he defends his relations with men: "You don't get to judge me!" he tells King. "I'm just trying to find love."
 
"The American Five" is tightly directed by Gerry McIntyre; the historic period projections and footage/designed by Alex Hill remind people that there are dreams, such as hope and change, that are still being fought.
 
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