Almost the end of the year

Just in case we don't get a chance later on (time goes by so quickly and the poor blog is often neglected): have a wonderful and safe New Year! Please be sure not to overdo the celebrating and stay safe for the sake of all who love you.

Also wanted to share some silly photos of our staff at the recent holiday pot-luck luncheon.

We had fun, we had so much yummy food, we had a Yankee Swap with really nice gifts that no one wanted to give up but, that is the fun part of the Yankee Swap.

Special thanks to our LOCA committee for planning the party.

And special wishes to you for a wonderful 2013!!

Merry Christmas Everyone

It's Christmas Eve and we are of course, closed tomorrow. Wanted to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and share a few photos of the Big Guy in the Red Suit visiting the children at New Beginnings, our childcare center. It was also official Pajama Day for the kids and the staff.

We have many, many more photos, which you can see on our Facebook page.

Santa Takes a Break

This is the last post for this week so a couple of shots from the Bookfair still and one of Santa taking a very well deserved break and drinking an iced coffee :^)

We definitely want to thank Santa Claus for coming to our Bookfair at the Holyoke Barnes and Noble and we have a few more shots to share with everyone next week.

Happy shopping everyone!

Thanks for supporting our Bookfair

As promised yesterday, here are some more photos from our December 8 Bookfair at the Holyoke Barnes and Noble. And, while we're here, many thanks to those who donated at Valley Gives yesterday.

This is the chair all ready for reading the Polar Express. Santa used the chair also to hold little ones in his lap.

The kids are just adorable and they were all so well behaved! And everyone who turned out on a Saturday to spend the day coordinating, gift wrapping, photographing, giving information about Springfield Partners, and generally helping out, thank you so very much.

And we would not have had a successful Bookfair without the help of the professional, helpful, caring and extremely busy staff at the Holyoke Barnes and Noble. Thank you!

Happy Holidays and Thanks to all who supported our Barnes and Noble Bookfair

What a week! We had a truly wonderful Bookfair at the Holyoke Barnes and Noble on Saturday, December 8. Santa visited and many children had their photo taken with him. Some of the little ones really did not want to cooperate for photos as they were a bit intimidated by the big guy in the red suit.

Our wonderful Childcare Director, Tabitha Desplaines, read the Polar Express to several groups of children who were captivated by the story.

We also gift wrapped, helped out by board members and other volunteers and we had a very nice raffle - partly donated by Barnes and Noble and partly donated by the above mentioned Tabitha Desplaines. Didn't Tabitha just go above and beyond? We are very lucky to have her in charge of New Beginnings Childcare. All the money raised at the Bookfair, btw, goes to the children at New Beginnings.

And, because the most adorable children visited with Santa, here are some cute shots that we wanted to share with you:

I will share photos of more children tomorrow. Promise! Good way to make you come back to the blog, right :^)

Happy Thanksgiving

Sending warmest wishes to all for a wonderful Thanksgiving. Here at Springfield Partners, we started celebrating at the beginning of the week. Our childcare center, New Beginnings, hosted a holiday luncheon for the children, staff and parents. The food was donated and prepared by the parents and served by the staff. Of course, the week before was busy with lessons about the meaning and the importance of this holiday.

Here are some photos of our children enjoying the meal as well as a few games beforehand.

You will agree that they are all adorable!

Happy Thanksgiving and drive safely if you must travel.

Staff Retreat: A Fun Day

Last Friday we all trooped over to Springfield Technical Community College. It was time for some training, some awards and recognition, and even some games. Organized by our very own committee who called themselves the LOCA Committee (stands for Laborer Occasional Celebration Association :D) it was a nice day away from the office.

We recognized many staff for their long service to the agency; the longest being Bob Stovall at 29 years!!!
We also awarded Cynthia (Sinde) Rivera, Employee of the Year, who gets to take a day off for winning.

Congratulations, Sinde! You really deserve it!

We played some games guaranteed to have everyone laughing. They allowed departments to interact and get to know each other better. Have you ever tried to build a tower with spaghetti and marshmallows? How about decorate a pumpkin face while wearing a blindfold? Seriously! Try it! Hysterical :D

Many thanks to the LOCAs: Heather Rose, Tabitha Desplaines, Rosa Echevarria, Cynthia Rivera, Synthia Scott-Mitchell, Carmen Santiago, Jennifer Picard, and Lina Villalongo.

And last but not least, here is a shot of our view from the 7th floor, Scibelli Building at STCC.

National Immunization Month!

August is National Immunization Month! Walk in to your local Walgreens or schedule an appointment to make sure that you are up to date with your vaccinations, that your kids are ready to go back to school and that the entire family stays happy and healthy. You can also click on the link below to see the recommended immunizations for each age group.

https://www.walgreens.com/pharmacy/immunization/immun_recommendations_and_appointment.jsp?_requestid=57026

One Jar of Peanut Butter at A Time

Kids love peanut butter. It is a good source of protein for a growing body. But what you may not know is that the price of peanut butter has doubled in the past year. This makes it difficult for food pantries to supply this nutritious food to children and families that need it.  But peanut butter isn’t the only thing that hungry families need. Without adequate and nutritious food, our children are not able to build healthy bodies and support a strong mind. In order to reach their full potential children need to have a stable nutritious diet. But it’s not just the children of America who are going hungry. Many times parents themselves struggle with hunger while they fight to give their kids the nutrition they need. Local organizations such as food pantries help provide local families with that nutrition, and they need your help to continue.

Some desperately needed items at local food pantries are:

-Tuna Fish

-Peanut Butter

-Spaghetti Sauce

-Pasta

-Canned Fruit

-Rice

-Soup

Contact:

Open Pantry at 413-737-5353

Community Survival Center at 413-543-3930

Salvation Army at 413-733-1518

The next time you’re in the grocery store pick something up for one of your local food pantries. We may be able to help end hunger in our community, one jar of peanut butter at a time.

Can you help?

New Beginnings Childcare Center, a program of Springfield Partners, could really use some donated items.

Our new Childcare Director, Tabitha Desplaines (welcome, Tabitha!) would love to hear from you if you have any items you can spare that are on the wishlist. Check it out at http://www.springfieldpartnersinc.com/donate/fundraisingnewsevents/wishlist/

Thank you in advance for your support!

Stock the Shelves Food Drive

Come out to help our neighbors in need at a local food drive!

The Stock the Shelves Food Drive will be on Tuesday, July 31 from 3 to 7 pm. Stop by and drop off any donations you may have at the Super Stop & Shop at 1277 Liberty Street in the Springfield Plaza, non-perishables only please.

Donations will benefit Springfield's food pantries.

We're also taking canned goods and cash donations through July 31 at Springfield Partners, 721 State Street, Springfield.
   
Some high demand items include peanut butter, spaghetti sauce, tuna, canned raviolli, pasta, canned fruit, rice, and soups. Every little bit helps so come out with your donations and give your support. Thank you, and we hope to see you there!

  

Alzheimer's and Risky Sleeping Patterns

We’ve mentioned before that we have an Alzheimer’s program here at Springfield Partners and that we like to stay updated on the new findings; but here’s an interesting one. According to the Alzheimer’s Association, a new relationship has been discovered between the amount of sleep you get and the risk of cognitive decline. But what’s surprising about this is that too much sleep is just as risky as not enough sleep!

We think this is very important information to know, especially since there are over 120,000 people suffering from Alzheimer’s in Massachusetts alone, with the number continuing to grow. The more we educate ourselves about this disease, the better! Read more about this new discovery here:


http://www.alz.org/aaic/mon_1030amct_irregular_sleep.asp

Social Media

Although we have been on Facebook for a couple of years now, we were all reluctant to try other types of social media, particularly Twitter. However, we decided to take the plunge several months ago. Dismal failure!

Thanks to a wonderful webinar titled, Twitter 99: When You Are Not Quite Ready For Twitter 101, we are feeling more comfortable about the Twitterverse. Thanks to Jesyca Rodenberg of the Kansas Association of Community Action Programs or KACAP, Denise Harlow at the Community Action Partnership, and Josiah Masingale at Colorado Community Action Association, we picked up some terms, some excellent tips and we are tweeting on a pretty regular basis. So please, take a look at Twitter and please follow us @SpfldPartners.

We also joined the world of Pinterest. A picture is worth a thousand words and that is what you will find on Pinterest. There are some great infographics, some truly inspiring photographs and quotes, and by digging a little deeper, you will find links to some very informative blogs and websites. SpfldPartners will take you to our Pinterest boards and pins. And you will have fun! Promise!

It's Prom Season

Who doesn't love prom season? With gowns collected by the Rotary Club of Springfield, we held a two hour shopping event for young women from two Springfield High Schools. Most of the gowns were brand new with their tags still attached. People can be so generous!

The young women had a wonderful time trying on a selection of gowns; from short to long, from simple to stunning, from the little black dress to bright yellow with a puffy underskirt, there were plenty of styles to choose from.

We definitely cannot share which gown went home with which girl as we would not want to spoil the evening by spilling the beans.

We have a few shots to share of happy girls in gorgeous gowns.

The First National Alzheimer's Plan; an Historic Day!

Today, the first National Alzheimer's Plan was released. Since we have an Alzheimer's program right here at Springfield Partners, we have been keeping up with the news. Locally, you can call the Helpline at 800-282-3900 or visit www.alz.org/MANH.

USA Today states, "The plan lays out ways that to battle Alzheimer's - from improving early diagnosis to creating more resources to help families with long-term care of their loved ones at home." Read more on their website http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/story/2012-05-15/national-alzheimers-plan/54968022/1?csp=34news

There are more than 120,000 people suffering from Alzheimer's in Massachusetts. These numbers will only increase with an aging baby boomer generation.

A couple of events to note: on June 10 is the Purple Fever Zumbathon -scheduled for a five o'clock registration at the Basketball Hall of Fame. Tickets are $25 at the door. Advance payments are $20 and payment can be sent to the Alzheimer's Association, 264 Cottage Street, Springfield, MA 01104.

On September 22, there is a Walk to End Alzheimer's at Holyoke Community College.

We all need to work to end this disease! And we need to educate ourselves about it because more people will be affected. Eventually, we will all know someone with this horrible disease if we don't find ways to stop it.

Volunteer Appreciation

Many apologies for not posting about this wonderful event sooner. Changed to the new Dynamic Views and then could not log in to post. Took quite the process to finally get in to the blog.

Anyway, here are some photos from the Volunteer Appreciation event.

Many, many thanks to our wonderful volunteers and thanks to staff for putting together this event. Both are truly appreciated.