Have a Heart – Supporting Gardner’s Non-Profits

Introduction: The City of Gardner often partners with local non-profits for the benefit of the community. Executive Aide to the Mayor, Colin Smith is often the leader of this effort, forming personal relationships with a number of organizations and people, and knows first-hand how these organizations have contributed to the City.

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We asked Colin various questions about interactions with local non-profit organizations. We have a page listing non-profit and public service organizations in Greater Gardner. CLICK HERE.

Publisher’s Note: We extend an open invitation to any non-profit organization in the area to send us a Press Release about anything you are doing to benefit people in the community and would like to post additional interviews with leaders of Gardner’s non-profits on this page. Contact us via News@GardnerMagazine.com or leave a voicemail at (978) 632-6324.

“Have a Heart, Supporting Gardner’s Non-Profits” Interview with Colin Smith by Werner Poegel, Publisher.

Werner: The City of Gardner often partners with local nonprofits for the benefit of the community, Executive Aide to the Mayor, Colin Smith, is often the leader of this effort , forming personal relationships with a number of organizations and people and those first hand how these organizations have contributed to the City. Colin, can you tell us about some of your interactions with faith based organizations in Gardner ?

Colin: Yeah, certainly. So having just come off the holiday season,my mind goes back to the annual “Caroling with the Mayor” video. And faith-based organizations in particular are so generous in contributing to making people a bit happier around the holidays, and in terms of that and having involvement with them over the holidays and their charitable efforts, it’s very rewarding.

Werner: The Gardner Community Action Committee crosses paths with many people of need in the Chair City. What can you tell me about the group?

Colin: I would say that Julie Meehan is such a great resource for this city. I’ve certainly relied on her countless times. The generosity of people over there in terms of whether it’s providing food for the needy or Sheriff Lou will will utilize that facility for his coat drives. So just their charitable involvement is, it’s really inspirational to see,and they’re a great resource for the City.

Werner: From your knowledge, Colin, of the needs in the City, what can people do to better help the people that are in need in the City of Gardner?

Colin: I would say, you know, volunteering their time, getting in touch with some of these organizations. I know that they are always hungry for people to contribute their time, if they can spare it, and people are generous enough to do that. That’s, that’s a great way to get back to the City.

Werner: Now, Arts and Music are the subjects behind many local organizations.

What can you tell me about your efforts with the Gardner Area League of Artists and music groups like the Greater Gardner Community Choir?

Colin: So we just had the Gardner Area League of Artists in the Mayor’s office the other day. I can’t divulge the entirety just yet but suffice to say there are some plans to get them a bigger space in the community going forward, and I think that there’s a real hunger and the need for that in Gardner, incorporating the Arts more into our City.

The Greater Gardner Community Choir – they sound great!

Werner: Gardner has increased its veterans services, and you’ve actually worked with the Montachusett Veterans Outreach Center and have even helped other communities with veteran services. What can you tell us about that and any other organizations for veterans?

Colin: So Stephanie Marchetti MVOC Director, is, well, I’ll sound like a broken record , but she’s a tremendous resource for the city. She’s an incredibly competent and generous person. And actually my father is himself, had served thirty five years in the Massachusetts Army National Guard, and he’s quite involved in the veterans community,and his opinion of that organization could not be higher, and he actually serves on its Board of Directors. That organization obviously fills a tremendous need in the City ,and I don’t know what we would do without them.

Werner: If I recall, your dad retired as a Brigadier General.

Colin: He did.

Werner: Now what can you tell us about your interaction with local sports groups in the City ?

Colin: I would say Dan Forte, Gardner’s Athletic Director. He’s been fantastic in terms of we just finished in putting in the fitness court over at the high school, and he was instrumental in that project’s completion. So in terms of sports and physical activity ,I think that, the students of Gardner are well served with him. And obviously it’s it’s something that a lot of people have a lot of affection for here in the city to hear them talk about, you know, the the sports teams here and here in the City. It’s, it’s really nice to see.

Werner: Well, Gardner’s done very well with its sports teams of late.

Colin: Yes, they have. I’ve been hearing a lot of talk about the boys basketball team in particular.

Werner: Gardner has a number of local clubs, both social and service clubs. Tell us about your interaction and how these groups have contributed to the community.

Colin: The first thing that comes to mind to that question is probably the PACC, we utilize their space a lot. I’m thinking all the way back to the food boxes during Covid utilizing their facilities, sometimes a free of charge or, at a very steep discount. So they’re incredibly generous with their time and resources and again, just a tremendous asset to the City.

Werner: The new Gardner Community Center at the site of the former Waterford Street school, will host some nonprofits when it’s finished. What can you tell us about that?

Colin: Well, I don’t want to let the cat out of the bag before things are absolutely confirmed, but you’re certainly right, Some prospective tenants include the CAC ,who we were talking about earlier, as well as Growing Places.

Werner: Suffice to say, you’re trying to maximize the best use of the building and help as many nonprofits as possible.

Colin: Yeah, that’s correct. And I think that’s gonna be great . The senior center is another prospective tenant, and it’s gonna be great in terms of having their facility all on one floor. It’s gonna make for a better safety situation for some of customers or members , but maximizing that space is really important to us. John Zlotnik’s been instrumental this project, sort of his his baby. And I know he’s in particular very excited to see this project come to fruition and I think there’s a lot of enthusiasm about the prospective tenants for occupying that space. And yeah I think it’s I think it’s gonna go really well.

Werner: So Colin, as you’re aware the problem with the homeless is nationwide .And Gardner has some homeless as well. In fact, Gardner has an emergency housing mission. What can you tell us about Gardner’s efforts on behalf of the homeless?

Colin: Yeah, the emergency housing mission. I probably sound like a broken record here, but again, they’re a tremendous resource of the city. You know, your heart goes out to anyone who finds themselves in a house less or homeless situation. I think we do pretty well. again, faith based organizations are a tremendous resource in terms of this problem. Yeah, there’s a lot of dedicated people in the City to addressing the short term concerns of, of things like this, getting a roof over people’s heads in the short term and addressing the more systemic causes of the issue. There’s there’s a lot of dedicated people working within the City and outside of it to, to address that problem.

Werner: And Gardner is very lucky. It has its municipal golf course .It supports itself. Tell us more about the Gardner Golf Course.

Colin: Oh, you should be speaking to Councilor Deranolwicz on this. I’ve never picked up a golf club in my life except the miniature one. But, yeah. So every year the – the Chamber of Commerce will host their annual Golf Tournament, and I’ve been lucky enough the last couple of years to sit out as a hole watcher for people to hit a , if they had a hole in one, I think they win like a car or something. Nobody’s gotten nobody’s gotten it yet. But I, I hold out hope. It’s just a beautiful course , and it’s it’s a unique amenity for the city. Not every City our size certainly can count on on that kind of feature, and I think we’re we’re really blessed to have it.

Werner: Like many communities, the City of Gardner has mental health needs.What can you tell us about your interaction with groups helping individuals needing services?

Colin: The first thing that comes to mind is our own, our Veterans Department here in City Hall, interactions with people who are sometimes struggling with, with mental health needs and the amount of empathy that they approach that issue with and their skill in dealing with, with people who may be having a tough time, is great to see and, and they do a tremendous job with that.

Werner: Well, it’s my understanding that a lot of veterans who come back from service have a lot of trauma they’re dealing with. I mean, they’ve seen things that none of us hope we’ll ever see.

Colin: Absolutely and when that our veterans agent, she’s a veteran herself ,and she, she understands that quite well. And yeah, she’s so empathetic and skilled in dealing with that.

Werner: So I’m gonna, I’m gonna throw you a little curveball here. With the , Centennial Celebration this year. I would imagine you have interacted with folks from the Gardner Museum. Speak on that and tell us what is the oldest thing you have in your house?

Colin: So yeah Marion Knoll is such a passionate person over at the Gardner Museum and tremendously knowledgeable about the City’s history. So I’ve been lucky enough to to have a couple tours over there. And that’s that’s a beautiful museum and again ,a tremendous resource to the City. The oldest thing in my apartment. Let’s see .Probably something in my fridge.

Werner: Let me guess the color scheme. Maybe green,

Colin: Unfortunately, yeah , but I don’t think it started that way .Now let me let me think here. Well, it’s not really in the spirit of your question ,but I do have a rock which I took from the top of Mount Kilimanjaro in Africa ,which I climbed a couple years ago. So geologically I guess I would guess that several million years years old, so i suppose that would be the oldest thing in my apartment in terms of historical artifacts.

Werner: So now I can’t resist. With the successes of Gardner and the City literally climbing mountains in the past couple of years. Is that due to some of your mountain climbing skills?

Collin: You know, I never drew the parallel before, Werner, but I,I think you’re absolutely right, and I suppose maybe that I did .The climate is a metaphor for Gardner in its honor .The point is well taken and, and yeah, we have scaled some proverbial peaks,and, couldn’t be prouder, in both cases.

Werner: Now, speaking of that, healthy businesses are the wish of any community .Tell us about your work with Gardner Square Two Incorporated, the Gardner Downtown organization.

Colin: Patty Bergstrom is, as anyone can tell you, a force to be reckoned with here in Gardner, and her passion for the, for the business community and her skill in bringing people together who have common interest to see Gardner become more vibrant place to ,to start a business. I think it’s an exciting time here in the City in that respect ,in that we’re seeing some investment in our Downtown, and I think in a few years time ,the vibrancy of the business community is going to be something that we can point to, that’s been another, another peak that we’ve scaled.

Werner: Now, similarly, the Greater Gardner Chamber of Commerce promotes business, and in fact, they recently got their Legislative Affairs Committee going again. What can you tell us about the Chamber?

Colin: Again, a tremendous resource to the City. I mean, in terms of what they offered to businesses here in Gardner, an incredibly competent organization recently with some new leadership, and the way that they continue to, to reinvent themselves and remain vital to the city is a tremendous resource.