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LEDC
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ning to change the way they present the food, and I’m really happy about that.”
Overall, Amador echoed the thoughts of Melen- dez and others we spoke with when it came to see- ing more individuals within the Latino community, which is entrepreneurial by nature, make the often- challenging leap from being an employee to being an employer.
“If there’s a McDonald’s in the North End of Springfield, I want to see a Latino owner of that McDonald’s,” he said. “I don’t want to hear people say, ‘let’s go to McDonald’s’ — I want to hear them say, ‘I want to own a McDonald’s.’”
Such sentiments, and such goals, are what prompted PeoplesBank to want to become involved
Language
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partially funded Free English classes. So we need students as well as grants and incredibly generous donors to support our school,” she explained. “We wanted to do online instruction, and now we will always teach online, even as people start to come back to more face-to-face programming.”
After all, she said, “not everyone wants to have classes face to face. There are transportation issues, there are childcare issues, so it’s all about access to education. If we can continue to provide classes to folks virtually and also bring them back in here, that’s a positive.”
At the same time, those in the Teacher Training
North Adams
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tiative and Plaid-urday, which is a grassroots initia- tive,” she said. “Instead of shopping in big-box stores or online for Black Friday, you spend your money in your community, so it stays local.”
Lamb explained that, because of the pandemic and locals working remotely, those dollars were brought back to the community and stayed there versus going to the city where the person was work- ing. Even though people have built habits around the small businesses close to home, there is still a bal- ancing act that every business needs to figure out for themselves in terms of what their customer base is.
Elms
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addition to keeping the focus on how to teach this knowledge.”
This same approach is being used with the third cohort of nursing educators, which just began its course work several weeks ago. This latest chapter in the story has provided more insight into the many challenges to be overcome, and more lessons in perseverance, said Maryann Matrow, director of the School of Nursing Operations at Elms and project co- manager for the Haiti Nursing Continuing Education Program.
She noted, for example, that some students were held up on the road as they traveled to the kickoff for the third cohort, but eventually made it there safely. She also noted some the difficulties in getting new models of laptops to the students that will be using them.
“Once we found and ordered it, things began to get more difficult in terms of travel and delivery,” she
with the LEDC, said Matt Bannister, the institution’s senior vice president of Marketing and Corporate Responsibility, adding that the bank became sold on the concept and its place in the region’s entrepre- neurship ecosystem.
“Other groups have a mentor of two that can help you,” he said. “But they have specialists in what-
ever your issue is, and I think that’s a smart business model; it’s not one generalist who may or may not have experience with what you’re trying to do — they have a whole team of people, and it’s right in down- town Springfield.”
The bank’s participation started with the business lounge that now bears its name, he went on, adding that involvement may go to a higher level, perhaps by matching, or partially matching, the microgrants awarded to businesses by the LEDC.
program are learning to teach online, too, a necessary skill post-COVID.
Coming up on ILI’s annual giving season, when letters of appeal are sent to potential supporters, Gear noted that “it’s not just one thing that runs this school; it’s a variety of revenue streams — tuition- based programs, generous community supporters, grant foundations that support us ... and love.”
She’s also hoping for some of the ARPA money being distributed by the city of Northampton, which would be put to use upgrading the institute’s space and air flow as part of a three-phase improvement plan.
But mostly, she’s adapting — and appreciating the impact the International Language Institute has on
Taking Stock of the Future
Businesses are prepared for things to slow down for the winter, but they still need to have a critical customer base, so they try to connect with the local community in whatever ways they can to garner support.
“Maybe that’s around pricing, maybe that’s around what they’re offering, doing special gift-card options. It’s really figuring out what is the thing that you can offer to the local market that is going to keep your doors open during the slow times,” Lamb said. “The businesses that take the time to do an analysis on sales and where their customers are coming from, and what those customers are buying, are the most
said. “As for the kickoff ceremony ... to be able to get the people there was trying.”
Despite all this, the attrition rates for the first two cohorts were extremely low, only a few students, said Matrow, adding that she attributes this to everything from that thirst for knowledge that all those involved recognized to the strong support system involving those in both Haiti and Chicopee that has helped stu- dents make it to the finish line.
For Duvernat, the challenges involved in taking part in this program went beyond transportation, navigating around extreme weather, and coping with crime. She also had a baby during the course and was working full-time as well, adding up to a juggling act and very stern test that she and others have passed.
“Life in Haiti is very stressful,” she said through Mistivar. “Every day, people have to deal with that stress, which makes them resilient and able to adapt. I was motivated to continue to attend the class because it was something that was very important to
Connecting the Dots
Summing up what the LEDC is and want he expects it will become in the months and years to come, Melendez said the agency strives to build indi- viduals into “leaders, business owners, and change makers.”
That’s a tall task, he went on, but the ingredients are there for the agency to become transformative when it comes to the Latino business community and the overall economic landscape in Western Mass.
That’s why those who take the tour say they’ve never seen anything quite like it — and why they wish they had. u
George O’Brien can be reached at [email protected]
individuals, families, businesses, and communities both locally and around the world.
“I love my job. I love who I get to work with, what we do to help people to the next step,” she said. “I’m always learning from our students, and we are making a difference in so many people’s lives. It’s incredibly gratifying to be able to do this work. It’s not been easy through the pandemic, but we’ve learned to embrace the uncertainty and look for opportunities.” u
Joseph Bednar can be reached at [email protected]
informed and, therefore, the most able to pivot sea- sonally to fit the market. We’re seeing more business- es that are conscientious of that; they track metrics very intentionally and are planning that before even opening their doors.”
Meanwhile, he and other business leaders are pleased that North Adams is growing — and its cre- ative economy booming — with the help of local partners taking the initiative to make the city a more attractive location for locals and tourists alike. u
Kailey Houle can be reached at [email protected]
me. I tried to focus on the experience because I did not want to miss the opportunity.”
Bottom Line
While there are many words and phrases that can be used the describe the Haiti Nursing Continuing Education Program, including all those in its title, ‘opportunity’ probably sums it up the best.
For those in Haiti, it is an opportunity to continue their education and, as Duvernat said, learn how to become better teachers. Meanwhile, for Elms Col- lege, it is a chance to extend its reach and its ability to make a difference in the lives of others, well beyond Chicopee and Western Mass.
In short, it has become a learning experience on many levels and for all those involved. It is a compel- ling story that hopefully has many new chapters still to be written. u
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