Berkshire Interfaith Organizing

🎉🏡✨ Celebrating a Community Win!
With immense gratitude, we're thrilled to share that the proposed 230% rent increase at Mill Pond Mobile Home Park in West Stockbridge has been stopped! 🙌🏽🎉

A heartfelt thank you to everyone who sent emails, made phone calls, and joined us at the Mobile Home Park Rent Control Board meetings. Your dedication to justice and compassion has made a tangible difference in our community.
Let's continue to stand together and fight for equitable housing solutions. Our work isn't done, but this victory reminds us of the strength we possess when we come together for a common cause.

🏠💪🏽

A fun time was had by all!! Amazing musicians, great food,folks,and fun! JAM FOR JUSTICE! Stay tuned for more on the musical portion of the event!

Tomorrow night! Join BIO for Jam for Justice - a concert, fundraiser, and celebration of the diverse and vibrant musical culture of the Berkshires. We are thrilled to have four performances lined up: Bob Shepherd, Media noche, Clara Guatta, and Christine Bilé. RSVP / pre-purchase tickets here: http://tinyurl.com/Jam-For-Justice

Berkshire Interfaith Organizing BIO is a community organization of faith- and values-based institutions across Berkshire County, MA a

BIO's 10th Annual Convention - since the Founding Convention in January of 2015! Next year's a big anniversary! Some leaders around this table have been involved since summer 2012 - building an organization for the long haul is not for the faint-of-heart! Lots of new energy, and now we need you!

BIO's Annual Convention: This Sunday, February 25, 3:00 pm - 5:00 pm at UCC Pittsfield, 110 South Street (the building formerly known as South Congregational Church, UCC, Pittsfield ). Even if you've been away awhile, come back. Good stuff is happening! We need you!

Berkshire Interfaith Organizing / February 2024 Newsletter
https://mailchi.mp/21d901e247d6/newsletter-2024

Happy 2024 from Berkshire Interfaith Organizing! BIO is excited to share the events and updates in this newsletter as we gear up for a year of action toward ambitious goals. There’s plenty to be excited about, from working with legislators on housing policy to becoming experts and advocates in the Berkshires’ transit system.

Join us on March 2nd, 2024, from 7-9 PM for an evening of diverse musical entertainment from Berkshire-regional artists!
RSVP to http://tinyurl.com/Jam-For-Justice or scan the QR code.

Tickets will fund community organizing on issues of social justice.
Each ticket is $25 and includes the performances, as well as light food & beverage refreshments. Anyone who desires beer or wine is welcome to BYOB.
You can choose the price based on the number of tickets you're purchasing ($25/1, $50/2, $75/3, or "other" for 4+).
Performances will include:
Bob Shepherd
Christine Bilé
Media Noche
Clara Guata

Berkshire Interfaith Organizing -for-justice

Dear Esteemed Supporter,
Greetings from Berkshire Interfaith Organizing (BIO) – where the spirit of community, resilience, and positive change thrives! We hope this message finds you well. We are reaching out with a special request for your support in our ongoing journey.

Now, more than ever, we stand at a pivotal moment in our mission, and we are thrilled to share some exciting updates with you. An incredible opportunity has presented itself: a generous promise of a $15,000 donation awaits us if we can match the funds. Your support can make all the difference in helping us achieve this milestone.

Thanks to our community's dedication, BIO has weathered the storms of the pandemic and the loss of our previous director. With the help of an interim director, we navigated through challenging times and emerged stronger. In 2022, we championed the Yes on 4 Campaign, successfully preserving a new law allowing MA residents to obtain a driver's license regardless of immigration status. Berkshire County even led the state with the highest 'yes' margin – a testament to the power of collective action.

Listening sessions and issue assemblies have guided us to focus on pressing matters in Berkshire County, leading to two active campaigns in housing and transportation. We proudly introduce our new full-time Director/Lead Organizer, Sean Manion, who joined us in August after an extensive search process.
As we rebuild and expand our community, we actively engage with congregations and individuals in Berkshire communities, reconnecting them with BIO and sharing the positive developments underway. Our Annual Meeting is on the horizon, scheduled for February 25th from 3 – 5 pm. Save the Date!

To sustain and amplify our impact, we require the support of volunteers, time, and financial contributions. Your generosity will enable us to compensate our organizer, cover rent, and fund essential training and efforts to advance our mission. Together, we strive to create lasting systemic changes in Berkshire County and Massachusetts by addressing issues of common concern.

Please consider making a meaningful contribution today. You can make your check payable to Berkshire Interfaith Organizing and mail it to PO Box 1133, Pittsfield, MA, 01202, or conveniently donate it to our website at berkshireinterfaithorganizing.org and click the donate button.

Thank you for being crucial to our vision for social and economic justice for all. Together, let's continue positively impacting our community and beyond.

Yours in the Pursuit of Justice,

The BIO Leadership Team:
Barb Johnson
Fernando León
Laura O'Shaugnessy
Bob Shepherd

Please help BIO meet our challenge!! We've been granted $15,000 as a challenge grant and we need your help to match it!! Click here: www.berkshireinterfaithorganizing.org to DONATE NOW (upper right corner). Check out our website and learn what we're up to these days. You can also send a check payable to Berkshire Interfaith Organizing to P.O. Box 1133, Pittsfield, MA 01202. Thank you for giving generously to support social justice in the Berkshires.

BIO is proud to have convened the partners who launched Wheels for Wellness. Intended as a transportation solution for rural communities, the model continues to hold a lot of promise.

The Retired Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP) has welcomed a brand-new van to their volunteer transportation program. The new 8 passenger van, a 2023 all-wheel drive Toyota Sienna owned by the City of Pittsfield, replaces an 11-year-old Honda Odyssey.

The RSVP Van Transportation Program is available for Pittsfield residents to get a ride to and from medical appointments, social engagements, activities at the senior center, and RSVP volunteer jobs. It is a free service, and the van is operated by RSVP volunteers. The van transportation program has been operated by RSVP since the purchase of the first vehicle in January of 1974. In 2022, the RSVP Van Transportation Program provided 1,413 rides to 731 clients.

The RSVP van is available Monday through Friday from 8:45 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., it is not an on-demand service and does require at least 48 hours (two full business days of notice) to book a ride. The service is available for Pittsfield clients that can assist themselves in and out of the vehicle.

In an effort to increase transportation options for Berkshire County residents, RSVP along with Berkshire Community Action Council launched The Wheels for Wellness Program in June of 2021. The program was scheduled to launch in March of 2020 but was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Wheels for Wellness enables RSVP to provide transportation county-wide. The program relies on volunteers who drive their own vehicles to provide transportation to and from medical appointments and food pantries to clients throughout Berkshire County.

The Wheels for Wellness Program was launched in the hopes of bridging the gaps that many elderly and low-income citizens in the community have with accessing transportation to get to their medical appointments.
“Because Berkshire County is primarily a rural community with limited access to public transportation services, our mission is to target and aid low-income seniors, and economically disadvantaged residents who experience transportation inequity and food insecurity”, said Lisa Torrey, Director of RSVP.

RSVP verifies that the volunteer drivers are in good standing with their insurance on their vehicles, have a clean driving record with an active license, and a valid registration. Like the RSVP Van Transportation Program, this program is also not an on-demand service and requires a minimum of 48 hours to book a ride. The client must be able to assist themselves in and out of the vehicle.

2022 was the first full year of service for Wheels for Wellness and 29 RSVP volunteers provided 1,733 rides to 573 clients. The program runs Monday-Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The City of Pittsfield along with RSVP is committed to recruiting our senior population of residents aged 55 and above to help strengthen our city and our county by fulfilling unmet community needs through volunteer service. Currently RSVP of Berkshire County is partnered with over 60 non-profit organizations county-wide and helps to support these agencies by providing volunteers.

Since 1973, the City of Pittsfield has served as the local sponsor of RSVP, supporting, and promoting the volunteer opportunities available through the program. RSVP, a federal program since 1971, is funded in part by AmeriCorps Seniors. The Retired Senior Volunteer Program is one of the largest volunteer efforts in the country for people 55 and older, providing recruitment, training, and placement. There are currently 5,000 host agencies in 50 states, with more than 400,000 volunteers. To learn more about volunteering opportunities or to learn more about the transportation programs, please call the RSVP office at (413) 499-9345.

We are so excited to have received a $15,000 challenge grant. We've already raised over $6,000. Please help us raise the rest before the end of the year! Support BIO on Giving Tuesday! Donate now on website: www.berkshireinterfaithorganizing.org

Tomorrow's the day. Let's create a wave of generosity and inspire millions to center generosity in their lives each and every day.

Please join us! December 3, 1 pm at the Unitarian Universalists of Pittsfield (Mass.), 175 Wendell Avenue, Pittsfield - for a powerful training in campaign organizing.

Some of our Organizer-friends...Teaching Democracy on an international Community Organizer Exchange Program. Organizers Unite!

Growing group for our Alumni Reunion in Albania! With so many great people it will be an amazing event! Thank you Riges Beqiri for this photo and your assistance!

Just a few more photos from BIO 's Gathering of the Teams -10/19/23!

This was a couple weeks ago - October 19. Posting it now as both Issue Teams - Housing and Transportation - are moving from research to active campaign mode. Great time to get involved!! Drop us a note/comment for more info.

50 Years of Faith in Action! Faith in Action is a 501c(3). Faith in Action and its affiliates are non-partisan and are not aligned explicitly or implicitly with any candidate or party. We do not endorse or support candidates for office.

Welcome Sean!!

BIO's New Director/lead Organizer We are thrilled to introduce you to Sean Manion, the Director/Lead Organizing for Berkshire Interfaith Organizer (BIO). Sean is a passionate and dedicated community organizer with a rich grassroots activism and interfaith engagement background. Sean brings a wealth of experience to his role at BIO....

Way to go, Deisy!!

Next Steps After High School: Post-graduation presentation aimed at local Latino/Hispanic students and their families As a first-generation college student whose family’s primary language is Spanish, Escobar found herself breaking down the long list of required information and explaining everything in Spanish in order to ensure she and her parents were on the same page. In keeping with her generous spirit, Escoba...

BIO leaders welcome Sean Manion to the Berkshires, as their new Director/Lead Organizer. Cake and conversation!!