Please do not leave this page until complete. This can take a few moments.
Make some time for yourself! Join us on the first Tuesday of each month for a FREE mindfulness practice at The HeartWell Institute.
Each month has a theme:
September: Presence
October: Taking in the good
November: Gratitude
December: Self-compassion
We invite you to dress comfortably and bring socks and a journal. There will be opportunities for meditation practice, reflective writing, and sharing. These events are free and open to the public, though donations to help fund scholarships for The HeartWell's upcoming programs are welcome.
FREE
ContactSandy Lashin-Curewitz,
7742436800,
info@heartwellinstitute.org
The HeartWell Institute
This half-day training will provide a complete overview of the CORI system including what is contained in an individual’s Criminal Record and how to interpret specific charges and dispositions. Attendees will also receive information regarding policies and best practices when utilizing an individual’s criminal record for employment opportunities
Free Event
ContactDave Garvin,
5087532924,
dgarvin@worcesterchamber.org
Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce
Event Details:
Date: Saturday, December, 9, 2023
Check-In/Day-Of Registration: 1:30-2:30 pm
Location: Canal District, Worcester
Event Highlights:
Crawlers: All participants must be 21+ years old with a valid ID that will be checked at registration. Dress in your best festive attire, there will be a prize for best costume!
Pub Stops: We'll be visiting some of the most iconic bars and pubs within the Canal District. Please drink responsibly!
Charity Focus: All proceeds from this Santa Bar Crawl will go to benefit CASA Project Worcester County, an organization that advocates for and supports foster youth as they navigate the juvenile court system.
Let's celebrate while making a meaningful difference in the lives of children. Gather your friends, don your best Santa or holiday gear, and join us for this exciting bar crawl. Mark your calendars, get your tickets, and let's jingle and mingle for a fantastic cause. We look forward to seeing you there!
$20-30
ContactKarlene Cudak,
5087579877,
kcudak@thecasaproject.org
Early bird rates end Nov. 12, Pre-registration ends Dec. 4, and tickets will be sold at the door on Dec. 9!
Hosted byShrewsbury Street Italian Heritage Parade
Come and revel in the festive spirit at our Holiday Fun at Five on the evening of Tuesday, December 12th! Join Members of the Central Mass South Chamber of Commerce and our Guests for an unforgettable evening at The Publick House in Sturbridge.
Delight in delectable cuisine, soak in the festive ambiance of an illuminated hall, and indulge in exciting activities with the chance to win fantastic prizes. There is always a surprise or two in store! Let's come together to celebrate the season in style!
Activities include: Ugly Sweater Contest, Holiday Bingo, and
a Stuffed Stocking Silent Auction.
RSVP by email or call 508-347-2761
Thank you to our Holiday Fun at Five Sponsor: Cornerstone Bank
$20 for Members who register, $25 at the door, or $30 for non-Members.
ContactAlexandra McNitt,
5083472761,
info@cmschamber.org
Registration closes on December 8
Hosted byChamber of Central Mass South
WBJ's annual Healthcare Forum is our premiere industry event where attendees hear from area leaders about the changing healthcare landscape - and how those changes might impact their business, the community and the local economy. Our panel of industry leaders will offer insights about the industry's economic impact, top challenges and opportunities and innovations.
The Central Mass Champions of Health Care Awards program will recognize those in the healthcare field who are excelling in helping others, promoting innovation or improving access to care. We aim to shine a light on our region’s healthcare champions and tell their story.
$45
ContactKris Prosser,
508-755-8004,
kprosser@wbjournal.com
Pre-registration required.
Hosted byWorcester Business Journal
Following an early presentation at Holy Cross in 2016, “What the Day Owes to the Night” has become the French dance company Hervé Koubi’s signature work. This season, Hervé Koubi brings its stunning classic to our black box Boroughs Theatre, allowing audiences to experience its gravity-defying style from thrilling proximity. “What the Day Owes to the Night” blends elements of capoeira, martial arts, urban, and contemporary dance together with powerful Sufi imagery as dancers from Algeria, Morocco, Bulgaria, Italy, and France perform to an eclectic range of stirring music. Through hypnotic movement, choreographer Hervé Koubi retraces the discovery of his Algerian heritage through the story of a young boy from the acclaimed Algerian novel of the same name by Yasmina Khadra.
$55 | $39
Card to Culture program: EBT, WIC, and ConnectorCare cardholders can receive up to 4 discounted tickets at $5 each per card, subject to availability. Please see website for more info.
Shannon LoCascio,
508-793-3690,
priorboxoffice@holycross.edu
Prior Performing Arts Center
Confined as an adolescent in the worst prisons in the state of Virginia, Reginald Dwayne Betts became a poet, a scholar, and an advocate for the reform of the criminal justice system. He is the author of a memoir, “A Question of Freedom: A Memoir of Learning, Survival, and Coming of Age in Prison,” and four acclaimed collections of poetry, including one collaboration with visual artist Titus Kaphar. Writes poet Mark Doty of “Bastards of the Reagan Era,” “Betts has written an indelible lament for a generation”; while Sujatha Baliga, director of the Restorative Justice Project, says of “Felon”: “[Betts’s] compassion and breathtaking literary gifts make it impossible for us to look away or remain complicit in mass criminalization’s status quo.” In 2019, Betts won the National Magazine Award in the Essays and Criticism category for a New York Times Magazine essay on his journey from prison to becoming a licensed attorney. He is also the founder of Freedom Reads, a first-of-its-kind organization working to radically transform access to literature in prison.
Free, but tickets required
ContactShannon LoCascio,
508-793-3690,
priorboxoffice@holycross.edu
Prior Performing Arts Center
Rhiannon Giddens has made an iconic career out of stretching her brand of folk music, with its miles-deep historical roots and contemporary sensibilities, into nearly every field imaginable. A two-time Grammy Award-winning singer and instrumentalist, MacArthur “Genius” grant recipient, and Pulitzer Prize-winning opera composer, Giddens works to lift up people whose contributions to American musical history have previously been overlooked or erased, advocating for a more accurate understanding of the country’s musical origins through art. As Pitchfork once said, “few artists are so fearless and so ravenous in their exploration”—a journey that has led to NPR naming her one of its 25 Most Influential Women Musicians of the 21st Century and to American Songwriter calling her “one of the most important musical minds currently walking the planet.” Giddens will perform selections from her first album of entirely original songs, “You’re the One,” alongside other work from her expansive repertoire. The Prior Performing Arts Center hosts Giddens after presenting a sneak peek of her and Michael Abels’ opera “Omar” in spring 2023.
$55 | $39 | $29
ContactShannon LoCascio,
508-793-3690,
priorboxoffice@holycross.edu
Prior Performing Arts Center
In “Cultural Exchange Rate,” Lebanese artist Tania El Khoury recreates a family diary of the borderlands. Her unforgettable installation reveals that the cruelest of borders are invisible to the naked eye, even as they persist across everyday life. “Cultural Exchange Rate” draws on recorded interviews with El Khoury’s late grandmother, oral histories collected from her village in Lebanon, and the discovery of lost relatives in Mexico City. In this interactive multimedia experience, audiences are invited to engage with an astonishing collection of sensory artifacts that collectively trace more than a century of border crossings.
El Khoury’s work has been translated to multiple languages and been shown globally in settings ranging from national museums to fishing boats. El Khoury is the Distinguished Artist in Residence and Director of the OSUN Center for Human Rights & the Arts at Bard College.
$25 General Admission
Timed Entry
Card to Culture program: EBT, WIC, and ConnectorCare cardholders can receive up to 4 discounted tickets at $5 each per card, subject to availability. Please see website for more info.
Shannon LoCascio,
508-793-3690,
priorboxoffice@holycross.edu
Prior Performing Arts Center
Following their presentation of selections from Rhiannon Giddens and Michael Abels’ opera “Omar” at the Prior in spring 2023, the Boston Lyric Opera returns with a newly commissioned work. The song cycle “The Wanderer’s Tethering” combines poetry by Boston Poet Laureate Porsha Olayiwola and music by Boston-based composer, vocalist, and multimedia artist Mason Bynes. It follows the story of Tobi, a descendant of the Igbo community whose members were stolen from modern-day Nigeria and led a revolt on the shores of Georgia in 1803. Bynes’ music merges Negro spirituals and Igbo folkloric music, reflecting the transformation experienced by the contemporary protagonist as she claims her own identity. The program will also include stirring selections of chamber music by Castle of Our Skins.
$45 | $30 | $20
Card to Culture program: EBT, WIC, and ConnectorCare cardholders can receive up to 4 discounted tickets at $5 each per card, subject to availability. Please see website for more info.
Shannon LoCascio,
508-793-3690,
priorboxoffice@holycross.edu
Prior Performing Arts Center
The Massachusetts Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), which pays a portion of heating costs for eligible households, is now accepting applications. LIHEAP is a free, statewide resource that helps eligible households by paying a portion of their winter heating bill from November 1 through April 30, 2024.
The LIHEAP program is administered by the Massachusetts Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities in partnership with Local Administering Agencies across the state.
No matter what type of heating source you have, LIHEAP may be able to help you pay a portion of your winter heating bills. All Massachusetts residents are encouraged to explore eligibility for this free program and apply for assistance.
All Massachusetts residents whose gross income is 60% of the estimated state median income (for example, $59,359 for a family of 2 and $87,294 for a family of 4) or less are encouraged to explore eligibility for this free program. Eligibility requirements, include but are not limited to household size and combined gross annual income of residents 18 and older. More information on income limits and benefit amounts can be found here https://www.mass.gov/doc/fy-2024-liheap-income-eligibility-and-benefit-chart-june-2023/download.
The heating season runs from November 1, 2023 - April 30, 2024, and home heating costs during that time may be eligible to have a portion paid through LIHEAP. Applications are accepted through April 30, 2024.
Eligible Massachusetts households can apply online at www.toapply.org/MassLIHEAP.
Free
ContactChristina Hanford,
5166660485,
chanford@elevatecom.com
LIHEAP