A FASHIONABLE CAUSE: Bryan Finnochio of Lynn is the founder of Open HeARTS, a nonprofit whose signature event, Catwalk for BMC Cancer Care, is Thursday night.
The fashion show, which features local celebrities, fashion models, and patients and survivors, benefits cancer patients at Boston Medical Center .
Finnochio, a Peabody native, is a cardiac/telemetry nurse at Massachusetts General Hospital and has been running the event since 2010.
During the past few years, Catwalk has grown from an event he ran by himself into a partnership with Boston Medical Center.
Proceeds benefit cancer support services including patient navigation, support groups and activities, special events, and integrative medical therapies.
The event takes place 6 to 10 p.m. at the State Room in Boston. Tickets are $250 for VIPs; $125 for general admission. Visit www.bmccatwalk.org .
HELP FOR TEENS: North Shore United Way has provided $115,000 to fund teen counseling services in six local schools.
The funding is part of the United Way’s 2014 Community Impact grants, which were announced at the end of May.
The funding for the Student Assistance Program and specialized school counseling is in response to a demonstrated need for local teens to get in-school help with issues such as depression, bullying, cyberbullying, eating disorders, peer pressure, and drug use.
Counselors from Lahey Health Behavioral Services, a local nonprofit, are placed in the schools and collaborate with staff to provide assessment, counseling, teacher or parent consultations, and referral to needed health services outside the school.
Last year, the counselors worked with 3,043 students in the region.
“The North Shore United Way is the primary funder of this program and we’re pleased to support our local youth, parents, and school personnel in a time of increasing challenges to teens at school and in the community,” said Margo Casey, executive director of North Shore United Way. “I’m proud that we can continue to fund the program in five local communities.
Based in Beverly, North Shore United Way invests almost $1 million each year in programs that transform lives and improve communities. Its mission is to have an effect locally by supporting 25 causes that serve children, families, and seniors in eight communities — Beverly, Hamilton, Wenham, Ipswich, Essex, Manchester-by-the-Sea, Gloucester, and Rockport.
Lahey Health Behavioral Services is a private, nonprofit agency that provides mental health and substance use treatment and services in 45 communities north of Boston
Visit www.nsuw.org and www.nebhealth.org.
SOUNDS OF SUMMER: The Byfield Music and Arts Festival is Saturday. The family-friendly festival features more than a dozen regional and national musicians performing on three stages throughout the day, artists and artisans displaying and selling their wares, children’s activities, and food and beverage vendors such as Newburyport Brewery and Ipswich Ale.
Performers include Liz Frame and the Kickers, Ryan Montbleau, Sarah Blacker, Big Ol’ Dirty Bucket, Richard James & the Name Changers, and Soul Rebel Project.
The festival takes place 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. at Manter Field on Central Street in Byfield. Proceeds benefit the Byfield Community Arts Center .
Tickets are $20 in advance; $25 day of the event; $15 for high school students with identification; free for children younger than 12.
Call 978-463-3335 or visit www.byfieldmusicfest.org .
WHO’S WHAT WHERE: Blair Steck of Beverly is the new director of membership acquisitions at The Trustees of Reservations, one of Massachusetts’ largest land conservation nonprofits. Steck is working to develop new strategies and programs to retain current members as well as to appeal to potential members from a broader demographic. She has 14 years of nonprofit membership and development experience, most recently at the Museum of Science in Boston. . . . Amy Rose, of the Rockport public schools, was recently named Guidance Counselor of the Year by the Northeast Counselors Association. In addition to her work in the guidance department, Rose helps coordinate an annual career day and an annual Sophomores to College field trip. She is also a class adviser and a peer leader adviser. . . . John Glynn of Medford and Daniel Haddad of Saugus, juniors at Boston College High School, were among a group of students who went on a service trip to the Dominican Republic during spring vacation. They worked in a remote farming community and visited the elderly, local schools, and an orphanage.
Wendy Killeen can be reached at wdkilleen@gmail.com.