Good morning, neighbor.
I hope you had a wonderful Valentine’s Day. It was nice that it fell on a Sunday, so we could celebrate the entire day. It gave me enough time to make the rounds and see my grandchildren. How about you? I’d love to hear how you spent the day.
Our neighbors at the Children’s Advocacy Center of Franklin County and North Quabbin Inc. are celebrating Valentine’s Day throughout February. If you make a donation between now and Feb. 28, it will be matched up to $3,000.
The agency, which serves sexually abused children and their families, runs completely on federal and state funding and grants, and also accepts donations, according to Executive Director Irene Woods. The model it uses includes law enforcement and child protective services acting first to make sure a child is safe from an abuser.
The child is then brought to the center on Wisdom Way where the joint investigation and interview begins. Once the case has been reviewed, decisions are made about how to proceed, including whether the case is presented to the district attorney for prosecution. A suspect is either charged or the case is refused. The child is then either removed from the home, a case is opened, or it is closed and goes no further.
Those at the center have worked hard over the past year. The Greenfield center on Wisdom Way was closed for several months after the pandemic hit the area, but has since reopened and is seeing children and their families in person. Irene told me Plexiglas has been installed for everyone’s safety and everyone must wear a mask.
To make a donation, visit cacfranklinnq.org. If you have questions, need help or you’d like to learn more about the Children’s Advocacy Center, call 413-475-3401.
I also wanted to let you know that Greenfield Community College is hosting a virtual Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Outdoors Summit on Feb. 22. The two-hour summit will start at 10 a.m. and will be hosted by Rachel Hailey of Rachel Hailey and Associates Consulting.
The event will bring together leaders, professionals, facilitators, educators, retailers and outfitters from across the outdoor industry and field of social justice to discuss those issues. It comes in advance of a proposed six- to eight-week certification course on the same topic. The course is expected to run in the fall through the college’s Center for Workforce Development and Community Education. It will focus on the intersection of outdoor leadership and social justice.
“This initiative is so important for Franklin County and for rural areas,” Rachel said, “because not only is it the right thing to do at this point in time, both ethically and for our industry, but it’s also a way to feed the bottom line. Welcoming diverse populations is good for our economy.”
Rachel and her associates have built partnerships with local and national organizations including Zoar Outdoor, Berkshire East, Northwest River Supplies and Teva, many of which will be represented at the summit.
“One of the things that makes this summit so special is the focus on actionable systems — tangible steps that can get people the results they’re looking for,” Rachel said.
The summit is open to the public. To join on Zoom, visit bit.ly/3u0j0S2.
I’m putting out a special request for my cousin, Stearl “Butch” Wickline Jr., who lives in what is known as “The Patch” section of Turners Falls, a place very special to me as I spent many, many hours there during my childhood. Butch’s parents, my aunt (Autie) and uncle (Huck), and my paternal grandparents (Bonnie and Bumpy, as we called them), who all died quite a few years ago, lived there. Going to The Patch was always like having a family reunion, every week.
Butch, a local historian who is doing some research, is looking for H.A. Manning street lists, especially for Turners Falls and Greenfield. He’s also looking for older municipal street lists. If you have any or know of anyone who does, please call him at 413-863-9297 or 413-768-8830. I really appreciate you helping him out, but it doesn’t surprise me because you’re all such great neighbors.
Senior Reporter Anita Fritz grew up in Franklin County after moving from Spokane, Wash., when she was just a few weeks old. She covers Greenfield and does regional and COVID-19 reporting for the Greenfield Recorder.