Member News: Valley Gives Day 2014 is Success for Members 

Eight Chamber members benefited from Valley Gives Day, the successful one-day fundraising effort on Dec. 10 hosted by the Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts and supported by leading funding organizations serving Western Massachusetts.  

All told, the day raised almost $2.7 million from 14,189 donors to benefit 463 nonprofits, through direct donations and special prizes such as Golden Tickets and New Donor Bonuses.

The members who received donations that day are:

The Valley Gives program was a three-year pilot. The sponsoring organizations will use 2015 to evaluate the program, and it is expected that 2016 will be the next year for Valley Gives Day.

 

Area News: Winterfest Comes to Town on Feb. 14 

The 2nd Annual Easthampton Annual WinterFest will take place on Saturday, Feb. 14. The theme this year is "Let Easthampton warm your heart and fall in love with winter."  

WinterFest is a daylong event celebrating winter, family fun, and Easthampton's historic past in the ice harvesting industry. The festival is coordinated by the Nashawannuck Pond Steering Committee, with support from the Chamber. WinterFest is also a fundraising event, created to bring awareness to the public about ongoing efforts needed to keep Nashawannuck Pond healthy for generations to come.

Activities will be held at the pond and throughout the city, including outdoor fun discovering nature at Arcadia Wildlife Sanctuary, the very popular and competitive chili cook-­-off at Eastworks, draft horse wagon rides by Blue Star Equiculture, snowman building at Daley Field, and kid's games and crafts. There will also be a Historical Ice Harvest on the pond, followed by a pond-­-side community bonfire complete with roast marshmallows, hot cocoa, and fire spinning. For an updated list of activities, locations and important information, visit www.nashawannuckpond.org.

The event is free for everyone and donations gladly accepted. The event will then be followed by Easthampton City Arts "Fire and Ice Artwalk," which begins following the community bonfire.

More information and a list of event sponsors may be found on the Nashawannuck Pond's website . This program is supported in part by a grant from the Easthampton Cultural Council, a local agency which is supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council.

 

Board Member Profile: Nancy Follansbee 

 

JOB TITLE, COMPANY: Superintendent of Schools, Easthampton Public Schools

YEARS WITH CHAMBER AND POSITIONS/OFFICES HELD: I am in my fifth year as a board member.

YEAR YOUR BUSINESS STARTED: I became Superintendent in 2010.

WHAT YOU DO: I am responsible for carrying out the school committee vision for the district and for making the day-to-day decisions about spending, staff, and facilities. I oversee all educational programs. Most importantly, I work with building administrators, school committee members, parents, teachers, and staff to serve the needs of our students.

EXPERIENCE OR BACKGROUND: I started my career in education as a French teacher. I then moved into elementary education as a classroom teacher. I later became a reading specialist, and that was my first position in Easthampton when I began teaching at Center and Pepin Schools in 1991. During my career in Easthampton, I have been a Reading Recovery teacher, a literacy coordinator, the District Director of Curriculum, and now Superintendent of Schools. I have loved my years with the Easthampton Schools. Easthampton is a great community that supports its schools. I am proud of our students and proud to be the superintendent of a school district that provides high-quality staff, rich educational experiences, and a collaborative environment that includes students, families, and the community.  

SOMETHING THAT OTHERS MAY NOT KNOW ABOUT YOU: For many years, I was the managing director of a ballet company at a yearly summer festival for the arts.