Happy Thanksgiving!
I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving spent with family and friends this week. This year I had a lot to be thankful for including my loving family, hardworking staff, and the opportunity to continue to serve the Hampden and Hampshire district in the MA Senate next session!
Ahead of Thanksgiving I was at the State House to join Governor Healey and Secretary Reidy in honoring Trooper TJ Cusack of Agawam and Trooper Ryan Costello of Holyoke for their bravery at the 41st Annual George L. Hanna Memorial Award Ceremony. The Hanna Awards are the highest and most prestigious awards bestowed upon those in law enforcement, recognizing the bravery of officers who have gone above and beyond the call of duty and have put their own lives at risk to protect our communities. I am beyond grateful to Trooper Cusack and Trooper Costello for their acts of heroism. To all those in law enforcement, thank you for all do to keep our communities safe each day!
As many of you might know, today is Small Business Saturday! This is a great opportunity to support the local businesses who are invested in our communities as you are checking off items on your holiday shopping lists. While I always make it a priority to shop from local businesses throughout the year, I know I will absolutely be popping into a few stores owned by our friends and neighbors today.
Speaking of the holiday season, some of my routine office hours have been moved around in the month of December to accommodate all the different holidays that we will be celebrating. Next week, my team is hosting office hours at the Agawam Council on Aging at 11:00AM to 12:00PM on Monday December 2nd and at the Russell Council on Aging on Tuesday December 3rd at 11:30AM to 12:30PM.
If you are unable to make office hours or if you have any questions about the changes to some community’s regularly scheduled office hours this month please do not hesitate to contact me by email , john.velis@masenate.gov, by phone, (413) 527-3920, and you can find me online at senatorjohnvelis.com.
Happy Holidays!
John Velis