Hello Everyone,
I hope you’ve all been able to stay dry this week- April showers seemed to have come early this year.
Yesterday marked International Women’s Day, a day meant to recognize and encourage that barriers continue to be broken down for women and girls, not just in our country, but around the world. One day is simply not enough to recognize the achievement of countless women who have broken glass ceilings across the globe. To all the amazing and hard-working women in my life, from the State House to Western Mass, thank you for all that you do.
I hope everyone was able to get out and cast their vote on Tuesday for the Presidental Primaries. The ability to vote is the cornerstone of our democracy and at its very core if fundamental right that all of our civil liberties rest upon. As we begin to anticipate all of the other upcoming elections that will take place this year, please do not forget that the deadline to register to vote, if you’re not already registered, is 10 days prior to the election in which you plan on voting.
This week, the City of Chicopee welcomed a brand-new Brazilian grocery store, Imperio Brazil, to Exchange Street where my staff helped cut the ribbon. This new store offers Brazilian products of all sorts and has a specialty butcher counter as well. We’re very much looking forward to having you in our community! Parabéns!
As St. Patrick’s Day comes closer, the Irish community here in Western Mass continues to host a multitude of cultural celebrations. Wednesday night marked the Agawam St. Patrick’s Committee’s corned beef dinner where my staff shared citations with the Agawam Colleen and her court. On Friday the City of Chicopee held its official Irish flag raising and later that evening celebrated with an Irish dinner for Chicopee families. I cannot wait to see many of you down at the parade and road race in Holyoke next weekend.
Yesterday afternoon marked the groundbreaking for the new William R. Peck Middle School in Holyoke. This is an incredible milestone for many community members in Holyoke and I have been proud to have advocated for funds from the Massachusetts School Building Authority to see this new school project come to fruition. I am looking forward to the day that this new school building and several others across our district open their doors to students and educators.
This week my office hosted office hours at the Agawam COA on Monday. Next week, we will be Chicopee COA on Tuesday from 10:00am to 11:00am and at the West Springfield COA on Wednesday 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.
Have a great weekend,
John Velis