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.