On the Calendar

DIA Workplace Safety and Education Grant Submissions

Through Sept. 30: The state Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development’s Department of Industrial Accidents (DIA) is now accepting Workplace Safety and Education Grant submissions. Applications are due Friday, Sept. 30.

Training programs that have been funded in the past often include OHSA 10 or 30, aerial lift, fall protection, crane and rigger, forklift, ergonomics, CPR/AED, injury prevention, fire/electrical, asbestos, defensive and winter driving, lead hazards, toxins and hazards communication, trenching excavation, confined space rescue, and more. Applicants are also encouraged to develop new training specific to the needs of their workforce.

DIA’s Office of Safety is responsible for administering and managing the Workplace Safety Training and Education Grant program. The goal of the program is to promote safe and healthy conditions in the workplace through training, education, and other preventive programs for employees and employers, as well as organizations operating within the Commonwealth and covered by Massachusetts workers’ compensation law.

To date, DIA has funded hundreds of programs that have benefited and educated thousands of workers and employers throughout the Commonwealth. A total of $800,000 is budgeted annually for the Workplace Safety and Education Grant program.

Grants are awarded to qualified applicants through a competitive selection process. Applications can be submitted to DIA’s Office of Safety seeking up to a maximum of $25,000 per entity, per fiscal year. Interested employers can email safety@mass.gov to receive an application package. Visit mass.gov/dia to learn more.

Holyoke Community College Annual Golf Benefit

Sept. 12: Registration is now open for the Holyoke Community College (HCC) Foundation’s 35th annual golf tournament at Springfield Country Club in West Springfield. Money raised from this year’s tournament will support student scholarships managed by the HCC Foundation, the nonprofit fundraising arm of Holyoke Community College.

The golf outing begins with an 11 a.m. buffet lunch followed by a 12:30 p.m. shotgun start. After golf, participants can enjoy cocktails on the clubhouse porch with scenic views of the Pioneer Valley, followed by dinner. Participants can arrange their own foursomes or sign up as singles. The $185 individual fee includes greens fees, golf cart, lunch, dinner, and refreshments on the course. The cost per foursome is $740. Dinner only is $40 per person. Sponsorships are also available in various increments from $100 to $10,000. To register or sponsor the golf tournament, visit www.hcc.edu/golf.

HCC Women’s Leadership Series

Sept. 21, Oct. 19, Nov. 16, Dec. 21: Holyoke Community College (HCC) will begin its fall 2022 Women’s Leadership Series on Wednesday, Sept. 21 with presenter Trayce Whitfield, executive director of the Coalition for an Equitable Economy, leading a discussion titled “Leaning Into the Positive.” Whitfield will be followed in subsequent months by Michelle Lemoi, chief operating officer of Zora Builders in Newton (“How Claiming ‘I Don’t Know’ Opens Up Opportunities to Bolster Confidence”); Christina Royal, president of HCC (“Growth Mindset”); and Suzanne Blake, a career coach and consultant based in Medfield (“Ask for It and Get It”).

All sessions run from noon to 1 p.m. on the last Wednesday of the month over Zoom. During each session, participants will join prominent women leaders for discussions on relevant topics and ideas to help their leadership development. They will also have the opportunity to form a supportive network to help navigate their own careers.

The cost of each session is $25. The full four-session series can be purchased for $75. Email Lanre Ajayi, HCC’s executive director of Education & Corporate Learning, at lajayi@hcc.edu if pricing is an issue. Registration will open soon at hcc.edu/womens-leadership. Space is limited, so advance registration is required.

United Way Day of Caring

Sept. 23: United Way of Pioneer Valley announced the date of the 2022 Day of Caring with a call for volunteers.

“The autumn Day of Caring is always a popular event that benefits many nonprofits in the region. Our business partners generously give their time to help with meaningful projects such as painting, landscaping, and assembling play equipment at locations throughout Hampden County, Granby, and South Hadley,” said Paul Mina, president and CEO of United Way of Pioneer Valley.

Anyone interested in local volunteer opportunities can visit volunteer.uwpv.org to register as a volunteer. Day of Caring opportunities will be posted as the details are finalized, and other opportunities year-round are hosted on this site as well.

Agencies who are interested in hosting a Day of Caring location, or corporations interested in sponsorships and/or bringing a group of volunteers, can contact Jennifer Kinsman, director of Community Impact, at jkinsman@uwpv.org or (413) 693-0212.

Massachusetts Hydrocephalus Awareness Walk & Run

Sept. 24: The public is invited to join the Massachusetts Chapter of the Pediatric Hydrocephalus Foundation, as well as Bella Sacharczyk, who is living with the disease, for the 2022 Massachusetts Hydrocephalus Awareness Walk & Run. Sacharczyk’s mission is to raise awareness and money to fund research projects. The event will take place from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Millside Park, 2 Ferry St., Easthampton.

After enduring 23 brain surgeries and countless hours of physical therapy to learn to walk again, Sacharczyk just graduated from high school with honors, with a 3.94 average. She also received five scholarships. She is planning on going into the biology program at Holyoke Community College and then will attend UMass Amherst to work toward a PhD in medical research. She wants to someday work at Boston Children’s Hospital, which is doing research on the brain condition she battles every day.

The Pediatric Hydrocephalus Foundation, an all-volunteer nonprofit 501(c)(3) charitable organization, educates the community by raising the level of awareness about hydrocephalus and provides support to families, friends, and children affected by this brain condition.

Cruise for Critters to Help Pets in Need

Sept. 24: Cruise for Critters returns to Westview Farms Creamery for the 10th annual car show to benefit pets in need at Second Chance Animal Services. The fundraiser, sponsored by Service Connection of Monson, has been helping Massachusetts pets since 2012. This year’s event will have fall fun for everyone, including a vendor fair and the popular Halloween Barktacular kids’ games. Service Connection owner Al Widlan has been hosting the end-of-season car show for 10 years to help pets in Massachusetts.

Second Chance volunteers are excited to break out the Halloween Barktacular kids’ games. After COVID forced the nonprofit to cancel both the 2020 and 2021 Halloween Barktacular, a group of volunteers brought a few of the games to last year’s Cruise for Critters. This year, volunteers are planning even more fun for kids.

The event will be held from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and will also feature all the fall fun that Westview Farms Creamery has to offer, including pumpkin picking and a corn maze. Spare Parts will be on hand to provide entertainment, and visitors can take a chance to win some raffle prizes.

Event organizers are appealing to local businesses and vendors to join the fight for pets in need. For more information on sponsorships or to become a vendor, visit secondchanceanimals.org/events/cruise.

The event will be free to spectators, and there’s a $20 car-show entry fee, with every dollar supporting pets in need. In case of bad weather, the rain date is Saturday, Oct. 1.

Michael J. Dias Foundation Ninth Annual Golf Tournament

Oct. 17: The Michael J. Dias Foundation, which offers sober housing to those in recovery, is holding its ninth annual golf tournament fundraiser at Ludlow Country Club. The event, sponsored by LUSO Federal Credit Union, will begin with registration at 9 a.m., with a shotgun start at 10 a.m. The cost per golfer is $150 and includes greens fees, cart, lunch, and dinner.

Sponsorship opportunities are available. Visit bit.ly/MJDGOLF to register or become a sponsor, or visit the www.mdiasfoundation.org for more information. Any questions may be directed to Isabel Martins at imartins@mdiasfoundation.org or (617) 429-0541.

Hooplandia

June 23-25, 2023: After nearly three years of pandemic-era scheduling hurdles, Springfield and West Springfield will host Hooplandia, the largest 3×3 basketball competition and celebration on the East Coast, next spring.

The event, which will be hosted by the Eastern States Exposition and the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, will feature hundreds of games for thousands of players of all ages and playing abilities, with divisions for young girls, boys, women, men, high-school elite, college elite, pro-am, OGs, wheelchair, Wounded Warrior, Special Olympians, veterans, first responders, and more.

The event will feature more than 70 outdoor blacktop courts placed throughout the roadway and parking-lot network of the Eastern States Exposition fairgrounds in West Springfield; slam-dunk, three-point, free-throw, dribble-course, vertical-jump, and full-court-shot skills competitions; themed state courts for all six New England states; featured ‘showcase games’ held on new court surfaces in the historic Eastern States Coliseum and on the Court of Dreams, the center court of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame; and a festival environment throughout the weekend with food, music, entertainment, and family activities.

A year-long community-outreach effort will begin immediately. Registration will open on March 1, 2023.