Hello everyone,
Hope you all had a great Labor Day weekend!
I want to start off by thanking all of our town and city clerks for their hard work during this past Tuesday’s primary elections. I hope everyone had a chance to get out to vote, despite the rain. It’s so important that we all exercise our right to vote and help shape our government!
This past Wednesday, I was honored by the Westfield Women’s Club at their annual English Tea event with the 24th Garden Tea Miriam Reede Award. From delicious food, to creative hats, and great people, the event was truly a blast. The annual tea was created to fund a multitude of local charities and this year’s proceeds are being used to expand disability access in the Westfield Women’s Clubhouse.
Wednesday morning Representative Duffy and I presented $150,000 in funds secured from the American Recovery Plan Act to Partners for Community for an exciting new small business grant program. As we continue to recover from the economic impact of the pandemic, it is so important that we also continue to support the small businesses throughout our communities.
With the new school year, comes the opening of new schools. This past Tuesday, I attended the ribbon cutting of the new Mountain View School in Easthampton. This brand new facility will educate students from preschool through the 8th grade. I’m looking forward to seeing students and faculty make their building their own!
This week I also spent some time at the Holyoke War Memorial Building. The memorial, built in 1937, serves as a center of the community as well as the office for the Holyoke Veteran Services Oragnization. This wonderfully refurbished building serves as excellent monument to those who has served our nation and it was great to learn more about the services provided there.
Tonight, we celebrate Glendi Day at the Greek Orthodox Church of Springfield! As a proud Greek American, it’s always my honor to volunteer for my community and celebrate our heritage. The free baklava doesn’t hurt either!
I would also like to congratulate Brigadier General Peter Green on his retirement from the 104th fighter wing after 40 years of distinguished service. Congratulations again Brigadier General and thank you for your service at Barnes! You will be missed.
This week my team held office hours in Russell on Friday. Next week, we will be at the Chicopee COA on Monday from 10:00am – 10:00am and the Agawam COA on Monday from 10:30am to 11:30am. Please feel free to stop by with any questions or concerns. We are always happy to help!
As always, if there is anything I can do to assist you, please never hesitate to reach out to my office. I can be reached at my email: john.velis@masenate.gov or by phone: (413) 572-3920 and you can find me online at senatorjohnvelis.com where you can also sign up for my newsletter!
Sincerely,
John Velis