Care Center to host 24th annual regatta

HOLYOKE – The Care Center’s “Rowing Strong, Rowing Together” Young Parents Regatta will take place at the Holyoke Rows Boathouse, 25 Jones Ferry Road, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 24 (rain date  is S Sunday, Aug. 25).

Now in its 24th year, the Young Parents Regatta is the annual culminating event of Rowing Strong, Rowing Together– a transformative regional program designed by The Care Center and Mount Holyoke College.  The program partners community boathouses with agencies supporting young mothers and has received national recognition for its innovation and impact. This year participating teams include young mothers from Holyoke, Springfield, Chelsea, New Bedford, Lynn, and Hartford. More than 100 spectators and fans are anticipated.

The Care Center is the oldest and most comprehensive provider of education and services for pregnant and parenting teens and other under-resourced women. The Care Center provides individual instruction leading to completion of the HiSet exam; college prep and college coursework; an on-site associates degree program; transportation; food; daycare; counseling; and the skills and support needed to transition to higher education. Additional information can be found at carecenterholyoke.org. 

Way Finders lands $285K to further digital equity in Holyoke

HOLYOKE – Way Finders has landed a $285,000 grant from the Point32 Foundation, the parent company of the Harvard Pilgrim Health Care and Tufts Health Plan, to cover the next three years of digital equity, housing justice and other community programming in Holyoke and Springfield.

The money will be used in part to support digital equity programs in which patient instructors guide people through their first digital experiences with the goal of creating confident participants in the digital life of their communities. The training is more than job hunting, advocates say, and can include learning how to access telehealth, engage in civic life, or website navigation for simpler tasks like visiting the city website to find out when trash day is or to complete a survey.

The money will also support Way Finders’ Resident Leadership Program, in which participants learn what it means to be resident advocates with the skills, capacity, and support to make their community a safe, welcoming place to live.

All Way Finders resident programming is conducted in English and Spanish. To learn more, visit WayFinders.org and click the “In the Community” link.

Granby library to hold monthlong fall book sale

GRANBY – The Friends of the Granby Free Public Library will host their annual monthlong fall book sale during the month of September (Sept. 3-28) in the library’s community room. There will be a large assortment of used and like-new hardcover, softcover, paperback books, teen books and children’s books, along with a selection of CDs, DVDs, video games and audiobooks. 

The sale will take place during the library’s regular hours: Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday from 10:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Thursday from 10:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Saturday from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

The library is now accepting donations of hardcover and paperback books, DVDs, music CDs, playable video games, and audiobooks in good condition acceptable for resale.  The library does not accept donations of textbooks, encyclopedias, Reader's Digest books, or books with smoke, mold, mildew, or water damage. Donations are accepted at the library during open hours. Please do not leave donated books outside the library or in our book return. If you have more than a few boxes to donate, or you need assistance, please call the library beforehand at 413-467-3320 and we will schedule a volunteer to help upon availability.

The Granby Free Public Library is located at 297 East State St. All proceeds benefit the Friends of the Granby Library.