Senator John Velis

08/31/2026

It was great to be in Chicopee on Friday to celebrate the opening of Chicopee Public Schools’ new administrative headquarters downtown.

A lot of work went into getting to this point, and I’m glad to see the district finally have a permanent home that brings their team together under one roof and gives them the space they need to support Chicopee’s students, educators and families.

Congratulations to Superintendent Marcus Ware, Mayor Vieau, the School Committee and everyone who helped make this happen. Wishing the entire Chicopee Public Schools community a great school year ahead!

08/31/2026

Team Velis was excited to join West Springfield Community members for the grand opening of Vital Care last week!

Congratulations and best of luck. West of the River Chamber-WRC Agawam/West Springfield

08/31/2026

Hope everyone had a great weekend and is enjoying the end of August!

Below is my update for the past week:

August 29, 2026 – Weekly Update Hi everyone,  I hope you were all able to enjoy these last few days of summer before school starts up again. August has been a busy month across the distr…

08/30/2026

Tuesday, September 1st, is Primary Election Day in Massachusetts!!

Make sure you have a plan to get out and vote this week.

🗳️ Polls are open Tuesday, 7 AM to 8 PM
📍 Find your polling place: WhereDoIVoteMA.com.

08/30/2026

What a night bringing youth together at the Basketball Hall of Fame 🏀

For me, this is what it’s all about. Getting kids from our communities together, giving them the chance to play at a place like the Hall of Fame, and just having some fun. We also had a chance to sit down with them and have some really good conversations about their lives and the things that matter to them.

Thank you to the Hall of Fame, Holyoke and Springfield YMCAs, Senator Gómez, and everyone who helped us pull this together. And a special thank you to Springfield Pie for generously providing pizza for the players and their families after the game.

Most of all though, thank you to the kids. They played hard, had a blast, and made it a special night. We might have to run this one back next year.

08/25/2026

Unfortunately office hours at the Russell Council on Aging today at 11:30am are canceled.

Office hours at the Southampton Council on Aging are still on for tomorrow from 9:30am to 10:30am.

Please never hesitate to reach out to us at [email protected] or 413-572-3920 if we can be of assistance with anything!

08/24/2026

ICYMI: Last week I visited the YMCA of Greater Westfield's Camp Shepard to announce $100,000 in state funding from the FY27 Budget for infrastructure improvements to the camp.

It was great to tour the camp, speak with kids enjoying their summer there, and discuss how this funding will help support even more programming.

State Senator John Velis announced Tuesday a $100,000 state earmark for the YMCA of Greater Westfield’s Camp Shepard as part of the fiscal year 2027 state budget.

08/24/2026

Hope everyone had a great weekend! Below is my weekly update for the past week.

This week, Team Velis will be hosting office hours at the Russell, MA Council on Aging on Tuesday from 11:30am to 12:30pm and again on Wednesday at the Southampton Council on Aging from 9:30am to 10:30am.

08/21/2026

Yesterday, I was proud to join the ribbon cutting for Florence Bank’s new location—its first‑ever branch in Holyoke!

To mark the occasion, Florence Bank announced six $5,000 donations to local nonprofits: Nueva Esperanza, The Care Center, Providence Ministries, the Holyoke YMCA, Girls Inc. of the Valley, and the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Holyoke. It’s exciting to welcome a community‑minded bank that’s already investing in the people and organizations who make Holyoke stronger.

08/20/2026

I got to spend an hour today just talking with residents at Greater Springfield Senior Services, Inc's Supportive Housing site in West Springfield.

We talked about their families, where they came from, what’s going on in West Springfield, some of the things happening at the State House, and of course with my new Ukrainian and Russian friends in the room, the proper way to make borscht.

Thank you to the folks at GSSSI for bringing us together!