PITTSFIELD – On June 21, 2017, Berkshire United Way held its 2017 Day of Caring. Day of Caring is the name United Way has used to represent volunteer engagement and community building. In the past, Berkshire United Way Day of Caring initiatives have included the installation of 50 Berkshire Book Houses, Born Learning Trails at Muddy Brook Elementary School in Great Barrington and Durant and Springside Parks in Pittsfield to enhance literacy. Volunteers have painted classrooms and held book drives in support of education, cleaned the Housatonic River in Great Barrington, and held countywide forums with youth called “You First” to help them build aspirations.
At the heart of the 2017 event was distribution of 1,200 Literacy Backpacks - one for every incoming kindergarterner in Berkshire County. With generous support from Berkshire Bank, each backpack was assembled into a kit containing essential resources for school readiness and tools to build literacy skills.
The backpacks were distributed at eight pop-up parties throughout Berkshire County. Each unique party featured a variety of family-friendly activities such as storytimes, crafts, games, even an opportunity to hop on a school bus. All of this would not have been possible without the collaborative efforts of the Williamstown Community Chest, Northern Berkshire United Way, the Williamstown Youth Center, Child Care of the Berkshires in North Adams, Boys and Girls Club of the Berkshires, Dalton CRA, Lenox Community Center, Lee Bank in Lee, Berkshire South Regional Community Center, and Bushnell-Sage Library in Sheffield and the support of numerous civic, non-profit and business partners throughout the community.
To celebrate the hard work of this initiative and all volunteers involved, Berkshire United Way hosted a Movers + Shakers dance party celebration at Hancock Shaker Village on June 23 from 7 – 11 P.M. The dance party, led by DJ BFG, featured farm-to-table snacks and pop-up performances by local talent.
Sponsored by Berkshire Bank, General Dynamics, Greylock Federal Credit Union, Lyon Aviation, and Compuworks, the celebration also provided attendees with an opportunity to view some of Berkshire United Way’s work, which was on display in the Community Room. Among the featured displays were posters from the organization’s social norms campaign in local high schools, a slideshow featuring photos from the Day of Caring, and an opportunity for attendees to vote on the next Pittsfield Prevention Partnership billboard campaign. Attendees also had an opportunity to participate in #BuildingOurCommunity one brick at a time at a LEGO table.
In addition to the backpacks and activities, 28 businesses and restaurants participated in the 2017 Day of Caring event by giving a generous one-time gift of $250 to Berkshire United Way. County residents were encouraged to shop and dine at these businesses, which featured a “We Care” Day of Caring 2017 decal on site.
$25,000 in proceeds from the 2017 Movers + Shakers party and We Care campaign will benefit Berkshire United Way’s early childhood development efforts across the county.