Page 40 - BusinessWest April 27, 2020

Zoom Series on
Elder Law, Estate Planning
May 4, 11, 18: Adapting to COVID-19 restrictions, Attorney Karen Jackson of Jackson Law will teach
a series of Holyoke Community College classes through Zoom, highlighting the latest developments
Agenda
in elder law and estate planning. An elder-law and estate-planning attorney, Jackson will present her six-hour course, called “Elder Law and Estate Plan- ning: What You Need to Know,” on Zoom in three two-hour sessions on consecutive Mondays from 6 to 8 p.m. The cost is $99. To register, e-mail Valen- tyna Semyrog at [email protected], leave a message at (413) 552-2123, or visit www.hcc.edu/bce. Partici- pants will be sent a link to join the class and can join using PCs, laptops, or smartphones. In the first session, Jackson will explain each document in the core estate plan. She will discuss the problems that
Florence Bank announced that David Cisek was recently selected as a recipient of its President’s Award. The Presi- dent’s Award was established by the bank in 1995, affording employees the annual oppor- tunity to nominate their peers for this prestigious honor that recognizes outstanding perfor-
mance, customer service, and overall contribution to Florence Bank. Cisek was nominated by numerous colleagues. Cisek, a senior accounting associate in Florence Bank’s main office, has been with the bank for five years. He earned a bachelor’s degree in ethnic and gender studies and a master’s degree from West- field State University. In addition, he also serves as an
can occur when proper documents are not prepared before a loss of mental capacity or physical health
or before sudden loss of life. The second session will address four areas: trusts, the probate court process, Medicare hot topics, and options for community care and home care. Jackson will provide pertinent information and details about each to assist attend- ees in their planning now. In the third and final ses- sion, Jackson will introduce the various Medicaid programs that provide long-term skilled nursing- home care in Massachusetts and the financial assis- tance associated with each. While participants may choose to attend any or all of the sessions, they must still pay the full course cost of $99.
Difference Makers
Sept. 10: BusinessWest has moved its 12th annual Difference Makers event, originally scheduled for March 19, to Sept. 10 at the Log Cabin in Holyoke. The class of 2020 was profiled in the Feb. 3 issue
of BusinessWest and at businesswest.com. Tickets cost $75. To reserve a spot, e-mail peters@business- west.com or visit businesswest.com. Event sponsors include Burkhart Pizzanelli, Mercy Medical Center/
answer to that growing need.” Gaherty is a Berkshire native and graduate of Monument Mountain Region- al High School. She has been the volunteer secretary and president of the Friends of the Lanesborough Public Library, and an active participant there for fundraisers to support library programming.
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The Springfield Thunderbirds announced that Paul Thompson has been named the team’s winner of the IOA/American Specialty AHL Man of the Year award
for his outstanding contributions to the Springfield community during the 2019-20 season. In his third season as a Thunderbird and his second as team captain, the New England native has continued to show his commitment to the community beyond the ice surface. Before the 2019-20 season began, Thompson was a regular sight at a number of offsea-
Trinity Health Of New England, Royal, P.C., and Tom- myCar Auto Group, while the Tom Cosenzi Driving for the Cure Charity Golf Tournament, MHA, and United Way of Pioneer Valley are partners.
Elms College Executive Leadership Breakfast
Sept. 22: Elms College has rescheduled its third annual Executive Leadership Breakfast due to state- mandated caution regarding large crowds and coro- navirus. U.S. Rep. Richard Neal is still slated to be the keynote speaker for the event, which was originally scheduled for April 9. As the coronavirus pandemic continues to unfold, the college will announce more details as necessary. This annual event features talks by the region’s leaders on topics of relevance that impact all sectors of business and the economy in Western Mass. Speakers at past events have included Dennis Duquette, head of Community Responsibil- ity at MassMutual and president of the MassMutual Foundation, and Regina Noonan Hitchery, retired vice president of Human Resources at Alcoa.
ing the overall IOA/American Specialty AHL Man of the Year. The league award is named after the former Hershey Bears forward and AHL All-Star who died in 1997 following a 16-month battle with leukemia. The winner of the Yanick Dupre Memorial Award will be announced by the AHL at a later date.
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In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, Kellie
Welch has found that writing is a way to help. Welch has taken pen to paper for a project she founded called Write Aid. Her mission is to write for people in return for donations to GetUsPPE (getusppe.org), a new website founded by a group of medical profes- sionals on the front lines of the pandemic. GetUsPPE coordinates donations of needed masks, gloves, and gowns to hospitals and healthcare professionals. Since the launch of Write Aid on Instagram (@welch- kell), Welch has written sonnets about dogs and cats, poetry about sourdough and happiness, a fictional Twitter thread, and a play about birds. Requests have come from friends locally, as well as from Boston, New York City, and Texas. “Words are my reliable outlet and really all I have to offer while at home, but even they have felt empty lately,” Welch said. “Let’s work together to raise money and use storytelling to uplift each other. I will write you anything — a letter to a friend, a sonnet about your labradoodle, a eulo- gy for someone you’ve lost, a Dear John letter to that person you were sort of seeing before this happened. The sky’s the limit. Tell your friends! The more ran- dom things I write, the more money we raise.” After having lived in New York City for nearly 10 years, Welch moved back to Western Mass. last fall. She is
a graduate of Columbia University’s School of Gen- eral Studies, where she studied anthropology and was part of the university’s Honor Society. She is a singer and songwriter whose lyrics have won awards in international songwriting competitions, including American Songwriter and Songdoor International. She currently works as a writer for an educational nonprofit organization.
DAVID CISEK
People on the Move
son functions, including the Thunderbirds’ Street Hockey Tournament, which was born following the untimely passing of a young local hockey player, Alex Blais, two summers ago. Thompson also gave back to the youth- hockey community of Western Mass., start- ing and running the Paul Thompson Hockey
adjunct professor at Westfield State’s Department of Ethnic & Gender Studies. “The long list of comments we received about David tells the story — from ‘he consistently goes above and beyond’ to ‘his enthusi- asm and commitment to his job puts everyone in a positive, happy mood,’” said Kevin Day, president of Florence Bank. “David is a true asset to the bank, and the President’s Award is well-deserved.”
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Berkshire Money Management (BMM) recently
welcomed Tammy Gaherty to its fast-growing team. Gaherty is the second hire for 2020 and will be han- dling scheduling for advisors, managing content distribution, and helping with the flow of opera- tions throughout the firm. Prior to joining BMM, she worked for nearly two decades as an administrative assistant with the Dalton Housing Authority. “Every- one is going through a difficult time right now,” BMM president Barbara Schmick said. “We are hiring in order to better service our clients now and in the future. We are getting far more requests and ques- tions during this pandemic. At this time, our clients need more services than ever, and Tammy is our
Camp out of MassConn United for beginning hockey players. In November, in advance of the club’s sec- ond annual Hockey Fights Cancer Night, Thompson lent his hand to share a deeply personal story to aid a cause near and dear to his family — his cousin Ange- la’s cancer battle and #AngelasArmy initiative. Ange- la’s Army makes ‘care packages’ for patients undergo- ing cancer treatment, and was born out of Angela’s desire to assist other patients, providing comfort to them even as she was going through her own battle. In addition to participating in a number of team events, one that shined through the most was dur- ing the holiday season. Along with teammates Ethan Prow, Rob O’Gara, and Tommy Cross, Thompson led a selfless journey to brighten the lives of a mother and two young children who suddenly had to endure the passing of their father just weeks before the Christmas holiday. The captain and his teammates spent hundreds of dollars on toys and essential items to make the family feel special during their most try- ing time. Thompson is now one of 31 finalists for the AHL’s 2019-20 Yanick Dupre Memorial Award, honor-
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