FLORENCE — Florence Bank recently announced that Justin LaMontagne and Jennifer Halpin were named the recipients of its 2019 President’s Award.

The President’s Award is a tradition established by the bank in 1995, affording employees opportunities to nominate their peers for this prestigious award that recognizes outstanding performance, customer service, and overall contribution to Florence Bank. LaMontagne and Halpin were nominated by numerous colleagues.

LaMontagne is an information technology specialist at the main headquarters and has been with Florence Bank for two years. He is a graduate of Branford Hall Career Institute and the New England Institute of Art.

Halpin is the employee relationship manager at the main headquarters and has been with Florence Bank for four years. Halpin received her associate degree in business administration from Berkshire Community College and a bachelor’s degree in management from UMass Amherst. 

“Jennifer and Justin showcase how hard work and determination truly pay off,” said John Heaps Jr., president and CEO of Florence Bank. “Their peers have praised their dedication, enthusiasm, and the impressive skill set they bring to their respective jobs each day.”

NORTHAMPTON — Public-relations and marketing firm Chikmedia celebrated its fifth year in business on April 1. Chikmedia is a boutique firm with a passion for working with female-run organizations and women business owners, offering strategic marketing planning and creative public relations, said Meghan Rothschild, CEO and ‘chief badass.’

The said she started the business to put an emphasis on female-run organizations with an edgy, fierce, and authentic approach. Five years ago, Chikmedia focused mostly on social media, graphic design, and public relations for its clients. However, the firm has now expanded its services and has conducted several engaging, informative, and educational workshops that aid businesses with social media, personal branding, PR 101, and crisis management.

“We’ve grown here in the community through our reputation and happy client referrals,” she said. “We’re grateful to now have an amazing team, expanded services, and a well-known presence here in Western Mass.”

This year, Chikmedia worked with the region’s new Futures Collegiate Baseball team, the Westfield Starfires, to launch its season by hosting a team name unveiling party. Chikmedia also worked with Square One, a Springfield nonprofit that provides a range of family-friendly education and support services, in launching a new service line that expands childcare to all hours of the day. The company also partners with Dunkin’ Donuts in sponsoring several events.

Chikmedia puts an emphasis on supporting fellow women entrepreneurs and thrives on hosting its own signature events to fulfill this mission. The company’s second annual sold-out Chiks’ Night Out event took place in Springfield in March to promote the spring line of Addy Elizabeth, a chic clothing boutique. Plans are underway to host Party With the Chiks this fall.

BOSTON — A new Massachusetts passenger plate is now available at all full-service RMV locations for outdoor enthusiasts interested in wildlife conservation, habitat improvement, and guaranteed public access to Massachusetts land.

The new “Habitat and Heritage” plate features a whitetail deer buck drawn by Springfield wildlife artist Edward Snyder. Proceeds from the plate will benefit the Massachusetts Chapter of the Sportsmen’s National Land Trust, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit established in 2007, dedicated to conserving and improving wildlife habitat for use by the public. With funds from the license plate, the Sportsmen’s Land Trust can further its mission to acquire open space and partner with other like-minded organizations to complete habitat improvement projects across Massachusetts.

For more information, visit the special plates section of the Massachusetts RMV website, or e-mail the SNLT at [email protected].

SPRINGFIELD — Franklin First Federal Credit Union was honored as a Community Hero at the Credit Union Heroes and Community Bank Heroes Awards Gala on March 28, hosted at MGM Springfield by American Business Media, publisher of Banking New England and Centerpoint magazines.

Wolf and Co., one of the nation’s leading tax, audit, and CPA firms, was the gala’s presenting sponsor. The gala recognized 18 community banks and credit unions from across New England for their creation of community partnerships and going beyond the call to aid their community. Vincent Valvo, American Business Media publisher and CEO, noted that “we sought out the banks and credit unions that are doing things that are interesting, impactful, and innovative.”

Franklin First was recognized for its partnership with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Franklin County through the creation of a financial carnival designed to educate youth in the community about identifying, earning, and spending money. Franklin First organized several financial carnivals to coincide with mentoring sessions with local ‘bigs’ (Age 16-18) and ‘littles’ (ages 8-11) as a fun, educational alternative to their normal mentoring sessions. The carnivals involved a series of games designed to identify currency, separate wants from needs, recognize expenses, and experience financial gains and losses, all while tracking their earnings and expenses in a savings register to save up for a fun prize at the end of the night.

“Our community partnership with Big Brother Big Sisters of Franklin County has been integral in the credit union being able to offer financial education to a younger demographic,” said Michelle Dwyer, president and CEO of Franklin First. “Their participation allows us to engage two different generations at once within their Friday-night mentoring programs.”

Franklin First received Silver in the category of credit unions with less than $500 million in assets.

SPRINGFIELD — Western New England University (WNEU) was named among the top institutions in the nation in the 2018 Collegiate Advertising Awards and the 34th annual Education Advertising Awards, two programs designed to recognize higher-education organizations for excellence in communications, marketing, advertising, and promotion of their schools.

Western New England University and its creative partner, Spark451, received a total of four Gold awards. The university’s centennial logo, the recently launched WNE: The Magazine of Western New England University, and WNEU’s “What’s New?” brochure were all recognized for excellence.

The logo created to commemorate Western New England’s centennial claimed gold in both competitions. “The anniversary mark leverages iconic details of the existing brand in a new way,” said Irene Scala, creative director at Spark451. “What’s most important is that the identity’s graphic elements — showcased through the campus banners, publications, and other celebratory materials — reflect the university’s vision for a bright future, one that was inspired by many perspectives from a wide cross-section of people, but carried out as a unified institution.”

The Magazine of Western New England University claimed gold in the Collegiate Advertising Awards competition. The biannual publication explores stories drawn from a cross section of the university, highlighting faculty research, campus happenings, and alumni achievements.

“This project was the results of months of work reimagining how the university presents itself to alumni and other stakeholders,” said Bryan Gross, vice president for Enrollment Management and Marketing. “This was a consummate team effort, drawing on the talents of our Marketing and Alumni offices, as well as the creative vision Spark451 brought to the table to make the stories leap off the page.”

Added Scala, “the industry recognition is a testament to our close collaboration with Western New England’s talented marketing team. We are proud of this long-standing and rewarding partnership.”

Meanwhile, “What’s New at WNE?” took home top honors in the Education Advertising Awards brochure category. The annual publication shines the spotlight on the latest university developments, including new facilities, academic programs, and faculty and student accomplishments. 

The Collegiate Advertising Awards and the Education Advertising Awards each received hundreds of entries from across the U.S. and beyond. Submissions were reviewed by separate national panels of industry experts, with judging including such criteria as creativity, layout and design, functionality, message effectiveness, production quality, and overall appeal.

CHICOPEE — In honor of April being National Autism Awareness Month, Sunshine Village is planning visits and events with local organizations to raise awareness of autism and recognize a shared commitment to inclusivity, acceptance, and celebrating unique abilities, said Gina Kos, executive director.

As a nonprofit leader in day programs and employment services for people on the autism spectrum, Sunshine Village regularly seeks partnerships and gives back to the community by volunteering, advocating, and offering educational opportunities.

With programs located in Chicopee, Springfield, Three Rivers, and Westfield, the organization has developed strong relationships with first responders and community groups and leaders, including libraries and businesses. To promote goodwill and recognize these important partnerships, individuals and staff from each program will visit the offices of Mayor Richard Kos and City Treasurer Marie Laflamme of Chicopee, Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno, and Westfield Mayor Brian Sullivan. Visits will also be made to libraries and police and fire departments in Chicopee, Springfield, Three Rivers, and Westfield.

In addition, visits will be made to MGM Springfield, Wegrzyn Dental Offices, the Holyoke Public Schools Autism Fair, Harmony House, Ronald McDonald House, Litwin Elementary School in Chicopee, and Serendipity Salon. Each community partner will be presented with inspiring artwork and homemade crafts and treats that highlight the culinary-arts skills and creativity of individuals in Sunshine Village’s programs. Members of local cultural councils will also visit Sunshine Village to enjoy the Everyone Shines Music Therapy program led by a music therapist, which was made possible through cultural council grants.

Since 1967, Sunshine Village has provided innovative day services for people with developmental disabilities, including those on the autism spectrum. Currently, the facility serves more than 500 individuals in nine sites throughout the Pioneer Valley.

HAMPDEN — The Starting Gate at GreatHorse will host breakfast with the Easter Bunny on Saturday, April 20 at 9 a.m. The facility is located at 128 Wilbraham Road, Hampden.

An Easter breakfast buffet will feature buttermilk pancakes, scrambled eggs, pork sausage links, applewood bacon, golden breakfast potatoes, fresh fruit, mini danish, hot cross buns, bagels, coffee, tea, orange juice, and milk. The event will include Easter crafts and games, including an Easter egg hunt. This event is open to the public.

The cost is $35, including tax and service charges. The event is free for children under age 1. Call (413) 566-5158 for reservations.

SPRINGFIELD — The Springfield College Center for Excellence in Teaching, Learning, and Scholarship has been awarded a $265,000 grant from the Davis Educational Foundation to assist in the creation of faculty-development opportunities focused on the implementation of real-time assessment procedures to help increase and maintain student academic success.

The grant will allow the center to fund faculty from across departments and schools to engage in workshops on assessment, implement those strategies into their courses, and use the assessment data to evaluate program-learning outcomes. 

The goals are to improve the timelines of interventions when students are not meeting learning objectives and to move the class forward when all students are meeting those objectives. The center will coordinate the training and provide faculty with the ability to engage in scholarship around the development of these assessment procedures.

CHICOPEE — Elms College will present its 88th commencement exercises on Saturday, May 18 at 10 a.m. at the MassMutual Center in Springfield. The academic procession begins at 9:30 a.m.

The commencement speaker, healthcare entrepreneur and philanthropist William Lyons III, plans to deliver an inspirational address and will receive an honorary degree.

Lyons and his brothers founded Blackstone Medical Inc. in 1996 and built it into a true Pioneer Valley success story; the company was even named a ‘model business’ by the Romney administration for creating local jobs in the high-tech arena. By the time Blackstone Medical was acquired by Orthofix International in 2006, it was the world’s largest privately held spinal-implant company, and had introduced more than 20 instrument and implant systems throughout the U.S. and in more than 30 countries.

Prior to forming Blackstone Medical Inc., Lyons served as chairman, president, and CEO of Brimfield Precision Inc., a medical-device contract-manufacturing business. During his manufacturing career, he became a founding partner in an orthopedic development company that later merged into the Orthopedic Products Group of Johnson & Johnson. He also was a founding member of the board of directors of Exactech Inc., a public company specializing in orthopedic products. Locally, he was a founder of Mechtech of Western Massachusetts, a nonprofit machining apprenticeship training company. He continues to serve as a consultant to the medical-device-manufacturing industry and as an investor in medical-device startup companies.

As philanthropists, Lyons and his wife, Cynthia, who is the chair of the board of trustees at Elms College, are focused on supporting local educational projects, medical-research and cancer-care projects, and programs that benefit military families. They have donated to many causes in the Pioneer Valley area, including the town of Wilbraham tornado-relief fund, Mercy Medical Center’s Sister Caritas Cancer Center, and Elms College.

Honorary degrees will also be awarded to Savina Martin, co-chair of the Massachusetts Poor People’s Campaign, and Kathryn Buckley-Brawner, executive director of Catholic Charities Agency in the Diocese of Springfield, in recognition of their contributions to the world.

As a national activist on homelessness and issues affecting women who has spoken around the country on systemic racism and poverty issues, Martin has challenged politicians and policy makers to build sustainable, low-income housing and support for urban areas. A veteran and a woman of color, today she works particularly among homeless women veterans in Boston.

Buckley-Brawner has worked with Catholic Charities since 2004, and has been at the forefront of the agency’s effort to provide services and assistance to the victims of the 2011 tornado, Tropical Storm Irene, and other events. As a refugee reception and placement agency subcontracted through the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, the agency has helped to resettle dozens of refugees into Western Mass.

PIONEER VALLEY — The Speaker Sisterhood, a network of public speaking clubs for women, is holding a company-wide, month-long, open-house celebration for its network of 24 clubs in April. The goal of the clubs is to provide a community to women who want to increase confidence, boost public-speaking skills, have fun, and maybe even change the world.

The Pioneer Valley network of Speaker Sisterhood clubs will hold open houses on the following dates. Amherst on Thursday, April 11, 7-9 p.m.; Florence on Wednesday, April 10, 3-5 p.m.; Holyoke on Friday, April 26, 9:30-11:30 a.m.; Northampton #1 on Thursday, April 18, 6-8 p.m.; and Northampton #2 on Monday, April 22, 6-8 p.m.

The two-hour open houses will offer an overview of what club meetings entail, how to join, and what members can expect to gain. Guests will hear experiences from current members and can also volunteer to give a two-minute speech to practice public speaking and get a glimpse of the powerful experience each meeting offers.

“Each Speaker Sisterhood club isn’t just a place to practice speaking in front of a group, it’s a tribe of like-minded women who are supporting and empowering each other to follow their dreams by building confidence in their voice,” said Angela Lussier, founder and CEO of the Speaker Sisterhood, which is based in Holyoke.

Each club experience offers a year-long curriculum that not only helps members become better public speakers, but also takes them on a self-discovery adventure. The Speaker Sisterhood’s curriculum, “The Secret Life of Speaking Up,” is focused on helping women discover, awaken, and create their voice through the art of public speaking.

SPRINGFIELD — Smith & Wesson Corp. announced it has contributed more than $32,000 to the Pioneer Valley USO. Proceeds raised from the company’s annual game dinner have benefited the Pioneer Valley USO and its programs supporting American military personnel and their families for more than a decade. Armed-forces members and families access the USO for social, recreational, educational, and entertainment programs and services.

“We always appreciate the tremendous support this event receives,” said David Mendoza, Pioneer Valley USO board president. “We are honored to be the recipient of the funds raised from the annual Smith & Wesson game dinner. This event is a wonderful opportunity for the USO to raise awareness of our presence in the Pioneer Valley and provide needed support to our military personnel and their families in Western Massachusetts.”

At the annual event, Smith & Wesson game dinner attendees enjoy a variety of wild game dishes prepared by a team of dedicated volunteers. One of the most popular events of its kind, the dinner hosts nearly 500 guests, and this year featured menu items including pheasant, elk, bear, boar, moose, and venison. Led by Chef Norm Boucher from Chicopee Comprehensive High School’s culinary department, volunteers created dishes like antelope meatballs marinara, southern-style pulled boar, pot roast of Maine black bear, and wild bird pot pie. In addition to the food-preparation team, Smith & Wesson volunteers donated more than 500 personal hours to make the event a success. The game meat was donated by hunters affiliated with Smith & Wesson, Foggy Mountain Guide Service, and Linx Wildlife Management, among others. This year’s event included a limited number of sponsorships, giving local businesses the opportunity to show their support. Big-game sponsor Thorn Industries of Three Rivers, as well as other area businesses, provided additional support for the USO.

“It is always wonderful to see such a dedicated team of volunteers come together for this event year after year,” said Mark Smith, president of Smith & Wesson’s Manufacturing Services Division. “We want to thank our volunteers and generous contributors who support this event and the Pioneer Valley USO, which offers critical aid to American service personnel and their families.”

HOLYOKE — Accounting Today, a leading publication in the certified public accounting industry, has named Meyers Brothers Kalicka, P.C. a regional leader in its top-100 listing in the March issue.

Accounting Today’s annual ranking surveys the largest practices in both tax and accounting in 10 major geographic regions across the country. It employs a host of benchmarking data to evaluate the firms’ growth strategies, service areas, and specific client niches. MBK was recognized as a top firm in the New England region.

“MBK is dedicated to our belief in the power and potential of Western Massachusetts,” said Managing Partner James Barrett. “We are very proud to have this local commitment recognized on a national level. Our staff works very hard to provide excellent service to our clients as well as resources and information to business owners and decision makers in our marketplace.”

FLORENCE — Florence Bank has named Susan Seaver its Community Support Award winner for 2019. Seaver, a mortgage loan originator, joined Florence Bank in May 2014 and has 30 years of banking experience. 

The Community Support Award was established by the bank in 1997 as a means of formally recognizing employees who are active participants in community events and donate their personal and professional time to local not-for-profit organizations.

Each year, the award recipient has the opportunity to select a not-for-profit organization of his or her choice, and the bank makes a donation to that organization. At Seaver’s recommendation, Florence Bank will make a donation to the Michael J. Dias Foundation of Ludlow, which has a mission to help those who are battling the disease of addiction.

Seaver is an active member of the community service committee at the Realtor Assoc. of Pioneer Valley, and serves as a designated financial counselor for the Way Finders organization, working to confront homelessness in communities throughout Western Mass. She also volunteers as a classroom reader in support of the Link to Libraries organization in East Longmeadow and is an avid supporter of the Michael J. Dias Foundation.

“Sue is the ideal choice for the Community Support Award,” said John Heaps Jr., president and CEO of Florence Bank. “Her positive energy, commitment to numerous local nonprofit organizations, and dedication to helping those in need within our community is exemplary.”

HOLYOKE — Holyoke Medical Center (HMC) announced the promotion of John Kovalchik to director of ACO Operations. 

With extensive experience leading healthcare-management initiatives (most recently as manager of the Center for Behavioral Health at HMC), Kovalchik is well-positioned to bring the facility to the next level by improving quality of care, meeting measurable benchmarks, accurately reflecting the hospital’s population’s health risks, and maintaining lower overall healthcare costs — all mandates of value-based ACO models, said Spiros Hatiras, president and CEO of Holyoke Medical Center and Valley Health Systems Inc.

“We are thrilled to welcome John to this key role,” Hatiras said. “John brings a wealth of experience to this position and an enthusiasm for integrating the management of patient care and cost-saving initiatives which are vital to our community.”

ACOs, or accountable-care organizations, are provider-led organizations that support new federal and state initiatives to shift from the previous model of fee-for-service healthcare to a value-based system that puts more of the risk on the provider, Kovalchik explained. The overall goals of ACOs are to improve quality of care and patient health outcomes by meeting measurable benchmarks, ensuring patients are accessing healthcare at the appropriate levels, and controlling the overall costs of healthcare by working within population-based models.

In his new position, Kovalchik is overseeing management initiatives for the two ACOs in which HMC participates. The first is through a unique partnership with UMass Memorial Medical Center, involving 50,000 lives split among seven hospitals, four federally qualified health centers, and several private physicians’ offices, covering Central and Western Mass. The second is a statewide ACO participating in a major new demonstration to support a value-based restructuring of MassHealth’s healthcare delivery and payment system. For this initiative, HMC partners with the Boston Accountable Care Organization and BMC Healthnet Plan to form an ACO named the BMC Healthnet Plan Community Alliance. 

Kovalchik is also overseeing HMC’s $750,000 CHART grant from the Health Policy Commission, which provides medication-assisted treatment to patients struggling with opiate addiction with the goal of preventing recidivism and “helping patients to survive and thrive,” he said.

“System change is very exciting, and this is all in the service of providing great and more efficient healthcare,” said Kovalchik, who holds a master’s degree in social work from the University of Connecticut with a focus on healthcare administration, and has directed clinical programming and served in management roles at several local organizations. In his previous role as manager of Behavioral Health at HMC, he participated in ACO planning discussions and sees his new position as a natural transition.

“A significant portion of our patients fall into one of the public-payer buckets [Medicare and MassHealth]. We have a great team of dedicated nurses, patient navigators, quality/analytic professionals, community health workers, and physicians helping these patient populations on a daily basis,” he said. “We also help people with housing, nutrition, obesity, food insecurity … we’re trying to get people to the right levels of care at the right time, and control the ever-rising costs of healthcare.”

HOLYOKE — The Students on the Autism Spectrum Club at Holyoke Community College and the HCC Admissions office will host an open house on Thursday, April 4 for prospective students on the autism spectrum, along with their parents, teachers, guidance counselors, and other support persons. 

Members of the club will lead campus tours, and Admissions staff will hold information sessions on academic programs and HCC support programs.

The open house will run from 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. in the PeoplesBank Conference Room (301/303) of the HCC Kittredge Center for Business & Workforce Development on the main campus at 303 Homestead Ave.

Those interested in attending are asked to RSVP to hcc.edu/sasopenhouse. For  more information, e-mail Bryn Nowell in the HCC Admissions office at [email protected].

SPRINGFIELD — The law firm of Doherty, Wallace, Pillsbury and Murphy, P.C. announced that attorneys Stefan Sjoberg and Talia Landry have recently joined the firm.

Both were born and raised in Western Mass. and are graduates of Western New England University School of Law. Sjoberg’s practice encompasses business law, estate planning, probate litigation, and taxation. Landry’s practice includes estate planning and elder law, personal injury, and commercial litigation.

HOLYOKE — Hundreds of high-school seniors will spend the morning at Holyoke Community College (HCC) on Thursday, April 4 for the 13th annual Credit for Life Fair, an interactive event designed to help young people develop financial-literacy skills and learn the basics of money management. 

The fair will run from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. in the gymnasium of HCC’s Bartley Center for Athletics & Recreation. During a brief orientation, Gary Rome, owner of Gary Rome Hyundai, will offer remarks about the importance of financial literacy from a business owner’s point of view. 

This is the 10th year HCC has hosted this event, which is organized by a committee of financial experts from banks and other agencies in the Pioneer Valley, including Holyoke Credit Union, bankESB, Loan Depot, Mount Holyoke College, United Bank, PeoplesBank, and Lambert & Pryor Insurance. 

Participating schools include Holyoke High School (North and South), Easthampton High School, South Hadley High School, West Springfield High School, Agawam High School, Granby High School, Paulo Freire Social Justice Charter School, Lower Pioneer Valley Educational Cooperative, and Mount Tom Academy, an alternative high school on the HCC campus.

“We are expecting approximately 500 students as well as about 80 volunteers to help them navigate the fair,” said Barbara Baran, marketing officer for Holyoke Credit Union and coordinator of the Credit for Life Fair. “Every year our goal is to give students a great financial learning experience that will stay with them for many years to come. They learn about credit and credit scores, the importance of saving money, how hard their parents have to work to support them, and much, much more.”

Rather than imparting this wisdom through lectures, Credit for Life attendees are given a scenario in which they are 25 years old and have a job, a salary, and debt. They then proceed from booth to booth, where they are required to make financial decisions on essential elements such as housing, food, transportation, and insurance, ultimately trying to balance their budgets and live within their means.

LONGMEADOW — Bay Path University recently announced it is one of 48 colleges and universities to be awarded a grant from Truth Initiative to adopt a 100% tobacco-free or smoke-free campus policy. The effort is part of a national movement among students, faculty, and administrators to address smoking and tobacco use at college campuses throughout the U.S.

“We are truly excited to make Bay Path University a safe, healthy, and productive environment,” said Michael Giampietro, vice president for Finance & Administrative Services. “The health benefits of reducing second-hand smoke exposure are invaluable and could also help students prepare for the workforce, where smoke-free policies are already the norm.”

Ninety-nine percent of all smokers start smoking before the age of 26, making college campuses a critical part in the fight against youth tobacco use. Since 2015, the Truth Initiative Tobacco-Free College Program, in partnership with CVS Health, has awarded more than $1.8 million in funding to 154 colleges and universities to prevent young adults from starting tobacco use, help tobacco smokers quit, and reduce everyone’s exposure to secondhand smoke. 

“Our goal is to make campus environments healthier places to live, work, and learn,” said Robin Koval, CEO and president of the Truth Initiative. “We are proud to continue to build relationships and provide grants to minority-serving institutions, HBCUs [historically black colleges and universities], women’s colleges, and community colleges to give them the tools to go tobacco-free and be the generation that ends smoking.”

Bay Path University’s efforts are part of a growing trend to clean the air on campuses. Currently, more than 2,342 higher-education institutions in the U.S. have gone smoke- or tobacco-free.

“The grant from Truth Initiative has set us up for success, and I’m positive we can achieve our goals,” said Giampietro.

NORTH ADAMS — Michelle Carleton has been promoted to vice president of Residential Services at Berkshire Family and Individual Resources Inc. (BFAIR). She is responsible for overseeing the DDS Residential & Acquired Brain Injury Residential Services, Adult Family Care/Shared Living, and the director of Maintenance.

“With the recent structure reorganization, Michelle’s promotion to vice president of Residential Services is well-deserved. She has brought much experience to this position and continues to provide the level of support and service that matches the BFAIR mission,” said Rich Weisenflue, BFAIR CEO.

Carleton has more than three decades of experience working in the healthcare and human-service field. Since joining BFAIR in March 2017, she has held the positions of Acquired Brain Injury Program coordinator and most recently director of Acquired Brain Injury Residential Services.

HOLYOKE — SPARK EforAll Holyoke continues to support entrepreneurs and idea sharing with two pitch contests planned for this spring. Both contests are an opportunity for aspiring entrepreneurs to share, receive feedback, and possibly win prize money for a business or nonprofit idea.

The first event is a pitch contest for food and drink-themed ideas, hosted on Wednesday, April 10 at 6 p.m. at the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute (164 Race St., Holyoke). The deadline to apply is Thursday, March 28 at 11:59 a.m.

The second event is an all-deas pitch contest, and will be held on Wednesday, April 24 at 6 p.m. in the community room of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church (485 Appleton St., Holyoke). The deadline to apply for that contest is Thursday, April 11 at 11:59 a.m. Entrepreneurs can apply for either pitch contest at eforall.org/ma/holyoke.

Prizes for the winners, who will be chosen by a panel of judges, are $1,000 for the grand prize winner, $750 for second place, $500 for third place, and $500 for the fan favorite (audience vote).

Audience members will have as much fun as the entrepreneurs at the EforAll pitch contests. There are two networking opportunities — before and after each contest — and up to 15 entrepreneurs will be talking about their ideas, looking for feedback and advice. It’s a chance to catch the enthusiasm and energy of passionate people looking to create a business or nonprofit.

SPARK EforAll Holyoke is actively seeking entrepreneurs, specialists, mentors, and sponsors for its summer accelerator. For more information about SPARK EforAll Holyoke, e-mail Tessa Murphy-Romboletti, executive director, at [email protected], or visit eforall.org/ma/holyoke.

BOSTON — Local unemployment rates decreased in 23 labor-market areas and remained unchanged in one labor-market area in the state during the month of February, the Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development reported. Compared to February 2018, the rates dropped in 24 labor market areas.

Eight of the 15 areas for which job estimates are published reported seasonal job gains in February. The largest gains occurred in the Boston-Cambridge-Newton, Springfield, Worcester, Peabody-Salem-Beverly, and Brockton-Bridgewater-Easton areas. Jobs in the Framingham area remained unchanged over the month.

From February 2018 to February 2019, eight of the 15 areas added jobs, with the largest percentage gains in the Leominster-Gardner, Springfield, New Bedford, and Barnstable areas.

In order to compare the statewide rate to local unemployment rates, the Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates the statewide unadjusted unemployment rate for February was 3.2%.

Last week, the Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development reported the statewide seasonally adjusted unemployment rate in the month of February is down one-tenth of a percentage point at 3.0%.

The statewide seasonally adjusted jobs estimate showed a 6,600-job gain in February, and an over-the-year gain of 20,300 jobs.

The unadjusted unemployment rates and job estimates for the labor-market areas reflect seasonal fluctuations and therefore may show different levels and trends than the statewide seasonally adjusted estimates.

GREENFIELD — In celebration of the Week of the Young Child, Elms College Off-Campus will host a presentation and workshop by professor and author Megan Dowd Lambert of Simmons University on Saturday, April 6 from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in the Greenfield Community College (GCC) dining room. This event is free and open to the public, and refreshments will be served.

The presentation and workshop, titled “How to Shake Up Storytime and Get Kids Talking About What They See,” will draw on Lambert’s book Reading Picture Books with Children. Lambert will provide attendees with tips and tools to create dynamic, engaging shared reading experiences that put children and their responses to art, text, and design at the heart of storytime. She will also address how her Whole Book Approach storytime model, developed in association with the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art, can support kids’ critical engagement with picture-book representations of race, class, gender, and other aspects of identity.

Upon completion of the workshop, participants will receive a certificate of attendance confirming that they have successfully completed the training.

This event is sponsored by Elms College and GCC. World Eye Bookstore will have books for sale, and a book signing will follow the workshop.

Seating is limited. Register by contacting Meghan Keane, Elms College off-campus program coordinator, at [email protected] or (413) 775-1257.