|
|
|
Hampshire Regional Tourism Council
Updates on growing activity
The Hampshire County Regional Tourism Council is off and running to bring visitors and support to our and neighboring Chambers' members. Through collaborations with Greater Springfield Convention and Visitors Bureau, the Franklin County Chamber and the Amherst, Easthampton and Northampton Chambers, the Hampshire RTC has been able to coordinate a stronger Hampshire County presence within the Pioneer Valley.
In April, the Pioneer Valley Visitors Guide will reveal a much greater emphasis on Hampshire County than ever before with increased business, event and destination listings for our members and chock full of information on all three Pioneer Valley counties. The RTC is also creating a mutual film office; sharing booth space at the Discover New England annual convention for international media and tour operators. Also in the works is a multi-media leisure travel branding campaign featuring "Pioneer Valley is..." in Ct and the Boston area in May and June. Plans are also for creating a mobile app encouraging visitors and residents to take advantage of the farm-to-table movement here.
We will continue to work with the Hampshire County RTC in the future to benefit our members and fellow business people throught the valley to help insure the growth and prosperity of our region. Stay tuned!
Eric Snyder, Executive Director
|
| htp://bit.ly/AgUp |
Member Spotlight: Florence Savings Bank
Florence Savings Bank (FSB) was originally founded in 1873 and has been doing business in Easthampton at 5 Main Street for the past 12 years.
FSB focuses on providing personalized customer service and offers a full range of banking services and products, including a wide variety of checking and savings accounts, business banking, telephone and online banking, drive-up window, mortgages, loans and investment services through FSB Financial Group. FSB is depositor-owned and is dedicated to the needs of local residents and businesses.
View this video for Vice President Tom Conner's description of FSB and some details about its unique Customers' Choice Community Grants Awards program.
Florence Savings Bank can be contacted at 413-586-1300, and their website is www.florencesavings.com.
Florence Savings Bank. Member FDIC. Member DIF. An equal housing lender.
| |
|
|
Member News: 2012 RSI Auction Success!
The eighth annual "Taste the Arts, Taste the Eats, Taste the Beat, East of Paradise" fundraiser for Riverside Industries, Inc. took place on Friday, March 30. RSI is a nonprofit that serves people with developmental disabilities and their families.
The event raised over $88,000 funds for operations and innovative programs, including $10,630 to build essential systems for their new greenhouse, located onsite at their Cottage Street facility. The event, which included silent and live auctions and other entertainment, was sponsored by a wide variety of local businesses, and food and drinks were donated by many local restaurants.
RSI provides services to about 250 clients and their families living in over 30 area communities. Many of these clients are employed in area businesses, and others are engaged in therapeutic activities and training programs at the organization's Cottage Street building.
To make additional donations to RSI, go to their website at www.rsi.org.
|
|
Member News: Easthampton Students Win State Challenge and Go to DC
A team of 10 students, from Kelley Brown's AP U.S. History class at
Easthampton High School, are bound for the national "We the People" contest scheduled for April 27-May 1. The national competition will take the form of simulated Congressional hearings in which groups of students will "testify" as experts before a panel of judges in U.S. Senate hearing rooms and on the campus of George Mason University.
The students won the honor by achieving first place in the Jan. 28 "We the People" competition at Harvard, against seven other public and private schools from across the state.
This is the second year that Easthampton has participated in the We the People contest, organized by the federally funded Center for Civic Education. The competition is based on the We the People high school textbook and aims to boost student knowledge about government.
Besides preparing for the nationals, the group has raised $12,000 to make the trip, which was necessary due to cuts in the federal education budget. Now funds are being raised to defray additional costs to the students themselves.
Donations can be sent to: We the People Easthampton High School, c/o Kelley Brown, 70 Williston Avenue, Easthampton, MA 01027.
|
|
Member News: Molly Bialecki, Distinguished Young Woman 2012
Molly Bialecki, selected in Nov. as Greater Easthampton's Distinguished Young Woman of 2012, proudly represented the community at the Massachusetts Distinguished Young Women competition in late February. Molly's week in Franklin was spent visiting a senior center, touring Dean College, visiting the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston and preparing for the state competition. Congratulations go to Emily Thomas of the Greater Bridgewater area, who won the state competition.
Events sponsored by this program take place year-round. For example, the Distinguished Young Women's 2012 class of candidates represented the Easthampton community in Holyoke's St. Patrick's Day Parade.
 | | Molly on the far right. |
Easthampton's 2012 competition is the 46th annual local preliminary for the Distinguished Young Women of America (formerly called Junior Miss), a national scholarship program that promotes and rewards scholarship, leadership and talent in young women. In addition to earning scholarships for college, those who participate in the program develop the life skills that pave the way for future success. The program is open to every eligible young woman and there is no cost to participate.
The Distinguished Young Women of Greater Easthampton conducts fundraisers throughout the year to award scholarships and to cover its operating expenses. The next scheduled fundraising event is a dine-out night at Friendly's in Westfield on April 23.
To support the program's events or to find out more about the competition, go to their Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Distinguished-Young-Women-of-Greater-Easthampton/182644318490210. or contact Vicky Puza-Allen at 413-388-5566 or at easthampton@distinguishedyw.org.
|
Member/Area News: Making Moves If your business is "making moves" in the greater Easthampton area, let us know and we'll post your info in future issues.
|
|
|
|
|
