Campaign Center

BERKSHIRE HORSEWORKS

Six-year-old Lea* showed up for her first day of the Ranch Life 101 program at Berkshire HorseWorks wearing a dress and cowboy boots. She looked the part but seemed to lack the confident spirit often associated with cowgirls. 

She was reserved and hesitant to participate or interact. She spoke in a soft voice and kept her gaze down, avoiding eye contact with the counselors and other children. Although Lea didn’t have much horse experience, counselors quickly learned that she loved animals, being outdoors, and getting her hands dirty. They noticed she would store extra snacks and juice boxes in her pockets. Lea called them “resources” to help her build relationships, trust, and empathy with the rescue horses and donkeys. 

After a week, her parents noticed a change in Lea and extended her time in the program by an additional two weeks. Each week, she became more confident and gregarious, and was eager to participate. Interacting with her favorite equine partners, she took on a leadership role during team building activities and was the first to volunteer for something new or help others navigate the personalities of the herd. 

The Ranch Life 101 program had turned things around for Lea. 

With Berkshire United Way’s support, Berkshire HorseWorks has been able to improve services for those who need it most and expand key life skills programs, like this one, to empower children and their families. 

Lea had developed relationships with the animals, participants, and counselors, and picked up new skills like teamwork, communication, and problem solving. 

One day, she went into the field, haltered the biggest horse on the ranch, Spirit, walked him to a trail, and hopped on him bareback. Lea had become fearless like a cowgirl. 

Her connection with Star, a pony with trust issues, allowed her to show the other children how he “best liked to be approached” so that he could “feel safe and happy.” Lea had gained the confident spirit of a cowgirl. 

* Name changed to ensure confidentiality

Your contribution to Berkshire United Way supports experiences that help children gain confidence and grow into their best life.

BARRINGTON STAGE COMPANY

A young student showed up on the first day of the Playwright Mentoring Program (PMP) at Barrington Stage Company wearing a face covering and a hoodie. Using his cell phone, he communicated to the PMP director that he was a selective mute. 

The PMP mentors encouraged him to participate in whatever way was best for him and to let them know if there was anything they could do to make him feel more comfortable. By the third group session, the student had removed his face covering and was participating in most activities. He shared that he was proud of himself for removing his face covering and speaking up in a group of 13 of his peers. 

PMP, Barrington Stage Company’s flagship program, creates a brave and welcoming space where young people ages 13-19 can share important ideas and generate exciting theater.  

Berkshire United Way has supported PMP for many years because it consistently demonstrates the power of artistic expression for teenagers' personal growth. The program provides a unique mentoring opportunity – encouraging young people to collaborate with their peers and to express their thoughts and feelings in a new and exciting way. 

The student had emerged as a leader in the group. He offered participants extra support and encouragement, and often took on the role of director, sharing ideas and suggestions in a kind and supportive way. 

Working with the mentors and his peers, this student had gained confidence to collaborate, communicate face to face, and to express himself. 

Your contribution to Berkshire United Way connects teenagers with mentoring programs that help them grow and learn adult skills in a safe space. 

Volunteer Morgan Ovitsky

THANKSGIVING ANGELS

Thanksgiving is a time to feel safe and have a warm meal with family and friends, but for many of our neighbors in Berkshire County, that isn’t always the case.

To help supply families with food support for the holiday, a group of 21 food pantries, organizations, and faith communities organize the Thanksgiving Angels program in Pittsfield every year. Working together they provide an uncooked turkey and all the fixings for a traditional Thanksgiving meal to anyone in need.

Thanksgiving Angels partnered with Berkshire United Way to help manage the massive number of volunteers who give their time to help make the program possible. Berkshire United Way connected Thanksgiving Angels with their online Volunteer Center, volunteerberkshireuw.org, which helps nonprofits recruit, coordinate, and manage volunteers.

Thanksgiving Angels was new to the Volunteer Center, but quickly learned how the system would simplify the process of organizing the hundreds of volunteers it takes to make this effort a success.

With the support of Berkshire United Way, more than 350 volunteers shared over 2,000 hours of their time to pack and distribute Thanksgiving meals for almost 8,000 people in Berkshire County (nearly 2,000 households).

Volunteers are the backbone of our community. Whether they are interested in helping at a large-scale project like Thanksgiving Angels or an ongoing need for a small nonprofit, they volunteer for good in Berkshire County.

Your contribution to Berkshire United Way helps connect volunteers to service opportunities through our Volunteer Center at volunteerberkshireuw.org.

FLYING CLOUD INSTITUTE

When Flying Cloud Young Women in Science Director Angel Heffernan showed up for the first day of the after-school program last fall, she recognized three students who had been in the Girls in Science program the year before. And the girls recognized her too. 

They greeted Angel with hugs, visible relief, and a few tears. The girls had made the big leap from elementary school to sixth grade and were struggling; to see a familiar face and know that the program had followed them to middle school was a joy and comfort. They quickly settled into the after-school program routine they remembered: a circle for check-in before starting the day’s science investigation or engineering challenge.  

Angel let the alums do the talking. They excitedly told the other students that this was a place where you could be yourself, where they cheered each other on, and that it was okay to make mistakes. The girls shared with the class that they would do real science with real equipment and meet real scientists who were always nice to them.  

Angel and the participants decided to focus their time on climate change. They studied nanoplastics, the effect of fast fashion on landfills, and they met local scientists studying the effects of global warming. They presented to the school at the end of the session and made gifts of sustainably-produced cosmetics and stickers for peers and teachers. 

Berkshire United Way supports Flying Cloud Institute to ensure all children in Berkshire County have access to quality, engaging programs that inspire them to overcome internal and societal barriers to best meet their future.

Your contribution to Berkshire United Way provides students access to STEM-related programs that empower them to be leaders and explore future career paths.

LITERACY NETWORK OF SOUTH BERKSHIRE

Berkshire United Way is focused on helping everyone in Berkshire County achieve their career goals. We support life-changing programs that remove barriers to education and provide training opportunities. One recent success story is Gloria* who moved to Berkshire County in 2016. 

Gloria had worked as a nurse for more than 20 years in El Salvador and when she moved to the United States, she didn’t know any English and didn’t have a driver’s license. Gloria was eager to continue her long-term career as a nurse and to become a part of her new community, but she faced many immediate challenges.

Gloria was thankfully connected with the Literacy Network of South Berkshire (LitNet), who paired her with a trained tutor who came to her house twice a week to help her learn English. Gloria also enrolled in the Adult Learning Program at Berkshire Community College (BCC) and began working toward becoming a certified nursing assistant.

With the help of LitNet, Gloria became a U.S. citizen in 2022. This accomplishment opened the door for scholarship opportunities and federal aid to help her pursue her nursing studies. 

Gloria was incredibly proud when her English was strong enough to transfer to all English classes at BCC. She completed her nursing school prerequisites with high marks and finally entered the nursing program.

Her current LitNet tutor helps her with English and Nursing 101 homework, which Gloria says is “very hard,” but maintains high grades to keep her scholarship – all while working full time at Berkshire Meadows. She is on course to become a registered nurse next year!

* Name changed to ensure confidentiality

Your contribution to Berkshire United Way supports services that help individuals complete their education, pursue a career, and engage in their community.

GREENAGERS

Earlier this year, Jordan* supervised a team of young adults in building a new outdoor reading room for the 
Egremont Free Library. The project was a highlight of Jordan’s time leading a Greenagers Summer Build Crew.

This work reflects the Greenagers vision to get young people outside; working with their hands; talking to each other and their elders; listening, leading, and learning. Putting that commitment into practice, Greenagers 
educators taught Jordan the fundamentals of the building trades. Although they had no prior experience, Jordan quickly picked up these skills and became a crew leader.

This transformation would not have been possible without the training, paid work experience, and mentorship Jordan received from the Greenagers team. Berkshire United Way proudly supports this exemplary organization and our shared commitment to inspire young people to develop new skills and to imagine new possibilities for their future.

The build crew experience created the bridge from the future Jordan imagined when they graduated high school to the path they’re following today. Jordan starts college this fall. They plan to study acoustical engineering and will use their earnings from trade work to help pay for college. Jordan also plans to return to Greenagers as a crew leader next summer, continuing to build their skills and inspire their peers.

* Name changed to ensure confidentiality

Your contribution to Berkshire United Way supports programs that empower youth with skills they can use personally and professionally.