Here are some brief thoughts on recent happenings in Franklin County and the North Quabbin region.
What some people will do for a good cause.
Take Carl Heebner, who is willing to shave off his long blond hair that is just past shoulder length for a good cause.
Heebner, who works as a customer service representative at the Circle K convenience store at 223 Mohawk Trail, promises to shave his head if customers contribute $2,000 by the end of July to the store’s summer fundraiser to benefit the Special Olympics.
If donations reach the halfway mark of $1,000, he will cut his hair rather than shave it. This figure was $1,250 in previous years, but he lowered it this year to entice customers to donate and increase the odds.
He’s on track with $416 donated by the time he started his Tuesday shift.
Heebner’s mother, who is a trained hairdresser, will shave or cut his hair if the goals are reached. He will post the event on social media.
Circle K stores in New England raise money for alternating charities each season. Heebner has offered to shave his beard and wear a dress to work to bring attention to the other fundraisers.
Want to contribute? Donation jars are next to each of the two registers.
Thanks go to Del Haskins, who has retired as Ashfield’s fire chief.
Haskins gave 47 years of service to his town, including 22 years as its chief. Remarkably, Haskins began serving when he was only 15 as a junior firefighter.
We try to imagine the number of calls Haskins has handled, including house fires and a full range of emergencies, but honestly can’t. In such a small town, it is most likely that he knew the people who need his department’s help.
Enjoy your retirement, Chief Haskins.
Haskin’s replacement is Kyle Walker, who was hired as the town’s first full-time fire chief. Voters at the June Annual Town Meeting approved making the chief’s position full time.
Like his predecessor, Walker has served Ashfield for many years, beginning as a senior firefighter and EMT at 18. He was promoted to lieutenant in 2014. Walker has also been the department’s EMS director for more than 16 years.
In addition, Walker became an auxiliary police officer for Ashfield in 2011, and the following year, a public safety dispatcher for the town of Montague.
“This is huge,” Walker said of his appointment. “This is kind of what I’ve been working toward my whole life, being able to bring emergency services full time to my town.”
Greenfield School Committee members were on the same page when they unanimously selected Christine DeBarge as the new superintendent of Greenfield Public Schools.
DeBarge, currently superintendent of East Windsor Public Schools in Connecticut, was one of the original five finalists — two dropped out — for the post last held by Jordana Harper. She left the job by “an amicable agreement” in February.
A big plus for DeBarge over the other finalists was her experience.
“For me, the tipping point was that Dr. DeBarge is actually the only one in the pool with direct experience as a superintendent in a K-12 district,” said Chair Amy Proietti.
DeBarge and the School Committee will enter into negotiations.
For our part, we welcome DeBarge to Greenfield and look forward to seeing how she can enhance our students’ learning experience.