Connections Newsletter

This page is updated with each new issue, and includes past issues from the last couple of years.

If you want to subscribe or have ideas for future issues, please email Ilana.

THE LATEST ISSUE: Connections Newsletter #89, (April 10, 2025) – News & Updates; Policy & Advocacy Skills Summit for Youth; Family-Friendly Earth Day Activities; 5 Tips for Seasonal Allergies; April is Child Abuse Prevention Month & Sexual Assault Awareness Month; Have You Seen This? Community Action Family Center Open House; Help & Information

Connections Newsletter #88, (March 13, 2025) – News & Updates; Get Involved! Expo at GCC 4/2; Activities & Ideas to Brighten Your Spring; Women’s History Month: Three Western MA Women Who Made History; Wellness Corner: Measles Basics & Prevention Info; Have You Seen This? Learner’s Permit Study Group & Driver’s Ed Scholarships; Help & Information

Connections Newsletter #87 (February 13, 2025) – News & Updates; Alcohol and Cancer: What’s the Connection?; What are your favorite alcohol-free places to hang out?; February Vacation: Free & Low-Cost Activities for Families; Wellness Corner: Norovirus Tips and Updated Info on COVID, Flu & RSV; Have You Seen This? 28 Days of Black History; Help & Information

Connections #86 (January 16, 2025) – News & Updates; Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Celebration at GCC; Beat Cabin Fever: Easy Ways for the Whole Family to Burn Off Energy & Move More; Relationships, Purpose, and Service: Surgeon General Vivek Murthy’s Parting Prescription for America; Wellness Corner: Norovirus and Respiratory Viruses Circulating Now; Have You Seen This? Age-Friendly and Food Security Mini-Grants; Help & Information

Connections #85 (combined Nov/Dec issue, December 5, 2024 – Holidays & School Vacation Issue) News & Updates; Youth are Invited to Join an Intergenerational Book Club!; 2024 Connections Holiday & School Vacation Guide; Talking with People Who Have Different Views; Wellness Corner: Tips for Staying Healthy This Season, Coping with Less Sunlight, and Understanding Iron Supplements; Have You Seen This? Mini-Grants for Community Building; Help & Information

Connections #84 (October 24, 2024) News & Updates; Safe & Healthy Schools Summit – You Can Still Register!; Key Findings from the Student Health Survey: School Climate and Wellness in 2024; Nicotine Pouches: Small, Sweet, and Highly Addictive; Wellness Corner: Reducing Election Stress and Election Misinformation Dashboard; Have You Seen This? West County Resource Fair; Help & Information

Connections #83 (September 19, 2024) News & Updates; You’re Invited: Communities That Care Coalition’s Full Coalition Meeting; Join This Year’s Franklin County Rivers Cleanup!; Raising Healthy Youth in a Screen-Filled World; Wellness Corner: Mosquito Prevention & Local Vaccine Options; Have You Seen This? Opportunity for Youth: Greenfield Public Library Mural Project; Help & Information

Connections #82 (August 15, 2024) News & Updates; Local events for Overdose Awareness Day & Recovery Awareness Month; Late Summer Resources & Getting Ready for a New School Year; Have You Seen This? Paid focus group opportunity for parents who use public benefits; Help & Information

Connections #81 (July 18, 2024) News & Updates; Summer Reading Programs are Great!; Summer Food Resources and Pick-Your-Own Blueberries; Beat the Heat: Fun Activities and Safety Tips for Hot Days; Have You Seen This? Comfort Zone Grief Camps for Kids and Youth; Help & Information

Connections #80 (June 13, 2024) News & Updates; Pride Month Events and Resources; Celebrate Juneteenth in Greenfield!; Summer Eats & Summer EBT: Free Meals for Kids and Grocery Funds for Families; Wellness Corner: Water Safety and Skin Protection for Everyone; Where to Find Family-Friendly Summer Activities; Have You Seen This? Franklin County Teen Performing Arts Showcase; Help & Information

Connections #79 (May 16, 2024) News & Updates; Explore Programs for Youth at a Local Public Library; Mental Health Awareness Month – Youth-Focused Resources; Wellness Corner: Tick Bite Prevention Tips; Continuing Connections: Community Health Equity Survey Results; Have You Seen This? Community Action Family Center Open House; Help & Information

Connections #78 (April 18, 2024) News & Updates; Registration open for Communities that Care Coalition’s Spring Meeting; HIP HIP Hooray, It’s Spring! (HIP and farm share info); Farm share loans and where to find a local farm share; Resources and local events for Sexual Assault Awareness Month; Have You Seen This? Healthy Kids Day at the Y; Help & Information

Connections #77 (March 21, 2024) News & Updates; Save the Date! Communities That Care Full Coalition Meeting May 30th; The 2024 Franklin County Bike Plan Needs Your Input!; Working Together to Keep Kids and Pets Safe from Cannabis; Where to Find Info on Local Summer Camps; Wellness Corner: New Respiratory Virus Guidance from the CDC; Have You Seen This? Best-selling Author Jarrett Krosoczka Visits Greenfield; Help & Information

Connections #76 (February 15, 2024) News & Updates; Explore Black History Online; February Vacation Guide: Affordable Fun for Families and Youth; Continuing Connections: How to Increase Your Media Literacy and Take Action; Wellness Corner: Free At-Home Covid Tests; Have You Seen This? Beacon Hill in 5 Podcast; Help & Information

Connections #75 (January 18, 2024) News & Updates; Greenfield Winter Carnival 2024!; Learn More About Raising Children in a Digital World; Stay Warm on a Budget: Practical Home Heating Tips for All; What You Can Do if there is a Winter Power Outage; Continuing Connections: Dry January Song List and Updated Vaccine Info; Have You Seen This? The FRTA is Starting Fixed-Route Weekend Bus Service!; Help & Information

Connections #74 (December 21, 2023) News & Updates; CTC is hiring a Youth Engagement Coordinator!; Family Travel Tips & Local Fun for the Holiday Break; How to Reduce Trash this Holiday Season; Who is Eligible for Free Community College in Massachusetts?; Have You Seen This? New website on environmental health at home; Help & Information

Connections #73 (November 16, 2023) News & Updates; Connections Healthy Holiday Guide: Well-Being, Fun, and Less Stress During the Holidays with two main sections 1) Wellness and Well-Being and 2) Family Fun and Connection; Local Student Data on Mental Health, Screen Time, and More; Continuing Connections: Events for Youth and Children at Public Libraries (again!); Have You Seen This? Greenfield Winter Farmers Market at Greenfield Public Library! Help & Information

Connections #72 (October 19, 2023) News & Updates; Family-Friendly Halloween Festivals in Orange and Greenfield; CTC’s Fall Coalition Meeting & New Online Resources; Local Events for Bullying Prevention Month and Domestic Violence Awareness Month; Check Out and Share the 2023 Parenting Guide!; Continuing Connections: Events for Youth and Children at Public Libraries; Have You Seen This? Prescription Drug Take Back Day; Help & Information

Connections #71 (September 21, 2023) News & Updates; Happy Family Day, 2023!; Screen Time, Mental Health, and Youth: Local Data, Resource Roundup, and an Invitation!; Fall Fairs and Festivals in Franklin County and the North Quabbin; COVID-19 Vaccine News; Continuing Connections: Fill out the Community Health Equity Survey; Have You Seen This? Community Action Pioneer Valley has a new website!; Help & Information

Connections #70 (August 24, 2023) News & Updates; Getting Ready for a New School Year; After-School Care and Activities for Children and Youth; Volunteer Opportunities at Local Fall Festivals and Events; Wellness Corner: Walk with a Doc program starts in Greenfield; Have You Seen This? Share About Your Experiences in a Survey; Enter to Win a $50 Gift Card!; Help & Information

Connections #69 (Events, Activities & Resources instead of a regular issue – July, 2023) Family-Friendly Events and Activities in Greenfield; Youth Programming at Local Libraries; Upcoming Events & Resources in Our Region; Ongoing Summer Activities and Programs
for Youth; Help & Information

Connections #68 (June 22, 2023) LOTS of News & Updates; Ongoing Summer Activities and Programs for Youth; Greenfield Public Library Closing and Grand Opening; Use HIP to Make SNAP Go Further; Greenfield Skate Park is open!; Have You Seen This? Summer Eats: Free Meals for Ages 0 – 18; Help & Information

Connections #67 (May 11, 2023) News & Updates; More on Mass Health Renewals!; Resources for Mental Health Awareness Month and Beyond; Tick Bite Prevention for People and Pets; COVID Vaccine Updates; Have You Seen This? Greenfield Bee Fest and Just Roots Spring Festival & Seedling Sale; Help & Information

Connections #66 (April 13, 2023) News & Updates; Drug Take Back Day & Resources for Protecting Youth; Things to Do During April Vacation; Takeaways from the White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health; Wellness Corner: Take this quick survey on the “pulse” of our region; Continuing Connections: Summer 2023 Camps and Activities; Have You Seen This? Healthy Kids Day at Franklin County’s YMCA; Help & Information

Connections #65 (March 17, 2023 – Friday due to snow storm!) News & Updates; CHIP Network Meeting – You’re invited!; Resource Roundup: Summer 2023 Camps and Youth Activities; Wellness Corner: MassHealth Renewal Info & Upcoming Vaccine Clinics; Have You Seen This? More Than My Mood Campaign on Youth Mental Health; Help & Information

Connections #64 (February 16, 2023) News & Updates; Your input is needed for the Regional Transportation Plan!; Free Vacation Week Programs and Events; Reflections on Dry January; Wellness Corner; Have You Seen This? 28 Days of Black History; Help & Information

Connections #63 (January 12, 2023) News & Updates; Save the Date for Winter Carnival!; Martin Luther King Day – A Day ON; Smoking and Vaping in the Media Affect Children and Youth; Wellness Corner; Continuing Connections: Free Services Updates; January Library Programs; Have You Seen This? A Smithsonian Exhibit is Coming to Turners Falls!; Help & Information

Interested in seeing an older issue? Contact Ilana.

This project was started as a collaborative effort by four local community coalitions – Greenfield 4SC, Gill-Montague Community School Partnership, Communities that Care, and the North Quabbin Community Coalition, with support from the Franklin Regional Council of Governments (FRCOG). The Communities That Care Coalition now produces the newsletter, with input from other coalitions and community partners.