WEST SPRINGFIELD — In celebration of its 30th anniversary, Lexington Group will host an Aeron chair hockey tournament on Wednesday, Oct. 2 from 5:30 to 8 p.m. at its showroom located at 380 Union St., West Springfield.

For this first-of-its-kind event in New England, Lexington Group has invited players, and their administrative staff, from elite area hockey teams — American International College and UMass Amherst — to battle it out in a friendly competition on the ‘ice.’ The winning team from the first round will play against members of the Springfield Thunderbirds. The tournament will be incorporated into an After 5 networking event, with about 300 business and community professionals expected to attend.

The event will help raise funds and awareness for the Foundation for TJO Animals. Founded in 2007, the Foundation for TJO Animals is dedicated to raising much-needed funds to help the local, homeless animals at the Thomas J. O’Connor Animal Control and Adoption Center, which serves the cities of Springfield, Holyoke, and Chicopee. With a focus on providing financial assistance and grants for veterinary care, the foundation has had a direct impact on saving the lives of animals at the shelter.

“We hope you will join us as a spectator or as a sponsor to ensure that we raise much-needed funds for Thomas J. O’Connor Animal Control & Adoption Center,” said Mark Proshan, president of Lexington Group.

Admission to the event is complimentary, but registration is required and can be made at lexington-aeronhockey.eventbrite.com. Donations to the Foundation for TJO Animals are appreciated and can be made in advance directly through the foundation’s website, www.tjofoundation.org, or may be made at the event.

The event is currently sponsored by MP CPAs, St. Germain Investments, Sitterly Movers, and Sheraton Springfield Monarch Place Hotel (cup sponsors); bankESB, Behavioral Health Network, Complete Payroll Solutions, Dietz & Co. Architects, Fire Service Group, HUB International New England, Massachusetts Fire Technologies, Mercier Carpet, Morgan Stanley Wealth Management, and New England Promotional Marketing (chair sponsors); AIS, Baystate Ob/Gyn, Contract Sources, KI, Paragus IT, People’s United Bank, the Republican, and Westfield Bank (rink sponsors); Go Graphix and Herman Miller (goods sponsors); BusinessWest, ERC5, and West of the River Chamber of Commerce (event partners). Additional sponsorship opportunities are available.

HOLYOKE — MassHire Holyoke Career Center announced the appointment of Shawn Teece as its new vice president of Finance. He has several years of successful leadership in nonprofit financial and accounting operations. He assumed the vice presidency of MassHire Holyoke on Aug. 29 and is responsible for strategically overseeing all aspects of the career center’s financial and accounting systems.

Prior to this appointment, Teece was an accounting manager for Head Start Inc. and an account/auditor for the Holyoke Health Center and Lester Halpern, P.C. He has a master of accountancy degree from Westfield State University.

SPRINGFIELD ­— Judge Mary-Lou Rup, a retired Massachusetts Superior Court judge, has completed a workshop and received certification in civil mediation in conformity with Supreme Judicial Court Rules, Rule 1:18 Dispute Resolution, Rule 8. Administered by Massachusetts Continuing Legal Education Inc., the course covered principles of positional and interest-based negotiation, mediation procedures and techniques, settlement agreements, confidentiality, and ethics.

Rup recently returned to private practice at Bulkley, Richardson and Gelinas, LLP, where her mediation experience adds value to the firm’s Alternative Dispute Resolution practice.

HOLYOKE — The Hampden County Bar Assoc. will hold its sixth annual 5K Run/Walk Race Judicata – A Run for the Bar on Sunday, Sept. 29 at Ashley Reservoir in Holyoke. Registration begins at 9 a.m., followed by the start of the event at 11 a.m.

Proceeds raised from this year’s event will benefit the Children’s Law Project and the Colonel Archer B. Battista Veterans Scholarship fund. For more information, call the Hampden County Bar Assoc. at (413) 732-4660.

AMHERST — The Amherst Area Chamber of Commerce announced the A+ Award winners, to be given at its annual A+ Awards Celebration to be held at Hadley Farms Meeting House on Thursday, Oct. 3 starting at 5 p.m.

Each year, the Amherst Area Chamber takes a moment to collectively celebrate the outstanding achievements of community members and entities that contribute to the growth and well-being of the place they choose to live and work.

“Much of this year’s categories capture the changing spirt of business in the 21st century,” said Claudia Pazmany, executive director of the Amherst Area Chamber of Commerce. “The themes are more universal, from those that represent the human experience to those that capture state-of-the-art innovation and movement.”

The awardees include:

Pioneer Valley Hotel Group/Parmar Family (PVHG), a family-owned and -operated hotel-management company that owns five hotels in the Pioneer Valley area and the Hadley Farms Meeting House in Hadley, will receive the Lifetime Achievement award. PVHG has an impact on the region with 104 active part-time and full-time employees in Hadley alone. The Parmar family partners with local vendors such as North Hadley Sugar Shack, KMA Glass, Atkins Farms, and V-One Vodka; hires only local construction crews for all new projects and renovations; and invests in sustainable practices, including working with PV Squared to place more than 500 solar panels on the roof of Homewood Suites, its newest addition in Hadley.

Amherst Innovative Living is the winner of the Leader in Innovation award. The goal at Amherst Innovative Living is sustainable, place-based development that is both environmentally and economically responsible. As leaders in the field of sustainable development, each of its projects seeks LEED certification. The result is quality projects with increased density, increased respect for the environment, and increased financial performance. The firm’s properties currently include AmherstWorks, One East Pleasant, Boltwood Place, Kendrick Place, and Olympia Place.

This year’s Leader in Sustainability  is Laura Draucker, director of Sustainability at Amherst College. In that role, she helped lead the creation of an ambitious Climate Action Plan that was adopted by the Amherst College board of trustees in January. The plan commits the college to carbon neutrality by 2030, a bold goal. Draucker helped compose and champion the plan. She is also the inaugural chair of the town of Amherst’s new Energy and Climate Action Committee.

The Young Professional award goes to Carolyn Forcade, Operations & Student Engagement specialist at the Berthiaume Center for Entrepreneurship at the Isenberg School of Management, UMass Amherst; and founder of the Travel Unicorn. In her role at the Berthiaume Center, Forcade brings a depth of knowledge to her work with student startups and works hard to ensure that each student she meets has every opportunity to grow their business. The Travel Unicorn is an LGBTQ+ travel guide that connects travelers to safe destinations across the world.

The award for Community Service will be given to Lisa Solowiej and Jocelyn Potter, who developed and implemented the Neighborhood Food Project at the Amherst Survival Center. The project has allowed an increasing number of people to volunteer their services through bimonthly food drives at the neighborhood level. The Neighborhood Food Project has yielded thousands of additional pounds of food at each collection, which is going into the hands of those who most need it.

This year’s Chamber MVP is Jessye Deane, drector of Communications & Development for Community Action Pioneer Valley and the owner of F45 Training Hampshire Meadows. Community Action Pioneer Valley is the area’s largest anti-poverty agency, serving more than 28,000 lower-income neighbors.F 45 Training is the fastest-growing fitness network in the world, and F45 Training Hampshire Meadows is the first F45 in Massachusetts. In its first year, F45 has donated more than $38,000 in cash and in-kind services to 19 local nonprofits.

Amherst Media will be creating video tributes for each awardee. The event’s presenting Sponsor is PeoplesBank. BusinessWest continues as media partner for this annual event.

SPRINGFIELD — White Lion Brewing’s summer beer garden officially ended on Aug. 31. During the summer months, the downtown beer garden, which occupies a private park in downtown Springfield, offered an eclectic lineup of events and community collaborations, hosting local musicians, food trucks, restaurants, special events, and nonprofit and private companies.

Because of continuing demand for such events, White Lion will present Harvest Nights at 1477 Main St. each Wednesday and Friday from 5 to 10 p.m. from Sept. 4 to Oct. 30. Events will include White Lion Wednesdays, street food Fridays, local musicians and DJs, special evening hookah nights, and a Hop Headz home-brewer collaboration. Follow White Lion Brewing on all social-media platforms for ongoing updates.

“Downtown’s summer beer garden was a huge success,” Managing Partner Ashley Clark said. “We engaged several thousand visitors. A lot of visitors stopped by the beer garden on their way to or coming from other downtown establishments. It also showcased the vibrancy, diversity, and culture that embodies the White Lion brand. The demand and requests for continuance is what led to the decision to extend 17 more days.”

Tower Square ownership, which owns the private park at 1477 Main St., is currently overseeing the buildout of White Lion’s brewery space across the street at Tower Square, 1500 Main St.

SPRINGFIELD — Sharianne Walker has been named interim dean of the Western New England University (WNEU) College of Business. WNEU President Anthony Caprio announced the appointment, citing Walker’s distinguished service to the College of Business and the university as a whole.

“The faculty of the College of Business, and all of us associated with the university, are extremely fortunate to have such a talented teacher, strong scholar, and seasoned administrator among us who has accepted the request that she lead the College of Business and guide it into our second century,” Caprio said. “Her 23 years as department chair and professor are excellent training as she begins her tenure and contemplates the many responsibilities of the deanship.”

Walker joined the College of Business faculty in 1996, most recently serving as chair and professor of Sport Management, as well as co-director of the Sport Leadership and Coaching graduate program. She is the co-author of the texts “Managing Intercollegiate Athletics,” “Managing Sport Organizations: Responsibility for Performance,” and “Strategic Management in International Sport Management.” She has presented her research in leadership development, business operations, and revenue generation at various international, national, and regional conferences. She has also spearheaded accreditation, strategic-planning, and assessment projects at the university.

An influential figure in the growth of the university’s athletics program, Walker has served as a faculty fellow, an NCAA faculty representative, and chair of the Western New England Athletics Council, and was inducted into the university’s Downes Athletic Hall of Fame. She was named Career Woman of the Year by the Massachusetts Business and Professional Women’s Assoc. and served as director of the Springfield Leadership Institute. She currently chairs the board of trustees of Frank Newhall Look Memorial Park in Florence.

Walker earned her bachelor’s degree in English from Smith College and her master’s and Ph.D. degrees in sport management from UMass.

SPRINGFIELD — Springfield Rescue Mission will host an open house on Sunday, Sept. 8 from 1 to 3 p.m. This is an opportunity for the public to see the facility and learn what it does in the lives of the homeless, hungry, addicted, and poor in the Springfield area. Light refreshments will be served.

Programs include a men’s emergency shelter, a Men’s New Life Rehabilitation Program, a Men’s Transitional Living Program, public breakfast, Operation SONshine (a mobile feeding program), the Give Away Center, holiday banquets, and much more. All programs are free of charge.

CHICOPEE — Elms College announced that all of its class of 2019 education licensure graduates — both undergraduate and graduate — have successfully landed jobs as teachers in their licensure fields or are pursuing advanced degrees. This is the sixth year in a row that the Elms College Education Division has reported a 100% hire rate for its graduates.

“This outcome demonstrates our students’ diligence and commitment to children,” said Mary Claffey Janeczek, chair of the Education Division at Elms College. “Local school districts seek out our licensure graduates, because they are taught not only to master their subject matter, but also to teach with great compassion.”

Elms College allows education majors to specialize in elementary, early childhood, English as a second language, moderate special needs, or secondary education. Graduate students can work toward a master of arts in teaching degree in a variety of fields, including reading specialist, a master of education degree, or a certificate of advanced graduate study (CAGS). The college’s programs offer real-world, student-centric, pedagogical training that prepares teachers to serve as leaders in the changing field of education.

AMHERST — UMass Amherst will welcome the largest entering class in university history when students return to the Commonwealth’s flagship campus over Labor Day weekend.

“Our students arrive with a remarkable variety of experiences and perspectives, and their selection of UMass Amherst shows that our flagship campus is a destination of choice for academically high-achieving students,” said UMass Amherst Chancellor Kumble Subbaswamy. “This year’s class again demonstrates our commitment to fostering a community of excellence, diversity, and accessibility that serves the Commonwealth and the wider world.”

The size of the entering class, approximately 5,800 students, represents an increase of 790 compared to last year. This includes 4,300 in-state students, an increase of 800 over last fall.

Massachusetts students represent 74% of the first-year class. Out-of-state enrollment remained strong at 1,500, including 470 international students. The university received a record 42,110 applications. Overall undergraduate enrollment this fall is projected to be 22,700.

The academic profile of the class of 2023 is impressive. The average SAT score is 1292, and the average GPA is 3.90. The class also represents an increase in the number of ALANA (African, Latino/Hispanic, Asian, Hawaiian/Pacific Islander, and Native American) students at 33%. The percentage of underrepresented minority students is 17%, matching last year’s number. Half of the incoming class is female.

Commonwealth Honors College will welcome 660 students, up 35 students over last year. Their average SAT score is 1400.

Along with the first-year class, nearly 1,050 transfer students will be arriving on campus this fall. The transfers include 380 community-college students enrolling through the MassTransfer program. MassTransfer guarantees admission to Massachusetts community-college students who complete a designated program with a GPA of 2.5 or above. The overall GPA for entering transfer students is 3.40.

WESTFIELD — Each year, the Greater Westfield Chamber of Commerce solicits nominations from the membership for three awards. This year’s recipients are: Business of the Year: Westfield G&E and Whip City Fiber; Nonprofit of the Year: Westfield 350 Committee; and Lifetime Achievement Award: Sister Elizabeth “Betty” Oleksak of Genesis Spiritual Life and Conference Center.

“The chamber is very excited to announce this year’s recipients, as they are all so deserving of these recognitions,” said Kate Phelon, executive director. “It is never an easy decision, and I know the board governance committee made their recommendations to the full board with thoughtful consideration of all the nominees.”

Formed in 1860, the privately-owned Westfield Gas Co. manufactured and sold only gas. With electric light coming into favor with their customers, the Westfield Gas Light Co. purchased the Schuyler electric plant in 1887. Westfield later voted to acquire its own power plant, and the municipally owned and operated Westfield Gas & Electric Light Department was established in 1899. Fast-forward to 2015 when it began providing fiber-optic internet in Westfield with Whip City Fiber. To date, this municipally owned, gigabit-speed internet service is available to more than 70% of the community. Whip City Fiber offers cutting-edge global access which will support the future commercial and residential growth of Westfield.

The Westfield 350 Committee consists of 13 volunteer board members, including Harry Rock, Patrick Berry, Peggy Champagne, Amber Danahey, Cindy Gaylord, Peter Miller, Paul Nunez, Mary O’Connell, Ken Stomski, Jay Pagluica, Candy Pennington, Joyce Peregrin, and Vanessa Holford Diana, who started planning for Westfield’s 350th birthday in 2017. First Night on Dec. 31, 2018 kicked off the celebration, followed by a plethora of events up to the final weekend of celebration on May 18-19, 2019.

Oleksak is the founder of Genesis Spiritual Life and Conference Center. She served as the center’s administrator from 1976 until retirement in 2002, and continues her ministry at Genesis with service on the board of directors and as an experienced retreat director, spiritual director, biospiritual focusing facilitator, overseer of the Genesis gardens, and the Genesis historian. In the late 1970s and early ’80s, Oleksak supported the creative efforts of the Genesis plant manager to promote and orchestrate summer fairs on the Genesis grounds in order to welcome and educate the public as to the Sisters of Providence change in ministry in Westfield from that of caring for unwed mothers to Genesis Spiritual Life Center. Genesis welcomes individuals from all faiths and all walks of life.

The three award winners will be recognized at the Chamber’s annual meeting and awards banquet on Wednesday, Nov. 20 at Shaker Farms Country Club. There will be a cocktail hour from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. followed by a fun-filled program and banquet. The event is hosted by Shaker Farms Country Club, 866 Shaker Road, Westfield. The event sponsor is Westfield Bank, the silver sponsor is Tighe & Bond, and the bronze sponsor is Meyers Brother Kalicka, P.C. For more information on tickets and sponsorships, call the chamber office at (413) 568-1618.

SPRINGFIELD — Jewish Family Services will host a presentation by author Lesléa Newman on Thursday, Sept. 19 from 2 to 4 p.m. Newman will talk about her journey to become a children’s book writer and present and discuss some of her Jewish children’s books, including Gittel’s Journey: An Ellis Island Story. She will also show a short film titled We Are a Country of Immigrants in which she interviews Phyllis Rubin, her godmother and daughter of the real Gittel.

Newman’s other works include Here Is The World: A Year of Jewish Holidays; Ketzel, The Cat Who Composed (winner of the Massachusetts Book Award and the Assoc. of Jewish Libraries Sydney Taylor Award); A Sweet Passover; and Runaway Dreidel. She has received creative-writing fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Massachusetts Artists Foundation. From 2008 to 2010, she served as poet laureate of Northampton. Her newest children’s book, Welcoming Elijah: A Passover Tale with a Tail, will be published in 2020.

The program is free and open to the public. Light refreshments will be served, and books by the author will be available for purchase. Jewish Family Services’ Community Room is located at 1160 Dickinson St., Springfield (the parking lot is on the Converse Street side).

NORTHAMPTON ­— Tickets are now on sale for the 2019 Northampton Jazz Festival Brunch on Sunday, Oct. 6, a fundraiser to benefit the Jazz Artists in the Schools Program at John F. Kennedy Middle School, which exposes Northampton’s student musicians to the valuable mentorship of professional jazz artists.

The DeChamplain Quartet, based out of Hartford, Conn., will perform their gypsy-style music from noon to 2 p.m. with Atla DeChamplain on vocals, Matt DeChamplain on piano, Chris Morrison on guitar, and Matt Dwonszyk on bass.

The Jazz Artists in the School Program “opens up a new realm of possibility for aspiring jazz musicians,” said Ruth Griggs, president of the Northampton Jazz Festival. “Expanding their exposure to jazz through direct one-on-ones with professional jazz musicians is a tremendous bonus for the students.”

Thanks to donations from the Davis Financial Group of Hadley, the program has been able to offer unique workshops with professional jazz artists to the jazz-band students at JFK and Northampton High School.

During the past school year, junior- and senior-high-school jazz-band students have worked with baritone saxophonist Gary Smulyan, tenor saxophonist Don Braden, vocalist Samirah Evans, trumpeter Don Anderson, vocalist Camille Thurman, and the Green Street Trio. The Jazz Artists in the Schools Program will continue when school returns in the fall, with programs set for Nov. 18 and 19 with baritone saxaphonist Clare Daly at JFK, and Dec. 2 and 3 at NHS featuring trombonist and educator Steve Davis.

The jazz brunch will be held at the Delaney House, 3 Country Club Road in Holyoke, starting at 11 a.m. Tickets to the brunch cost $40, and $10 from each purchase will benefit the Davis Financial Group Jazz Artists in the Schools Program at JFK Middle School for the 2019-20 school year.

The brunch will wrap up the 2019 Northampton Jazz Festival, set for Friday, Oct. 4 through Sunday, Oct. 6. The event features three days of live music at various venues in downtown Northampton, including the main-stage act, the Kurt Elling Quintet, which will perform on Oct. 5 at 7:30 p.m. at the Academy of Music.

For more information, to purchase tickets, or to donate to the Jazz Artists in the Schools Program, visit northamptonjazzfest.org.

HOLYOKE — PeoplesBank joined Google, Facebook, BMW, Southwest Airlines, and more top companies on the 2019 WayUp Top 100 Internship Programs list. WayUp is a professional networking application that connects college students and recent graduates to career opportunities with reputable employers.

According to WayUp, the bank was selected because “PeoplesBank interns not only get a behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to operate a bank, they also get hands-on experience to work on passion projects like Habitat for Humanity’s Build Days.” The list is determined by a panel of industry experts who consider everything from public votes to internship-program highlights. More than 1,000 employers participated in this year’s assessment.

“PeoplesBank interns make an immediate and direct impact on the organization and the communities that the bank serves,” said Danielle St. Jean, HR Coordinator and Training Specialist. “Each intern is also assigned to a home department at the bank. In addition to day-to-day assignments and value-add projects completed within that department, the group of interns are involved in several hands-on activities.”

PeoplesBank interns participated in on-site professional development, a Habitat for Humanity Build Day, employee-engagement planning, banking-topic webinars, and job shadowing. They also were able to discuss their career paths with senior leadership in the bank’s finance, human resources, information technology, marketing, and retail operations. After spending the summer at PeoplesBank, the interns have returned to study at colleges throughout Massachusetts as well as Connecticut and Colorado.

“Our internship program instills that we can learn just as much from our interns as they can learn from us,” St. Jean said. “We ask for lots of feedback from our group of interns, and even have a private ‘PeoplesBank Internship Alumni’ group on LinkedIn so that we keep in touch with them at the conclusion of the program.”

Recruitment for the next PeoplesBank summer internship program kicks off during the winter. Interested students are encouraged to complete an application on the bank’s career page, www.bankatpeoples.com/careers.

BOSTON — TD Bank named Steve Webb regional president for Southern New England. In this role, Webb will lead commercial and retail banking teams in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Upstate New York, and Connecticut.

“Steve’s leadership and strategic mindset are widely recognized at TD Bank and within the New England business community, making him a clear choice to lead this region,” said Chris Giamo, head of Commercial Bank. “We are confident that Steve, along with the entire Southern New England TD team, will continue to drive growth and market share in this important geography.”

Webb has more than 30 years of banking experience and has worked across several businesses at TD Bank. He most recently served as New Hampshire market president – Commercial, where he was responsible for the growth and expansion of commercial and small-business lending, cash management, and government banking in the state. Prior to assuming this role, Webb was responsible for the Commercial Division of TD Banknorth within New Hampshire, including credit risk management, cash management, commercial lending, commercial real estate, leasing, and healthcare. Webb also brings a wealth of retail experience to this role, having previously helped to optimize store operations.

“I am thrilled to fulfill this role and to help drive TD’s strategic direction in Southern New England,” said Webb. “There is tremendous opportunity in this region, and I’m truly humbled to be able to lead this charge.”

SPRINGFIELD — In 2016, Trinity Health selected a new community health project at Mercy Medical Center as a recipient of a grant under its Transforming Communities Initiative (TCI), a program that has resulted in the creation of a successful partnership between Mercy and Live Well Springfield (LWS), a multi-sector, community-based coalition that includes over 26 organizations working in the city. This partnership has seen extraordinary results in several areas, such as school nutrition improvements, Complete Streets infrastructure, and tobacco-use prevention.

As a five-year initiative, Trinity Health’s TCI has enjoyed similar community health and well-being successes at seven additional Trinity Health ministries and surrounding communities by focusing on policy, system, and environmental change strategies.

This good work has not gone unnoticed, as the American Hospital Assoc. (AHA) honored Trinity Health’s TCI as one of five programs to receive the 2019 AHA Dick Davidson NOVA Award. The award recognizes outstanding collaboration by hospitals and health systems for building healthier communities.

“We are honored to be recognized by AHA as a national leader,” said Dr. Mouhanad Hammami, senior vice president, Safety Net Transformation, Community Health and Well-Being. “Trinity Health is looking beyond our acute-care environment and developing initiatives that address root causes and social influencers of health. We say social influencers of health, not determinants, because we believe communities are resilient and that change is possible.”

In Springfield, the TCI program has worked to provide services and improve policies that target low-income adults and children disproportionately impacted by health conditions related to poor diet, inactivity, tobacco use, and other social issues. Partners include Mercy Medical Center and LWS members Martin Luther King Jr. Center, Way Finders, Square One, the Springfield Food Policy Council, the Western Mass. Public Health Institute, and the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission.

“The TCI program has not only been a strong, positive influence in the local community over the past three years, it has also helped us further the work of our founders, the Sisters of Providence, who brought hope and healing to the most vulnerable members of society,” said Mark Fulco, president of Mercy Medical Center and its affiliates. “We look forward to working with our community partners to continue that legacy.”

BOSTON — Eversource Energy has been recognized with the nation’s highest honor recognizing support of employees in the military. Eversource was one of 15 companies selected from 2,500 nominations to receive the 2019 Defense Employer Support Freedom Award.

Eversource Chairman, President, and CEO Jim Judge and control-room supervisor Bill Gelinas accepted the Freedom Award at a ceremony at the Pentagon in Washington, D.C.

“We’re honored to be recognized for our commitment to our veteran and military reserve employees,” Judge said. “We owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to our guardsmen, reservists, and veterans. Whether it be a time of peace, crisis, or war, we will always recognize, thank, and support our service members.”

Eversource’s recruitment and military reserve policies make it one of the nation’s leading companies for veterans and other service members. Of Eversource’s 8,000 employees, more than 600 have served in the military. The energy company offers advancement programs that provide opportunities to apply military training in a supervisory level position. In addition, the Eversource Veterans Assoc., made up of employees who served their country, provides support and recognition to current veteran employees and raises funds to support military veterans throughout New England.

SPRINGFIELD — Dress for Success Western Massachusetts will host a clothing tag sale, sponsored by MassMutual, at the Eastfield Mall to raise funds and awareness of its mission of helping women achieve their goal of creating a better life. Women may choose from an extensive array of clothing, shoes, accessories and more.

These new and gently used items include selections from name-brand fashion houses such as Anne Klein, Evan Picone, Ellen Tracy, and many more. Customers can fill a shopping bag for only $25.

There is an abundance of clothing, so items in the tag sale will be restocked throughout the three days. Dates are Friday, Sept. 6, from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Saturday, Sept. 7, from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.; and Sunday, Sept. 8, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday and Saturday are referring-agency days.

All proceeds will benefit Dress for Success Western Massachusetts and help fund programs such as Foot in the Door job training and Margaret R. Fitzgerald mentoring. Volunteers are needed for the event. Anyone interested should contact [email protected].

SPRINGFIELD — The nation’s 24th Educare early-education center will be led by Springfield native Bernitta “Nikki” Burnett, who has been hired as Educare Springfield’s first executive director.

Burnett was raised in the nearby Mason Square neighborhood, attended neighborhood public schools, and earned her undergraduate degree in leadership and organizational science from Bay Path University. She will be completing her master’s degree in leadership and negotiation from Bay Path in 2020.

Most recently, Burnett served as regional vice president of Multicultural Initiatives for the American Heart Assoc., where she worked throughout the New England region to build capacity and support revenue generation around community health and education initiatives. She has more than a decade of leadership experience and, prior to her position with the American Heart Assoc., worked at Baystate Health as education coordinator of Cardiopulmonary Services. At Baystate, she managed three cardiology fellowship programs.

Burnett also has been actively involved in community organizations in Springfield and in the region, having served on the board of the Public Health Institute of Western Massachusetts, the Baystate Health community benefits advisory board, and Live Well Springfield, an organization that promotes a culture of health in Springfield.

Her duties as executive director of Educare Springfield will include oversight of strategic leadership, operational execution, and ensuring the effective implementation of the Educare model to the highest standards of excellence. Burnett will also be responsible for community engagement, fundraising, and resource development.

The school is scheduled to open in late fall. Students to be enrolled will come from the population of children and families served by Holyoke-Chicopee-Springfield Head Start, which will manage the center. Educare offers a full-day, full-year program and will serve 141 children from birth to age 5.

SPRINGFIELD — Officials from Springfield Technical Community College (STCC) and Bay Path University will sign two agreements today at 1 p.m. creating an affordable pathway for female students with an associate degree from STCC to earn a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Bay Path.

Under one articulation agreement, students who receive an associate degree in liberal arts/general studies (applied psychology option) can pursue a bachelor of arts in psychology from Bay Path.

Under the second agreement, students who receive an associate degree in liberal arts transfer (human services/social work option) can pursue a bachelor of arts in psychology.

Bay Path and STCC recognize that, for many students, the path to a bachelor’s degree may begin at a community college. Moreover, for STCC’s female students, diverse educational opportunities, including the advantages of enrolling in a women’s university to earn a bachelor’s degree, adds value to educational experiences.

These agreements acknowledge that significance and are formed to enable the smooth transfer of STCC graduates to either the traditional undergraduate program or the American Women’s College of Bay Path University.

SPRINGFIELD — Robinson Donovan, P.C. announced seven attorneys were listed in Best Lawyers in America 2020, and one was also named Lawyer of the Year in her field.

Jeffrey Roberts, managing partner, practices corporate and business counseling and estate planning, and was named in the practice areas of Corporate Law and Trusts and Estates. He has received the Best Lawyers recognition for 28 consecutive years.

Jeffrey McCormick, partner, was listed in the fields of Personal Injury Litigation – Defendants and Personal Injury Litigation – Plaintiffs. A member of Robinson Donovan’s Alternative Dispute Resolution Group, he practices complex litigation, arbitration, and mediation. He has received the Best Lawyers recognition for 20 consecutive years.

James Martin, partner, was listed in the practice areas of Franchise Law and Real Estate Law. He concentrates his practice on corporate and business counseling, litigation, and commercial real-estate law, and is a member of Robinson Donovan’s Alternative Dispute Resolution Group. He has received the Best Lawyers recognition for 20 consecutive years.

Nancy Frankel Pelletier, partner, was listed in the practice area of Personal Injury Litigation – Defendants. A member of Robinson Donovan’s Alternative Dispute Resolution Group, she concentrates her practice in the areas of litigation and insurance defense. She has received the Best Lawyers recognition for 15 consecutive years.

Patricia Rapinchuk, partner, was listed in the fields of Employment Law – Management and Litigation – Labor and Employment. She was also named Lawyer of the Year in the field of Litigation – Labor and Employment. She practices employment law and litigation and has received the Best Lawyers recognition for 11 consecutive years.

Carla Newton, partner, was named in the field of Family Law. She focuses her practice on divorce and family law, litigation, corporate and business counseling, and commercial real estate, and is a member of Robinson Donovan’s Alternative Dispute Resolution Group. She has received the Best Lawyers recognition for eight consecutive years.

Richard Gaberman was named in the fields of Corporate Law, Real Estate Law, Tax Law, and Trusts and Estates. He focuses his practice on corporate and business counseling, commercial real estate, and estate and tax-planning law. He has received the Best Lawyers recognition for 28 consecutive years.

WESTFIELD — An information session for Westfield State University’s master’s degrees in both counseling and applied behavior analysis will be held on Monday, Sept. 23 at 6 p.m. in the Horace Mann Center lobby, 333 Western Ave., Westfield. Individuals interested in careers as behavior analysts, clinicians, family and marriage counselors, and guidance or adjustment counselors should consider attending to find out how a graduate degree can help them attain one of these positions.

The Department of Psychology offers a 60-credit graduate program designed to serve the student who plans to enter the applied fields of counseling or psychology after receiving the master of arts degree. The program offers four specialized tracks: school guidance counseling, school adjustment counseling, forensic mental-health counseling, and mental-health counseling.

Westfield State University also offers a 48-credit master of arts degree in applied behavior analysis to individuals who work, or aspire to work, in a number of different settings, such as schools, including regular and special-education classrooms, business and industry, healthcare, and other community-based settings.

“Westfield State’s graduate training in counseling meets all requirements for entry licensure in school counseling and all pre-masters content and field experience requirements for mental-health counselors,” said Robert Hayes, chair of graduate programs in psychology. “We particularly value small classes for technique-related courses, where graduate candidates receive outstanding individual attention, as well as group supervision during the development of their counseling skills. Counseling is both a science and an art, and our graduate training program attends to both.”

Information-session attendees will have an opportunity to speak with faculty and members of the outreach team about the program and its application process. The $50 application fee will be waived for all attendees. To RSVP, visit www.gobacknow.com. For more information, call (413) 572-8020 or e-mail [email protected].

SPRINGFIELD — Mercy Medical Center’s Sister Caritas Cancer Center has been selected as a beneficiary of the Big Y Community Bag Program for the month of October.

The Big Y Community Bag Program, which launched in January 2019, is a reusable-bag program that facilitates community support with the goal to make a difference in the communities where shoppers live and work.

The Sister Caritas Cancer Center was selected as the October beneficiary of the program by store leadership at three Big Y locations — 300 Cooley St. in Springfield, 433 Center St. in Ludlow, and 1180 Thorndike St. in Palmer. The Sister Caritas Cancer Center will receive a $1 donation every time the $2.50 reusable community bag is purchased at one of these locations during October, unless otherwise directed by the customer through the giving tag attached to the bag.

“Mercy Medical Center has a longstanding partnership with Big Y, and we are thrilled that the Sister Caritas Cancer Center has been selected to participate in Big Y’s Community Bag Program,” said Carrie Fuller-McMahon, chief Development officer, Office of Philanthropy, Mercy Medical Center. “The funds raised during the program will support the Sister Caritas Cancer Center’s ongoing efforts to serve patients as a place of hope and healing.”

After October, Mercy supporters can continue to raise funds by purchasing the $2.50 community bag at any Big Y and following the instructions on the attached giving tag to direct the $1 donation to Mercy Medical Center anytime throughout the year.

NORTHAMPTON — “This Is Me: Portraits of Pathlight” will debut at Northampton Arts Night Out on Friday, Sept. 13 from 5 to 8 p.m. at Northampton Center for the Arts, 33 Hawley St. Fourteen local photographers partnered with Pathlight to shoot portraits that convey the strength, beauty, complexity, and personality of people with intellectual disabilities and/or autism who are served by Pathlight.

“‘This Is Me’ is a visual representation of Pathlight’s person-centered mission,” Executive Director Ruth Banta said. “All too often, people with disabilities are blurred in the background. At Pathlight, the people we serve are our focus, as we support their self-directed dreams and goals. The people in the portraits represent the different locations, programs, and services Pathlight provides throughout Western Massachusetts — and, of course, the diversity of the people we serve.”

Some of the portrait photographers are seasoned professionals, some are starting their careers, and others take photos as an avocation. Each brings his or her own style to the project. They include Amherst photography professor Justin Kimball, whose work can be found in museums such as the National Gallery of Art and Museum of Fine Arts in Boston; Carol Lollis, Daily Hampshire Gazette photographer and photo editor; 2019 North Star graduate Kim Chin-Gibbons, and more.

When asked about the portraits he shot for the project, Bill Dwight, who is a Northampton city councilor and works at the Florence Pie Bar, said, “I am grateful for the opportunity to try and capture honest images of subjects who tend to be presented in a way that misses their character and individuality.”

For photographer Ellen Augarten, the project has personal significance. “Back in the 1970s, my husband and I were live-in house managers at a community residence in Northampton,” she recalled. “The 12 men living in the house were transitioning into the community from Belchertown State School and Northampton State Hospital. Living and working with them was a formative, challenging, and often wonderful experience for me. Though our group home was run by another organization, I know that Pathlight pioneered community residences in the state in 1971. I wanted to be one of the photographers involved with ‘Portraits of Pathlight,’ and was thrilled to be asked to participate.”

“This is Me” is being supported by sponsors, including Pivot Media in Florence, who did the fine-art printing of the portraits; Big Red Frame in Easthampton, which framed them for the exhibit; and Northampton Center for the Arts, who is hosting the opening at Arts Night Out and will exhibit the photographs through October.

Pathlight is a nonprofit serving children, teens and adults with autism and other developmental disabilities throughout Western Mass.

SPRINGFIELD — Bacon Wilson, P.C. announced that eight of its attorneys have been selected by their peers for inclusion in Best Lawyers in America 2020.

The firm’s managing partner, Kenneth Albano, was selected for business organizations including LLCs and partnerships; Michael Katz was selected for bankruptcy and reorganization; Stephen Krevalin for family law; Hyman Darling for elder law; Gary Breton for banking/finance law and business organizations; Jeffrey Fialky for commercial finance; Gina Barry for elder law; and Paul Rothschild for litigation.

Best Lawyers compiles data from confidential evaluations. More than 8 million attorneys participated in the peer-review survey for the 2020 edition. There is no opportunity to pay for a listing.

LONGMEADOW — The African American Female Professors Award Assoc. (AAFPAA) will host its third annual awards ceremony on Thursday, Sept. 26 at 5:30 p.m. at Bay Path University, 588 Longmeadow St., Longmeadow. The association will salute three professors, as well as present an Alumnae Award and Legacy Award.

The keynote speaker is Yves Salomon-Fernandez, president of Greenfield Community College and a staunch advocate for reinventing higher education in the age of the Fourth Industrial Revolution. She has been recognized as a thought leader, writing and speaking on issues related to rural innovation, workforce development, and women’s leadership. With her passion for access and equity, she was named one of the “Top 25 Women in Higher Education” by Diverse: Issues in Higher Education in March 2018.

Tickets are $20 per person, with half the proceeds going toward the AAFPAA Scholarship Fund.

“As an African-American woman, a graduate from the School of Professional and Continuing Studies at Springfield College (master’s program), I have been inspired to pay tribute to African-American female faculty who teach at the college/university level,” said Traci Gaynor, AAFPAA chairperson. “I wanted to give special recognition to those African-American female professors who are barrier breakers, and are willing to be fully present in university settings which are in varying states of diversity and inclusion.”

SPRINGFIELD — Country Bank recently presented the YMCA of Greater Springfield with a donation of $25,000 to help support the opening of the new YMCA at Tower Square. This donation will assist the new location with meeting the expanding needs of the community.

“The YMCA of Greater Springfield appreciates Country Bank’s generosity and willingness to partner with us and serve the Greater Springfield community,” said Dexter Johnson, president and CEO of the YMCA. “We look forward to the opening of the new YMCA at Tower Square and the Country Bank Group Exercise Room.  Thank you for being a great community partner.”

YMCA’s family centers, camps, and outreach centers serve 22,000 members and program participants each year. Throughout the 14 cities and towns in this region, members and participants are impacted by the YMCA’s core values of caring, honesty, respect, and responsibility.

“We are honored to support the YMCA and the essential services they provide to the Springfield community,” said Paul Scully, president and CEO of Country Bank. “Their work aligns directly with Country Bank’s mission to help make a difference in the lives of others.”

AMHERST — In an effort to find ways to improve long-term outcomes for people with opioid-use disorder, UMass Amherst epidemiology researcher Elizabeth Evans set out to study the obstacles to treating this chronic condition with an effective medication, buprenorphine-naloxone.

“Very few people with opioid use disorder ever get treatment for it — 10% or less,” said Evans, assistant professor in the School of Public Health and Health Sciences. “Of those who do, few remain in treatment long enough to really benefit from it.”

In a  newly published paper in the Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, lead author Evans, along with researchers at UCLA and the Veterans Affairs Puget Sound Health Care System in Seattle, identify factors that inhibit the long-term use of buprenorphine, which was approved in 2002 by the FDA to treat opioid-use disorder.

“Patients and families still have that expectation that short-term treatment is what they should get and want,” Evans says. “But they need to have more realistic expectations and understand that long-term treatment is often necessary.”

In one of the few studies looking at a two-year period of buprenorphine treatment, the researchers analyzed data from a long-term, follow-up study of participants in a multi-site, randomized clinical trial, called START (Starting Treatment with Agonist Replacement Therapy), which was funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse. Evans directed the study while doing research at the UCLA Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior.

Conducted from 2011 to 2014, the study included long-term, follow-up interviews with a cohort of 1,269 adults with opioid-use disorder in five states who had participated in a clinical trial comparing the effects of buprenorphine and methadone on liver health. Between 9.3% and 11.2% of study participants used buprenorphine treatment over the two-year follow-up period that Evans and colleagues studied. A key finding was that individuals who perceived buprenorphine to be unacceptable were least likely to use the medication during follow-up, regardless of the perceived access to the medication.

“This points to the need to address people’s experiences and perceptions of the medication — why they never tried it and, if they did, why they stopped taking the medication,” Evans said. “Increasing access is important, but we need to address why people find that medication to be unacceptable.”

HOLYOKE — Amazon plans to open a distribution center in Holyoke this fall and hire hundreds of workers to staff it, Mayor Alex Morse announced Thursday. The site, at 161 Lower Westfield Road, is the former home of the Paolo Freire Social Justice Charter School and Atlas Copco.

Wages start at at $15 an hour for both full and part-time workers, Morse said. The city is working with Amazon to conduct a hiring event, but in the meantime, Amazon will have a booth at Celebrate Holyoke this weekend, and the mayor encouraged residents and prospective employees to stop by to learn more.

“As mayor, I am encouraged by Amazon’s commitment to hire locally, provide hundreds of living-wage jobs, and strengthen our tax base,” Morse said in a statement. “The distribution center will continue to help Holyoke grow and diversify our economy while providing job opportunities to residents.”

SPRINGFIELD — The Gateway to College program at Springfield Technical Community College (STCC) received a Program Excellence Award in recognition of exceeding all four benchmarks used to assess the performance of Gateway to College programs nationwide.

Through Gateway to College, students who have dropped out of high school or who are significantly off track complete their high-school diplomas in college-based programs while simultaneously earning credits toward a post-secondary credential. STCC has hosted a Gateway to College program since 2013, and the program enrolled 67 students during the academic year when it received the award.

In 2017 and 2018, the STCC Gateway to College program was recognized with a Graduation Achievement Award. This marks its first Program Excellence Award and represents one of only 11 such awards given to Gateway to College programs nationally.

At the Gateway to College Directors Convening in New Haven, Conn. at the end of July, Achieving the Dream President Karen Stout and Executive Vice President Emily Froimson presented the award to STCC Gateway Program Director Katara Robinson.

“Gateway to College programs provide a critical second chance for vulnerable high-school students and a powerful testament to the importance of wraparound supports and creating a sense of belonging in college,” Froimson said. “Nearly 75% of program graduates nationwide continue their post-secondary education.”

Added Robinson, “this award reflects students’ achievements here at STCC’s Gateway to College program. Our staff is extremely happy we could be here to support them in their success. We are excited about supporting students and transforming lives.”

STCC Dean of Academic Initiatives Matt Gravel congratulated Robinson and her staff for their commitment to helping students succeed.

“Gateway to College at STCC is a phenomenal program that helps get students back on track and earn their high-school diploma,” he said. “The program also gives students a chance to experience a college environment and to appreciate the value of a college education.”

SOUTHAMPTON — The Dowd Agencies, LLC opened the doors at its new Southampton office during an open house on Aug. 21. Having outgrown its previous space in town, the Dowd Agencies packed up at 170 College Highway and moved down the road to 124 College Highway, lured by the desire for expanded parking and office space.

“We enjoy being a part of the Southampton community, but we outgrew our old space,” said John Dowd Jr., president and CEO. “We were happy to be able to find a larger space, just down the road, that continues to allow us serve our clients in this area.”

The new Southampton location of the Dowd Agencies is full-service, providing personal insurance, commercial insurance and employee benefits, including life insurance and retirement plans.

“This relocation within Southampton is another step we’ve taken to improve access to our agents and services,” added David Griffin Sr., executive vice president and treasurer for the Dowd Agencies. “We love being part of the Southampton community and are happy that we found a larger location to accommodate our needs and the needs of our clients.”

GREENFIELD — Tina Stevens, adjunct faculty at Greenfield Community College and principal of Stevens Design, will teaching a class on digital design tools on Tuesdays from Sept. 17 to Dec. 20, from 4:10 to 6:50 p.m.

This introduction to digital design is open to the public, as well as enrolled students. It focuses on the use of the Adobe Creative tools Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign. Topics include getting started using the Adobe interface, photo image preparation and manipulation, drawing artwork for logos and illustrations, and designing documents and marketing materials.

Tuition is $550, and fundamental computer skills are required. To register, click here or call (413) 775-1661.

PITTSFIELD — Berkshire Theatre Group announced the installation of a new modular ramp at the Fitzpatrick Main Stage to increase access for all patrons, replacing the chair lift previously there.

The modular ramp was designed and installed by the Albany Lift Co., and creates an accessible entrance into the Fitzpatrick Main Stage. The modular ramp was funded by a grant from the Stockbridge Community Preservation Act Program.

According to Lillian Lee, director of Grants and Campaigns and accessibility coordinator, “the installation of the ramp at our Fitzpatrick Main Stage is a wonderful addition to our existing accessibility features. This is a big step toward creating a more fully accessible organization for all of our patrons. Theater is universal, and we want to ensure that our programming is able to be enjoyed by everyone.”

HADLEY — UMassFive College Federal Credit Union announced it is bringing student-loan repayment benefits to its employees via a new partnership between Student Choice and FutureFuel.io.

Student Choice teamed up with FutureFuel.io earlier this year to better help credit unions address the growing challenge of student-loan debt faced by the emerging workforce. Participating in this new perk allows credit unions to offer their employees and employees of select employee groups access to FutureFuel’s online portal of automated tools that can help reduce the impact of student debt.

“UMassFive got its start serving the students and staff of the Five Colleges in the Pioneer Valley,” said Lauren Duffy, the credit union’s executive vice president and chief operating officer. “While our field of membership has expanded over time, our roots in higher education remain a driving force in helping both our members and our employees pay for college responsibly. We believe offering student-loan repayment benefits to our employees will help them achieve greater financial freedom as they move toward other important stages of their lives.”

CHICOPEE — Nearly a dozen employee volunteers from NESCOR will be on the serving lines for dinner at Lorraine’s Soup Kitchen today, Aug. 22.

As part of an ongoing effort to provide community outreach, NESCOR General Manager Bob Tariff and his team will work with Lorraine’s Soup Kitchen to serve more than 100 meals.

“This is a great opportunity for us to give back to a community we love,” he said. “Western Massachusetts has been our home for decades, and our team appreciates this chance to provide well-deserved support.”

Lorraine’s serves more than 30,000 meals per year to 12% of Chicopee’s population. NESCOR employees will serve food, clean dishes and tables, and provide general support to Lorraine’s staff and clientele.