Easthampton talk spotlights Cuban Alzheimer’s drug
EASTHAMPTON — Ben Grosscup will talk about his trip to Cuba to seek treatment for his mother’s Alzheimer’s disease at the next Cuba in the Valley Films program, Monday, Nov. 2, at 7 p.m. at Luthier’s Co-op, 108 Cottage St.
During a two-week trip to Havana, Grosscup met with doctors and scientists at Cuba’s International Medical Center, shared his mother’s diagnoses and test results, and brought home a 48-week supply of NeuralCIM, a Cuban nasal-spray drug for Alzheimer’s. Organizers say the drug has shown positive results in seven years of clinical trials with no adverse side effects. It is approved in Cuba but not by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
Grosscup also met with scientists who developed the drug and delivered humanitarian supplies to a breast cancer center and a maternity hospital. The program includes two short films about the drug.
The monthly series, held the first Monday of each month at Luthier’s, is co-sponsored by Massachusetts Peace Action and the Hispanic American Library of Springfield, and this month by the River Valley Antiwar Committee.
The program is free. Donations will be accepted toward Grosscup’s travel expenses. For more information, call 413-459-7023.
PVPC asks public to weigh in about housing
SPRINGFIELD — The Pioneer Valley Planning Commission is asking residents of Hampshire and Hampden counties to take a survey that will help shape an update of the region’s housing plan, which was last adopted in 2014.
The anonymous survey, open through Nov. 24, asks renters, homeowners and others about housing costs, conditions, neighborhood quality, climate resilience and zoning changes that could expand housing options. It takes about five to seven minutes to complete. Participants who provide an email address will be entered in a raffle for a $50 Visa gift card.
“We want to hear directly from residents about what’s working in their communities, the housing challenges they face, and the types of housing opportunities they believe are needed for the future,” said Laura Bandara, the commission’s deputy director of land use and environment.
The commission’s housing assessment found that the region’s population is aging and that nearly one-third of households consist of a single person living alone. It projects a shortfall of about 14,500 housing units by 2035 if current development patterns continue.
The survey is available in English and Spanish at surveymonkey.com/r/CX9NMCW.
Workers Center to hold ‘Solidarity Sing’ Nov. 1
NORTHAMPTON — A pre-election “Solidarity Sing” will be held Sunday, Nov. 1, from 3 to 5 p.m. at Edwards Church, 297 Main St. Proceeds will go to Lanterns for LUCE, a fund supporting the Pioneer Valley Workers Center.
Song leaders from Singing Resistance Western Mass, Singing for Change and Ujima Singers will lead songs that organizers say are meant to express joy, grief and hope, and to call for an end to war, the abolition of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, an end to U.S. funding for the war in Gaza, and “election defense.”
Suggested donations are $10 to $50.
Free hotel and front desk training at HCC
HOLYOKE – Holyoke Community College is running a free, five-week hotel training program starting Nov. 4 for people interested in jumpstarting a career in the hospitality industry.
The hands-on, in-person classes for hotel front desk workers and hotel room attendants will take place in HCC’s hotel training lab on the second floor of the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute on Race Street in downtown Holyoke.
The program runs on Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. each day, Nov. 4 through Dec. 16. Each of the 10 class sessions runs 2 ½ hours for a total of 25 hours of class time. (There are no classes on Veterans Day or during Thanksgiving week.)
The course will provide students with up-to-date knowledge of the hotel industry, hands-on experience for front desk and/or room attendant roles, workplace skills, resume building, interviewing, job search assistance, and connections to local employers.
HCC’s hotel lab is set up like a hotel reception area with front desk and adjoining guest room and equipped with the most modern technology and software. The hotel lab gives students the ability to learn in a model hotel room and reception lobby, gain knowledge about key card access systems, and understand point-of-sale technology.
No high school diploma or GED/HiSET test is required for admission.
Offered as part of HCC’s Business & Workforce Development division, the hotel training course is free to qualifying applicants.
For more information, please call 413-552-2500 or fill out the inquiry form at hcc.edu/job-ready.