Hello everyone,
My office and I came into this week with great energy fresh off a great weekend of basketball at Hooplandia! Thank you to the Big E and all the participants for organizing and hosting this phenomenal event to raise money for local Boys and Girls Clubs.
I began the week visiting the Children’s Advocacy Center of Franklin County and North Quabbin along with my colleagues Sen. Comerford and Sen. Kennedy. Organizations like CACFAQ are on the frontlines of the behavioral and mental health crises as they work to address the needs of children who have experienced abuse and trauma. Addressing these physical and mental traumas that young people are experiencing is going to be crucial in ensuring our kids have the best opportunity to grow into confident and successful individuals.
Massachusetts got some good news Monday as we learned that we would be on the receiving end of $147 million in federal funding for expanding high-speed internet access. In the aftermath of COVID we’ve seen how convenient it can be to access meetings like doctor’s appointments remotely. This accessibility is still unavailable to many in rural communities and this funding will help us address that.
Tuesday I had the opportunity to speak with several business leaders in Holyoke about the importance of mental health in the workplace and the benefits we’ve seen when employers prioritize employee mental health. Later I sat down with Peter Babineau of Learn to Cope on this month’s episode of Beacon Hill to the 413. Peter is a leader in the substance use and recovery space, and it’s always fascinating to catch up and hear new voices in the recovery world while we work to tackle the opioid crisis.
The Westfield Women’s Club hosted their annual tea party on Wednesday and honored their volunteers of the year. This is a fantastic event every year! It’s great to see everyone come out in their tea party attire and celebrate the great work the Women’s Club does. We also hosted office hours in Southampton. This marks the last time we will be with Director Joan Lennihan at the Southampton Senior Center. Joan has been a staple in the Councils on Aging in Southwick, Agawam, and now Southampton throughout her long career. My office attended a retirement party for her Thursday evening to honor the valuable work Joan has done.
We began Friday with the TreeHouse Foundation’s legislative breakfast where we recognized their leadership in the foster care community and congratulated the Foundation on being the recipients of this year’s Massachusetts Non-profit Network’s Excellence in Advocacy Award. Later on Friday, I met with Clean Crop in Holyoke to learn about the innovations they made in sustainable urban farming. I can’t wait to see the success they have!
Next week’s office hours in Agawam are being rescheduled. Please keep an eye out on our office facebook page for the reschedule date! As always we can be reached at John.Velis@masenate.gov, or by phone at (413)572-3920.
Sincerely,
John Velis