Berkshire voices Hope springs eternal in the Berkshires

By L iana Toscanini

GREAT BARRINGTON — With spring finally sprung, I’m feeling particularly optimistic this year. In fact, I’m starting to think there’s hope for this world yet.

It’s a sensation solidified, if not catalyzed, by the quality of nominations that the Nonprofit Center of the Berkshires received from all corners of the county in anticipation of the sixth Annual Berkshire Nonprofit Awards, which take place May 23 at Berkshire Hills Country Club in Pittsfield.

This year, the judges were introduced to 11 young, passion-filled individuals, effecting change in and leaving indelible impressions in many subsectors — from food insecurity to social justice. These young people are not unlike late Sheffield resident, Samya Rose Stumo, for whom our Youth Leadership Award is named.

These young leaders are amazing. Only one will receive this year’s Youth Leadership Award, which is given annually in acknowledgement of an individual age 16-to-24 who has contributed meaningfully to the Berkshire nonprofit sector. But each is a leader in their own right who deserves to be congratulated on their respective work in the community at large. These young people have given a combined 32 plus years of collective service to nonprofit organizations throughout the region.

Here is the winner followed by the other nominees: rington most Monday evenings, welcoming myriad neighbors experiencing food insecurity in their native Spanish, which is a language he mastered while studying abroad. A student at the Berkshire School in Sheffield, he raised $1,400 for holiday turkeys at Thanksgiving.

• Florence Afanukoe. She was selected to receive this year’s award for her leadership of the Bridge youth program, doubling the nonprofit’s capacity, enrollment and growth while meeting her own vision that the model could extend beyond South County to reach kids in Pittsfield.

“She models possibility…and leads by example for [other] youth,” said Gwendolyn VanSant, the director of Multicultural Bridge. Afanukoe is graduating magna cum laude one semester early from the University of Bridgeport in Connecticut with a degree in public health.

• Logan Baker. His work as a youth leader at the Berkshire Family YMCA in North Adams has not gone unnoticed.

2023 Nonprofit Award winners

Lifetime achievement: Julianne Boyd, Barrington Stage Company; Anne Nemetz Carlson, Child Care of the Berkshires.

Board Leadership: Susan Crofut, Sandisfield Arts Center.

Executive Leadership: Leigh Doherty, Literacy Network of South Berkshire. Rock Star: Tyeesha R. Keele-Kedroe, 18 Degrees.

• Emma Lezberg. She has worked diligently over five years to serve clients at Berkshire Immigrant Center in Pittsfield by helping local immigrants learn about and access resources they need and deserve through various providers. “From the time Emma was a high school student she has brought integrity, energy, and commitment to the task of making our community more just and compassionate,” Kate Barton, the president of the Berkshire Immigrant Center’s board of directors, said.

Samya Rose Stumo Youth Leadership Award: Florence Afanukoe, Multicultural Bridge.

Unsung Hero: Sheila Dargie, Berkshire Area Health Education Center.

Volunteer: Shirley Edgerton, ROPE, Women of Color Giving Circle, Lift Ev’ry Voice Festival.

“[He] is truly committed to the mission of the (organization)…and works hard to assist all individuals,” said Meaghan Rogers, the local resident who nominated him for the award.

• Deisy Escobar. A first generation Latina growing up in the Berkshires, Escobar wears many hats. Her work at Railroad Street Youth Project in Great Barrington was noticed by a colleague.

“Deisy is the driver of change at her high school…an expert in her own experience,” said Z Estime, the program coordinator of South Berkshire Community Health Coalition.

• Ben Gross. He takes volunteering seriously, as evidenced by his involvement at Hevreh of Southern Berkshire. “[He] is a positive force at school… [and] other students look up to him as a role model,” said Valerie Zantay, a Spanish teacher and tutor in the Berkshire Hills Regional School District. Gross is a National Honor Society inductee, jazz-and marching-band member, and varsity athlete at Monument Mountain Regional High School.

• Nicholas Hardcastle. He can be found at The People’s Pantry in Great Bar-

• Dahlia Logan. She has spent her tenure at Monument Mountain Regional High School striving for an improved school culture for all by using her voice to ensure youth-adult partnerships will be sustained after she graduates. She is a member of the school’s student-adult advisory board. “[Dahlia] is a resonant leader, who does so without ego or pretense,” Monument Mountain Guidance Counselor Sean Flynn said.

• Juliana Lopez. She works with a multitude of different populations including those struggling with food insecurity, immigrants, and fellow young people. “Serving others is a fundamental part of who Juliana is,” said state Rep. William “Smitty” Pignatelli, D-Lenox, of the Mt. Everett High School student’s commitment to causes outside herself and passion for public service

• Lucia Pantano. She is a staunch advocate for others, one who is keenly aware of the social and economic barriers that exist for certain groups — especially teens in Berkshire County. “Lucia is humanistic by nature and cares deeply for her peers, her siblings and her community,” McCann Technical School Counselor Chad O’Neill said. Pantano is a McCann Principal’s Award recipient who has worked with the Northern Berkshire Community Coalition.

• Jacob Tullo. He is a cancer survi- vor, volunteer, mentor and talented 3D printing artist who has chosen to pay it forward by supporting and advocating for children with cancer diagnoses even in the midst of his ongoing treatment. “(Jacob) impacts his environment, without being asked, all the time,” said Josh Meczywor, a computer assisted design instructor at McCann Technical School.

• Jacob Shron. He is a well-regarded member of the Monument Mountain Regional High School community where he’s been laser focused on improving student voice and faculty/ student collaboration. “Jacob is simply a person of integrity, an adept listener and problem solver,” said Monument Guidance Counselor Sean Flynn of Shron, a trained facilitator with Up For Learning, a Vermont-based youth empowerment program.

Each of these young people exhibits the same passion for their own projects as Samya Rose Stumo did for hers, which was revolutionizing global health. Stumo was one of the 157 people who died aboard Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 when it crashed on March 10, 2019. The accident occurred when Stumo was on her way from Ethiopia to Kenya to participate in her inaugural assignment with ThinkWell, a nonprofit that is working to disrupt the status quo in global health development. The 24-year-old’s enthusiasm for making the world a better place, anchored by her love of people and service to others, lives on in the next generation of changemakers nominated in her honor.

We salute them this month.

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