Day: November 6, 2018

SPRINGFIELD — The United Way of Pioneer Valley (UWPV) will introduce to the community its new president and CEO, Paul Mina, at a public event on Friday, Nov. 9 at 10 a.m. at the Monarch Place Plaza in Springfield. All are welcome to attend this event.

Mina brings more than 30 years of United Way experience to the Pioneer Valley and has already stepped into his new role. The UWPV board of directors has entered into a management agreement with the United Way of Tri-County, based in Framingham. Both organizations’ boards voted to approve the two-and-a-half-year management agreement, under which two organizations will share a CEO and other management operations, while UWPV still remains under local board oversight.

“This is not a merger, but a way to gain efficiencies in the back-end management,” said Steve Lowell, chairman of the UWPV board and president of Monson Savings Bank. “Plus we’ll get some much-needed stability in leadership and the value of Paul’s experience and energy. It’s a great opportunity for us.”

SPRINGFIELD — Terry Maxey, former interim director of Open Pantry Community Services Inc., has been selected to permanently lead the agency as director. He has served as interim director of Open Pantry since November 2017, and has been with organization since February 2016.

“Both on a professional and personal basis, Terry is the best person to lead this important agency, and we are fortunate to have him at the helm,” Open Pantry board member Stephen Penna said. “Terry understands our mission and is deeply committed to the community served by this critically important agency. I am confident that, under Terry’s steady leadership, Open Pantry will continue to provide essential services for individuals and families throughout the Greater Springfield region.”

As director, Maxey will be responsible for managing all aspects of Open Pantry, which serves more than 18,000 low-income and disadvantaged people annually, with an approximately $3 million annual budget and 40 staff members.

Open Pantry meets the most basic needs of individuals and families by providing hot meals at its Loaves and Fishes Community Kitchen. It also provides perishable and non-perishable food for people in need in the Springfield area through its Emergency Food Pantry Program. In addition, the pantry offers a program providing food assistance to seniors.

Open Pantry’s Open Door Social Services program provides case management, housing-search assistance, and medical, mental-health, and substance-abuse referrals for homeless people living in area shelters, on the streets, or in temporary locations in Western Mass.

“I have volunteered for Open Pantry Community Services, for over 20 years, and I’m excited for the opportunity to lead this agency to the next level,” Maxey said. “Open Pantry has a great management team and dedicated staff, and we are focused on continuing to deliver the highest-quality social services to those in need in our community.”

Before joining Open Pantry, Maxey served as director of Operations and project manager at Martin Luther King Jr. Family Services in Springfield. There, he helped lead the multi-cultural, multi-service agency dedicated to empowering individuals and families in need. He also held a number of leadership positions within the private sector. He has been recognized for his leadership skills, receiving the 2017 SMOC Housing Team of the Year Award and the MLK Jr. Family Services Employee of the Quarter Award for outstanding performance and leadership.

Maxey is invested in the Springfield community and serves with a variety of organizations, including the executive and operational committees of the city of Springfield Health and Human Services, Springfield-Hampden County Continuum of Care board of directors. He holds a bachelor’s degree in marketing from Virginia State University and a certificate from Leadership of Pioneer Valley.

LONGMEADOW — Women have been completing their bachelor’s degrees at rates significantly higher than the national average since the inception of the American Women’s College at Bay Path University in 2013, thanks to its digitally enhanced learning model, SOUL (Social Online Universal Learning). This innovative approach to education has earned it recognition among the 2019 Best Online Colleges in America, as ranked by Niche.com. 

“With the American Women’s College’s fully online, accelerated schedule, credit for prior experiences, and generous transfer policy, many students are able to finally obtain an undergraduate degree that may have been in progress for many years,” said Amanda Gould, chief administrative officer. “Our adaptive coursework can help students refresh on content, as needed, on each student’s customized learning path, even if they have had to take breaks in their learning.”

Niche.com ranked colleges based on the following categories: academic excellence, overall value, strength of faculty scholarship, campus quality, diversity, student life, student surveys on overall experience, safety, and location. The university placed 20th on a list of nearly 500 colleges and universities, and is the only New England-based institution to place in the top 20. 

The SOUL model uses data-driven intervention strategies to help mitigate achievement gaps, and has been recognized with more than $5 million in support from industry thought leaders and organizations. SOUL was developed after the American Women’s College was awarded a grant through the First in the World competition administered through the U.S. Department of Education’s Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education. The four-year, $3.5 million award was used to develop and continually hone the program by improving educator access to learning data, allowing for targeted feedback and personalized guidance. SOUL has been recognized with several other grants and awards from national foundations, the federal government, and awarding agencies.

“The American Women’s College is focused on being responsive to students’ needs,” Gould said. “From accommodating complex lives with flexible delivery to using adaptive technology to create customized learning paths, to building an entire network of support and community, we try to find ways to meet students where they are and provide them the opportunity to change their lives with education.”

SPRINGFIELD — Through Nov. 15, participating Walgreens stores are asking customers to add a donation at checkout in support of the YMCA of Greater Springfield’s community-strengthening programs.

Supporting the Scantic Valley YMCA in Wilbraham are Walgreens stores at 1919 Wilbraham Road, Springfield; 54 East St., Ludlow; 1440 Boston Road, Springfield; and 171 West St., Ware. Supporting the downtown Springfield YMCA are Walgreens stores at 50 St. James Blvd., 707 State St., 501 Sumner Ave., 619 Chestnut St., and 625 Carew St, in Springfield; 60 Springfield St., Agawam; and 54 Center Square, East Longmeadow.

For more information about the YMCA of Greater Springfield, visit www.springfieldy.org. For further information about sponsorships, fundraising, giving, planned giving, and volunteer opportunities, e-mail Donna Sittard, Development director, at [email protected].