Needs From: Berkshire United Way

At Roots & Dreams and Mustard Seeds Inc., we aim to empower vulnerable community members through economic participation and ownership opportunities. Alongside our member organizations, we also engage in critical community development initiatives that resource our communities basic needs, from food access and wellness to social, educational and artistic programming.

The mission of Flying Cloud Institute is to inspire young people and educators through dynamic science and art experiences that ignite creativity.

Our mission is to enhance the life-long health of our community through the promotion and support of breastfeeding and positive parenting. Breastfeeding includes chestfeeding, providing pumped milk, and supplementing. Our goal is to provide our community with the tools, skills and education to make the best personal choice when offering nutrition to babies, regardless of ability to pay for services. Our commitment is to provide a positive experience for all families interested in learning about breastfeeding.

The George B. Crane Memorial Center (GBCMC) provides a community-based continuum of support for individuals and families recovering from substance and alcohol use disorder and other life-altering challenges. The center provides a safe, secure meeting space for our recovery community. The GBCMC supports programs that empower people to make positive behavioral changes leading to productive lives.

Community Health Programs (CHP) is the only Federally Qualified Health Center in Berkshire County, Massachusetts, and exists to serve those who have limited access to care, including low income, uninsured, under-insured, immigrant, migrant and seasonal workers, homeless and public housing residents. Mission: To improve the health of people throughout the Berkshires by delivering exceptional, compassionate health care. Vision: To be a leading choice for health care in the Berkshires, within an inclusive culture that champions patient-centered care and staff engagement, superb operational performance, relevant technology and community partnerships.

Central Berkshire Habitat for Humanity brings people together to build homes, communities and hope. We do this by providing programming that builds strength, stability and self-reliance through shelter. Central Berkshire Habitat for Humanity is an independent affiliate of Habitat for Humanity International, a global nonprofit housing organization working in nearly 2100 communities across the United States and in 70 countries around the world. Habitat for Humanity affiliates are local Habitat for Humanity organizations that act in partnership with and on behalf of Habitat for Humanity International. Each Habitat affiliate coordinates and pays for all aspects of Habitat home building in its local area. Habitat welcomes people from all walks of life to partner in serving and creating a better community for everyone who lives here. Founded in 1992, Central Berkshire Habitat for Humanity has been providing homeownership opportunities for people that are working hard to provide decent housing for their families for more than 30 years. We serve Central and Southern Berkshire County.

The Pediatric Development Center ("PDC") provides Early Intervention (individualized education, therapy and family support for children birth to age 3) services to Central Berkshire and South Berkshire Counties. Our mission is to empower families whose children have developmental or medical concerns to reach their full potential. Children are eligible for PDC services if they have developmental difficulties due to identified disabilities, or if their development is at risk due to certain birth or environmental circumstances. At PDC, we recognize the crucial influence that the entire family has on the life of the developing child. We work in partnership with families, developing a plan designed to address the desired outcomes of parents for their child. Our services are provided in the child’s natural environment, including their home, day care setting, and other early childhood settings. Our lengthy experience as Early Intervention providers has reinforced our belief that consistent, loving adults in a child’s life will have the greatest influence on development. Early environments matter and nurturing relationships are essential. With these values in place, our clinicians work side-by-side with families, strengthening parents to feel confidence and competence in their own abilities to raise their child.

Elizabeth Freeman Center offers hope, help, and healing to all experiencing or affected by domestic and sexual violence through free, accessible, and confidential services in Berkshire County. We work to end the cycle of violence through community mobilization, advocacy, and education. Promoting social justice and working to end all forms of oppression are essential to our work. PHILOSOPHY (abbreviated) · We believe that everyone should be able to live in safety, with dignity and justice, free from fear and oppression. · We believe violent behavior is a choice…Abuse can happen to anyone – rich, poor, old, young, rural, urban, of any race, religion, gender identity, sexual orientation, ability, and background – and is deserved by no one. · We believe violence cannot be separated from racism, sexism, homophobia, poverty, and other systemic forms of oppression that support violence and are maintained by it. We believe anti-violence work must by necessity be engaged in promoting social justice and ending all forms of oppression. · We believe…violence should not be tolerated as a fact of life. These are patterns of behavior that could be prevented if there were a will in society to end them. · We believe that everyone has the right to receive exceptional, holistic, accessible, … services for domestic and sexual violence… · We are survivor-centered…We do not believe in telling survivors what to do, what to want, or how to proceed...We honor and respect each individual’s journey... · We rely on best practices and a continuous evaluation…to guide our growth and remain a leader in the movement to end domestic and sexual violence.

Our Mission... We are a multi-service organization empowering children and youth, with a special emphasis on girls, to become responsible, confident and personally fulfilled individuals. Programs and activities help children and youth achieve their full potential in a supportive environment with opportunities for active involvement with peers and caring, understanding adults.

To provide diapers for families in need in Berkshire County.

Arts in Recovery for Youth (AIRY) is an arts based youth suicide prevention program which provides no cost, equal opportunity expressive arts programming to teens, young adults and their families. Participation in AIRY creates a sense of safety, belonging, hope and empowerment for young people who are at risk for suicide. Through the program´s leadership component, youth engage in community collaboration and use the arts to make a difference in society, to inspire, educate, and promote social justice.

The mission of Child Care of the Berkshires, Inc. is to strengthen families through high quality child care, education, support services and advocacy.

The 18 Degrees mission is to champion access, opportunity, belonging, and well-being for all people on their journey, helping to build thriving communities. Our mission was updated with the launch of our 5-year strategic plan in July 2024. The story behind 18 Degrees is one of new days and new beginnings – that’s what our work has been about for over a century. Since 1887, we have been a critical resource for the young people & families in western Massachusetts, adapting & evolving through mergers with other human service organizations in the area. From the time its first rays are visible in the sky until it rises above the horizon, the sun travels eighteen degrees upwards. In that time, in those eighteen degrees of distance, a new day begins to reveal itself, full of possibility and opportunity. This is how we meet the people we serve, with hope and the promise of a new way forward. To help individuals and families achieve lasting change and a better life, we use evidence-based practices including the Strengthening Families framework, Positive Youth Development, Motivational Interviewing, Trauma Informed Care, and a strengths-based lens as the foundation of all we do. Staff receive regular training in each approach and on how to build a welcoming and accessible environment that values each of our participants and our colleagues. 18 Degrees operates from 10 sites throughout the Berkshires and Pioneer Valley. We foster and maintain partnerships with area schools, mental health providers, housing, food, and other community providers, state and municipal agencies, and others. Our vision is that in our new day, opportunities outshine barriers, and all people feel a sense of community and belonging.

Our mission is to build a sense of community and common purpose throughout the region, and to enhance the recreational, educational, cultural, health and social well-being of the residents of the Southern Berkshires. Berkshire South is a non-sectarian, nonprofit organization open to all, regardless of ability to pay.

Lee Youth Mission Statement: The Lee Youth Association is a non profit (501 c3) that values all children, young adults and their families for their individuality while enriching their lives through social, healthy, educational and recreational programming based on the ever changing needs of our community.

Railroad Street Youth Project (RSYP)’s mission is to empower young people by supporting the creation of youth-inspired projects that promote self-worth, responsibility and intergenerational communication. At RSYP, youth take the lead. They explore their full potential and become equipped to meet the challenging transition to adulthood. RSYP's professional staff match youth-generated ideas with community resources, empowering youth to create and oversee a wide range of innovative, life-changing projects. Unmatched in mission and scope, RSYP excels in helping youth find their voice and realize the benefits of their commitment to themselves and their community. Since its creation in 2000, RSYP has grown and evolved in direct response to what youth tell us they want and need.

The Berkshire Pulse mission is to build and strengthen community life through diverse and accessible programming in performing, movement and creative arts. By promoting participation in these educational and health-sustaining activities, we enrich the lives of families and individuals of all ages throughout the region. Berkshire Pulse Values We believe community is at the heart of a healthy life and we commit to strengthening ours. We engage in collaboration within PULSE, and with the larger community. We commit to creating a safe space for students of all ages to develop and explore artistic expression through movement and creative arts. We hold ourselves to standards of professional excellence in all aspects of our work. We seek to welcome and include all members of our community and we commit to identify and remove barriers. We place accessibility as a priority, we do not turn anyone away for reasons of affordability, we act to be accessible for differently abled individuals, and we bring programs to those who cannot come to us. We are devoted to the artistic integrity of what we teach and do not pursue popular trends for their own sake. We embrace “yes” and innovate to find new ways to bring movement, world music, and other forms of creative expression to individuals and families.

Our Program's mission: We enhance opportunities for success by inspiring each child’s love of learning, partnering with families, advocating for equity, and fostering a connection to community.

MISSION STATEMENT Greenagers works to inspire youth to develop deep connections to land, work, and community. We prepare youth for success in work and life by offering paid jobs and education in the areas of conservation, sustainable farming, and related trades. VISION STATEMENT Greenagers envisions a culture of community where young people work together to restore forests and fields, grow food, and build spaces that support natural systems and sustainability. To realize this vision, we work to get young people outside; working with their hands; talking to each other and their elders; listening, leading, and learning. We believe that this work is foundational and the heart of a culture that values education, stewardship, and community. Greenagers was formed in 2007 as a program of The Center for Peace through Culture. On January 1, 2013, Greenagers incorporated as its own organization: Greenagers, Inc. and is now a 501 (c)(3) organization. Greenagers serves over 1600 youth annually.

The Community Recreation Association’s mission is to build a sense of community by offering social, educational, recreational, cultural and wellness programs to the Central Berkshire community in a safe, welcoming and inclusive environment. We are a collaborative non-profit charitable organization open to all ages since 1923.

Our Mission and Vision At Volunteers in Medicine Berkshires, we provide access to free, comprehensive health care for those in the Berkshire region who are income-qualified and are ineligible for government supported health insurance. We envision a society in which everyone has an equal opportunity to achieve good health.

Berkshire County Kids' Place and Violence Prevention Center, Inc. provides an interdisciplinary, cooperative team approach to address the needs of children subjected to violence as victims or as witnesses and to their non-offending family members. The center provides a safe, caring, home-like atmosphere that coordinates the combined knowledge of law enforcement, social services, medical, prosecutorial, and mental health agencies to ensure an effective response to childhood trauma. Children who are victims of abuse must depend on the adults in their lives to pay attention to the warning signs, believe them when they tell us something is wrong, and respond responsibly. Kids' Place is here to help you recognize those signs and help your child make a comeback from the trauma they have experienced or witnessed. We are also here to help the non-offending parent or family members handle the trauma. By helping you, you can help your child.

The Rites of Passage and Empowerment program is a local, proven mentoring program for young women of color and young people identifying as female or non-binary. The mission of R.O.P.E is to celebrate and honor the entry of adolescents into adulthood and provide them with skills and knowledge that they need to be successful, independent and responsible people. It is designed to help participants discover their inner voice and support all components of personal development and personal leadership.

To transform the lives of adult learners, both immigrant and US-born, through the power of literacy, education, and advocacy.

Roots Rising is an award-winning nonprofit organization whose mission is to empower youth and build community through food and farming. Our vision is to lift up teens as community changemakers and to strengthen the local food system through the transformational power of meaningful work. Roots Rising has three main initiatives: our Youth Crews, our Pittsfield Farmers Market and our upcoming Farm and Education Center

Mission Barrington Stage Company (BSC) is a not-for-profit professional theatre company in the Berkshires (MA) with a three-fold mission: to produce top-notch, compelling work; to develop new plays and musicals; and to engage our community with vibrant, inclusive educational outreach programs. Our core mission is carried out through the production of live theater, a dedication to fostering new work and emerging talent and a strong commitment to local youth through life changing educational/arts programming including our Playwright Mentoring Project.

Berkshire Theatre Group’s mission is to support wide-ranging artistic exploration and acclaimed performances in theatre, dance, music and entertainment. We are stewards of two national historic theatres and beloved venues which are priceless keystones of the Berkshire cultural landscape. Our youth performing artists follow a professional development pathway from the Berkshires to Broadway and beyond. Our youth educational programs develop performing arts interest and abilities while instilling critical personal and professional skills. Our vision is to be a center for creative work that enriches, educates, invigorates, transforms, and strengthens our community for the better.