Nicole Eigbrett - Berkshire Bridges - A Working Cities Initiative

Recap of our first Working Cities Wednesday

It was amazing to see 52 resident partners and agencies (not counting the kids) at the Family Resource Center for our first “official” meeting as the Berkshire Bridges - Working Cities Pittsfield community! These Working Cities Wednesday meetings will take place the fourth Wednesday of each month beginning at 5:30 pm in the Family Resource Center. You can contact us for more details, and all are welcome to join.

During the meeting, we set our shared community guidelines and agreed upon a decision making process for Initiative-wide issues. Cate and Alan from the Western Mass. Recovery Learning Community presented an upcoming community conversation on building a Trauma Informed Berkshire County. In August, Berkshire Bridges will decide together if this event is something we want to sponsor and promote.

Following that, Nicole provided a cheat sheet and tutorial on Basecamp. This is the Berkshire Bridges project management website. If you’re part of the Initiative, but on board with us yet, please contact us.

Carolyn then shared the hiring and search process for our future Initiative Director. This will have to be an outstanding individual that can build relationships, manage multiple roles, and be committed to our community vision. That position will be posted online once it’s completed.

Finally, we split into working groups to move the Berkshire Bridges mission forward: a Hiring Committee, Communications, Getting Ahead & future Community Navigators, Bridges Facilitators, and the Bridge Builders (a brainstorming team). Each group exchanged new ideas and action items to move forward, and we met each other more over dinner. We had a wonderful team effort cleaning and packing things up at the end of the night.

Thank you to the FRC staff and volunteers for providing childcare (they are in need of more childcare providers and are hiring!), Heart 2 Heart Ministry for the salad, and Beth from Habitat for dropping off dinner. And thank you for being part of our movement; for believing that all people in Pittsfield should experience a safe, just, and thriving community.

In the meantime, the working group/committees will be busy at work in preparation for August.

Berkshire Bridges team travels from Pittsfield to Boston for Working Cities celebration

23 agency partners, residents, and legislative leaders from Pittsfield convened at the Federal Reserve in Boston on July 18 to celebrate the Working Cities Challenge! We are proud to be part of an initiative that will close the gap between social inclusion and economic self-sufficiency-a Berkshire Bridges community.

Special thanks to Senator Ben Downing, Representative Tricia Farley-Bouvier, and Secretary Jay Ash for sharing this day with us! Join us as we make a Pittsfield where all people experience a safe, just, and thriving community.

Our Working Cities Wednesday meetings begin on July 27 from 5:30 to 7:00 pm at the Family Resource Center (details here). Please RSVP at (413) 442-3181 so we can plan for dinner.

WCC Fed_03 — Secretary Jay Ash speaking about economic development in the Commonwealth.

WCC Fed_02 — Team Pittsfield at the podium.

WCC Fed_04 — The Berkshire Bridges representatives with Secretary Jay Ash.

WCC Fed_05 — Diane, Karen, Justine, and Bill enjoying lunch outside the Fed.

WCC Fed_06 — Our amazing drivers, Bryan and Ken. Thanks for safely navigating us to and from so many Boston trips!

WCC Fed_07 — James, Pastor Keith, Xavier, and Mike from Heart 2 Heart Ministry.

Working Cities celebrates $2.8M in funding for five Massachusetts communities

Cities working to address issues ranging from neighborhood revitalization to workforce development in second round of Boston Fed competition

On July 18, the Boston Fed hosted over 150 guests for a celebration honoring winning teams from Massachusetts’s second round of the Working Cities Challenge. Cross-sector leaders from Haverhill, Lowell, Pittsfield, Springfield, and Worcester presented their respective plans – aimed at improving outcomes for low-income residents – to an audience made up of State officials, Boston Fed leadership, and members of the philanthropic, nonprofit, business, and local government communities.

In June, the Boston Fed awarded $475,000 in grant funding for each initiative – totaling $2.8M – made possible by a consortium of partners including the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, the Massachusetts Competitive Partnership, the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, the Kresge Foundation, the Barr Foundation, the Smith Family Foundation, and Living Cities. The winners of the competition were selected by an independent jury that does not include the Boston Fed.

“Without our many partners, this effort would not have been possible. This is truly collaboration with real results. We’ve seen real progress and that’s not just our analysis – I hear it from elected officials, from business leaders, national philanthropy, from nonprofits, and people in the cities and towns,” Boston Fed President & CEO Eric Rosengren said, thanking Massachusetts Senate President Stan Rosenberg and Secretary of Housing and Economic Development Jay Ash for their multi-year support of the Challenge, which has received state funding for the past three fiscal years.

In addition to comments from Rosenberg and Ash at the celebration, the audience heard from MassDevelopment CEO Marty Jones, Massachusetts Competitive Partnership (MACP) CEO Dan O’Connell, and State Street Chairman and CEO and MACP representative Jay Hooley. Both Marty and Dan were part of the independent jury that selected the five winning cities from a pool of ten eligible communities.

“Today’s event really highlighted the important work that the city teams have done, and continue to do, to enhance their communities,” Jones said. “I think I can speak for the jury when I say that we’re all looking forward to seeing the initiatives come to life.”

The cities will work on their initiatives—which focus on neighborhood revitalization, workforce development, and improving access to economic opportunity—over a three-year period, accompanied by technical assistance and a learning community for best-practice sharing.

This article was originally posted here at Bostonfed.org.

Three Berkshire Organizations Honored on Nonprofit Awareness Day

MASSACHUSETTS STATE HOUSE, BOSTON (7/12/16) – On Monday, June 27, three nonprofit organizations from the Berkshires were among the 30 nonprofits honored at the State House for Nonprofit Awareness Day, presented by the Massachusetts Nonprofit Network (MNN) and Citizens Bank. The highlight of the annual celebration, the Nonprofit Excellence Awards, were presented to seven nonprofit organizations and employees that exemplify the most innovative, creative and effective work being done throughout the Commonwealth.

Nicole Eigbrett, Community Outreach Director at Central Berkshire Habitat for Humanity, was one of five finalists in the Excellence by a Young Nonprofit Professional award. Multicultural Bridge and WAM Theatre were two of the four finalists in the Excellence by a Small Nonprofit award. 200 nominations were received in the seven award categories, a new record, according to MNN.

The three finalists were proud to represent the Berkshires at the award ceremony in Boston and hope that a greater number of our 984 Berkshire nonprofits will be finalists for next year’s awards.

“I’m honored and humbled to represent the Berkshires in this outstanding group of young professionals,” says Eigbrett. “It’s a testament to how working hard and diving into this community, even if you’re a newcomer, can make a true impact. Central Berkshire Habitat has granted me an amazing array of connections, from neighborhood residents to legislators.”

“This is a five year prediction come true! In 2011, at a WAM Board Retreat, we were asked to answer to the following question “in 5 years, you are being given an award- what is it for and where is it being given to you? After some thought I said ‘It’s being given to us at the Massachusetts State House and its for WAM’s unique mission of using theatre to benefit women and girls” shared Kristen van Ginhoven, Artistic Director of WAM Theatre. “WAM is so honored to be celebrated by these awards and to be listed alongside these other incredible non-profits doing social service and social justice work, including our close colleagues in the Berkshires!”

This year, House Speaker Robert DeLeo and Senate President Stan Rosenberg, along with hundreds of nonprofit and business leaders, plus elected officials, celebrated the work of the nonprofit sector and raise awareness of causes throughout the state. Massachusetts was the first state in the country to have an annual Nonprofit Awareness Day, which was recognized and signed into law by Governor Deval Patrick in 2008.

To learn more, visit massnonprofitnet.org.
From left: Kristen van Gihoven, Gwendolyn VanSant, Nicole Eigbrett.

About Central Berkshire Habitat for Humanity

Central Berkshire Habitat for Humanity is part of a global, nonprofit housing organization that builds strength, stability and self-reliance through shelter.

Founded in 1992, Central Berkshire Habitat is dedicated to eliminating substandard housing locally and worldwide through constructing, rehabilitating and preserving homes; by advocating for fair and just housing policies; and by providing training and access to resources to help families improve their shelter conditions. For more information, visit www.BerkshireHabitat.org.

About Multicultural BRIDGE

Multicultural BRIDGE is honored to be recognized for our mission of striving for social and racial justice in a holistic, positive systems approach working with children in schools along with their faculty and parents and training corporate, non-profit and municipal employees. In bridging the voices of unheard and underrepresented communities and their issues to the organizations, policymakers and fellow residents of our greater communities in order to build a unified thriving community, BRIDGE has excelled at catalyzing change and healing communities one person at a time and fortifying organizations one cultural competence skill at a time.

Gwendolyn VanSant, CEO and Founding Director, Board Chair DR. Eden-Renee Hayes and JV Hampton VanSant, Youth Engagement and Social Networking Coordinator all gathered at the State House to represent this community-based organization. Gwendolyn states, “This recognition as a finalist represents the Berkshires and our efforts to be the best rural county we can be excelling in our connection and collaboration.” Often BRIDGE is utilized across the Commonwealth and outside within our neighboring states and is recognized in the criminal justice text book,Understanding Hate Crimes by Dr. Petrosino, and by other researchers in social issues, positive psychology and racial justice.

Multicultural BRIDGE will be presenting two of its cultural competence workshops, “A Cultural Literacy Toolbox: Developing Culturally Proficient Practices” AND “Cultural Competence for a Multigenerational Workforce” have been selected for the 2016 Massachusetts Nonprofit Network Annual Conference. BRIDGE was selected to run 2 out of 25 of the MNN workshops out of over 70 proposals. Informed as a certified SDP as a minority and women run non-profit, this work is crucial to the success of our non-profits in serving our communities during these politically charged times of activism and change. For more SDP information, email [email protected]. Or call 413-717-8164. www.multiculturalbridge.org

About WAM Theatre

Based in Berkshire County, Massachusetts, WAM Theatre was co-founded in 2010 by Canadian director, actor, educator, and producer Kristen van Ginhoven to create professional theatrical events for everyone, with a focus on women theatre artists and/or stories of women and girls.

WAM Theatre also has a philanthropic mission, inspired by the book Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide by Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn, and donates a portion of the proceeds from its theatrical events to organizations that benefit women and girls.

Over the past five years, WAM Theatre has donated more than $15,000 to seven nonprofit organizations and provided paid work to more than 100 theatre artists. In addition to the main stage productions and special events, WAM Theatre’s activities include a comprehensive educational outreach program and the Fresh Takes Play Reading Series. For more information, visit www.WAMTheatre.com.

Working Cities Celebration at the Boston Federal Reserve

The Federal Reserve of Boston has invited the five winning cities of the Working Cities Challenge to celebrate our successes-and you’re invited! Pittsfield is sending two van-loads of partners, residents, and elected leaders to represent our community on Monday, July 18.

Since the event begins at 9:00 am, we will depart from the Berkshires around 6:00 am and return in the late afternoon. There is still room for 5 additional people in our vehicles. If plan on attending the event with our transportation, you must call (413) 442-3181 or contact us by Tuesday, July 5.

Click here to learn how to sign up the Boston Fed celebration, or call (413) 442-3181.

Celebrating WE and US on Working Cities Wednesday

Over 100 of you (not counting the dozens of kids) joined us in Durant Park under the beautiful Eastern Cottonwood tree to celebrate the Working Cities Pittsfield initiative! We each believe that all people in Pittsfield can experience a safe, thriving, and just community. This is a WE movement, and only together can we move forward and make this work possible.

Earlier this month we learned that Pittsfield is selected for the Boston Federal Reserve’s Working Cities Challenge, a multi-year collaboration to increase opportunities for low-income residents. Habitat executive director Carolyn Valli explained what’s coming next with Working Cities: we are seeking a hiring committee for the Initiative Director; the budget and work plan are under final review; and we are signing up anyone who is interested in taking the Getting Ahead program to be a paid Community Navigator. We will post our theory of change charts and sign ups on this website soon.

We are so thankful for Vivaldis pizzeria for catering this event and Heart2heart Ministry for bringing salads and Pastor Keith Evans for leading the blessing. Thank you to the staff, volunteers, and coalition partners that made this amazing celebration and showing of community possible!

To learn more on how to join the Working Cities movement, visit this page to contact us. Please enjoy the photos below, and click here or the facebook post below to view more.

All people in Pittsfield experience a safe, thriving, and just community. Together, we are making this possible!

‘Working Cities Wednesday’ Community Celebration

Working Cities Picnic_Image

Join us next Wednesday to celebrate our achievements as a community! This event is free and open to the public. Click here to learn more, and RSVP by June 10 to (413) 442-3181.

Here’s some photos of the Working Cities team excitement when we received the call about the grant! (Top: Habitat and PCC at 314 Columbus Ave, Bottom: Bryan and Becky from Project Reconnect)

Wegotthegrant_314 Columbus Wegotthegrant_Reconnect

Pittsfield Bridges gets $475K grant to aid in fight against poverty

Article written by Phil Demers of the Berkshire Eagle. Published on June 5, 2016.

PITTSFIELD — A Pittsfield coalition will bring home $475,000 from the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston to fund an out-of-poverty program seeking to touch thousands of lives.

Pittsfield Bridges learned last week it would receive these grant funds, part of the Working Cities Challenge, a Boston Fed program to promote economic growth in low-income communities.

Stakeholders said they hope to fund broad-based training for employees of the dozens of participating city nonprofits, service agencies and, crucially, employers.

The training will better prepare these employers to work with the low-income population, and to maximize client job retention and combat health, language and physical barriers.

“We’ve never done anything like this as a city — it’s a really exciting program,” said Carolyn Valli, executive director for Central Berkshire Habitat for Humanity. “We didn’t invent it; it’s an evidence-based approach that’s had big successes in Ohio and elsewhere.”

Habitat for Humanity is the organization administrating the grant funds, and a soon-to-be-hired initiative director will operate out of the group’s space on Hubbard Avenue.

The funds will be released to Pittsfield Bridges over a three-year period. Pittsfield was one of the five cities to win the funds, along with Haverhill, Lowell, Springfield and Worcester. Greylock Federal Credit Union, Berkshire United Way, Berkshire Bank and Central Berkshire Habitat for Humanity plan to provide matching funds to push the program along still further.

Preparation of the grant application began last year.

Much of the work involved getting into specific neighborhoods — on the West Side, Morningside and the rest of the city — and talking to residents about what they perceive to be the most efficacious solutions to local poverty.

Berkshire Regional Planning Commission and Central Berkshire Habitat for Humanity, among others, prepared the grant application. BRPC Executive Director Nathaniel W. Karns said they studied “educational issues, lack of transportation issues, health issues and employment issues” in preparing the grant.

“We didn’t sit around wondering where we were going to get the money to start this work,” Valli said. “We started engaging the community before we even wrote the first word. An untapped resource in the city is the neighborhood residents. We started right off the bat by engaging them in conversations.”

“A lot of work went into this, and it was easy to stick with it: We believed in the program,” said Roberta McCulloch-Dews, director of administrative services for Mayor Linda M. Tyer’s office. “Bridges creates a platform for folks to continue to rise in their lives. It gives people the tools and the mindset to succeed.”

Another facet of the program will be based on certain individuals, called “Getting Ahead.”

Pittsfield Bridges’ core members include the city, Central Berkshire Habitat for Humanity, BRPC, Berkshire Community College, BerkshireWorks Career Center, Berkshire United Way, Goodwill Industries, Berkshire Health Systems, Berkshire Children and Families, the Berkshire branch of the NAACP and many more.

“We have to all rely on each other to make things work, and fortunately we have a very cohesive community,” Valli said. “One of the things [the Fed] was most impressed by was how well we got along and collaborated. We’ve already begun testing programs and working with partners.”

She added, “Now what we’ll be doing over the summer is working with the Boston Fed to develop a more detailed work program.”

Pittsfield awarded $475k over three years for Working Cities Challenge

Pittsfield, we did it. Our City was notified this morning that we are one of five cities across the Commonwealth to receive the Working Cities Challenge Grant from the Boston Federal Reserve! Our 20+ agency partners were on call from locations around Pittsfield for the wonderful news, cheering with elation at the announcement. Though it’s been a long, enlightening 10 months to reach this point, our work has only just begun.

You are all invited to a Working Cities Community Celebration (flyer to come soon)! Mobilize your family, friends, neighbors, and colleagues to continue the Working Cities momentum and vision.

While we rally local press coverage for the incredible, unified movement that YOU have made possible, here is the official press release from the Boston FED:

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FIVE MASSACHUSETTS CITIES AWARDED A TOTAL OF $2.8 MILLION
IN THE BOSTON FED’S WORKING CITIES CHALLENGE
Haverhill, Lowell, Pittsfield, Springfield, and Worcester each receive $475,000 in second round of competition focused on cross-sector collaboration

Boston, Mass. – (June 1, 2016) The Federal Reserve Bank of Boston today announced that Haverhill, Lowell, Pittsfield, Springfield, and Worcester will each receive $475,000 in the second round of the Working Cities Challenge, a competition for smaller cities in New England focused on building collaborative leadership, which is shown to be a critical element in economic growth for struggling postindustrial cities.
The five communities put forward initiatives focused on neighborhood revitalization, workforce development, and improving access to economic opportunity. The cities will work on these initiatives over a three-year period, accompanied by technical assistance and a learning community for best-practice sharing.
“I want to congratulate the winners of the Working Cities Challenge. Collaborative leadership is at the heart of this competition, and these five cities demonstrated significant capacity to reach across sectors and advance efforts on behalf of low-income residents in their communities,” said Boston Fed President Eric Rosengren. “I look forward to following the progress in the communities in the coming months and years.”

“Together with our partners in the private, philanthropic, and non-profit sectors, we are proud to leverage greater resources to support and prepare communities for success,” said Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker.

“The Working Cities Challenge elevates local leadership, amplifying solutions from the community level to increase cross-sector collaboration and improve economic outcomes for low-income residents.”

Last fall, ten Massachusetts communities were each awarded $15,000 design grants through the Working Cities Challenge to strengthen their bids to the competition. The five winning cities were selected after a six-month design-grant period, which saw the cities refining proposals and adding partners from across their community. The winning initiatives are:
- Haverhill: A cross-sector partnership called Mt. Washington Alliance will work to close the social and economic “opportunity gap” between the Mt. Washington neighborhood and the rest of the Haverhill community, with initiatives to improve employment, education, and an array of neighborhood conditions including housing, health, and safety. Residents will play a prominent role in shaping and evaluating the work of this Alliance. The Alliance’s core team includes: residents of Mt. Washington, the Mayor’s office, Haverhill Public Schools, Rehoboth Lighthouse Full Gospel Church, Northern Essex Community College, Fantini Baking Company, CAI, Merrimack Valley Workforce Investment Board, Merrimack Valley Music & Arts, Inc., Team Haverhill, Mann Consulting, Haverhill Bank, Pentucket Bank, POSE, Inc., Urban
Kindness, Greater Haverhill Chamber of Commerce, Merrimack Valley Planning Commission, Emmaus, Inc., Veterans Northeast Outreach Center, St. James Church, Jaffarian Toyota, Tilton Elementary School, Haverhill YMCA, Girls Inc., Haverhill City Council, and Massachusetts 2020.

- Lowell: The Acre Initiative will focus on three high-level factors that can alleviate the multi-generational poverty entrenched in the Acre, Lowell’s poorest neighborhood: low educational attainment, lack of employment opportunities and family-sustaining wages, and the complex issues of diversity and inclusion. The Acre Initiative’s team represents a mix of partners from the public, private, and non-profit sectors including the City of Lowell, Coalition for a Better Acre, Northern Middlesex Council of Governments, Lowell Community Health Center, Career Center of Lowell, The Lowell Housing Authority, Cambodian Mutual Assistance Association of Greater Lowell, Inc., Greater Lowell Community Foundation, Community Teamwork, Middlesex Community College, University of Massachusetts-Lowell, Jeanne D’Arc Credit Union, and the Acre Coalition to Improve our Neighborhood (ACTION).
- Pittsfield: Pittsfield Bridges: Transformative Movement (PBTM) will support the journey from poverty to sustainability by collaboratively building community resources and removing barriers. The effort’s vision is for all people in Pittsfield to experience a just, thriving, and safe community. PBTM’s goal is to improve individual, institutional, and social fairness and respect in the community and thus to support individuals moving out of poverty.

The PBTM’s core team includes: Central Berkshire Habitat for Humanity, the City of Pittsfield, the Berkshire Regional Planning Commission, Berkshire Community College, BerkshireWorks Career Center, Berkshire United Way, Goodwill Industries, Berkshire Children and Families, Berkshire Health Systems, Berkshire Community Action Council, Downtown Pittsfield, Inc., Pittsfield Public Schools, Local chapter NAACP, Pittsfield Community Connection, West Side Neighborhood Initiative, First United Methodist Church, Heart 2 Heart Ministry, Manos Unidas, Brien Center for Mental Health, Multi-Cultural Bridge, and Girls Inc.
- Springfield: The Springfield Works Initiative will advance the city’s economy by enhancing and strengthening the connectivity between employers who need qualified workers and low-income Springfield residents who need meaningful employment. We envision achieving this goal through an innovative collaboration between employers, educational institutions, service providers, community leaders, community-based organizations, government, and residents. The Springfield Works Initiative core team includes: Western Massachusetts Economic Development Council, Springfield Planning and Economic Development, Regional Employment Board of Hampden, MGM Springfield, Partners for Community Action, HAP Housing, Springfield Technical Community College, Western MA National Machine and Tooling Association, Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts, Tech Foundry, United Personnel Services, United Way of Pioneer Valley, and Develop Springfield.
- Worcester: Working Cities Worcester (WCW) will convene and inspire workers, employers, government, universities, nonprofits, and communities to create equitable short- and long-term employment opportunities in the local food service economy to uplift individuals and communities from poverty, with livable wages. The initiative will provide workforce training and career paths for disadvantaged workers in cooperation with local employers, increase career
opportunities and operational support for ethnic food vendors and retailers in disadvantaged neighborhoods, and create a learning community to ensure workforce development is a strategic priority in the local food service economy as well as a key item on the economic policy agenda for the City of Worcester. The WCW core team includes: Worcester Community Action Council, Inc., Clark University, Regional Environmental Council, Sodexo, Chartwells, City of Worcester, Central Massachusetts Workforce Investment Board, and the Latino Education Institute of Worcester State University.

Funding for the competition is not provided by the Boston Fed, but by a consortium of partners including the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, the Massachusetts Competitive Partnership, the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, the Kresge Foundation, the Barr Foundation, the Smith Family Foundation, and Living Cities. The winners of the competition were selected by an independent jury that does not include the Boston Fed. A celebration of these five cities’ initiatives will be held at the Boston Fed on July 18.

For more information on the Working Cities Challenge, visit https://www.bostonfed.org/workingcities.

Come to our Working Cities Community Meeting on Monday, April 25

WCC Community Conversation - April 25, 2016

After hosting 14 community conversations and a feedback discussion, the Working Cities Coalition is nearing the deadline on our city-wide grant. Please join us as we present the community plan to make Pittsfield an equitable, thriving and safe community for all over the next several years.

Join our Community Conversation on April 25 at 5:30 pm. Location is the Conte Community School at 200 West Union Street in Pittsfield.

This meeting is FREE, open to the public and includes refreshments. Please call Habitat by Thursday, April 21 if you need childcare or transportation: (413) 442-3181.

Click here to see the event on our calendar or to contact us.