FLORENCE—The Henshaw Water Droplets, a team for the American Cancer Society’s Relay For Life of Hampshire County, will hold its fourth annual Relay for Life Vendor/Craft Show July 21 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Elks Lodge #997 at 17 Spring St.

The event, which raises funds for the American Cancer Society’s Relay For Life of Hampshire County, is free, open to the public and will be held rain or shine. Food will be available from Foley’s Franks.

Donations for the fair are still being accepted for the drawing to be held at the event.

One of the drawings offers a prize of five passes to Autobahn Indoor Speedway at the Hampshire Mall in Hadley, which is valued at $140. Each pass includes one race and a one-year membership. Tickets for this drawing are $5 and can be purchased during the event or by contacting Jennifer Hayden at tigereyes6905@netzero.com or (413) 824-9998.

“Our team fundraises all year round, and I look forward to seeing everyone at the Relay For Life of Hampshire County on June 15 and 16 from 3 p.m. to 3 p.m. at Look Memorial Park in Florence,” said Hayden, the coordinator of the event, captain of team Henshaw Water Droplets and an event leadership team member for Relay For Life of Hampshire County.

Hayden thanked the Elks Lodge #997 for being the presenting sponsor again this year to ensure that every dollar raised will be used to benefit the American Cancer Society.

For more information or to donate, contact Jennifer Hayden or see the event page on Facebook at  https://www.facebook.com/events/1266971896738194              

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NORTHAMPTON—Join the Purple Run to fight for a cure for cancer on Sunday, April 22 at 10 a.m. at Look Memorial Park in Florence. The event offers a walk, 5K and 10K run components, and pre-registration begins at 9 a.m.

Trophies will be awarded for the top three runners, in eight categories.

A craft fair with over 30 vendors will be held at the event from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m. And a photo booth will also be offered so that participants can have a chance for photo opportunities throughout the event.

The annual Purple Run was started in 2012 and has raised over $11,000 for the American Cancer Society; proceeds from this year’s run will go directly to the American Cancer Society’s Relay For Life of Hampshire County in June.

The goal for 2018 is to have 500 runners and walkers take part. Organizers are also looking for sponsors and volunteers to assist.

For more information, to volunteer, or register and get a team discount, contact Tom McCusker at (413)-313-2525 or visit www.purplerun.net.

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I was one of the pack of students hollering “Go Rebels!” at football and basketball games, and I volunteered with the other members of the Intergenerational Club at local nursing homes and also visited the nearby state school to teach my friends there the alphabet and play games.

It was then, as a teenager, that I first saw there was something in the world that was bigger than me, bigger than my family. I just didn’t have a name for it.

Then, I arrived at Westfield State College in 1981, and I learned the phrase associated with this kind of giving: community involvement. And boy, did I get involved.

I was a member of the on-campus Massachusetts Public Interest Research Group, on a committee that helped bring about the passage of the Bottle Bill. I wrote for the student newspaper, then called The Owl. I danced and sang in the Musical Theatre Guild. I volunteered in local schools. I babysat. I did community involvement, on and off campus.

That didn’t change after I graduated, got married and had a family. I volunteered in my daughters’ preschools and held leadership roles on their PTOs as they grew. I was active in my church and served on its governing board. I helped raise money for countless local causes.

I was all about community, and I’m grateful to Walpole High School and Westfield State for planting and nurturing those important seeds within my psyche.

Community engagement—the buzz words you’re more apt to hear on campuses or in the business community now—is important for every citizen to take seriously. It is giving back. It’s about showing gratitude for the fact that we have healthy, vibrant cities and towns that support us with resources of all kinds.

I think it’s especially important for business owners and organization leaders to be involved in their communities. Yes, it’s good for business because you are out there meeting people, networking, making connections. But it’s also good for everyone around you—those real and important people who ensure that your business thrives and survives. It’s a way to thank your community for the privilege of being a successful entrepreneur.

The way I do community engagement is quieter now, far less public than it once was. This, because I realized I had something to give that was bigger than brownies for the bake sale. I have skills that allow me to tell stories and raise awareness for groups that needed visibility to increase their reach and touch lives. I am especially all-in for that.

So, instead of changing diapers in the church nursery, I’m doing things like writing press releases that help United Way of Hampshire County promote its work and its partner organizations.

Instead of serving lasagna for the cot shelter in Northampton on a team with fellow church parishioners, I’m writing stories about cancer survivors and caregivers for the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life of Hampshire County to raise dollars for research and programming.

Instead of sitting in PTO meetings, taking minutes, I’m doing PR—writing blogs, press releases and Facebook posts for organizations in the Valley that support children, the arts and people in need.

Unlike the kind of volunteer work I used to do, my work now goes unseen, and that’s fine with me. I know that, in the quiet of it, there is the potential that I am helping more people.

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This variety is precisely what I had in mind when I signed on with Janice in January.

The most valuable of the various experiences I’ve had as a Beetle Press intern would have to be the one-on-one, hands-on experience in offering design assistance to Habitat for Humanity. This, to me, was vital to bringing my entire college career as well as my own personal experiences full circle.

To be able to work with Habitat, an organization that means so much to me, has been priceless. With Habitat, I was immersed in design work that ranged from updating invitations and lawn signs for the FEAST event to creating this year’s annual report, based on an existing template.

But everything I was assigned during this internship had value.

Another project that interested me a great deal was reading and offering my feedback on Janice’s fictional love story, entitled Unleashing the Sun. I came into the internship with an experience in the publishing industry, and working with Janice’s manuscript helped me to know just how much I love the editing process. Gaining knowledge in this realm will help me as I move forward.

I absolutely feel that I am that much more equipped to pursue a career in my chosen field now that I have held this internship. I am over the moon with the fact that this final semester at Westfield State University was spent on my ever-growing passion of writing, editing and designing. I couldn’t have asked for a better way to close out my college career.

Janice has been gracious and a true guide into the professional world I’m interested in. She is thoughtful, insightful and passionate in her direction.

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