The following post is an article found in the December 25, 2008 Tantasqua Town Common. It was written by Matthew Bernat, of Turley Publications.

During J.T. Mills tenth birthday celebration, all the things you’d find at a typical adolescent lazer tag party were there: Food, fun and 13 of J.T.’s closest friends. But the only gift in sight was – that’s the thing, there were no gifts in sight.All of J.T.’s birthday loot - $260 in checks and cash – went to the Residential Energy Assistance for Seniors Foundation (REAS).

For some local families, deciding to skip the traditional birthday ritual of accepting gifts is part generosity lesson and part first line of defense against an ever mounting pile of toys that threaten to overtake free space. It’s an experiment where guests are asked to donate money or items to a charity chosen by their child. But it’s not that different from adults (who are not wanting) whose only request is attendance at birthday parties,anniversaries and other celebrations. (more…)

Recognizing the severity of damage caused by the ice storm which descended upon us Thursday evening (12/11/08), coupled with the delays in restoring power to the Leadmine/Finlay Road sections of Sturbridge/Fiskdale, the REAS Foundation - in direct concert with and under the coordination of, the Sturbridge Police Department - took the following steps to provide assistance to local residents.

On Friday evening and throughout Saturday, we secured several rooms with our partners at the Publick House at significant discounts for area residents. The strong support we have enjoyed from this historic Sturbridge venue continues to evolve, and we are extremely fortunate for their contributions within our community. Since then we have negotiated reduced rates with others. This has allowed us to place 8 residents locally as hotels have experienced an overflow of people affected by the storm and have been booked as far away as Chicopee. The rooms are paid for by the residents themselves.

Saturday evening we began door-to-door checks on residents in the area. This continues through today (Tuesday) as we have canvassed the entire area 3 times. Calvin Montigny has been tireless in reaching out to residents via our door to door status checks.

Sunday morning we secured complimentary hot shower and respite facilities at the Sturbridge Host Hotel for those affected by the storm. The Host stepped right up in responding to our request for assistance. (more…)

REAS Foundation 2008 Preliminary Report

The REAS Foundation is honored to offer its first official public report on the amazing gift of love extended by Sturbridge residents and businesses on behalf of Sturbridge seniors.  As the fiduciary agents granted the privilege and honor of disbursing your gifts, we recognize the enormous responsibility we have to those who have entrusted us with this role. We welcome that responsibility.

Over the last several months - you, the residents and businesses of Sturbridge - have engineered an amazing community-centered approach in addressing the needs of Sturbridge seniors. You have created a source of hope and inspiration for our seniors and our youth. Your efforts, your generosity, and your compassion have filled the hearts of many with love, restored hope to numerous souls, and calmed the fears of our most vulnerable. (more…)

The Soul of a human being is an amazing and astonishing entity. It is defined in many ways; ancient Greeks believed that the soul manifested in our dreams and revealed “an award of joy or sorrow drawing near”. Socrates considered the soul to be, the “spirit or essence of a person” whose existence was “eternal”.

Psychologist Thomas Hillman believed the soul to be that “which makes meaning possible, deepens events into experiences” and “is communicated in love”. Many religions believe the soul to be “the innermost aspect of humans, that which is of greatest value in them, that by which they are most especially in God’s image”. The definitions surely do not end here, but one recognizes the esteem with which many view the soul.

Surely, this most mysterious and inanimate aspect of human existence has been an ongoing enigma as long as Homo Sapiens (thinking man) have walked the earth. Though the definitions of what the soul is, or is not, may vary slightly, the recognition of just exactly what it is when one is fortunate to witness it, is of little doubt.

Consider the soul of one young boy, 10 year old J.T. Mills of Sturbridge MA, whose actions embody the very “spirit or essence” of who this person is.  Young J.T. was about to celebrate his 10th birthday and as he contemplated his party and formulated the list of gifts he would like, his thoughts drew towards the struggles of Sturbridge seniors and the challenge they faced in staying warm this coming winter. (more…)