Hello everyone, Â
It feels like fall is officially in full swing! I hope that you all have enjoyed our first few days of crisp autumn air and beautiful foliage.
Today is the annual Magic for Maddie Carnival held at the Holyoke Elks and Ashley Reservoir. Magic for Maddie is an incredible organization that raises money to aid in research for pediatric cancer. At 1pm the 5k walk will kick off along with many other fun activities such as bounce houses, pony rides, and food trucks for friends and families to enjoy. I truly appreciate all that the Magic for Maddie team does for our community and this worthy cause!
On Tuesday I was in Boston as the Joint Committee on Mental Health, Substance Use and Recovery held a hearing to discuss patient rights and carceral health. It’s my honor to continue to chair this committee for the Senate, and during this hearing we had the opportunity to hear from the public on the challenges associated with providing behavioral health services in carceral settings and state-run psychiatric hospitals.
On Thursday, Team Velis helped celebrate the grand opening of Generator Super Center in West Springfield with an official Senate Citation. We’ve got a few more businesses opening in the district over the next few weeks and our team looks forward to celebrating each one.
Friday evening, I was invited to participate as a celebrity bartender on behalf of the Greater Westfield Boys and Girls Club. It was wonderful to see so many of our community members out last night contributing to our youth programs. At the same time, Team Velis helped present citations from the Senate and the Governor for the International Volleyball Hall of Fame’s annual induction ceremony.
This week Team Velis also hosted office hours in Chicopee and Holyoke. Next week Team Velis will be hosting office hours on Tuesday at the Easthampton Council on Aging from 10:30AM to 11:30AM. If you are unable to 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.
I also want to highlight that next week that Westfield Technical Academy will be hosting an open house on Thursday, October 23rd, from 6:00pm to 7:30pm. Current students and families, as well as prospective ones, are all welcome and encouraged to attend!
Sincerely,
John C. Velis