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At the Winterfest celebration, held annually during December, staff and faculty gather to acknowledge all that they have accomplished for the College in the previous twelve months and to continue a tradition of sharing with others beyond the campus. The Winterfest Committee, chaired by senior administrative assistant Rosemary Jackson, has organized festive food, door prizes, and grand prize drawings for this year's event on Thursday, December 12, from 3 to 5 pm in Chapin Auditorium.
Employees who have worked continuously at the College for five or multiples of five years will be recognized with service awards during Winterfest at 3:45 pm and at a breakfast in their honor the next day. According to assistant director of human resources Lorraine Gendron, ninety-six people are eligible for employee service awards this year. (See "New & Notable" for a list.)
Each year at Winterfest, employees are asked to bring donations for a local charitable organization. Last year the campus community collected a variety of household and canned goods for the Ronald McDonald House in Springfield.
This year's recipient will be Womanshelter/Compañeras, which served nearly 800 women and children last year. The Holyoke-based organization provides safe shelter and supportive services to those whose lives are affected by battering and abuse. It also serves the greater Holyoke/Chicopee area through community education efforts designed to reduce and prevent domestic violence. Executive director Eileen Scannell--a 1995 FP graduate of Mount Holyoke--says the organization needs sleepwear.
Employees are asked to donate new or used pajamas, nightgowns, slippers, and robes for adults and children. "Often women and children come to us with only the clothes on their backs," Scannell says. "The next day, maybe we can get their own clothes, but that first night, they need something comfortable to sleep in. Our resources are so limited that we have only maybe four pairs of pajamas now. This will make a big difference."