Network Amherst: The Lehrer Report

By Phyllis Lehrer

Published on May 04, 2007

Garden report: The pulmonaria, primose and forsythia have bloomed. The shoots of Solomon's Seal are up. I will buy impatiens as I do every year along with other plants at the Garden Club of Amherst plant sale that will be on a Saturday this year May 19 on the Town Common. Meanwhile, the Pelham Plant Sale will be held May 12 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Rhodes Building, 351 Amherst Road, to benefit the Pelham Library. They also have a bake sale.

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Sandi and Ed Nowak, of Hadley, are first-time grandparents with the birth of Clair in San Diego to son, Mark and his wife, Roberta. We have email photos.

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Beverly Herbert, of Amherst, has earned the CFRE (Certified Fund Raising Executives ) certification awarded to fund-raising professionals who demonstrate knowledge and commitment to the highest standards of ethical and professional practice in serving the philanthropic sector. She is the director of development and external communications at The Association For Community Living in Springfield.

Beverly, a driven fund-raiser and philanthropist, has worked at The Association since 2000. Each year, her entrepreneurial spirit and her human-service heart help to conquer and exceed fund-raising goals for the annual campaign. She has truly left her mark on the agency that has been serving adults and children with developmental disabilities since 1952.

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Siena Whitham, the daughter of Blair and Dianne Whitham, of Lilac Lane in Amherst, was named to the dean's list at Scripps College in Claremont, Calif. Whitham is a sophomore, major undeclared.

Julia Mix Barrington, the daughter of David and Jessica Mix Barrington, of Pine Street in Amherst, was named to the high honors list, and Alexander Asche, the son of Edward and Vivian Asche, of Laurel Hill Road in Leverett, was named to the honors list at the Northfield Mount Hermon School, where both are juniors.

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Jeanne Esposito's Fresh Air friend will make his third visit to Amherst this summer and it marks the seventh year of her hosting a child. She invites neighbors to be host families and bring new friends into their homes.

Local coordinator Susan Morrello, Susan Mallett and Esposito are the Amherst Friendly Town committee working on summer plans. Each year 10,000 children leave New York City for two weeks with volunteer host families or Fresh Air camps. The trio interview new host families and answer questions. Families can request the age and gender of a child.

The bus will bring children to Amherst from July 6 through 20. During the visit, the trios are available to support the children and families. Group outings include trips to Look Park and the DAR Forest.

"I used to live and teach in the city, and I appreciate what a 'fresh air' vacation can mean in the life of a child. Just walking barefoot in the grass is a treat! For my children, the chance to make friends from somewhere else has been priceless. And he is really our friend," Esposito wrote in an email.

Call Morrello at 256-6463, Mallett 253-4988 or Esposito at 253-9272 for information. The Web site is FreshAir.org.