MWCC's weekly e-newsletter

Friday, July 1, 2005

$10,000 FEDERAL GRANT AWARDED FOR

GARDNER INDUSTRY DOCUMENTARY PROJECT

By Kimberly B. Caisse

A $10,000 grant from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission will allow area history buffs and Mount Wachusett Community College staff to collect and organize records on the region’s furniture manufacturing history.

In the second phase of a project that began in April 2004, the project advisory board and an archival consultant will initially focus on identifying, assessing, processing and preserving the documentary records of the furniture industry in the Gardner area. Board members also plan to share information gathered with the public to raise awareness about the regional and national importance of the area’s furniture manufacturing between the early 19th century and late 20th century. They also will develop resources to enable the project to become a permanent program.

In the first phase of the project, board members learned these records—furniture designs, catalogues, samples, photographs and books—may be held by manufacturers, former employees, museums and libraries. They are considering posting copies of records without copyrights on a website and displaying documents and artifacts in a collection at MWCC or another location, according to Assistant Dean of Library and Information Services Linda Oldach, who is the project director.

MWCC loaned part of its collection of W. Joseph Carr furniture design documents and artifacts to The Gardner Museum for an exhibit, which ended last month. Retired professor Tom Malloy, president of The Gardner Museum, is among the area residents working on the project.

In addition to Oldach and Malloy, MWCC Director of Grant Development Joe Stiso, MWCC Wood Products Workforce Development Coordinator Ken Hanson, Al Bibeau, Mike Richards, Al Anderson and Peggy Kelley are on the Gardner Industry Documentary Project board.

INSTITUTE FOR NONPROFIT DEVELOPMENT AT MWCC
AWARDS $15,000 IN GRANTS

By Kimberly B. Caisse

The Institute for Nonprofit Development (INPD) at Mount Wachusett Community College awarded $15,000 in its first round of mini-grants to seven nonprofit organizations in North Central Massachusetts.

With funding from the Community Foundation of North Central Massachusetts, the mini-grants aim to strengthen the internal capacity of nonprofits to fulfill their missions and impact their communities. Twenty-three applications were received, totaling nearly $67,000 in requests.

“The mini-grants offered a unique opportunity for area nonprofits to take a little time to stand back, reflect, strategize and plan for the future,” explained INPD Coordinator Joanne Foster. “The nonprofits in North Central Mass. are vital to the health and well-being of our communities. Providing tools to help them prosper assures they can continue this work for years to come.”

The following groups were awarded funding:
• House of Peace and Education, Gardner, $1,650 to develop a resource and marketing capacity-building plan
• North Central Charter Essential School, Fitchburg, $3,000 to engage in a strategic visioning process
• Twin Cities Community Development Corporation, Fitchburg/Leominster, $3,000 to build management information capacity to better manage and maintain membership information
• Children's Aid and Family Services, Fitchburg, $3,000, for board development
• Habitat for Humanity-North Central Massachusetts, Fitchburg, $2,190 for board and volunteer training
• Athol Bird and Nature Club/Millers River Environmental Center, Athol, $1,000, to enhance and integrate technology
• Greater Gardner Community Development Corporation, Gardner, $1,200 for strategic planning

Maxyne D. Schneider, executive director of the House of Peace and Education, said: “The grant will allow us to take another important step in stabilizing the finances of the organization. As HOPE begins its tenth year of existence on July 1, it is both a time to celebrate success and to plan for the future with care. The mini-grant allows us to do the latter with funds that the ordinary operating budget would not allow.”

Marcia Hopper, executive director of Greater Gardner Community Development Corp., said: “Over the last several years, the CDC has experienced significant growth, programs have taken new directions, funding resources have changed and staffing capacity is stretched to its limits. The CDC appreciates the institute’s confidence in the organization’s ability to successfully complete a strategic plan that will guide the organization as it moves forward.”

Peter Garbus, executive director of North Central Charter Essential School, said: “We are in that critical third to seventh year of a start-up organization when it is necessary to take the time to step back and see what works and what we can do to improve. This grant will allow us to work on solving immediate concerns facing our school while building our own capacity to problem-solve and manage.”

Megan Foley, executive director of Habitat for Humanity North Central Massachusetts, said: “This grant will enable us to develop tools and skills that give our volunteers confidence to work with leaders and members of faith communities. We at Habitat for Humanity are grateful to INPD for their recognition of the need to reach out to various groups in the community and offer them the opportunity to work with Habitat to provide simple, decent homes for families in need.”

Marc Dohan, executive director of Twin Cities Community Development Corp., said: “This grant will permit us to make immediate improvements to communicating with our members and, just as importantly, create a longer range plan for us to systematically meet the membership goals over the remaining two years of our strategic plan. We will meet our membership goals in part by increasing our technological capacity with the guidance of a consultant.”

Susan Cloutier, executive director of Athol Bird and Nature Club/Millers River Environmental Center, said: “Bringing in outside consultants to objectively review our existing infrastructure and assist us in making wise choices for change and acquisition is a powerful way to inform our board of our current needs. This approach has given the board confidence, so that they support sending out a general appeal to our members and friends to raise the funds that are necessary to complete this project.”

Robert Jokela, executive director of Children’s Aid and Family Services, said: “The INPD grant will assist the Children’s Aid board in gaining a better understanding of its roles and responsibilities in today’s environment, so the agency can continue to meet the needs of its communities into its 130th year and beyond.”

To create a more vibrant North Central Massachusetts, the INPD provides assistance to not-for-profit organizations serving the region to strengthen their capacity to fulfill their missions and impact their communities. Applications for the next round of mini-grants will be available in the fall. For more information or to become a member of the INPD, contact Joanne Foster at (978) 630-9591 or jfoster@mwcc.mass.edu, or visit http://inpd.mwcc.edu.

WHAT’S NEXT SPEAKER URGES LISTENERS
TO ‘FOCUS ON FUTURE POSSIBILITIES’

By Lea Ann Erickson

Look for future opportunities, not to the past, was the message MIT economist Dr. C. Otto Scharmer gave to over 60 people at the final lecture in MWCC’s What’s Next Speaker Series Friday, June 10 at the Four Points by Sheraton in Leominster.

Dr. C. Otto Scharmer

Scharmer, who has done extensive research on leadership and change, told a story from his youth growing up on a farm outside Hamburg, Germany.

“During a normal day, the teacher called me out of class and told me to take my bag and go home. Her eyes were red as if she had wept,” Scharmer said. When he arrived at the train station, no one was there to meet him. For the first time in his life, he took a taxi home to find his family’s 250-year-old farmhouse burned to the ground. “Never before did I realize how much I was attached to that world,” he said. His 87-year-old grandfather, who was ill and in the final weeks of his life, looked at Scharmer’s father and said, “Look forward.”

The memory has stayed with Scharmer as he urges leaders and visionaries to “put your focus and attention on future possibilities.”

Scharmer, who has been working in the U.S. for the past 10 years, has identified two different learning cycles. The first is one familiar to us: Learning based on experiences of the past. But Scharmer stressed that learning in this way alone is not enough.

“Today, we are faced with challenges that we can’t address just by looking at our past. Tomorrow will be extremely different. Nobody knows what it’s going to be,” he said. “But we have to make decisions today.”

Through interviews with over 150 leaders and entrepreneurs around the world, Scharmer discovered that they all had one thing in common in their decision-making: “They connect with future possibilities” through a process Scharmer calls “presencing.” This is a combination of two words—sensing and presence.

To do this, he urged the audience to “get out of your bubble” and retreat and reflect. This allows your “inner knowledge to emerge,” he said. This can be done in many ways. For some, it’s waking early and writing; for others, a long walk at the end of the day.

To learn more about Scharmer’s “Theory U” and presencing, visit his website: www.ottoscharmer.com.

To read about all this year’s speakers, visit http://whatsnext.mwcc.edu. The speaker series will continue in the fall.

MWCC HOSTS THE 12TH ANNUAL GREATER GARDNER RELAY FOR LIFE

	Area cancer survivors begin walking the Survivors' Lap, which kicks off each Relay for Life, at the 12th annual Relay.

The 12th annual Greater Gardner Relay for Life raised $695,000, and, according to relay organizers, the total is still climbing. Thousands of area residents converged on the MWCC track and nearby grounds Friday, June 10 and Saturday, June 11. Many teams decorated their tents with the "Surfin' for a Cure" theme of this year's relay. Teams can still mail checks to: Rebecca Free, Attn: Gardner Relay, American Cancer Society, 59 Bobala Road, Holyoke, MA 01040. For more information, call (413) 493-2132 or fax (413) 493-2199.

Executive Vice President Edward Terceiro Jr. and Director of Facility Operations Jody Paul were among the many MWCC employees who worked hard to make this year's Relay for Life go smoothly.

Upcoming Campus Events:

• The Mount Wachusett Community College Library will be open Monday through Thursday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., during the summer. The Library is open to the public. A valid public library card from any C/WMARS library may be used to checkout books and other materials from the Library. Library patrons are also invited to use the computers in the library’s computer lab. For more information, contact the Library at (978) 630-9125 or visit http://library.mwcc.edu.

• The Theatre at the Mount production of the Stephen Sondheim musical “A Little Night Music” continues Friday, July 8 and Saturday, July 9 at 8 p.m. and Sunday, July 10 at 2 p.m. Based on the Ingmar Bergman film “Smiles of a Summer Night,” the show tells the story of middle-aged Fredrik Egerman (Peter Landry) and his teenage bride, Anne (Sarah Rulfs). Tickets are $18 for evenings and $15 for matinees. For information and reservations, call the Theatre at the Mount box office at (978) 632-2403. Tickets may also be purchased online at http://theatre.mwcc.edu.

• The MWCC Entrepreneurial Resource Center’s first annual Business Plan Competition is underway. The competition gives the North Central Massachusetts region’s innovators—in the business and community involvement sectors—the opportunity to submit business plans that will vie for up to $13,000 in cash as well as in-kind prizes. Three semi-finalists and a single finalist will be chosen in four categories: startup and growing businesses, nonprofits, community involvement and Fitchburg “Main Streets” businesses. The semi-finalists will compete for the finalist awards. A grand-prize winner will be selected from the four finalists. Executive summaries are due Friday, July 29. Competition guidelines and applications are available online at http://erc.mwcc.edu. For more information, contact ERC Director Lisa Derby Oden at (978) 630-9548 or loden@mwcc.mass.edu.

• Theatre at the Mount will hold auditions for the fall touring production, “Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day,” on Tuesday, July 12 and Wednesday, July 13 at 7 p.m. sharp in room 182 at the MWCC’s Gardner campus. The cast calls for an ensemble of eight to 12 members (mix of male and female) ages 14 and up. “Alexander” will be directed by Gail Steele, music directed by Deb Bonneau and choreographed by Chris Casello. A short vocal selection will be taught to all teens that audition. Those who audition should wear comfortable clothing for dance audition and expect cold-readings from the script. The tentative rehearsal schedule is Tuesday and Thursday evenings beginning Tuesday, Aug. 16. “Alexander” will be performed at local elementary schools on Oct. 13, 14, 27 and 28 and Nov. 3; and at MWCC on Oct. 29 at 2 p.m. For more information, contact Professor Gail Steele at (978) 632-6600 ext. 162 or gsteele@mwcc.mass.edu.

• Registrations are being excepted for MWCC’s summer programs for kids and teens, including basketball, baseball, softball, soccer, field hockey, tennis, fitness, “fun in the sun,” computers, science and math, “girl power” and art. Multiple-day classes will take place during July and August. An extended day program at the MWCC Fitness & Wellness Center is available to full-day participants. For more details, visit http://www.mwcc.edu/LLL/kids.html. For a sports program registration packet, call (978) 630-9212. For an enrichment program registration packet, call enrollment services at (978) 630-9238.

• Community Builders, a partnership between MWCC and the United Way of North Central Massachusetts, will co-host two free trainings on how area nonprofit organizations can recruit volunteers using an Internet-based volunteer matching program in July at the college’s Leominster campus, 100 Erdman Way. At the end of the hands-on training, participating organizations’ profiles will be posted online — ready for volunteers to find and begin to fill openings. The first session will be held Thursday, July 21 from 9 to 10 a.m. The second session will be Wednesday, July 27 from 5 to 6 p.m. To register, contact Jacob Vellaccio of the United Way of Central Massachusetts at jvellaccio@unitedwaycm.org or (508) 757-5631 ext. 260.

• The MWCC Foundation, Inc.’s 10th annual Golf Tournament to benefit student scholarships will be held Monday, July 25 at the Sterling Country Club, 33 Albright Road, Sterling. The cost is only $175 per person to play and $40 for dinner guests. Two raffle drawings and an auction will be held. Corporate sponsorship opportunities are still available. Registration will start at 8:30 a.m. with a breakfast buffet starting at 9. The shotgun start will be at 10 a.m. The tournament will conclude with a social hour from 3 to 4 p.m. and dinner and awards at 4. Players must wear soft spiked golf shoes. Proper attire is required: All golfers must wear a collared shirt. For more information and registration forms, contact Diane Hamilton at (978) 630-9387 or dhamilton@mwcc.mass.edu.

• The Forest and Wood Products Institute at MWCC will hold a ceremony to recognize the first class of certified Master Loggers in Southern New England on Wednesday, July 27 at 7 p.m. at MWCC. Master Logger is a growing international program that certifies the environmental, safety and business practices of logging companies to ensure that forest products are harvested in a sustainable manner. The Forest and Wood Products Institute was responsible for establishing this program in the Southern New England region through a grant from the USDA Forest Service. For more information, call Director Joseph Smith at (978) 630-9360 or jsmith@mwcc.mass.edu.

• Phi Theta Kappa is taking orders for a graduation DVD. The DVD cost $15. The price includes shipping and handling. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to Gardner Community Action Committee. If interested, please contact Professor Sheila Murphy at smurphy@mwcc.mass.edu.

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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