The Care Center

Nautilus II Poetry Reading at Odyssey Book Shop

carecenter — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 15:08:16 +0000

Care Center poets read from Nautilus II, the annual art and poetry anthology.

June 25, 2010 Masslive video

Attend our Spring Fundraising Dinner!

carecenter — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 20:58:08 +0000

If you’d like to join us for this very special event, we’d love to have you!
RSVP to Beth Spong at (413)532-2900, or bspong@carecenterholyoke.org.

Students Published in Poetry Journal

carecenter — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 15:10:55 +0000

Two Care Center students will soon be published poets! Sheileen Diaz and Sharika Rivera are featured poets in Silkworm, a regional poetry journal. Their poems were selected from hundreds of submissions by poets around the country. Many Care Center students discover a love of language and literature through studying poetry.

Students Go Whale Watching

carecenter — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 15:00:17 +0000

In October, 35 Care Center students and seven staff members enjoyed a brisk four-hour whale watching adventure off the coast of Boston. A rich feeding ground for whales, dolphins and other marine life lies only 30 miles out from Boston Harbor.

The on-board naturalist taught our students and tourists from around the world about the behavior and migration patterns of the several kinds of whales found in the marine sanctuary. Only one Care Center student had previously been on a motor boat, so every aspect of this trip was new. Being far enough from shore to lose sight of land and seeing a mother and baby pair of whales were big highlights of the day. Ana Rodriguez, Care Center Director of Education, said “Watching the students’ excitement was as much fun as watching the whales!”

Photography Exhibit at Hampshire College Extended!

carecenter — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 15:03:26 +0000

For the past six years, The Care Center and Hampshire College have enjoyed a creative collaboration. Hampshire photography students teach photography to young women from The Care Center. This year’s class transitioned from using film to working with digital photography, which is a more naturally creative process for our students, who regularly take photos with their cell phones and share them with friends online.

Ezra Parzybok, The Care Center’s art teacher, sees three main benefits to the Hampshire College/Care Center collaboration:

Students have a fun, reciprocal educational experience in which they are learning and their teachers are learning, too.
Being at Hampshire College weekly and working closely with college students normalizes the experience of being on a college campus.
As students become skilled at creating studio portraits of each other, they start seeing themselves in a beautiful light, which increases their self-confidence.

In spring 2009, Hampshire opened a new Center for Film, Photography and Video. The College requested that the Care Center students’ extraordinary photography work be exhibited as part of the opening gala. That show remained on exhibit through the fall of 2009. Wistariahurst Museum in Holyoke hosted a show of Care Center students’ photography in January, 2010. Hampshire College senior and course co-instructor Jeremy Felson said, “The Care Center students have welcomed me with open arms. I’ve learned as much from them as they have from me.”

Iron Woman Races for The Care Center!

carecenter — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 21:14:22 +0000

Angie LaFrance, a local EMT, mother, and athlete, competed at the Lake Placid Ironman in July 2009. Angie didn’t compete just for herself, though, she also raised awareness and money for The Care Center. This 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike ride and 26.2 mile run is a test of one’s stamina, courage and physical capacity.

Here is what Angie says about the race and her commitment to The Care Center.
“Each of us encounters challenges throughout our lives, varied as they may be. I am at a point right now that I am fortunate enough to take on the challenge of the Ironman triathlon as a fund raiser. Last year I did not finish it, but I am back this year and at it again, this time with increased awareness, support and resources!”

Read Angie’s Blog to learn more.