Finding Peace of Mind: How LifePath Helps Older Adults Navigate Bills & Stay at Home
Most of us expect that aging may one day require a cane, hearing aids, or medication. Far fewer imagine that something as ordinary as paying the electric bill could become the barrier between staying at home and losing our independence. Yet this is the reality for a growing number of older adults in Franklin County.
Through Interdependence We Help to Strengthen Our Own Independence
Wow! 250 years as a young nation and still growing. As the country celebrates this milestone of birthdays, it is a time to pause and reflect on all the hard work that has gotten us to where we are today, while looking ahead in determining what our next possible steps might be. I like birthdays
Athol Kindness Connection Launches New Village Model Organization in Support of Older Adults
“We want to be the gap-filler. We really hope to ultimately have our elders in our community not feel alone,” says Reverend Cindy LaJoy, the Executive Director of Athol Kindness Connection, a new Village organization in Athol, Massachusetts, and the Associate Pastor at Athol Congregational Church.
Villages are grassroots, volunteer-driven nonprofit organizations that help older
The Voices of LifePath’s Volunteers
This is the time of year when all of us want to shout from Poet’s Seat Tower that we LOVE our LifePath Volunteers! We cannot do what we do without the engagement of your service support. Thank you for helping us help our more vulnerable neighbors.
In the past year, LifePath volunteers gave tirelessly of
Self-Care and Helping One Another Has the Greatest Rewards
Hooray everyone! We have already reached the half-way point through this cold and snowy winter season. It’s incredible how fast 2026 is flying by. I don’t know about you, but I’m tired of all this shoveling. The good news is that there are some bright spots in the mix as we make our way through
Creating Huge Impact Through Small Acts of Kindness
For over 50 years, LifePath has made a commitment to address local and regional needs throughout Franklin County and the North Quabbin community, as well as in Berkshire, Hampshire, and Hampden Counties, when it comes to supporting the needs of older adults, individuals with disabilities, and caregivers. Providing numerous life-changing programs, LifePath helps to strengthen
Helping Out in Your Community for a Better Tomorrow
Throughout my articles for The Good Life, I have always tried to instill positivity and a simple reminder to people that it doesn’t take a huge endeavor to make a difference throughout our community. The effort put in to achieve change is great, but when you gather enough people together that share a common bond
Being There.
“Being there is what matters to me.” That is how Linda Ackerman began her interview with me last month at the Greenfield Public Library.
LifePath and those we serve have benefited from Linda’s amazing attitude and commitment to service in Franklin County & the North Quabbin area. Over the last ten years, she has served as
Beacons of Hope Around Us Help to Light Our Way
The other night I came across one of the great wonders of the summertime season. The flight of a firefly! I haven’t seen fireflies in my backyard in quite some time, so you can imagine my surprise when I spotted one last week. I am amazed at the simple beauty of a firefly as it
A Lifetime of Hope and Service
Recently I read a quote by the esteemed Bryan Stevenson in Alabama who said, “Hope is not a feeling but an attitude of the spirit.” My interview last month at the Greenfield Public Library with a longtime LifePath volunteer brought me into close contact with someone who has lived a life built on hope and
Volunteering Is Good for Your Health!
The healthy benefits of volunteering are proven and numerous. Volunteering is a way to increase your activity, and has been shown to build strong social connections that are known to support mental, emotional, and physical health. And, by focusing on helping someone else, we build self-resilience that helps us to cope with the daily joys
Aminta Lara-Peters: A Life of Volunteering Comes Full Circle
Aminta Lara-Peters, who helped people throughout her life, including as a Peace Corps volunteer in Colombia, passed away on June 17, 2024, at age 83 at her family home in Northfield, MA. Aminta lived with her husband Malcolm Brian Peters, her daughter Olivia Lara-Cahoon, her daughter’s spouse Yaki, and her grandson Mauro, now 5 and