Briefcase
LEAP Class of 2020 Enrollment Ends July 1
SPRINGFIELD — Leadership Pioneer Valley (LPV) is accepting applications for enrollment in LEAP 2020, a regional leadership-development program, until Monday, July 1. LEAP engages the Pioneer Valley’s most promising emerging leaders through learning and exploration. Participants are trained in leadership skills by experts in a classroom setting. They also attend in-depth field experiences across the region where they meet with local leaders and explore the region’s economy and culture. The LEAP program runs September through May. In its eight years running, nearly 300 individuals representing more than 100 companies, organizations, and municipalities have participated. The program has filled a critical need for a leadership program that builds a network of emerging leaders to address the challenges and opportunities of the region. Fifty-three percent of alumni have a new leadership role at work, 64% have joined a new board of directors, and 99% have made new, meaningful connections. Applicants are considered in a competitive application process that prioritizes diversity by employment sector, geography, race, gender, and sexual orientation. Emerging leaders, mid-career professionals with leadership potential, and those looking to better the Pioneer Valley should consider applying. Applications and further information can be found at www.leadershippv.org.
Freedom Credit Union Holds Annual Summer Food Drive
SPRINGFIELD — Freedom Credit Union is once again holding its annual summer food drive to benefit the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts. Donations can be brought to Freedom branch locations in the Pioneer Valley through Sept. 27. Suggested donations of non-perishable food and personal care items include hot and cold cereals; packaged rice and grains; pasta and noodles; canned beans and vegetables; canned and dried fruit; peanut butter and nuts; granola bars and crackers; powdered or evaporated milk; instant potatoes; canned chicken, fish, and meat; cooking oils and spices (in plastic containers); canned soups, stews, and chili; powdered or canned baby formula; diapers, wipes, and toilet paper; shampoo and body wash; and toothpaste and toothbrushes. For safety, items in glass jars or bottles, homemade food, unlabeled items, baby food, and severely dented cans cannot be accepted.
Baker-Polito Administration, MassDevelopment Announce Funds for Collaborative Workspaces
BOSTON — The Baker-Polito administration and MassDevelopment announced $2,165,000 in funding for the fourth round of Collaborative Workspace Program grants, a MassDevelopment program that accelerates business formation, job creation, and entrepreneurial activity in communities by supporting infrastructure that fuels locally based innovation. Eligible organizations may apply for either seed grants to plan and study the feasibility of new collaborative workspaces, or fit-out grants to develop and expand existing workspaces. Through its first three rounds of grants, the Collaborative Workspace Program provided more than $5 million in funding to more than 75 organizations for the planning, development, and build-out of different types of collaborative workspaces. This new round includes $1.5 million from the Commonwealth’s capital budget and $665,000 from the Barr Foundation, the third installment of a three-year, $1,965,000 grant to the program to expand support for arts-related collaborative workspaces in the Commonwealth. MassDevelopment’s continued partnership with the Barr Foundation broadens the reach of the Collaborative Workspace Program to include the creative sector, a critical source of innovation and positive community change. Proposals are due in electronic format via e-mail at [email protected] by 5 p.m. on Friday, July 12. Funding decisions are expected to be announced by the fall.
