Updates – Berkshire Business & Professional Women

19

Sep

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Member Spotlight

September Spotlight: Andrea Hurley

Founder, Strategist & Creative Director, Elytra Design BBPW Member since September, 2018 Andrea owns and operates Elytra Design, a web design, branding and strategy business. She founded Elytra Design in 2002, when dot com crash wiped out so many web firms across the country. Because she was at her peak of love and learning for this new technology, the only way to survive was to start her own business. As she says on her website: “At a time when companies are downsizing or closing shop, one might think it's not the wisest time to open one. But as we all…

Press Release: Berkshire BPW October Meeting and Dinner

18

Sep

By berkshirebpw

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BBPW Events

Press Release: Berkshire BPW October Meeting and Dinner

by Celia Clancy, President September 15, 2019 The Berkshire Business & Professional Women's Group will hold its monthly dinner at 5:30 pm on October 7th at the Proprietor’s Lodge in Pittsfield. This is open to both members and non-members. In addition to networking, there will be two speakers who are not to be missed. Andrea Harrington, our District Attorney, will speak in recognition of October as Domestic Violence Awareness month. She will reference upcoming community reads of “No Visible Bruises: What We Don’t Know about Domestic Violence can Kill Us” by Rachel Louise Snyder. Amy Diamond will be speaking about…

BBPW September 2019 Letter from the President

09

Sep

By berkshirebpw

Letter from President

BBPW September 2019 Letter from the President

Letter from Celia: September 2019 Early fall greetings! I hope you are enjoying the crisp, cool weather and new colors that surprise us and are so welcomed each September. I am honored to take on the role of your new President and have dug in! I am grateful to Claire Richards for her leadership these past few years as well as the efforts, the leadership and the support of the Berkshire BPW Board. By the time our first e-newsletter is published and relaunched, the September event, celebrating our scholarship recipients will have taken place. It looks to be quite well-attended.…

21

Aug

By berkshirebpw

BBPW Events, History, Women

Importance of BBPW Scholarships

Did you know that women make up more than two-thirds of the world's 796 million illiterate people? Right now the U.S. is far behind its global competitors in postsecondary attainment, ranking 11th in global postsecondary attainment and educational attainment is vital in order to continue supporting women’s economic empowerment and a more inclusive economy. In Berkshire County: Women make up 51.6% of the population Women with only a high school diploma make $24,800 compared to the $31,508 a man makes with the same education Women owned 3,877 businesses in the area compared to 7,161 owned by men (U.S. Census) Our…

19

Aug

By berkshirebpw

BBPW Events, Leadership, Women

Thank you Claire and Sopheap!

Berkshire BPW thanks Claire Richards and Sopheap Nhim for their years of service to BBPW. Claire Richards served as Board President for 3 years. Claire Richards, a native of New York City, moved to the Berkshires in 2009 not knowing anyone in the area. Berkshire BPW offered a welcoming environment to connect, network, and build wonderful friendships. Claire worked 22 years in the municipal bond insurance in New York City. In the Berkshires, she shifted into the not-for-profit environment as Director of Business at Berkshire South Regional Community Center. From there she built and ran her own business importing organic…

100th Anniversary of Business and Professional Women USA; July 16, 1919

16

Jul

By berkshirebpw

History, Leadership

100th Anniversary of Business and Professional Women USA; July 16, 1919

The legacy of Business and Professional Women USA began in 1919. While mobilizing for World War I, the U.S. Government recognized the need for a cohesive group to coordinate identification of women's available skills and experience. A Women's War Council, financed through a federal grant, was established by the War Department to organize the resources of professional women. It was guided principally by executives of the Young Women's Christian Association(YWCA). The National Federation of Business and Professional Women's Clubs was founded on July 16, 1919, at a meeting led by Lena Madesin Phillips of Kentucky. In the 1930s it became a charter member of the International Federation of…

Congratulations to our 2018 Scholarship Recipients

18

Oct

By berkshirebpw

BBPW Events

Congratulations to our 2018 Scholarship Recipients

This year, Berkshire BPW was able to award $12,000 to twelve individuals from all areas of Berkshire County and many programs & aspects of continuing education. Congratulations to all the recipients and thank you to the Scholarship Committee for helping in the process! Applications will again be available in the Spring of 2019 with the deadline of July of 2019. Dawn Blondin North Adams Lindsay Cornwell Dalton Tara DiNicola Pittsfield Tyeesha Keele Pittsfield Tracy Kelleher Pittsfield Kristi Lee Lannan Pittsfield Danielle Mack Pittsfield Melody Marcella Hinsdale Melinda Moon Lenox Sarah Ogden Cheshire Jessica Priester North Adams Soncere Williams Pittsfield

Oct 2018: A message from Programming Vice President

10

Oct

By berkshirebpw

Uncategorized

Oct 2018: A message from Programming Vice President

The first women's rights convention in the U.S. took place in Seneca Falls, New York in 1848. Convened by Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Lucretia Mott, and others active in the anti-slavery movement, it resulted in a Declaration of Sentiments modeled on the Declaration of Independence, which demanded a variety of rights for women, including suffrage. Unfortunately, 169 years later, women around the world continue to be deprived of economic opportunities. In some places, women are legally barred from working the same night hours as men. In many others, they are unable to get the financing they need to start—or grow—their businesses.…

18

Sep

By berkshirebpw

Uncategorized

Sept 2018: Spotlight

By 2020, 65% of the American workforce will need some form of postsecondary education or certificate program, meaning that the prospects for women with a bachelor’s degree will continue to grow. Berkshire Business and Professional Women is committed to ensuring that women in Berkshire County have the financial resources needed to achieve higher earning potential. In Berkshire County: Only 30.7% of Berkshire County residents have a high school diploma; The median household income in Berkshire County is $53, 030; 9% of all households and 15.7% of female headed households in Berkshire County live in poverty; There is only a small…

10

Sep

By berkshirebpw

Uncategorized

Sept 2018: Letter from the President

Greetings Members! What a glorious summer it has been. A bit hot and humid for me butstill a glorious summer. Our Vice Presidents of Programs, Shela Hidalgo and Sopheap Nhim, have lined up a fabulous and interesting year for our monthly dinners. They are fun, interesting, and new. I can’t wait! We will kick-off the year with our September meeting celebrating our scholarship recipients. We will be celebrating 12 beautiful and fabulous recipients. I am so excited to meet them and hear what amazing work each are doing. Our monthly meetings are usually the first Monday of the month; however,…