MWCC News & Events: What's Up at the Mount

MWCC's weekly e-newsletter

Friday, June 2, 2006

Third Annual Molly Bish Kid Expo Offers Child-Safety Tools to Parents

By Kimberly B. Caisse

This year’s Molly Bish Kid Expo marked the third time the Molly Bish Institute for Child Health and Safety at Mount Wachusett Community College has brought critical elements of a child-safety plan to area parents.

From left, Nicole Gonzalez, Izabelle Gonzalez, Gabriella DaCosta, Madyson Jarrett and Gretchen Gonzalez, all of Fitchburg, ask Joan Victoria, an EMT with Wood’s Ambulance in Gardner, questions about riding in an ambulance during the third annual Molly Bish Kid Expo at Mount Wachusett Community College in Gardner Saturday, May 20.

Established in memory of teenager Molly Bish, who was abducted in June 2000 from Comins Pond in Warren, where she worked as a lifeguard, the Molly Bish Institute works to ensure the health and safety of all children in Massachusetts by providing hands-on, practical learning opportunities for parents, caregivers and children, and serves as a clearinghouse of child health and safety information.

Speaking from behind the tables used for making free Molly Bish Foundation child I.D. kits during the Saturday, May 20 event, Molly’s mother, Magi Bish, said, “I see Molly in every child. This partnership with Mount Wachusett Community College lets us make children in this area safer.”

But the kits are “just one element” of a plan parents need in the event their child is abducted, Magi Bish pointed out. “We know more now, we’ve learned a lot,” she said. “The Amber Alert works. We know every Amber Alert needs a picture, an everyday photo.”

For 112,000 children, that photo rests in a Molly Bish Foundation child I.D. kit. “They came looking for this for Molly on the second day” of the search, she added.

In addition to keeping children safe, Magi and her husband, John, see these kits as a way to spur dialog about child abduction between parents and children and to empower parents to be ready to respond when their child goes missing. A kit also can be used in cases of fire, natural disaster or a terrorist attack, Magi Bish explained.

Another part of the child-safety plan the Bishes promote is R.A.D. KIDS self-defense training. MWCC Campus Police provided a demonstration of R.A.D. KIDS during the free event.

Meanwhile, over 1,500 visitors browsed the health and safety resource fair, took children to be sized for free bike helmets courtesy of Heywood Hospital (while supplies lasted), entered their names to win bike and car-seat raffles, visited with Smoky Bear, obtained a wide range of child safety supplies and information, and enjoyed food, music, entertainment, games and lots more.

Carly Yannacopoulos of Fitchburg is fitted with a free bike helmet, courtesy of Heywood Hospital in Gardner, during the third annual Molly Bish Kid Expo at Mount Wachusett Community College in Gardner Saturday, May 20.

“Once again, we are extremely proud to bring this important event to area families,” MWCC President Daniel M. Asquino said. “We look forward to another well-attended Kid Expo in two weeks at the HealthAlliance Hospital’s Leominster campus.”

For the first time, HealthAlliance Hospital, Leominster Campus is teaming up with the college to host a similar event on Saturday, June 3 from 10 a.m. to noon, rain or shine. It also will feature the free child safety I.D. kits, a health and safety fair, demonstrations, free bike helmets and other give-aways while supplies last, and many other activities.

A Kid Expo planning committee comprised of public safety officials from Fitchburg, Gardner, Leominster and a variety of community and business groups, has worked to organize the two events. Members serving on the committee are: Amy Cassavina-Hall, Robin Duncan, Lea Ann Erickson, Sgt. Glenn Fossa, Fagan Frantz, Officer Melissa Garneau, Jennifer Hartwell, Mary Ann Kane, Chief Karen Kolimaga, Amanda Landry, Lori Martiska, Jo-Ann Meagher, Rosanne Morel, Jody Paul, Colleen Provencial, Maureen Provost, Sharyn Rice, Officer Chad Roger and Dolores Thibault-Munoz.

Sponsors for Kid Expo 2006 include: The Molly Bish Foundation, Mount Wachusett Community College, MWCC Fitness & Wellness Center, HealthAlliance Hospital, Leominster Campus, Fallon Community Health, Heywood Hospital, Doug Rice Painting and General Contracting, Gardner Wal-Mart, BJ’s Wholesale Club, O’Neil’s Bike Shop, Polar Beverages, Chartwells, Gardner Community Partnerships for Children, Gardner Public Safety Officials, Fitchburg Public Safety Officials, Leominster Public Safety Officials,  The Telegram & Gazette, Lil’ Iguana, Nik Rylee’s Restaurant and Papa Gino’s Pizza and others.

For more information, log onto http://mollybish.mwcc.edu.

 

MWCC Accepting Applications for Second Annual Business Plan Competition

By Janice Battista

The Entrepreneurial Resource Center at Mount Wachusett Community College is accepting applications for its second annual Business Plan Competition. The competition, initiated last year to highlight, celebrate and stimulate the entrepreneurial spirit in North Central Massachusetts, is open to any start-up or growing business and nonprofit that is located or willing to locate within the college’s service area.

The competition gives innovators in the business and community involvement sectors an opportunity to submit business plans and vie for up to $18,000 in cash prizes, as well as over $10,000 of in-kind services. One finalist will be chosen in each of the following four categories: start-up profit, expanding profit businesses, start-up nonprofits, and expanding nonprofit. A grand prize winner will be selected from among the four finalists. In addition, special awards will be given in the following categories: Gardner profit or nonprofit, Fitchburg profit and Community Builders profit or nonprofit volunteer program.

“We were delighted with the success of last year’s Business Plan Competition and the interest it generated in spurring business growth and entrepreneurship in our region,” said MWCC President Daniel M. Asquino. “Through the continued support of our sponsors, we are able to expand the program this year to include three new special award categories, thereby increasing the cash awards,” he said.

“This competition provides a unique and fantastic opportunity for nonprofit and for-profit organizations to develop or expand upon their ideas,” said Lisa Derby Oden, director of the Entrepreneurial Resource Center. “The winners of last year’s competition have gone on to make tremendous strides in advancing their businesses” she said.

“The MWCC Business Plan Competition helped me to see weaknesses in my business plan, practice ‘pitching’ the business plan to investors, and also provided me with the financial support my start-up needed to get off the ground,” said Jonathan Fischer, co-founder of Speed-Demon, Inc. of Lunenburg, winner of the grand prize in last year’s competition. Speed-Demon is a high-tech start-up that has developed a portable dashboard box that will enable parents to monitor the driving habits of their teenage drivers. The device records speed and GPS data and can be plugged into a PC loaded with Speed-Demon software, which uses Google’s map technology, to allow parents to see what roads their teenager traveled and if they drove dangerously fast on any of them.
“The cash and in-kind service awards have been instrumental in getting us this far.”

Other finalists in last year’s competition included high Impact Health & Fitness Services of Fitchburg in the Fitchburg “Main Streets” category, and Crystal House Clubhouse of Gardner in the nonprofit category.

MWCC established the Entrepreneurial Resource Center in 2004 in part through a $25,000 grant from The Coleman Foundation and the U.S. Association for Small Business and Entrepreneurship to initiate new business programs and to serve pre-startup, new and existing small businesses in North Central Massachusetts. The Business Plan Competition was chosen as a finalist from a field of 50 programs across the United States for the prestigious Bellwether Award. This award was presented at the Community College Futures Assembly in Orlando, FL in January.

Competition guidelines and applications are available at http://erc.mwcc.edu. All entries are due on Sept. 18. The Entrepreneurial Resource Center will provide business plan writing workshops June 7 through Aug. 16 to assist applicants with their proposals. Semi-finalists will be announced on Nov. 1, and the grand prize winner will be announced on Nov. 16 following public presentations and final judging.

MWCC’s service area includes the towns of Ashburnham, Ayer, Ashby, Athol, Barre, Clinton, Fitchburg, Gardner, Groton, Hardwick, Harvard, Hubbardston, Lancaster, Leominster, Lunenburg, Oakham, Orange, Pepperell, Petersham, Phillipston, Princeton, Royalston, Rutland, Shirley, Sterling, Townsend, Templeton, Westminster and Winchendon.

The competition’s premier sponsor is the Worcester Telegram & Gazette. The growth sponsor is Unitil Corporation of Fitchburg. Clinton business attorney Jean D. Sifleet is the start-up sponsor. Incubating sponsors are MWCC’s Institute for Nonprofit Development and Entrepreneurial Resource Center, Community Builders, a partnership between the United Way of North Central Massachusetts and MWCC to promote volunteerism, TD Banknorth, Gardner Redevelopment Authority, Nashoba Valley Chamber of Commerce, Wachusett Chamber of Commerce, Greater Gardner Chamber of Commerce, Image Software Services of Devens, Rose & Marble of Ayer, Parkerhill Technology of Lyman, N.H., and The Print Shop at Dunn & Company of Clinton. Supporting sponsors are Wiltec, Inc. of Leominster, W. E. Aubuchon Company Inc. of Westminster, Fidelity Bank of Fitchburg, Fitchburg State College, Wachusett Village Inn of Westminster, A Basket Case of West Boylston, and Onsite Studios of Boylston. Sponsorships and competition judges are still being accepted.

For more information, contact Entrepreneurial Resource Center Director Lisa Derby Oden at (978) 840-3221 ext. 206, or loden@mwcc.mass.edu.