Articles

Alternatives hosted an international group of professionals from the field of human services on Thursday, Dec. 8. The group, composed of people identified as leaders in the field of mental health recovery and rehabilitation, attended a week long global institute hosted by the Center for Psychiatric Rehabilitation at Boston University. more

The Fall 2011 issue of the Psychiatric Rehabilitation Journal features an article highlighting the innovative work being done by Alternatives, in conjunction with the Department of Mental Health to help long-term residents of Worcester State Hospital prepare to transition to community settings of their choice. more

Alternatives and ValleyCAST will present "Two for Christmas," a performance of holiday readings featuring Dylan Thomas' "A Child's Christmas in Wales" and Truman Capote's "A Christmas Memory." more

In many ways, Cathy Avery of Foxborough and Phil Champagne of Attleboro are just like any civic-minded individuals eager to make a difference in their community, they volunteer their time and talents. more

"He really takes it seriously. It's the one time I don't have to hurry him up to get ready," comments Anne Adams of Mendon about her son Everett and his job at Shaw's in Franklin. more

Lanford Wilson is certainly a popular playwright on the local theater scene these days. While Gateway Players' "The Rimers of Eldritch" concluding its run this weekend, Pilgrim Soul Productions brought Wilson's "Serenading Louie" to Whitinsville on Friday night with all of the play's domestic despair fully intact. more

Eugene O'Neill's "A Moon for the Misbegotten" is a masterpiece of confession and denied expiation, a dramatic and comedic aria that offers Josie Hogan (Jessie Olson) and James Tyronne Jr. (David Anderson) a brief respite from their blighted lives and thwarted hopes. more

Kelly "Cooper" Trainer and Jane D'Amelio have committed to being good citizens and the fact that they have a developmental disability isn't stopping them from making a difference in the community. more

On Wednesday, September 14, over 700 people gathered at the Holiday Inn at Boxborough for Alternatives' 35th annual Thank You Reception. more

Alternatives Unlimited Inc., a non-profit agency that serves more than 1,200 adults with developmental and psychiatric disabilities, believes in partnerships, working in collaboration with other organizations to better the community. more

She stood back a little, eyed the placement of the painting, and shook her head. "I like it centered better, and maybe a little lower," she said. more

Karen Goldenberg, director of marketing and development for Alternatives Unlimited Inc. on Douglas Road in Whitinsville, ordered a bunch of hats recently, all shapes, sizes and colors. more

William Inge's "Bus Stop" cleverly pulls us in with its touching and funny take on involuntary confinement. more

This year's impressive crop of honorees joins a storied group. The Worcester Business Journal has been identifying 40 business leaders under the age of 40 since the year 2000. more

An exhibit at Alternatives Unlimited Inc. features a peek at the history of Worcester State Hospital, contrasting past treatment of psychiatric disorders with the current services now provided. more

A beautiful, sunny Friday morning seemed fitting for the ceremony held at Alternatives Unlimited Inc., as the non-profit organization unveiled the Leadership in Energy Design (LEED) Gold Certificate. more

Joe Marshall has been a ship fitter and has also trained and raced horses, but it was a family matter that eventually brought him to human services. more

Alternatives Unlimited's multiyear, multimillion-dollar effort to restore the historic Whitin Mill has caught the attention of the U.S. Green Building Council. more

Jon Frieswick, 26, of Whitinsville looks forward to once again tackling the "Golden Mile" walk as part of Alternatives Unlimited Inc.'s 26th annual Valley Friendship Tour on June 4. more

In the magic of theater, amid the colorful costumes, pageantry and music, people and places are transformed. It's that belief in possibilities that erases distinctions between people, including those with disabilities and those considered able-bodied; and it's the foundation of Stepping Stone Community Theater, an inclusive theater company in residence at the G.B. and Lexi Singh Performance Center at Alternatives Unlimited's Whitin Mill. more

Kathleen M. Penza was teaching kindergarten and first grade in Uxbridge in 2002 when she watched the town's 275th anniversary parade with disappointment. Ms. Penza, a graduate of the University of Lowell College of Music and an accomplished trumpet player, was sorry that the local parade had to bring in marching bands from other towns. "I just felt like we needed to use our own citizens," she said. more

Laurence Neufeld remembers sitting by his aunt Kate Neufeld's elbow, as a child in New Milford, Conn., and watching her sprinkle powdered glass on copper frames to make enameled ashtrays, pendants and display pieces. more

The art of Kate Neufeld, born the eldest daughter of a prosperous German speaking Mennonite family in Russia in 1905, will go on display at the Aldrich Heritage Gallery at Alternatives Inc., in the Whitin Mill this Friday, March 4. more

Betty Kristan took the stage last Friday, Feb. 25, for the opening performance of "Shirley Valentine," the first production of the year for Pilgrim Soul Productions. more

Playwright Willy Russell certainly has a thing for the emancipated woman, as does Pilgrim Soul Productions. more

Alternatives unveiled its newest art exhibit last weekend, revealing local landmarks and hidden gems through the eyes of painter Christina O'Neill. more

Rachel King has struggled with mental illness for more than half her life, including a year spent at Worcester State Hospital. That painful year, however, led Ms. King to discover the healing potential of art, through involvement in an arts workshop affiliated with the arts and culture program at Alternatives Unlimited Inc. in Whitinsville. more

Alternatives was recently named Innovator of the Year by the Massachusetts Council of Human Service Providers. more

For families in the neighborhood between Whitins and Meadow ponds, the chimes of the bronze bell on Paul Whitin's Douglas Road textile mill were a part of daily life. more

A patch of land that had lain fallow for many years is again full of life as flowers bloom. Under the watchful eye and sage advice of Willard Banning, and with staff and individuals from Alternatives providing the plants and labor, vegetables and flowers are being grown again. more

Grace Stiles (Bonnie Stockdale) is a resolutely tenacious 90-year-old woman who's outlived just about everyone in her life, including her husband and all five of her sons. Illiterate and dying of cancer, she's checked herself out of the hospital to spend her remaining days at her cottage in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. more

Alternatives' Executive Director Dennis H. Rice has been awarded the prestigious Irvin Rutman Award by the United States Psychiatric Rehabilitation Association (USPRA). more

Savers Bank of Southbridge has donated $5,000 to Alternatives Unlimited. more

Savers Bank has donated $5,000 to Alternatives in Whitinsville. more

A patch of land that had lain fallow for many years is again full of life as flowers bloom. more

The monthly jewelry-making class is one of several arts programs offered this summer by Alternatives at its historic Whitin Mill complex. more

Like a lot of great bands, the Blackstone Valley Bluegrass Band erupted largely by accident. more

Norman Ringdahl was a college junior when he decided on a painting major. His next decision: what to paint? He didn't have to look very far. more

Alternatives' Executive Director Dennis H. Rice has been awarded the prestigious Irvin Rutman Award by the USPRA. more

ValleyCAST! and Alternatives will open their Heritage Market on Sunday, August 1 from noon to 3 p.m. more

The state's official list of 1,000 Great Places in Massachusetts was released Monday more

UniBank is pleased to announce that a $5,000 grant was awarded to Alternatives Unlimited, Inc. more

Sixth graders from ten schools in central Massachusetts were able to enter the contest, sponsored by Alternatives Unlimited Inc. more

To mark the occasion of Mental Health Awareness Month, Alternatives sponsored a bookmark design contest with fifth and sixth graders... more

The winners of the more

Alternatives joined thousands of other organizations across the country Friday, April 30 to "Stand Against Racism," a YWCA-sponsored campaign... more

"Alternatives is very grateful to the board of directors and administrators of Old Sturbridge Village," said Rice. more

The George H. Holbrook bell, which once hung in the cupola of Paul Whitin's original cotton mill in Whitinsville has come back home. more

After more than 30 years, the George H. Holbrook bell has come home. more

The Beacon of Hope Award, will be given to Dennis H. Rice, executive director of Alternatives Unlimited Inc., for outstanding service to the community more

Dennis Rice, executive Director of Alternatives, has been named to receive the local Knights of Columbus' first annual Beacon of Hope Award. more

Molding away at his desk in a small professor's study stacked with books and liquor, middle-aged Frank is about to have his universe shaken... more

Legislation that would turn parts of the Blackstone Valley into a national park could be filed this year. more

Early in Willy Russell's "Educating Rita," Rita asks Frank what the meaning of "assonance" is. He explains it's the use of similar vowel sounds... more

The set and costumes for "Educating Rita" were part of the learning process for Aimee Kewley as she got ready to take on the role of Rita... more

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Whitinsville-based Alternatives has earned high marks from the state Department of Developmental Services' Office of Quality Enhancement. more

From an enormous M&M to the passion of artists for their craft, participants in Alternatives' Arts and Culture Program have been living large. more

Everything is oversized in the exhibition opening February 5 in the Spaulding R. Aldrich Heritage Gallery at Alternatives' Whitin Mill. more

Nick Hollibaugh's Midwest roots are revealed in his exhibit at Alternatives'Spaulding Aldrich Heritage Gallery. more