MWCC's Weekly e-newsletter

Friday, May 6, 2005

DR. HERBERT BENSON TO GIVE KEYNOTE AT COMPLEMENTARY HEALTH CARE FAIR

By Kimberly B. Caisse

The “Mind/Body Connections: The Next Medical Frontier” health fair at Mount Wachusett Community College Thursday, May 12 from noon to 6 p.m. will feature a pioneer in this field of medicine as the keynote speaker. Dr. Herbert Benson, the founder and president of Mind/Body Medical Institute, an associate professor of edicine at Harvard Medical School and the author

	Massage therapy student Melanie Jones gives another student a massage in the commons area. The Massage Therapy Program offered free massages to day and evening students Thursday, May 5.

and co-author of numerous articles and books, will present “Counteracting the Harmful Effects of Stress” in the main campus’ auditorium at 3 p.m.

Benson will speak about the ancient origins of the relaxation response, which is a physiologic state of lowered metabolism, the opposite of the fight-of-flight response, and how today mind/body medicine is offering ways to help improve the health and well-being of people who have illness caused or exacerbated by stress.

The goal of this one-day fair, sponsored by the Complementary Health Care Department and the Division of Health Sciences, is to give participants the chance to explore various options in maintaining and achieving the highest level of health, wellness and relaxation. A variety of mind/body health practitioners will be at the fair to share information and answer questions. Participants can also participate in 45-minute breakout sessions and attend the keynote address.

Admittance to the fair is free. However, a $5 fee is requested to attend Benson’s keynote address. A $7 fee will be charged at the door. MWCC students with a valid student ID may attend the keynote address at no charge.

The following mind/body disciplines will be represented at the fair: yoga, Reiki, Chi Kung/Chinese medicine, reflexology, journaling, meditation, Jin Shin Do acupressure, homeopathy, acupuncture, aromatherapy, therapeutic touch and chair massage.
For more information or to purchase a ticket for the keynote address, contact Complementary Health Care Program Director Margaret Jaillet at (978) 630-9292 or mjaillet@mwcc.mass.edu.

A ‘COMMUNITY EFFORT’ BRINGING 2nd ANNUAL MOLLY BISH KID EXPO TO CAMPUS

By Lea Ann Erickson

	A girl gets her bike helmet adjusted at last year's Kid Expo.

The Molly Bish Institute for Child Health and Safety at MWCC will a host the second annual Molly Bish Kid Expo, Saturday, May 21, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. here at the Gardner campus. The free event will feature free Molly Bish Foundation child safety I.D. kits, R.A.D. KIDS self-defense demonstrations with Campus Police, health screenings, free bike helmets courtesy of Heywood Hospital (while supplies last), visits from Smokey Bear, food, music, entertainment and lots more.

“Families should expect to be able to come to the college and participate in some hands-on, practical safety programs,” said John Bish. “Kids will leave safer.”

A Kid Expo planning committee comprised of public safety officials from Fitchburg, Gardner and Leominster, and a variety of community and business groups has been meeting throughout the year to plan the event.

“This truly is a community effort,” said MWCC President Daniel M. Asquino. “We are very fortunate to have partners like Heywood Hospital (who is donating bike helmets for the event as well as two bikes in partnership with O’Neil’s Bike Shop) and Wal-Mart (who is donating car

	John Bish takes a photo for a child's I.D. kit at last year's Kid Expo.

seats), Fallon Community Health (who is providing healthy snacks), Chartwells (who is donating food), as well as a committed group of child, health and safety advocates working with us.”

Asquino added, “John and Magi Bish have distributed over 85,000 of these I.D. kits. Their commitment to the safety of children in the commonwealth is inspiring, and we are proud to be partnering with them on this important effort.”

For more info, log on to http://mollybish.mwcc.edu.

MWCC AND UNITED WAY PRESENT COMMUNITY LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE

By Kimberly B. Caisse

Community Builders, a partnership between United Way of North Central Massachusetts and MWCC, continued its mission to inspire volunteerism at the “Creating Change: Leadership Matters” conference on Thursday, May 5 at the Four Points Sheraton, Leominster.

	Ray C., Bill Drayton and Ron Ansin start their discussion on social entrepreneurs with a few laughs.

The day-long event on creating positive social change, which was attended by nearly 200 people, began with a conversation between Askoka founder and CEO Bill Drayton, local businessman and philanthropist Ron Ansin and WEIM’s Ray C. about social entrepreneurship. Ashoka is a global association of over 1,400 innovative social entrepreneurs, individuals who envision and implement pattern-setting social changes in the environment, education and human rights.

The three men discussed the six characteristics of a social entrepreneur cited in “How to Change the World: Social Entrepreneurs and the Power of New Ideas” by David Bornstein: A willingness to self-correct; a willingness to share credit; a willingness to break free of established structures; a willingness to cross disciplinary boundaries; a willingness to work quietly; and having a strong ethical impetus.

Central to Drayton’s philosophy is that business and social entrepreneurs share the same personalities. Social entrepreneurs, who implement their ideas to improve their community, “are on the cutting edge of the democratic revolution around the world,” he said. A key attribute of the Ashoka Fellows is their initiatives can be replicated in other communities. “It is business entrepreneurs who are the core of our support,” he said.

Attendees also heard from Ashoka Fellows Mary Gordon of Toronto, Canada, who implemented an innovative, classroom-based parenting program that reduces childhood levels of aggression in over 130 schools, and Amy Barzach of Bloomfield, Conn., who is building handicap accessible playgrounds.

Michael Lundquist of The Polus Center in Worcester, a 2005 Unsung Hero, Tim Cohen-Mitchell of YES Inc. in Orange, and leaders of STAMP, a Leominster High School government venture led the discussion “Making it Happen in North Central Massachusetts.” Community Builders Chair Karson Aubuchon and MWCC President Daniel M. Asquino engaged participants in the discussion about “Paving the Way for Social Change.”

MWCC’s involvement in the conference is part of its Decade of Civic Engagement initiative, which ranges from students’ service-learning projects to the college’s new What’s Next Speaker Series.

ANNUAL SERVICE AWARD RECIPIENTS

Linda Oldach and Edward Cronin have worked at MWCC for 35 years.		Bonnie Toothaker and Peter Kaufmann have worked at MWCC for 25 years.		Joseph Hallowell and Johanna Kozlowski have worked at MWCC for 20 years.
Laurene Minns, Luz Lopez and Margaret Hennessy have worked at MWCC for 15 years.		Patricia Brewerton, Nichole Carter, Valerie Charlonne, George Couillard, Julie Crowley, Mellisa Delaney, Jacqueline Feldman, Patricia Gregson, Michelle Holman and Joseph L'Etoile have worked at MWCC for five years.		Ilene Lopez, Kelly Mendoza, Deirdre Moran, Robert Rizzo, Laura Smith, Nancy Thibodeau, Ruth Thibodeau, Barbara Vachon, Margaret Williams, Stephanie Wiseman and Gardner Wood also have worked at MWCC for five years.

	Richard Pastor has worked at MWCC for 10 years.

Not pictured are: Douglas Kallio, 30 years; Artur Gaspar, 15 years; Deborah Houston, 10 years; and Taunja Golding, five years.

Upcoming Campus Events:

• Theatre at the Mount will present “Leader of the Pack” Friday, May 6, Saturday, May 7, Friday, May 13 and Saturday, May 14 at 8 p.m. and Sunday, May 15 at 2 p.m. Tickets are $18 for evening performances and $15 for matinees. Tickets for MWCC students are $10. To purchase tickets, call the Theatre at the Mount Box Office at (978) 632-2403 or purchase tickets online at http://theatre.mwcc.edu. Charming, cheerful and chock full of fun, this rock and roll musical will have you bopping in the aisles.

• MWCC’s LIFE program will host “Bridal Fashions, 1840 to the Present” Saturday, May 7 at the Colonial Hotel, Betty Spring Road, Gardner at noon. Tickets are $20 for the luncheon and show and on sale at MWCC’s Lifelong Learning Office, room 163 or by contacting LIFE Program Coordinator (978) 630-9176. This unique fashion show will feature the evolution of the bridal gown from the first time a special dress was used for the wedding day, 1840, to today’s styles. Alexandria Stevens has owned and operated a bridal shop and has collected bridal gowns for years. She will share her expertise while giving historical facts about this most special of all dresses.

• MWCC will host “Mind/Body Connections: The Next Medical Frontier” Thursday, May 12 from noon to 6 p.m. A variety of complementary health care practitioners will be on hand to share their knowledge and practices. Attendees can choose from 11 different 45-minute breakout sessions on a specific complementary health practice or modality. Dr. Herbert Benson, author, president of the Mind/Body Medical Institute and an associate professor at Harvard Medical School, will be the keynote speaker in the MWCC auditorium at 3 p.m. Benson will discuss “Counteracting the Harmful Effects of Stress.” Tickets for Benson’s presentation are $5 in advance and $7 at the door. MWCC students will be admitted at no charge. To buy tickets, contact Margaret Jalliet at (978) 630-9292.

• MWCC's annual Evening of Excellence will be held on Thursday, May 12 starting at 5:30 p.m. at the Four Points by Sheraton in Leominster. Students will be honored with merit and scholarship awards during this special ceremony. For more information, contact Jackie Suhoski at (978) 630-9142.

• Members of MWCC’s chapter of Phi Theta Kappa will hold the second annual Project Graduation, a food drive for the Gardner Community Action Council, on Wednesday, May 18 and Thursday, May 19 from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Fitness & Wellness Center (front and back entrances). Last year, students collected over 600 non-perishable food items. This year’s goal is 1,000-plus. For more information, contact Professor Sheila Murphy at smurphy@mwcc.mass.edu.

• Middlesex District Attorney Martha Coakley will serve as commencement speaker at the college’s 40th Commencement, Thursday, May 19 at 6 p.m. WBUR’s Bob Oakes will be recognized as MWCC alumnus of the year and a series of Service Above Self onorees will be recognized.

• Phi Theta Kappa is also taking orders for an upcoming graduation DVD. Orders can be placed for $12 until Thursday, May 18. The DVD will be $15 if ordered on or after Commencement, Thursday, May 19. The price includes shipping and handling. If interested, please contact Professor Sheila Murphy at smurphy@mwcc.mass.edu. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to Gardner Community Action Council.

• Over 1,000 parents and children are expected to attend the second annual Kid Expo sponsored by the Molly Bish Institute for Child Health and Safety at MWCC Saturday, May 21 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The event will feature a variety of hands-on health and safety activities including free distribution of Molly Bish child safety I.D. kits. For more information, contact Adam Ewert at aewert@mwcc.mass.edu.

• “Flights of Fancy,” a spring pops concert by the Greater Gardner Community Choir, will be held at MWCC on Sunday, May 22 at 4 p.m. Under the direction of Diane Cushing, the choir features nearly 100 members from Gardner and the surrounding communities. The concert will feature John Rutter’s “Fancies,” Moses Hogan’s “Elijah Rock,” a unique choral arrangement of Rossini’s “William Tell Overture,” Josh Groban’s “You Raise Me Up,” “For Good,” from the musical “Wicked,” “Unchained Melody” from the movie “Ghost,” “Moon River” from “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” and other popular favorites. Patriotic selections will include a rousing “Stars and Stripes” and Irving Berlin’s “Give Me Your Tired, Your Poor.” Tickets for the concert will be available at the door for $5 per person. Senior citizens will be admitted at no charge. For more information, contact Professor Gail Steele at (978) 630-9162.

• Theatre at the Mount will hold auditions for the Rodgers and Hart musical “Babes in Arms” on Monday, June 6 and Tuesday, June 7 at 7 p.m. sharp in room 182 at MWCC. Director/Music Director Jeff Williams and Choreographer Nicole Couture are looking for a large cast of teens and adults (ages 16 and up). Please prepare a short vocal selection (accompanist provided), expect to be taught a short dance combination and wear appropriate clothing and footwear (tap dancers should bring tap shoes.) Cold readings from the script may also be required. The tentative rehearsal schedule is Sundays from 6 to 9 p.m. and Tuesday and Thursday evenings from 7 to 10 p.m., beginning June 12. Performances of “Babes in Arms” are Friday, Aug. 12, Saturday, Aug. 13, Friday, Aug. 19 and Saturday, Aug. 20 at 8 p.m. and Sunday, Aug. 14 and Sunday, Aug. 21 at 2 p.m. For more information, contact Professor Gail Steele at (978) 630-9162, or visit the Theatre at the Mount web site at http://theatre.mwcc.edu.

• Time slots for members of the MWCC Pacers to walk the American Cancer Society Relay for Life Friday, June 10 and Saturday, June 11 are going fast. Contact Sue Goldstein, JoAnn Brooks and Jan LeClair to get your relay packet and sign up to fill the last remaining spots. The 2004 Relay raised $758,000, the highest amount of the other 156 relays in New England. The Gardner Relay has raised over $5 million dollars since its inception 11 years ago. This year’s goal is to raise 800,000. Other benchmarks reached at the 2004 Relay include having 733 survivors walk the track, a number unheard of at any of the other relays, and being ranked No. 11 nationwide in funds raised (out of 4,200 relays).

Lea Ann Erickson
Assistant Vice President of Public Affairs
Mount Wachusett Community College
Phone: (978) 630-9322 Fax: (978) 630-9561
cell: (508) 517-5202
lerickson@mwcc.mass.edu

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