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> EVENTS > What's Happening! > January 2008
January 2008
Santa Breakfast Delights Local Families
Close to two hundred families from around the Pioneer Valley came out for the 6th Annual Tower Square Breakfast with Santa last month. The event, featuring a full pancake breakfast prepared by Tower Grill, has become something of a tradition for many of the families.
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Merdwin the magician
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This year's event featured an interactive whimsical magic show by Merdwin the Mediocre bumbling magician. Santa made his grand entrance and greeted the children at their tables before taking a seat at his throne for photos. The Zoodles Face Painters and Chit Chat the Balloon Clown also entertained the kids. The holiday crafts station was a hit for the young and hold alike. Aside from the festivities at the breakfast, attendees also had a chance to enjoy the Festival of Trees for free admission.
The event, which is sponsored by the Tower Square management office, is run in part by volunteers from the Central High School ROTC. Proceeds from the event are given to the ROTC, who in turn donates it to the charity of their choice. |
Students from Central High ROTC volunteer
|  | | | Students from the Center High School ROTC were once again on hand to volunteer at the Breakfast with Santa, donating their time and their talents to make sure the children and families had a great time. |
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Festival of Trees Has Best Year Ever!
|  | | | The variety and creativity of each tree at the Festival of Trees is endless, thus making this event a popular "must see" tradition for local families. |
Word of mouth is one of the factors said to have influenced the increase in attendance at the 7th annual Festival of Trees to benefit the Springfield Boys and Girls Club, which ended last month.
"This year the Festival was our biggest event ever, in both attendance and in fund raising," commented Gary McCarthy, Executive Director of the Springfield Boys and Girls Club.
More than 6,400 people attended the two-week event held in the Tower Square Meeting Room. That's approximately two thousand more people than attended the previous year. The event netted close to forty-three thousand dollars, which is twelve thousand dollars more than the previous year.
"The income is very important to the Boys and Girls Club," added McCarthy. "It helps to keep our doors open for the kids, and especially helps us to provide a healthy environment for the teenagers in the afternoon after school."
The Festival of Trees is a forest of more than one hundred holiday trees donated and decorated by local sponsors. Attendees purchase raffle tickets for a chance to win the tree of their choice. All trees are raffled off before Christmas to give the winners a chance to display the trees in their home or business. Many of the trees, are valued at a thousand dollars or more.
To further enhance the environment at the Festival of Trees, local entertainment, including children's choirs, dance troupes, professional talent and Santa himself; perform at various times throughout the event.
The Festival of Trees committee, headed by chairperson Dianne Mitchell, began planning meetings in July. It takes approximately 40 volunteers to orchestrate the event.
"The Festival is a great family event that has grown into a great community event, and the Boys and Girls Club is proud to produce it," commented McCarthy. |
More Travelers Enjoying Voluntoursim
They say that travel feeds the soul. Travelers often return from trips refreshed and a bit wiser from experiencing a new part of the world and a new culture. But often those cultures need more than the money that tourism brings. They need help building schools and shelters, learning skills and languages, preserving fragile environments and historic sites. That is where "voluntourism" comes into play.
Growing in popularity, voluntourism involves people from all ages and social classes traveling globally to give aid to communities in need, and intimately experiencing the culture.
Voluntourism is more than an alternative to a standard vacation, it's about offering your skills and time while being a part of a team and interacting with diverse cultures.
The travel consultants at Emerald City Travel recommend that anyone considering this line of travel be prepared to be flexible, take direction well and have both a sense of adventure and humor.
While each voluntour trip is unique, they generally share a few similarities when it comes to the services and amenities they provide. Usually your fee will include meals, which will feature delicious and adventurous local cuisine, accommodations, and ground transportation from the airport to the community site.
The program fees do not typically cover airfare, visas or medical and trip cancellation insurance. For those crucial components, most travelers turn to travel agents.
The trips usually last one to three weeks, depending on the location, but travelers who wish to stay longer may sign up for additional programs. As for other people on your trip, you can expect a wide and diverse range of fellow travelers.
At the core of voluntourism is the desire to help others. When it comes to travel, no group of individuals understands that core principle better than travel agents. Travel consultants like the experts at Emerald City Travel, can help you set up your voluntour program, save money with your airfare and plan exciting adventures for your free time.
To find out more about a voluntourism opportunity that fits your desires, contact the travel consultants at Emerald City Travel at 413.737.4361. |
Tower Square Tenants Sought for JA Job Shadow Day
Everyone knows that the children are our nation's future decision-makers; so helping them to get off to a good start should be all of our responsibilities. That is one of the goals of Junior Achievement's Job Shadow program. This program brings students together with business people, creating a link between "learning and earning."
To reach out to students in our area the Tower Square management office would like to host a group of 25 students from Springfield Central High School for a Tower Square Tenant Job Shadow Day on Friday, February 1st. We are seeking both retail and office tenants who would be willing to allow 2 - 3 students follow them on the job from about 9:30 - 11:30am on February 1.
The JA Job Shadow program is designed to help students prepare for employment by making the critical link between the classroom and the workplace. Through activities both in the classroom and on the job site, students learn the importance and relevance of their education. The Job Shadow program can begin to provide students with the knowledge and skills they will need to achieve their dreams.
If you and your Tower Square business would like to play a part in this important endeavor by participating in the Tower Square Tenant Job Shadow Day or for additional information, please contact Annette Scheidecker in the Marketing Department at 733-2171, ext. 107. We would like to have at least eight participating tenants to make sure that the student-to-worker ratio is small.
News releases will be sent out promoting all participating tenants, and the media will be invited to attend. JA will also be placing a "thank you" ad in The Sunday Republican during the month of February, listing all of the participating businesses. |
Students' Music Provided Holiday Cheer
|  | | | More than 80 children from Zanetti School filled the Citywalk Cafes food court with holiday cheer during their performance here last month. |
Last month's lunchtime concerts in the Citywalk Cafes featured holiday tunes from ten area schools with more than 370 children singing and in some cases dancing for the lunchtime crowd.
"The students and their music teachers spend a lot of time preparing for their holiday programs, and we are so appreciative that they are willing to bring their music and their enthusiasm to Tower Square to brighten up the season for us," commented Annette Scheidecker, Tower Square Marketing Director.
This is the seventh year that Tower Square has hosted the school choirs weekdays in December. |
Students Sing at Tower Square
|  | | | Frank Freedman Elementary School was one of ten schools to sing at Tower Square during weekdays in December. |
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