Happy May Everyone,
The flowers and trees are finally in full bloom here in the Pioneer Valley. Springtime is budget time over at the State House as well. My staff and I have been packed with meetings with fellow legislators, local organizations, and constituents as the Senate prepares to put forth its Fiscal Year ‘25 budget later next week.
Last Sunday I was proud to present a citation to Bomber Hockey’s very own, Coach Moose Matthews, in recognition of his induction to the Massachusetts State High School Hockey Coaches Hall of Fame. Over Coach’s 30-year career he taught hundreds of hockey players and won three state championships among his over 300 total career wins. Congratulations, Coach!
To start off the week, on Monday morning I was lucky enough to receive a tour of the Majestic Theater in West Springfield. This place is a center of cultural arts here in the Pioneer Valley. It’s wonderful group who works hard to bring great performances to our communities. If you haven’t been already, I recommend you try to catch a show this summer.
Later in the week, while in Boston, I was proud to lead a meeting of the National Guard Caucus at the State House alongside Major General Keefe. Together we discussed with caucus members the importance of our National Guard Armories throughout the Commonwealth and the investments the National Guard hopes to make to improve these ageing buildings. These investments would not only benefit our National Guard members working in these locations each day but, would also allow these locations to be used as community centers once again.
Friday was the 8th annual Hope for Holyoke Awards, or “the Hopeys”. Hope for Holyoke is a peer recovery center that does amazing work in the field of services for those struggling with substance use disorders. Peer recovery centers do such an amazing work of showing people going through these struggles that they are not alone, and that recovery is possible. I was honored to have received their Lifetime Achievement Award for my work in the recovery space during the ceremony. Congratulations to all my fellow honorees and I can’t wait to see all the good work that Hope for Holyoke will continue to accomplish in the coming year!
Later that afternoon, I attended the dedication of the newly minted Elm Street Plaza right here in downtown Westfield. At the heart of our Westfield community, this center will allow our community to gather together for various events and will attract new businesses to Elm Street. I’m very much looking forward to all that this brand new and beautiful center will bring to our city!
Next week my team will be hosting our office hours on Monday May 6th from 11:00am to 12:00pm over at the Agawam COA as well as at the West Side COA on Wednesday May 8th, from 12:00pm to 1:00pm. If you can’t make office hours, I can always be reached by email, john.velis@masenate.gov, by phone, (413) 572-3920, and you can find me online at senatorjohnvelis.com.
Sincerely,
John Velis