Alex Reczkowski reports that things are going tremendously well for our international traveling student David, pictured nearby. Alex tells Sparks, "I had a 20 minute phone call with David, who was just getting ready for dinner with his Thai host family. He is having a wonderful experience & he seems to be representing us very well. "These are my people!" he said today. His host parents are quite the entrepreneurs -- last weekend, he started learning scuba diving; his host mother has a scuba company! He seems to be doing great!"
We didn't get to run this story in the last award winning edition of Sparks, many thanks to Adrienne DeBlieux Speed for assembling the following excellent story:
On Thursday August 28th, our speaker was Divya Chaturvedi, the new director of the Elizabeth Freeman Center who took over last year from long time director Janis Broderick. Ms. Chaturvedi has spent years working in domestic violence support in the state's eastern region. She praised the Elizabeth Freeman Center, the Berkshires' only domestic and sexual violence support center, which recently moved to a larger Pittsfield location at 66 Allen St. to serve more of those in need. Since 1974, EFC has led efforts against domestic and sexual violence in Berkshire County, offering 24/7 support for those affected. As the region’s main safety net, EFC provides critical services for victims seeking safety and new beginnings. Ms. Chaturvedi outlined EFC’s many offerings:
24/7 Hotline – a toll-free hotline, (866) 401-2425, that can be called anytime of the day or night for support, counseling, advocacy, emergency shelter, or just to talk, Safety planning,Response to hospitals or police stations, Emergency services – including shelter, food, transportation, and safe phones, to help individuals get and stay safe when facing imminent danger, Emergency shelter – a secure, home-like shelter is available, and if the shelter is full, emergency shelter will be found until an appropriate plan can be developed. Pet foster care, Counseling, Court advocates, Counselors who work specifically with immigrants,LGBTQ services and a Supervised visit program. Offices are located in North Adams, Great Barrington, and Pittsfield. Staff are present in the Pittsfield Police Department, the Adams Police Department, and Berkshire County Kids’ Place. Meetings can be arranged in safe locations almost anywhere in Berkshire County. Ms. Chaturvedi thanked the club for our longtime support, including the upcoming “Rise Together” walk, which is their biggest annual fundraiser. This year’s Pittsfield walk will take place Tuesday, September 16, 5:30pm Persip Park, 211 North St. all are invited to join them.
Our first meeting of the 2026 Auction Committee will take place this evening (Thursday 9/11) at 5:15 PM at Tito's Mexican Grill on Depot St. in Pittsfield. We will have a large table set for us in the back, left of the restaurant, parking lot side of the building. Many of you have indicated your willingness to participate on the committee which is tremendous. Please understand, this massive fundraising event takes all of us to be successful! Whether you serve formally on the committee or you plan to solicit a few or many items, every bit of help is greatly appreciated. We hope to acquire all of the "usual" items available most years, we will have lists of same out soon and assign Rotarians to secure the donations. Growing the event: Just as every hand helps, of course the items at auction are the draw. We ask you to go even harder this year with your connections and opportunities as we seek additional special items, event experiences, trips, tickets and other great merchandise that will help our top fundraising event get even better!
Member Minute: Ben Wax updated us on things in his orbit: Ben is the VP of finance for 180 Degrees - he's been with the human services firm for about 4 years. Ben is married to wife Farrah, the couple celebrated 24 years of matrimony this year. Their oldest daughter attends UMass where she is a sophomore and the youngest is a senior at PHS. When we last spoke with Ben, he was dashing out to deal with a broken water pipe at his office, hopefully things have calmed!
Guests of Honor: Last week, we were joined by AJ Enchill + Tony Wimperis in bold, because they become official members today - Congratulations to our newest Rotarians! We were further honored by the presence of this month's students: Aubree Bryant + Brendan Bayles.
Rotary on the Road: Please be on the lookout for an email toward the end of the month, informing you of our meeting location for the January 8th luncheon. We return to our usual schedule as we meet at Mazzeo's again on January 22nd, we'll let you know the plans for the January 15th 3rd Thursday soiree.
Auction Reminders: Please be working as you can on obtaining the items (same or similar) that you have gathered in the past and kindly look through your contacts as we seek additional items, especially experiential items (event / theatrical / musical / sporting tickets, trips, other types of tickets i.e. museum or other cultural experiences, etc.) - March 28th will come quick!
Host Families Needed: As reported by Alex Reczkowski, there will likely be a student or two looking to travel to the Berkshires, would you or someone you know be interested in becoming a host family?
Alex Reczkowski reports that things are going tremendously well for our international traveling student David, pictured nearby. Alex tells Sparks, "I had a 20 minute phone call with David, who was just getting ready for dinner with his Thai host family. He is having a wonderful experience & he seems to be representing us very well. "These are my people!" he said today. His host parents are quite the entrepreneurs -- last weekend, he started learning scuba diving; his host mother has a scuba company! He seems to be doing great!"
Our first meeting of the 2026 Auction Committee will take place this evening (Thursday 9/11) at 5:15 PM at Tito's Mexican Grill on Depot St. in Pittsfield. We will have a large table set for us in the back, left of the restaurant, parking lot side of the building. Many of you have indicated your willingness to participate on the committee which is tremendous. Please understand, this massive fundraising event takes all of us to be successful! Whether you serve formally on the committee or you plan to solicit a few or many items, every bit of help is greatly appreciated. We hope to acquire all of the "usual" items available most years, we will have lists of same out soon and assign Rotarians to secure the donations. Growing the event: Just as every hand helps, of course the items at auction are the draw. We ask you to go even harder this year with your connections and opportunities as we seek additional special items, event experiences, trips, tickets and other great merchandise that will help our top fundraising event get even better! 
Jack of Clubs is your ticket to Rotary riches! The pot is currently $185.