Dear Friends,
I hope all had a wonderful and relaxing summer. As we prepare for autumn, I wanted to take a moment to recap the activities of Valley Educational Associates during the past three months.
Quarter Three Highlights:
- Chicopee ribbon cutting celebration will be on Nov. 14, 2019
- The Annual 5k Cider Run has several fantastic sponsors
- Visit our display as part of the Springfield Art Stops
- CFWM Grant
Construction finished on the Chicopee program site at the end of August. From the 2100 square feet, we added four new classrooms, a medication storage area, new access to the kitchen and the back door. The colors are a soft green and blue to create a calming environment. We plan to host a ribbon cutting ceremony at the program site on Thursday, November 14, 2019. We hope to showcase our facility to the community and chamber.
This will be our fifth year of the Annual 5k Cider Run at the Ashley Reservoir. The run is on Saturday, November 2nd. We already have several wonderful Silver & Custom Sponsors: PeoplesBank, Olympic Manufacturing Group, Peerless Precision, and Greenfield Savings Bank. We are grateful for the local businesses that have partnered with us to help set this fundraising race off to a good start. Other sponsors so far include: Royal P.C., Thornes Market, Ernst Financial Group, ChikMedia, Architectural E.L., River Valley Coop, HomeLight and Whittelsey Forward Advising. Sponsorships start as low as $250. There are already over 125 registrants for the race. Get your registration in soon to take advantage of the tier two pricing and t-shirt at $30 which ends on October 15th. https://valleyeducational.org/annual-5k-cider-run/
There is a good deal of unrealized artistic ability at Valley Educational Associates. Through in-kind and monetary donations, we have been able to afford to paint beautiful works of art on mounted canvases. Royal P.C. is hosting a piece. We are excited to have a large exhibit at Valley Venture Mentors on 267 Bridge Street, Springfield from October to December. The official reception will be on October 4th from 5pm to 8:30pm. I think the biggest success is having our art next to artists without disabilities. Art will be available for purchase and can always be viewed at: https://valleyeducational.org/online-store/. Please consider stopping by the gallery to take in some culture. We also have a piece of art on display at Royal Law in Northampton. If your business could use some more pizazz, we are happy to loan out some art.
The Community Foundation of Western MA granted us $10,000 for our Stop and Shop collaboration program. The funds have been applied to pay for a staff member for this program. This is our first major grant and we hope to fully demonstrate the value of investing in Valley Educational Associates and the difference our organization makes in the community.
Our new Human Resources Manager, Scott Barden, has been busy recruiting and hiring new staff. He has been doing an amazing job enmeshing with the staff. Maggie Ducheney, Chief Programs Officer, has developed a morale program to improve the workplace culture. Scott will be assisting and helping implement this venture with his human resources background. Projected results are reduced attrition, purporting the organization as a desirable place to work and attend programs, improving overall morale and meaningfulness at Valley Educational Associates.
Thinking about making a difference in the lives of adults with developmental disabilities but not sure how? Here are a couple ways:
- Consider being a volunteer, sponsor, or donor at our 5k Cider Run.
- Host a piece of art in your business.
- Visit the art gallery with some friends and see our exhibit.
- Make an in-kind or monetary donation to our programs.
- Become a volunteer on our Human Rights Committee or join our Board of Directors.
We are seeking volunteers with law or attorney backgrounds for our Human Rights Committee that meets every other month at our Chicopee facility. This position review protocols and incidents to ensure VEA is in keeping with regulations. Please contact our committee at humanrights@ValleyEducational.org if you or a friend might be interested in joining our Human Rights Committee.
I can’t believe that Q3 is over and we are approaching the holiday season.
Best Regards,
Kate DaSilva, MS
Executive Director