BIRTHS
Copley Hospital
A daughter, Marvyl Meredith Pearce, was born Nov. 21, 2023, to Jean Marie Pearce, of East Hardwick.
A daughter, Vera Lynn Grove, was born Nov. 25, 2023, to Louis and Kaitlin (Dougherty) Grove, of Stowe.
A daughter, Yeliah Lorraine Tatro, was born Nov. 28, 2023, to Kyle Tatro and Hailey Wilkinson, of Johnson.
YOUTH NEWS
GMYS auditions
Green Mountain Youth Symphony auditions are now open for winter/spring 2024. Applications are being accepted for all three orchestras as well as strings and piano for chamber music. If you are returning from fall 2023, there is no need to re-apply for winter/spring 2024. Adult musicians, ages 18 and older, are welcome to apply for the senior orchestra. Application fee is $25. After the application is received, you will be contacted to submit a video audition by Dec. 30. Visit www.gmys-vt.org for more information,
Coach recruitment
Girls on the Run Vermont nonprofit announced its coach registration for GOTRVT’s 25th anniversary spring season is now open statewide. GOTRVT coaches will empower participants to develop critical life skills, build confidence, cultivate positive connections with peers, and stand up for themselves and others. The 10-week season begins March 18, with teams meeting twice a week for 90 minutes.
All coaches will be trained in-person. Coaches do not need to be runners but are required to be a minimum of 18 years old. Students in high school may register to be a junior coach. All volunteer coaches must complete a background check and online training modules prior to in-person training. Coach trainings are offered statewide: Feb. 3 in Brattleboro, Feb. 4 in Castleton and Feb. 10 in Essex. GOTRVT needs over 500 volunteer coaches to host teams in 2024.
Visit www.gotrvt.org for more information.
COLLEGE NEWS
Workforce
This past spring, Community College of Vermont offered state employees the Assessment of Prior Learning class as credit for college-level learning gained outside the classroom such as in the workplace, in the military, or through volunteerism. Twenty students enrolled from a dozen divisions of state government. Students earned an average of 45 college credits in just one 15-week semester. This represents an average tuition savings of over $12,000, and over 600 classroom hours saved per student. It also translates to more than $250,000 in tuition savings for the state of Vermont.
New hire
SOUTH ROYALTON — Vermont Law and Graduate School has hired Nate Hibler as vice president of finance. A former VLGS professor teaching federal securities regulation, Hibler comes to this role with more than 10 years of experience in government and the audit and tax industry. He has held CPA positions at several tax, audit and accounting advisory firms.
AROUND TOWN
Shop international
WAITSFIELD — This holiday season, shop in India, Nepal, Indonesia, Peru, Haiti, Turkey, Kenya and Thailand, without leaving Vermont, at The International Boutique open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturdays, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday, and from noon to 6 p.m. weekdays, Dec. 9 through 16, at the Masonic Lodge on Route 100 in Waitsfield Village. Proceeds benefit Amurtel to support projects for women and children here in Vermont and around the world.
Featured this year are Tibetan, Kashmiri and Persian carpets, jewelry, cashmere blankets, scarves and shawls, alpaca and yak wool, handbags, tapestries, inlaid boxes, hand carved statues and wall art, clothing, musical instruments, and more.
St. J Sparkles
St. JOHNSBURY — St. Johnsbury’s celebration of the holiday season is back on Dec. 8, 9 and 10, with St. J Sparkles! Holiday Weekend. On Friday, Dec. 8, the event in the downtown shopping district offers activities at the Welcome Center, fire pits on Railroad Street and many businesses staying open until the 8 p.m. Northstar Fireworks display. On Saturday, Dec. 9, family-friendly activities start at 9 a.m. and run into the afternoon, town-wide. The KCP Presents holiday performance by Grammy Award-winning “Time for Three” will be held at 7 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 10; a preview, including ticketing links performance, can be found at www.discoverstjohnsbury.com/stjsparkles online.
Sourdough
MARSHFIELD — Sourdough Bread from Starter to Finish free workshop will be held at 1 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 9, at the library. Learn from Erin Ruddell and Brad Woelfle of Heyday Farm all about sourdough bread making and take home a jar of starter.
BUSINESS
Donations
BARRE — Lenny’s Shoe & Apparel made a “whale-sized” donation of $3,184 after collaborating with Darn Tough to create limited-edition, Vermont-made socks. These socks featured Vermont’s iconic “Whales Tails” silhouetted in front of Camels Hump. They were released exclusively at Lenny’s in October and sold out by mid-November. Lenny’s donated $2 from every pair sold to Vermont Foodbank in Barre and JCEO Foodshelf in Plattsburgh.
MONTPELIER — National Life Group employees, directors and retirees donated $408,947 to more than 525 organizations worldwide through the annual “Share the Good” program, in which the National Life Group Foundation matches gifts up to $2,000 during the month of November, making the overall amount given more than $817,000. The top five organizations to receive donations in 2024 will be Vermont Foodbank, Central Vermont Humane Society, The Renita Marshall Helping Hands Foundation/St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital (tied), North Texas Food Bank, Alzheimer’s Association Vermont.
Solar award
WATERBURY — Green Lantern Solar, renewable energy development and finance company focusing on commercial solar and energy storage systems, is the recipient of the 2023 Community Solar Project of the Year Award from Solar Builder. This celebrates Green Lantern Solar’s achievement in completing a ground-mount, net-metered, community, solar project situated on a brownfield site at a former U.S. Air Force Station in St. Albans.
Grants available
The Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food & Markets welcomes applications from Vermont agricultural and forestry businesses for Trade Show Assistance Grants. These grants provide businesses with funds to exhibit and sell their Vermont products at trade shows targeting out-of-state buyers. These matching grants can partially offset the expenses associated with exhibiting at trade shows.
For more information and review the full Request for Applications, visit agriculture.vermont.gov/grants/tradeshow. The application will be open through Jan. 15, 2024. For grant program questions, email kristen.brassard@vermont.gov or call 802-522-3742.
Bishop departs
After 30 years of policy leadership, Betsy Bishop, Vermont Chamber of Commerce president, announced her departure from the chamber. A leadership transition for the organization is set for summer 2024. Bishop’s advocacy work has supported economic development and created jobs statewide. She is also the founder of the Vermont Futures Project, a foundation focused on creating an economic action plan for the state based on data, research and education.
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