Tour of Jamaica Cottage mill to be offered
SOUTH LONDONDERRY - Windham County Forester Bill Guenther will lead a tour of the Jamaica Cottage Shop manufacturing facility up in South Londonderry on Friday, Aug. 30, This free tour will be held rain or shine and will start at 2 p.m. sharp and run till 3:30 p.m.
Domenic Mangano, the founder and owner, started up the business in Jamaica in 1995. Using native lumber and Vermont craftsmen, Mangano's company is building fine post and beam garden buildings like tool sheds, cottages and wood sheds. Their current 70,000 square foot factory allows all the work to be done indoors.
Guenther says one of the interesting aspects of Mangano's operation is the purchase of the old Smith Inc. mill in South Londonderry that had been defunct for a number of years.
The tour will look at the past set-up of the wood manufacturing operation of Smith Inc. and why they went out of business. A review of both past and present machinery will be included, as well as a look at how Mangano was able to retrofit a number of things for his current operations. For more information about the tour, contact Guenther at 802-257-7967.
Free cancer massage offered at Grace Cottage Hospital
TOWNSHEND - Grace Cottage Hospital will offer free massages to people dealing with cancer on the first Saturday of each month, starting Sept. 7.
Gila Koch, a certified massage therapist with over 20 years' experience and specialized training in Oncology Massage, will give these massages free of charge.
Research has shown that massage helps cancer patients with pain, anxiety, nausea, depression and fatigue. On-site massage is offered at many of the nations' leading cancer treatment centers, including Memorial Sloan Kettering, Massachusetts General Hospital, and Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center. When provided by a skilled therapist, massage is safe and beneficial for people dealing with cancer.
Koch received her general training at the Florida School of Massage in 1992. She attended Oncology Massage workshops at Memorial Sloan Kettering and with Tracy Walton, a nationally-known educator in this field. She has also visited Dartmouth-Hitchcock to observe the hands-on treatments provided to in-patients there.
A resident of Townshend, she provides massage for many people dealing with cancer, including those in active treatment, post-treatment and palliative care. She has also volunteered her services at the Stowe Weekend of Hope for cancer patients.
The 30-minute massages will be given between 10:30 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. at the Grace Cottage Community Wellness Center, 133 Grafton Rd. (Rte. 35), Townshend. These massages must be booked in advance by calling Koch at 802-365-4647.
Alcohol, tobacco sales safety training to be held in Brattleboro
BRATTLEBORO - Responsible Beverage Service Trainings will be held at the Marlboro College Graduate Center on Sept. 11 and 12 in an effort to support business owners and the staff of retail establishments which sell and serve alcohol and tobacco, to better comply with state and local laws of proper operating procedures.
The training on Wednesday, Sept. 11, from 3 to 6 p.m.. is for store clerks, cashiers, and managers of retail stores which sell alcohol and tobacco. The training on Thursday, Sept. 12, from 1 to 4 p.m., is for servers of alcohol establishments such as restaurants, clubs, and hotels.
The trainings are free and co-sponsored by the Brattleboro Area Prevention Coalition (BAPC) and Vermont Department of Liquor Control (DLC). Pre-registration is recommended. Visit the DLC website to register at liquorcontrol.vermont.gov/seminars. Anyone who is not registered will be allowed to attend if space is available and late attendees cannot be admitted. All participants will be eligible for a door prize.
Get on Board Windham County accepting applications
BRATTLEBORO - Get on Board Windham County is a community-based Board Fellows program that provides networking and skills development for young professionals while building the capacity of local nonprofits.
Applications for Fellows (aged 22-44 years old) and Nonprofits are due Sept. 15. To learn more, visit gs.marlboro.edu/boards.
An information session will be held Thursday, Sept. 5, from 5 to 6 p.m. at the Latchis Theatre. All welcome; please RSVP at marlboro-nonprofit.eventbrite.com.
This innovative program is a partnership of Marlboro College with Latchis Arts, SeVEDS, United Way of Windham County and Youth Services.
Windham Child Care Association receives funding to hire and train substitute child care providers
BRATTLEBORO - Thanks to the support of Vermont Birth to Three, The Henderson Foundation and local donors, Windham Child Care Association will soon begin offering a Substitute Program, which will be available to registered and licensed child care programs in the area.
The availability of substitutes is part of a larger effort by the organization to offer a Shared Services Business Model, which was piloted last year with an initial investment from the Vermont Birth to Three project.
This model aims to improve the quality of child care by reducing overhead costs and saving time for registered and licensed child care programs. These cost savings will be obtained through discounted goods and services from local businesses, shared curriculum and materials, and a pool of well trained and subsidized substitute teachers.
The Henderson Foundation recently provided $25,000 to support the continuation of this project, including funds to train and subsidize a pool of substitute child care providers. This relief will allow the providers to take time for their personal needs, complete necessary paperwork, attend professional development courses, or be sick for a day or two without closing their doors.
Substitute child care providers are now being hired. The organization will provide training, support, mentoring and placement for interested individuals. Trainings will start in September. For more information, contact Nancy Witherill at 802-254-5332, ext. 312.