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Please join West Region Self Advocacy during their 18th Annual Conference!

by | Mar 22, 2022 | In The News

When: June 25, 2022

Where: Sheraton Hotel, Springfield MA

Featuring keynote speaker, author and self-advocate Dr. Temple Grandin!

About Dr. Temple Grandin, from West Region Self Advocacy’s Speaker Announcement:

Dr. Grandin is a prominent author and speaker on both autism and animal behavior.  Today she is a professor of Animal Science at Colorado State University.  She also has a successful career consulting on both livestock handling equipment design and animal welfare.  She has been featured on NPR (National Public Radio) and a BBC Special – “The Woman Who Thinks Like a Cow”. She has also appeared on National TV shows such as Larry King Live, 20/20, Sixty Minutes, Fox and Friends, and she has a 2010 TED talk.  Articles about Dr. Grandin have appeared in Time Magazine, New York Times, Discover Magazine, Forbes and USA Today. HBO made an Emmy Award winning movie about her life and she was inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2016.

When she was young, she was considered weird and teased and bullied in high school.  The only place she had friends was activities where there was a shared interest such as horses, electronics, or model rockets.  Mr. Carlock, her science teacher, was an important mentor who encouraged her interest in science.  When she had a new goal of becoming a scientist, she had a reason for studying.  Today half the cattle in the United States are handled in facilities she has designed.

This year’s conference features several excellent workshops, ranging from

  • Westfield Self Advocacy Presents Why Friendship Matters
  • Self Advocacy Impact Lab Presents Connecting Through Activism
  • Creating Inclusive Community: A Discussion of Race & Identity
  • Let’s Talk about Sex
  • Team-building Puzzle Game
  • Open Door Club Presents Building Friendships & Networking

Full conference schedule:

  • 9:00 AM to 10:00 AM: Registration – Visit our Resource Tables
  • 10:00 AM to 10:15 AM: Introduction, Main Ballroom
  • 10:15 AM to 10:30 AM: Remarks from special guests
  • 10:30 AM to 11:00 AM: Keynote Presentation
  • 11:00 AM to 11:15 AM: Break
  • 11:15 AM to 12:15 PM: Morning Workshops
  • 12:15 PM to 12:30 PM: Break
  • 12:30 PM to 1:30 PM: Lunch
  • 1:30 PM to 1:45 PM: Awards Ceremony, M.A.S.S. Announcements
  • 1:45 PM to 2:00 PM: Break
  • 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM: Afternoon Workshops
  • 3:00 PM to 3:30 PM: Raffle Drawings

Learn more about the 2022 West Region Self Advocacy Conference at MassWRSA.org, where you can also sign up for raffle tickets or become a sponsor!

Interested? Have any questions? Contact Dana Lund, Self Advocacy Regional Coordinator at [email protected], or Amber Pettell, Self Advocacy Peer Coordinator, at [email protected] or (413) 535-6999.

Don’t forget to like West Region Self Advocacy on Facebook to keep up-to-date with the latest postings about this conference and more!

 

 

Greenfield Notebook: Feb. 11, 2022

by | Feb 24, 2022 | In The News

Healing from Trauma support group offered

GREENFIELD — The Salasin Project is providing a confidential support and discussion group that explores the impact of interpersonal violence and trauma on individuals. Participants will also examine how to identify ways to develop healthy intimacy and relationships.

The group includes healing activities for the mind, body and spirit. An eight-week session starts March 2, and the group will meet weekly in a hybrid format — in-person in Greenfield and also on Zoom — on Wednesday evenings from 5 to 6:30 p.m.

For more information, contact Lynn at 413-774-4307, ext. 3 or [email protected], or Jill at 413-774-4307, ext. 5 or [email protected].

Salasin Project offering Healing Arts Zoom groups

GREENFIELD — The Salasin Project hosts Healing Arts groups on Zoom.

Participants spend time relaxing and connecting with other adult beginners while exploring landscapes, still lifes and a variety of other projects. Days and times vary each month, and no art experience is necessary.

Groups are free to join. Email Bekki at [email protected] or call 413-774-4307, ext. 4 for more information or to register. The Salasin Project can also offer help accessing art supplies.

Support group offered for caregivers

GREENFIELD — The Salasin Project and The RECOVER Project are co-sponsoring a virtual education/support group for caregivers who have domestic violence, and/or substance use histories. The group has open enrollment, so there is no deadline by which to sign up.

The Nurturing Program for Families in Substance Related Treatment and Recovery is a 16-week, evidence-based group designed to offer adult caregivers educational information about human growth and development. This program explores the impact of substance misuse and domestic violence on children and families. The topics from week to week are designed to strengthen participants’ self-esteem and to encourage strength-based models for guiding behaviors in children.

For more information, contact Lynn Norwood at [email protected] or 413-774-4307, ext. 3.

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Building a new recovery coach program

Building a new recovery coach program

by | Feb 3, 2022 | In The News

BY SUE DALEY
THE SENTINEL • THURSDAY, JANUARY 27, 2022

[…] In 2021, I was hired by the Western Massachusetts Training Consortium to serve as the first recovery coach supervisor for the Ware Regional Recovery Center. It is exciting to be helping to build a new recovery coach program in the Quaboag Hills Region. When I was first in recovery, 21 years ago, I did not have the option of a recovery coach, who is a peer who helps another overcome obstacles to sobriety. We undergo training and extensive supervision.

I choose to do this because I have been through my own experiences in recovery, and I know that there are many obstacles and consequences due to substance use. I want to be there for someone “where they are,” and help them make positive choices that meet their unique needs and circumstances. Some people opt for 12-step programs or seek spiritual guidance. Others choose a multi-service approach that might include clinical, spiritual and peer supports. Regardless, my goal is to help each person build confidence and self-esteem and to move past whatever shame they may feel. They may choose to work with me for a few weeks or months, or maybe a year. Every circumstance is different. Sometimes, I just help someone connect with basic necessities, and I am with them to learn new skills and to laugh together along the way. Recovery is challenging, and it’s important to laugh. […] It is very fulfilling to see a recoveree feel empowered to move forward and connected to their community in a positive way.

We have made a solid start in the Quaboag Region, and I am excited about what we can provide the community in 2022.

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Jan 5: Same Day Hiring Event with Home & Community Connections

by | Jan 4, 2022 | In The News

Come join Home & Community Connections for their Same Day Hiring Event on January 5th! We’ll be at 187 High St, Suite 202, in Holyoke from 10 AM to 2 PM. All levels of experience are welcome, with sign on bonuses for the following open positions!

Program Manager positions: $1,000 after 60 days
Program Supervisor positions: $750 after 60 days
Support Specialist positions: $500 after 30 days

We look forward to seeing you there!

OnBoard Matching Event draws organizations, individuals (photos)

by | Dec 9, 2021 | In The News

Updated: Dec. 08, 2021, 6:57 a.m. | Published: Dec. 08, 2021, 6:57 a.m.
By The Republican Newsroom

SPRINGFIELD — The 2021 OnBoard Matching Event took place Tuesday, Dec. 7, at Valley Venture Mentors at 276 Bridge St.

OnBoard, which merged last month with United Way of Pioneer Valley, connects talented individuals with organizations seeking to increase diversity on their boards and committees.

United Way of Pioneer Valley helps matches connect, and offers training and mentoring support, to help ensure matches don’t just happen, but become fruitful partnerships.

[VIEW MORE]

Noted author to speak about having opioid-addicted family members

Noted author to speak about having opioid-addicted family members

by | Dec 8, 2021 | In The News

[…] Jarrett J. Krosoczka, award-winning author of the young readers’ graphic novel “Hey, Kiddo,” knows well what it is to live with a parent’s addiction. The Hampshire HOPE Opioid Prevention Coalition and related organizations are presenting a virtual event featuring Krosoczka talking about growing up with a heroin-addicted mother and an absent birth father.

The December 14 event is free and open to all and will be presented from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Advance registration is required so a Zoom link can be emailed in advance of the presentation. The necessary registration form is available at: www.hampshirehope.org.

[…]

Hampshire HOPE is a regional opioid prevention coalition based in the Northampton Health Department. Joining Hampshire HOPE in presenting Krosoczka are the Northwestern District Attorney’s Office, the Northampton Recovery Center, the South Hadley Drug and Alcohol Prevention Coalition, the Northampton Prevention Coalition, the SPIFFY coalition and the Quaboag Hills Substance Use Alliance.

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