Belchertown Education Foundation

10/28/2026

🍕 Next Monday! Dine to Donate Fundraiser Alert! Antonio's Pizza by the Slice-Belchertown on Monday, November 2, 3:30-8pm!

Say you’re with the BEF and you’ll be supporting us and an awesome local restaurant at the same time!

10/26/2026

👏🏼 Shout out to the Belchertown Sentinel for covering the Belchertown Education Foundation Student Success Grant announcement, helping to get the word out to our community. We appreciate it!

10/09/2026

10/09/2026

We are excited to share the appointment of Grace Sojka to the Board of Directors of the Belchertown Education Foundation. Welcome Grace!

10/09/2026

📣 Announcing New Board Member Grace Sojka!

Grace Sojka joined the Belchertown Education Foundation Board of Directors this fall. She is a marketing, finance, and human resources professional who plays an active role in her family’s businesses, including Window World of Western Massachusetts, Hometown Exteriors, Go Green Home Performance, and The Kitchen & Bath Co. Across these companies, Grace is involved in human resources, payroll, marketing, communications, and day-to-day business operations.

Born and raised in Belchertown, Grace is proud of her deep roots in the community and the education and opportunities it provided her growing up. As she looks forward to raising her own family in Belchertown and one day having her children attend the same school system, she says she has joined the Board because, “I feel strongly about giving back and helping ensure future generations have access to the same strong community and educational opportunities.”

Grace brings her business experience, communication skills, and community-focused perspective to her board service with the Belchertown Education Foundation and is passionate about contributing to the continued growth and success of the town she is proud to call home.

Please join us in welcoming Grace to the Belchertown Education Foundation Board of Directors.

10/07/2026

Lanea is helping to take the Belchertown Education Foundation into the next decade!

10/07/2026

🍁 Welcome to New Board Member Marla Lindsay!

Marla Lindsay joined the Belchertown Education Foundation Board of Directors this fall. She is a 16-year resident of Belchertown where she lives with her family and enjoys the outdoors, especially hiking around Belchertown and the Quabbin.

Marla is a Senior Research Fellow and Deputy Director at the Family Forest Research Center at UMass Amherst. As a natural resource economist, Marla studies private owners of wooded land to get a better understanding of how they want to steward their forest to achieve their legacy goals and what information and support they need to do so. Her research also explores various issues that affect forests such as insect infestation, climate change and land use change. Marla’s research integrates with UMass Extension to provide support and information to private forest owners.

Marla also volunteers her time at the Helping Hands Cupboard Food Pantry in town which provides food and supplies to over 50 families each month.

About her Belchertown Education Foundation Board appointment, she says, “I place a high value on education as well community involvement. I have seen how Belchertown students have benefited from the academic and extracurricular programs available to them. I also think it is important to volunteer your time and give back to the community when you can.”

She adds, “Coming from a small New England town I appreciate how that kind of involvement knits the town together. The BEF has provided much needed support to keep the education at BPS at a high level for the past 10 years, and I saw being on the Board as a way for me to use my skills to support their continued efforts. I appreciate the opportunity to contribute to this valuable resource in our town.”

Please join us in welcoming Marla to the Belchertown Education Foundation Board of Directors.