MWCC's Weekly e-newsletter

Fri., Apr. 16, 2004

Unsung Hero Brian Hobbs Works to Improve Accessibility;
All Unsung Heroes to be Honored Thursday

By Lea Ann Erickson

Brian Hobbs of Princeton has worked for the Mass Rehabilitation Commission in Fitchburg for 25 years serving clients with rehabilitation needs. “Our goal is to put people to work. We are very vocationally focused,” explained Hobbs. “If you have a disability, the best thing you can do is to improve your skills. We send a lot of our clients to the Mount and to other schools. We believe in lifelong learning.” The organization also provides a wide variety of advice and counseling on job-related issues for clients. The office currently serves more than 600 clients from across the region.

In addition, Hobbs has served for 10 years on the Fitchburg Disability Commission. He has worked with other partners to make both Monument Park and Coggshall Park more accessible. “There was this woman who lived only a few blocks from Monument Park, but because she was in a wheelchair, she could only look into the park. She couldn’t get inside,” explained Hobbs. “We worked with the City of Fitchburg and pursued block grant funds to make the park accessible. Hobbs said that the Stonehouse at Coggshall Park was not accessible to a student who wanted to attend a summer program there. “The mother let us know and we went to work with the City of Fitchburg to make this more accessible as well.” He is also working on making City Hall and polling places more accessible. Kenneth Jones, Fitchburg Disability Commissioner, who nominated Hobbs, said, “Brian is a quiet, gentle man who believes in the dignity of all individuals and pursues their quest for this in an unassuming manner. The successes of the Fitchburg Disability Commission are due, in large part, to his leadership, knowledge and experience.”

Hobbs along with 10 other Unsung Heroes will be honored at a Celebration of Unsung Heroes, Thurs., April 22, in the college dining area. The event is part of the college’s Decade of Civic Engagement initiative and is sponsored by Mount Wachusett Community College and the Sentinel & Enterprise.

Other heroes who have already been profiled in What’s Up at the Mount? Who will be honored along with Hobbs are:

Sybil Arguijo
Melinda Estelle
Chuck Ferreira
Mike Gerry and Ron LeBlanc
Patty Leonhardt and Ann Racine
Ronalda “Ronnie” Melanson
Sheila O’Brien
Ashton "Larry" Payne

For more information on the Unsung Heroes initiative, or to inquire about attending the celebration, call Lea Ann Erickson.

Campus Events:

• The college is hosting a free series of financial aid workshops at its Gardner and Leominster campuses. The hands-on workshops will feature everything students and parents need to know to fill out the FAFSA. The free sessions will be held Wed., April 21 from 2:30 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. in room 072 in the lower level of the library at the Gardner Campus. A session at the Leominster campus will be held, Tues., April 27 from 5:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.

• Alpha Beta Gamma will host its Induction Ceremony, Fri., April 16 in the college’s Dining Room. Alpha Beta Gamma was organized in 1970 as a national Business Honor Society for Community, Technical and Junior College students. The three-fold goal of Alpha Beta Gamma is to recognize and encourage scholarship; provide for leadership training and development; and to foster cooperation among men and women who are advancing their professional business careers. Social hour begins at 6:00 p.m. The dinner follows.

• It's back! - the annual and ever-popular Library Poetry Slam returns again, Tues., April 20th, from 6-8 pm. Join us in celebrating both National Poetry Month and also National Libraries Week. All are welcome. Participants are invited to bring a poem or two to read aloud. Light refreshments will be provided. Any questions? Please contact Heidi McCann at 978-630-9338.

• The American Red Cross will host a blood drive featuring a chance to win Boston Red Sox tickets. The drive will be held at the college's Gardner campus in the commons area, Wed., April 21, 2004 in the commons area from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. For more information call 978.630.9136. There is a critical need for blood.

• The Wachusett Folk Café is back! Tickets are now on sale for the much anticipated reopening of the folk music venue. Carol Noonan will appear on stage, Friday, May 14, at 7:30 p.m. Carol Noonan seems to exist beyond time... Noonan has forged a distinctive, dreamy, style that is as breathtaking as her rich alto voice... Noonan's voice has an alluring Dronal feel. Her mostly somber originals become transporting, even elegant. Her sustained notes open gorgeously like a young Joan Baez. Tickets: $14 in advance and $16 at the door. Tickets may be purchased on line at http://wfc.mwcc.edu/ or at the box office at 978.632.2403. Box Office Hours: Monday - Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 1:15 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. Online tickets may be purchased via credit card (MC, VISA or Discover). For more information, call Diane Hamilton at 978.630.9387.

• A “Celebrating Our World,” event will be held on campus, Wed., April 28 from 10:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Desserts from around the world, workshops and a performance by INCA Sun will be featured. The Student Government Association, Multicultural Awareness Committee as well as the college’s Civic Engagement and Service Learning initiative are sponsoring the free event. For more information, call 978.630.9252.

• Working full-time? Find out how you can earn your Early Childhood Education Associate Degree in three years by attending weekend courses once or twice a month in combination with convenient online courses. Free Information sessions will be held Wed., April 28, Mon., May 17 and Wed., June 9. All sessions will be held in the Murphy Conference room from 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the Gardner campus. Schedules for this option begin in the fall and are planned in advance so students will know exactly what is expected of them for the entire program. No cancelled classes. To pre-register, call Missi Howlett at 978.630.9273 or email her at mhowlett@mwcc.mass.edu. Learn about the program, schedule and financial aid opportunities and see an online learning demonstration. For more information about the program, go to http://earlychildhood.mwcc.edu.

• Boston’s WBZ 4 sportscaster Steve Burton is slated to deliver Mount Wachusett Community College’s 2004 commencement address, Thurs., May 20. “Burton devotes much of his free time in service to others,” said MWCC President Daniel M. Asquino. “I think our graduates will enjoy hearing what he has to say and we are proud to be welcoming someone who has made a commitment to giving back to community.” Burton is a sports anchor and reporter for CBS4 News on CBS4 and for sister station UPN38 in Boston. A New England native, he joined CBS4 in August 1994. Prior to that Burton worked as a sports anchor and reporter for New England Sports Network (NESN) since 1988. While at NESN, Burton hosted the pre and post game shows for the Boston Red Sox. Raised in Framingham, Massachusetts, Burton grew up in a sports family. His father, Ron Burton, played for the New England Patriots football team. Young Burton graduated from Framingham High School, where he was the quarterback for the school’s football team and went on to play quarterback for Northwestern University.

• Tickets are SOLD OUT for the THE NEW SENIOR DAY (for adults 50 and over), hosted by MWCC’s LIFE program and the Gardner Council on Aging and sponsored in part by Fallon Community Health Plan. Entertainment, vendors, health screenings and speakers will be at the Colonial Hotel, 625 Betty Spring Road, Gardner, MA on Thurs., May 27, 2004. Festivities begin at 10:00 a.m. with luncheon served between 11:30 a.m. and noon. Cost is $5. Eight-year old Mackenzie Melemed, “The Little Piano Man”, has performed over 125 concerts; he plays, composes music, and sings and was recently honored on Channel 4 TV as a Hometown Hero for outstanding accomplishments in New England. Registration for this event will be held at the Gardner Senior Center, 70 Waterford St., Gardner. Office hours: Mon.-Thurs., 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and Fri., 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. For more information, contact Lorraine Wickman at 978. 630.9176 or by email at lwickman@mwcc.mass.edu.

• The Fitness & Wellness Center at Mount Wachusett Community College is offering two sessions of the Red Cross lifeguard certification course. The next session will run in May on Mon., Wed., & Thurs. from 6:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. (no class on May 31st). Course will lead to Red Cross certification(s); Lifeguard, First Aid, CPR for the FPR, AED, and Waterfront module. Cost: $230.00 for non-members and $200.00 for members. Re-certification fee is $100.00. Register at the Fitness & Wellness Center or call 978.630.9212 for further information.

Lea Ann Erickson
Director of Community Relations
Mount Wachusett Community College
Phone: (978) 630-9322
Fax: (978) 630-9561
cell: (508) 517-5202
l_erickson@mwcc.mass.edu

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