Berkshire United Way kicked off the 2025-2026 Campaign with a celebration on September 10 at the Country Club of Pittsfield.
"We have work to do to help increase our resiliency muscle so that Berkshire County can weather the current storm we are in," Katherine von Haefen, BUW Interim President and CEO, shared during her remarks. "BUW sees early childhood as an entry point into building our resiliency. Early childhood is a key economic driver for our community.
"Our early childhood work features investing in high quality childcare centers, convening our early childhood educators, collaborating with Pittsfield Public Schools, and establishing a Business Leadership Working group. Your donations provide the fuel for this incredibly important work."
Chris Mathews, Executive VP and owner of Onyx Specialty Papers, helped present BUW's Employee Campaign Coordinator of the Year Award to Molly Hines Aliberti, who has helped organized Onxy's employee giving campaign for seven years.
Guest speaker Brett Random, Executive Director of Berkshire County Head Start, shared that “being a funded partner of Berkshire United Way is more than a term. It means having a partner who shows up, invests in our work, and truly believes in what we can achieve together.”
As the celebration wrapped up, Katherine asked everyone to write words of hope on a flower petal, each one decorated by youth at Berkshire County Head Start, Berkshire South Regional Community Center, and Gladys Allen Brigham Community Center. Look for our garden of hope to grow in our windows on South Street.
Read the iBerkshires article: Berkshire United Way Launches Annual Campaign
Click image to view our gallery | photos by Marc J. Wrzesinski
