Hello Everyone,
I hope everyone is able to enjoy this beautiful autumn weather that has finally came our way!
I started off my Monday with a visit to Barnes Municipal Airport where I was privileged to tour one the gems of the Westfield Public Schools, the Technical Academy’s Aviation Maintenace program. This program allows our high school students to learn hands on skills about the repair and maintenance of aircrafts to prepare them to become FAA certified mechanics following graduation. This is truly a wonderful program that gives our students so many opportunities as well as building a much-needed workforce through this experience.
On Tuesday, I joined representatives from the Gandara Center and the Providers’ Council for the first ever Western Massachusetts “Caring Force Rally” at Westfield State University, the goal of which was to raise awareness for direct care service providers. Care providers play such an important role that so often goes unnoticed, and I was proud to have been asked to speak to help raise awareness about the dedicated and selfless work of our human service providers.
I was beyond honored to have been inducted into the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Westfield’s “Wall of Fame” on Wednesday evening. Over the years I have been lucky enough to spend a lot of time with the youth and staff over at the Boys and Girls Club whether it was simply shooting hoops, having the opportunity to be a youth mentor, or now having the ability to proudly advocate for the Club on Beacon Hill. There are truly not enough words to express my appreciation to the Club for recognizing me in this way and more importantly the life changing work they do each day!
Thursday, my staff and I joined community members at the Westfield Council on Aging’s Senior Options Wellness event. This event allowed for seniors to learn more about the resources and programs available to them. Team Velis and I were lucky enough to host a table to share about the many different ways that my office can assist constituents of all ages! Never hesitate to reach out if we can be of assistance.
Later that day, I was proud to have joined Community Roots Neighborhood Services for their monthly neighborhood veterans’ lunch over in Holyoke where they specifically honored our Korean War veterans with challenge coins and certificates of appreciation. Thursday also marked Community Roots’ 8th anniversary of hosting these monthly lunches that bring the local veteran community together!
This week my team hosted office hours in Easthampton on Tuesday and in Holyoke on Wednesday. Next week, we will be at the Westfield COA on Monday September 23rd from 12:30pm to 1:30pm, the Russell COA on Tuesday September 24th from 11:30am to 12:30pm, and the Southampton COA on Wednesday September 24th from 9:30am to 10:30am. 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.
Sincerely,
John Velis