Hello everyone,
Before jumping into all of the activity around the district this week I want to share how grateful I am to have been re-elected this Tuesday to serve as the State Senator of Hampden and Hampshire District. It’s an absolute honor and privilege to have the opportunity to continue to represent our district in the Massachusetts Senate! Thank you!
This week we have had a lot to celebrate in and around our district. I kicked off Thursday over at Barnes Air National Guard Base to celebrate the ribbon cutting of the new “Minuteman Gate”. The new gate was relocated to be right along Route 10 and 202 as part of overall upgrades at the base as we prepare for the new F-35 Jets.
Later that day I made my way over to the Holyoke Veterans’ Home where I joined Governor Healey, Secretary Santiago, Representative Duffy and many other local officials from around Western Massachusetts to celebrate a major milestone in the construction efforts of the new Home. With the iron work now completed ahead of schedule, it moves our community closer to finally achieving a new state of the art facility that is befitting of the service and sacrifices of our Commonwealth’s veterans. Constructed and designed to meet the changing medical needs and demographics of our veteran population, this new facility will bring new meaning to the Veterans Home in Holyoke’s mission of providing care with honor and dignity. I look forward to continuing to watch this construction take shape and the day that our veterans can finally call this new facility their home!
This week my team and I also spent of time traveling to schools all around the district to begin collecting letters from students for the residents of the Veterans’ Home. What began as an idea to safely connect with residents of the Home during the pandemic has now became an annual tradition for my office. Our local students have done an excellent job writing such thoughtful and artistic letters and I can’t wait to share them with the residents on Monday afternoon.
I rounded off the week over at Gateway Regional Middle School to speak with students from Russell and Montgomery about the importance of Veterans Day. Gatherings like these provide an incredible opportunity for students to hear from Veterans in their communities about their service and the sacrifices they have each made to protect our nation and the freedoms we hold dear. I also hope that this opportunity inspires and encourages the next generation to consider joining our armed services.
This week my office hosted office hours in Agawam. Next week, we will be hosting office hours at the Chicopee COA on Tuesday November 12th from 10:00AM to 11:00AM and in West Springfield on Tuesday November 13th from 11:00am to 12:00PM. 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.
Best,
John Velis