Golf tourney to benefit River Valley Counseling

WESTFIELD — River Valley Counseling Center will hold its 11th annual golf tournament on Friday, Sept. 18, at East Mountain Country Club, with proceeds supporting the organization’s youth mental health programs.

Funds will benefit RVCC’s Children’s Behavioral Health Initiative and School-Based Outpatient Therapy Services, which send therapists into homes and schools to reach families. RVCC is a member of ServiceNet.

“Every dollar raised at this event goes directly toward making sure those programs remain strong and accessible to the young people who need them most,” said Elaine Campbell, RVCC’s senior vice president of clinical services.

Registration begins at 9 a.m., with a 10 a.m. shotgun start. The cost is $125 per golfer, including cart rental, lunch, dinner and prizes.

For more information or to register, visit rvccinc.org/golf or contact Amy Diehl at adiehl@servicenet.org or 413-270-3082.

Historic Deerfield to permanently endow its Summer Fellowship

DEERFIELD — Historic Deerfield has completed a $3 million campaign to permanently endow its Summer Fellowship Program, guaranteeing tuition-free access for future participants.

The “One Summer Lasts a Lifetime” campaign raised $3,048,808 from 195 donors, exceeding its goal. The endowment ensures every future fellow receives the same tuition-free training more than 450 college juniors and seniors have completed since the program began in 1956, along with travel assistance and stipends.

“This endowment guarantees the Summer Fellowship Program’s future,” said John Davis, president and CEO of Historic Deerfield. “For seventy years, this program has given talented students real, hands-on experience with history and material culture, along with relationships and skills they carry into whatever they do next.”

Over nine weeks, fellows work across the museum’s departments — including interpretation, archives, curatorial work, preservation and education — while conducting original research on objects from the museum’s collection. Room, board and program costs are covered in full.

Historic Deerfield marked the campaign’s conclusion at the program’s reunion on July 11.

Zonta Club to hold annual golf tournament

BELCHERTOWN — The Zonta Club of Quaboag Valley will hold its 32nd annual golf tournament on Saturday, Sept. 12, at Cold Spring Country Club, with tee-off at 8:30 a.m.

The $120 entry fee includes a round of golf, breakfast, beverages, snacks and box lunches, with a cash prize for the winning team and raffle items for participants. Sponsorships from local businesses are also welcome.

Proceeds benefit Zonta’s scholarships and grants supporting women and girls, with a focus on ending child marriage, domestic violence and human trafficking, and advancing climate justice, education equality and women in leadership.

To register, visit zontaqv.org/golf or contact Mary Knight at 413-323-4806.

Mass 250th anniversary plate becomes state’ most popular

BOSTON — More than 100,000 drivers have registered for the Massachusetts 250th Anniversary commemorative license plate, making it the most popular specialty plate in state history, the Registry of Motor Vehicles announced this week.

The plate, introduced in May 2025, marks 250 years since the American Revolution and features a blue, white and red design with “1776,” 13 stars representing the original colonies, and the phrase “250 Years of Independence.”

As part of the anniversary celebration, the RMV also held a low-number plate lottery in May for plates numbered 1 through 999, along with the number 1776. The lottery drew 48,457 eligible entries, with winners from 289 cities and towns.

The plate costs $100 biennially — the standard $60 registration fee plus a $40 specialty plate fee — and can be ordered online, at RMV Service Centers or through participating dealerships. It will continue to be offered beyond the end of this year.

The RMV offers 56 specialty plates in total, including charitable, military, environmental and organizational designs.