Hello Everyone,
I hope you all had a great week! As a reminder beginning May 7th the federal government will require all adult passengers to provide a REAL ID compliant document to fly domestically. Please do not hesitate to reach out to my office if you need any assistance with scheduling an appointment with the RMV to obtain a REAL ID driver’s license.
May is always a busy month around our district and up on Beacon Hill however, it is also Mental Health Awareness Month! As the Senate Chair of the Joint Committee on Mental Health, Substance Use, and Recovery, I firmly believe that caring for your mental health is just as important as caring for your physical health. All throughout this month I will be highlighting various mental health resources, programs, and legislative activity over on my social media channels. Talking about mental health is crucial to push back on stigma and make it easier for folks to seek help.
On Wednesday while at the State House I had the pleasure of running into a number of familiar faces from throughout the Pioneer Valley at the Springfield Regional Chamber’s annual Beacon Hill Summit. I am so grateful to the Chamber’s President, Diana Szynal, for allowing me to join Chamber members for an informal conversation on a variety of topics during their lunch hour.
I kicked off Thursday over at West Springfield High School to join Mrs. Coverdill’s Spanish 4 class. Over the past month these students have been hard at work researching and writing their own candidacy platforms to run for office. I was thrilled to be able to share with the students some of the tips and tricks that I use when going before a crowd to speak. Public speaking can be a daunting, especially when delivering it in a language you are learning, however these students truly hit their speeches out of the park!
Speaking of hitting it out of the park, I am gearing up this morning to join Westfield Little League for their annual parade and first-pitch to kick off the spring baseball season. Wishing all our little league and spring sports athletics a successful season. Now let’s “play ball”!
This week Team Velis hosted office hours in Westfield and Southampton. Next week Team Velis be hosting office hours on Monday at the Agawam Council on Aging from 11:00AM to 12:00PM. 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.
Best,
John Velis