The Western New England University Small Business Legal Clinic is accepting applications from entrepreneurs and small business owners seeking legal assistance for the spring semester 2024. Under faculty supervision, law students assist clients with legal issues including choice of entity, employment policies, contract drafting, regulatory compliance, and intellectual property issues relating to trademark applications and copyright. This is a free service available to local businesses that might not have the resources to obtain such services.
The clinic has assisted more than 500 small businesses since it opened.
The clinic requests small business owners to submit their applications by Jan. 1, 2024. Applications received after that date will be considered if additional resources are available. Students will begin providing services in mid-January. For more information, call the clinic at 413-782-1469 or email Marie Fletcher, clinical programs administrator, at mfletcher@law.wne.edu. To complete an online application, visit https://www1.wne.edu/law/centers/small-business-legal-clinic.cfm.
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Mont Marie Rehabilitation and Healthcare Center recently achieved the Skilled Nursing Facility Heart Failure Certification offered by the American Heart Association.
The certification provides an evidence-based framework for evaluating skilled nursing facilities against the American Heart Association’s science-based requirements for heart failure patients, including program management, patient and caregiver education and support, care coordination, clinical management and quality improvement.
Nearly 1 in 4 heart failure patients are readmitted within 30 days of discharge and approximately half are readmitted within six months; about one-quarter of readmissions may be preventable. This certification can support facilities’ efforts to stop preventable readmissions.
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Yankee Home, a home improvement firm in Chicopee, has announced that Phyllis Plouffe, of Chicopee, is the winner of its $7,500 sweepstakes.
The firm reached out to Plouffe asking if she would be home Nov. 24, saying that she had been selected as one of our five finalists and would need to complete her final interview. Unaware that she had already been selected as our winner, Plouffe agreed to sit down with them. The Prize Patrol loaded up its Yankee Home van with her check, along with balloons and flowers.
Plouffe has the option to use the $7,500 towards home improvement or as a cash check. The money does not need to be used at Yankee Home.
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The Springfield Thunderbirds announced, in collaboration with Rock 102 and the Mayflower Marathon, that they have successfully generated over $15,000 for this year’s marathon.
A contribution of $10,000 in cash was made by the Thunderbirds to Open Pantry, a result of generous donations throughout November and the funds raised during the T-Birds’ Celebrity Bartending event at White Lion Brewing earlier in November. Additionally, Ray Berry, the founder of White Lion Brewing, will contribute an extra $800 from the proceeds of Thunderboom beers and burgers sold at White Lion.
The Mayflower Marathon amassed a record total of $234,733.71 in food and monetary contributions. The non-perishable food donations filled four full-size Mayflower trailers and an additional one-and-a-half box trucks, marking an increase of over $55,000 from the 2022 marathon.
Throughout November, the Thunderbirds collected donations at their office and during home games at the MassMutual Center. Leading up to Mayflower Marathon Night on Nov. 22, fans making contributions were rewarded with tickets to the T-Birds game.
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For a fourth year, Bright Nights at Forest Park has been recognized by the American Bus Association as one of the Best of the Best for 2023.
Prior to receiving the Best of the Best honors in 2023, 2022, 2021, and 2020, Bright Nights at Forest Park was recognized by the American Bus Association as one of the Top 100 Destinations in North America. It features more than 700,000 lights along a 3-mile drive that winds its way through the historic park.
Massachusetts attractions that have received the 2023 Best of the Best honors include Fuller Craft Museum in Brockton and the John F. Kennedy Hyannis Museum.
Since opening on Nov. 24, 1995, Bright Nights at Forest Park has entertained more than seven million people. Annually, the economic impact has been calculated to be $15 million.
Bright Nights at Forest Park, produced by the Spirit of Springfield in cooperation with the Springfield Department of Parks, Buildings and Recreation Management, will run through Sunday, Jan. 1.
