COLLEGE NEWS
Carmen Gallagher, of East Montpelier, was named to the Western Carolina University fall 2023 chancellor’s list.
AROUND TOWN
Veterans fundraiser
BARRE — A 100-ball Calcutta held at Gustos in Barre raised $10,697 for The Veterans’ Place in Northfield. The Veterans’ Place is a residential facility providing unhoused veterans with the tools and support they need to transition back into an independent and productive life. Although the VA provides funds to The Veteran’s Place, it needs approximately $100,000 in additional funds annually. The event proceeds included a donation of $1,000, two TVs and $170 in Walmart gift cards, all from Preston’s KIA.
Chaired by Candi Smith, The Veterans’ Place secretary and board member, Sheila Megrath and Lisa Crowningshield, other volunteers providing help and support included Shannon Melton, Misty Bresette, Gail Ostrout, Theresa Bauman, Lucas Herring and Cristine Kalinowski.
Gusto’s staff of Ricky Davis, Alby Franks, Josh Dickinson and Tyler Sherman served the steak dinner. Ticket holders who could not attend donated their meals to The Veterans Place with enough to feed every resident. Gusto’s owners Jackie and Josh Dickinson supported the event in many administrative and needed ways.
Other organizations that contributed were AiredOut, The Meltdown, Twin City Lanes, LAC Photography, Renee Hill of Divine Design, Delicate Decadence, Ladder One Grill.
AROUND VT
Affordable housing
To address Vermont’s housing and homelessness challenges, the Vermont Affordable Housing Coalition and the Vermont Coalition to End Homelessness have merged to form a single organization: the Housing & Homelessness Alliance of Vermont (HHAV). HHAV will help to unite voices from the housing and homelessness fields and leverage expertise of its board and 60+ member organizations to meet the needs of vulnerable Vermonters and advocate for effective policies to ensure all people living in Vermont have safe, stable, affordable homes and if homelessness occurs, it is brief, rare and non-recurring.
The HHAV board of directors has also selected Frank Knaack as its executive director. Knaack, who grew up in Manchester graduating from Stratton Mountain School and the University of Vermont, will fill the HHAV leadership role after nearly 20 years of implementing and advancing human rights initiatives across the country. Knaack previously served as executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of South Carolina, Montana Innocence Project and Alabama Appleseed Center for Law and Justice, as well as leadership roles with ACLU in New Hampshire, Virginia and Texas.
Excellence award
BURLINGTON — The University of Vermont Children’s Hospital’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit recently received the 2023 Press Ganey Human Experience Guardian of Excellence Award. The recognition places the UVM Children’s Hospital among the top 5% of health care providers nationwide for patient experience, commitment to clinical excellence, and empathetic patient care.
BUSINESS
Ag workforce
An initiative is underway in Vermont, spearheaded by the nonprofit Operation Recovery organization, together with Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets; U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants; the dairy farm families of Agri-Mark; Cabot Creamery Cooperative; and Liberty Hill Farm. The Grow America Farm Corps initiative addresses Vermont’s farm labor shortages by fostering collaboration among local farmers, new Americans, and supporting partners.
Grow America Farm Corps partners assist in placing and transitioning participants who gain housing through on-farm living spaces, professional skills development, and community. Participants can also access job placement assistance in agricultural manufacturing.
More than 40 new American families fleeing hardship abroad are participating in Grow America Farm Corps, launched in late 2023. Visit GrowAmericaFarmCorps.org to host a family, register to view available Grow America Farm Corps employment opportunities, donate or learn more.
Ag news
— A new report on the health of Vermont’s honeybee population shows an increase in bees since 2016 emphasizing the care, cultivation and collaboration of beekeepers and officials in the Green Mountain State. For 2023, beekeepers reported the highest number of colonies on record at 17,145. In 2016, Vermont’s number of registered colonies was 9,715, thus representing a 43% increase over the seven-year period.
— Farmers interested in participating in the Vermont Pay For Performance Program will be able to submit applications through Jan. 31, by visiting www.agriculture.vermont.gov/VPFP. This program provides performance-based payments to Vermont farmers for reducing phosphorus losses from their agricultural fields.
— This past funding year for Northeast Dairy Business Innovation Center resulted in over 120 grants and contracts. Out of over $18.3 million in awards across the 11-state region, over $5.9 million went to Vermont dairy farmers and processors.
— The U.S. Department of Agriculture is extending the deadline for the Discrimination Financial Assistance Program to Jan. 13. This deadline extension is in response to feedback from potential applicants, nongovernmental program administrators and community-based organizations. It will allow more time to reach and help farmers, ranchers and forest landowners through direct, no-cost technical assistance and training sessions.
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