Page 47 - BusinessWest February 3, 2021

The Community Founda- tion of Western Massachu- setts (CFWM) announced two new Trustees: Nikki Burnett, executive director of Educare Springfield, and Gillian Hink- son, victim witness advocate for the Hampden County Dis- trict Attorney’s Office. In addi- tion, CFWM also elected a new trustee chair, Paul Murphy, and vice chair, Karin George. Burnett began her role as executive director of Educare Springfield in August 2019.
For more than 20 years, she has pursued her passion of empowering her community and building equity. She cur- rently serves on the board of directors for the Public Health Institute of Western Massachu- setts and on its race and equity subcommittee; on national committees for the Educare Learning Network, including
its educare policy work group and collaborative fundraising advisory board; and on the Baystate Community Benefits Advisory Council. She is also one of the founders of the Faith Based Health Advocates Alliance. In addition to her position with the Hampden County District Attorney’s
Office, Hinkson is an independent business owner of a health and wellness company. She is dedicated to educating the community on the importance of liv- ing a balanced life through exercise, well-balanced eating habits, and mindfulness. She is a member of CFWM’s education committee and a CFWM scholar- ship reviewer; is a Ward Five Democratic Commit- tee member; and serves on the board of directors
for the League of Women Voters and Art for the Soul Gallery. She also serves as a Democratic state com- mitteewoman and is the co-chair of the affirmative action and outreach subcommittee, and has also served as campaign manager for local political can- didates. Murphy is retired legal and administrative counsel of Amherst College and serves as a trustee of Baystate Health. He was previously a partner of
Architecture and Design Awards program last month to encourage and recognize distinguished architec- tural and landscape-design achievement and honor project teams, including the clients and consultants who work together to improve the built environment. The WMAIA Design Awards, held every two years, includes two Honor Awards for exceptional work, eas- ily distinguishable by exceptional quality of design and function; two Merit Awards for work that demon- strates a high level of design quality worthy of recog- nition; and two Citation Awards for work that dem- onstrates a level of design quality worthy of mention. ArchitectureEL Inc. applied for this award by submit- ting a portfolio displaying its design for New Valley Bank at 1930 Wilbraham Road in Springfield. Judging for the award was informed by the AIA Framework for Design Excellence, which contends that design is not solely about aesthetic components, but also concerns how buildings perform for people.
Big Brothers Big Sisters, Restaurants Team Up to Raise Funds for Programs
WEST SPRINGFIELD — Big Brothers Big Sisters of Hampden County (BBBSHC) and four area res- taurants partnered in December to raise money
to support BBBSHC’s youth-mentoring programs. The four restaurant partners were located through- out Hampden County and included Springfield’s Nadim’s Downtown Mediterranean Grill, Hampden’s La Cucina di Hampden House, Wilbraham’s Blue Elephant Restaurant, and Holyoke’s Delaney House. Staff, board members, and volunteers from BBBSHC delivered close to 100 dinners to more than 40 donors during four Fridays in December. Participants chose from customized menus created specifically for
the fundraiser. BBBSHC Executive Director David Beturne formed the partnerships as a creative way to raise funds for his organization during a trying time that has seen revenues and staffing levels cut by more than half. BBBSHC captured 50% of the revenue, and the restaurant partners captured the remaining 50%. Between the fundraiser itself and a sponsorship from Freedom Credit Union, BBBSHC was able to pull in just over $7,000.
People on the Move
Foley Hoag LLP, a Boston-based law firm. His previ- ous board work was with the WGBH Educational Foundation, Tufts Medical Center, Newton-Wellesley Hospital, and Hillside School, as well as New England Public Media, the United Way of Massachusetts Bay and Merrimack Valley, Boston Architectural College, and the Partnership Inc. Murphy was appointed as
a CFWM trustee in 2015, served as chair of the dis- tribution committee for two years, and is a member of the committee on trustees and executive commit- tee. George is a principal and co-owner of Washburn & McGoldrick Inc., a global consulting firm focused on fundraising, communications, strategic planning, alumni engagement, training, and board develop- ment in education and educationally related non- profits. She previously served as vice president for Advancement at Smith College and vice president for Development at Vassar College. George was appoint- ed as a CFWM trustee in 2013, served as a member
People
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UMassFive Donates Hundreds of Winter Coats and Clothes to Amherst Survival Center
HADLEY — UMassFive College Federal Credit Union announced that its members, staff, and community partners have donated hundreds of winter coats and clothing to Amherst Survival Center. Donations were gathered through a collection drive held at UMass- Five’s Hadley and Northampton branches throughout the month of December. “This is a drive that we hold annually, and we weren’t sure what to expect in terms of donations during the pandemic,” said Cait Murray, Community Outreach manager at UMassFive. “We were pleasantly surprised to receive a record number of donations this year. The generosity of our mem- bers, staff, and community partners is truly remark- able.” Five vehicle loads of donations were dropped off at the Amherst Survival Center, where they were sorted and distributed to the community. To support the Amherst Survival Center directly, visit amherstsur- vival.org.
RT Consulting, LLC Acquires Sage Benefit Advisers, LLC
PETERBOROUGH, N.H. — RT Consulting, LLC, has acquired Sage Benefit Advisers, headquartered in Peterborough, N.H. Formed in 2006, RT Consulting
is a national employee-benefits administration firm focused on employee-benefits compliance, health- care advocacy, data transparency, communication, education, and partnerships with clients and brokers. Since inception, RT has grown to become a robust HR-management tool helping to ease the burden
of all the critical activities within human resources, such as enrollment, communication, navigation, and administration. RT Consulting has worked with com- panies of all sizes and industries, including technol- ogy, automotive, healthcare, finance, manufacturing, and energy, and has also done extensive work with associations. The acquisition of Sage Benefit Advisers positions RT to expand its comprehensive advisory and administrative services.
NIKKI BURNETT
KARIN GEORGE
GILLIAN HINKSON
PAUL MURPHY
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port for children in kindergarten through grade 5,
in addition to its traditional preschool classrooms, childcare offerings, and family-support services. Square One currently provides early-learning services to more than 500 infants, toddlers, and school-age children each day, as well as family-support services to 1,500 families each year.
Academy of Music Raising Funds for Restroom Renovations
NORTHAMPTON — Northampton’s historic Academy of Music Theatre announced its “We Care!” cam- paign, which will expand and renovate the public restrooms in the 130-year-old landmark to provide more toilets and sinks and upgrade the facilities for cleanliness and hygiene. Among the improvements slated for the $325,000 project are the expansion of the existing restroom facilities and the installation of new plumbing, HEPA-filtered hand dryers, touch-free toilet and sink fixtures, and partitions to serve a larger patron population, as well as new wall, floor, and ceil- ing finishes. The project is led by Northampton-based Thomas Douglas Architects, whose previous design for the renovation of the Academy of Music’s audito- rium earned a Massachusetts Historical Commission Preservation Award. The Academy secured $225,000 last winter for the project from state and foundation sources, including the Massachusetts Cultural Facili- ties Funds, Smith College, and the Beveridge Fam-
ily Foundation. The “We Care!” campaign aims to raise the remaining $100,000 from the Pioneer Valley community.
Architecture Environment Life Inc. Wins Citation Award from WMAIA
EAST LONGMEADOW — Architecture Environment Life Inc., known to many as ArchitectureEL Inc. or AEL, received a Citation Award from the Western Mass. chapter of the American Institute of Architects (WMAIA). In partnership with the Western Mass. sec- tion of the Boston Society of Landscape Architects (BSLA), WMAIA hosted its biannual Celebration of
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