Greetings all,

Someone asked recently if I ever feel lonely in this work. I don’t — because I’m not alone.

I bring the strength, grit, experience, and hope of upwards of 175,000 constituents from 25 communities on the road with me everywhere I go. The superpower of representative democracy is the people’s power — your power — and I’m accountable for channeling it.

It’s way more effective than spinach. (I’m dating myself using a Popeye reference. Have mercy.)

Now, for the news. On Thursday, the Senate passed a strong data privacy and location shield bill which is a tremendous companion to the health care protections we’ve already passed. I summarize the bill below.

We also close this newsletter by bulk answering the hundreds of emails we’re receiving on legislation and pressing issues.

Make it to the P.S. for two final updates on ways that, together, we’re moving the needle toward progress, and to celebrate Clare Higgins.

Let’s get into it.

But first, two tech tips based on constituent feedback

1. If the newsletter ends abruptly, look for instructions at the bottom of your screen regarding how to “unfurl” the rest. 
2. If the newsletter appears with no images, you may need to click to “allow blocked content.”

TL;DR (that's a "too long; didn't read" digest)

• Local changemakers share stories of resilience in Keeping Hope Alive videos. 
• Senate passes a strong data privacy and location shield bill.
• Senate passes legislation on fentanyl test strips and protections for people with intellectual or developmental disabilities. 
• Legislature provides $234 million for fiscally-strained hospitals and community health centers.
• Our team travels to Maine to work on PFAS policy and farms.
• Special Commission to reform PILOT payments for state-owned land. 
• Housing officials visit the district, focusing on more funding for housing in rural communities. 
• Public committee hearings on bills I filed. 
• Podcast with Rep. Kushmerek and AARP about supporting family caregivers. 
• $1.29 million in funding for climate change preparedness. 
• Update on Eversource’s line clearing project.
• Former Gateway Superintendent Kristen Smidy joins the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education. 
• Massachusetts must protect children from toxic chemicals. 
• Thoughts on the Commonwealth’s flag, seal, and motto.
• Answering your calls to action on legislation and pressing issues. 

Keeping Hope Alive: Changemakers share stories of resilience

My final words to you in our last newsletter were: Remember, hope is a political act as much as it is a way to move forward. 

I was foreshadowing a just-released, pretty awesome piece of work — Keeping Hope Alive — led by three of our office’s Summer 2025 interns: Zara Usman (Northampton High School), Maxwell Hartley (University of Maryland), and Jasper Graham (Pitzer College). Zara, Max, and Jasper spent the summer traveling across our Senate district, meeting with and filming 11 videos highlighting leaders engaged in hopeful, resilient, and community-strengthening work in the face of local, state, and national challenges.

These videos are inspiring, personal accounts of what keeps these incredible people rising to meet the many challenges of our day.

Don’t miss:

• Monte Belmonte, Volunteer President of the Board, Shea Theater Arts Center
• Dr. Sundeep “Sunny” Shukla, Associate Chief Medical Officer and Vice President of Medical Affairs, Cooley Dickinson Hospital 
• Kirsten Levitt, Executive Director and Chef, Stone Soup Café
• Adela Imul Ajanel, Center for New Americans
• Amelia Durbin, 2024-2025 Co-Chair, Northampton Youth Commission
• Naomi Bledsoe, Youth Engagement Coordinator, Communities That Care Coalition
• Nate Woodard, Vice Chair, Greenfield Human Rights Commission
• Dr. Allison van der Velden, CEO, Community Health Center of Franklin County
• Jerry Whaland, Owner, Billy Goat Boats
• Deb Habib, Co-Founder, Seeds of Solidarity Farm and Education Center 
• Keleigh BenEzra, Regional Director of Programs and Homeless Services, Clinical & Support Options (CSO)
• Mina Beckman, Civics Teacher, Pioneer Valley Regional School

See all of the videos here. 

Check out the first video in the series, with Monte Belmonte, below.

Senate passes Massachusetts Data Privacy Act

On September 25, the Senate debated and voted to pass The Massachusetts Data Privacy Act as part of our Response 2025 initiative. 

As new technologies enable increased data harvesting and opportunities for exploitation, this legislation establishes vital new protections for residents. The bill protects both data that people willingly provide online, as well as private data like a person’s GPS location, health care information, and biometric data such as face or fingerprint scans. It also allows people to opt out of being targeted by advertisers based on their personal data.

In addition to setting limits on how big companies use personal data, the bill places strong limits on what personal information can be collected in the first place and gives the Massachusetts Attorney General broad regulatory enforcement authority.

The legislation goes even further for young people, creating a stricter threshold to protect the data of minors. The bill also limits the compliance burden on Massachusetts small businesses by focusing only on larger-scale entities that deal with the personal data. Read more about this bill, here.

In this video, I share six things I love about the bill:

Senate passes harm reduction, abuse prevention bills

On September 18, the Senate passed three bills: 

• An Act relative to fentanyl test strips (S.1057) – Ensures that Massachusetts residents can access testing materials to detect fentanyl and related synthetic opioids. More information here. 
• An Act to update Nicky’s Law (S.165) – Protects people with intellectual or developmental disabilities from abuse by expanding the Registry of Abusive Care Providers to include state-funded day habilitation services. Find a fact sheet here. 
• An Act relative to affordable car rentals (S.2367) – Aligns Massachusetts law with most other states to ensure continued access to affordable vehicle rentals. Learn more here. 

$234 million for fiscally-strained hospitals and community health centers

Also on September 18, the Legislature sent a $234 million lifeline for community health centers and fiscally-strained hospitals to the Governor’s desk for her signature. I worked with colleagues to secure this funding before September’s end, knowing delays would threaten regional health care access and leave institutions struggling with mounting bills. Most federal cuts to health care have not yet kicked in but — even still — our critical safety net providers need our help. I explain why in this video:

Our district is also home to the only free-standing birth center in the Commonwealth: Seven Sisters Midwifery and Community Birth Center in Florence. It, too, isn’t immune from the brokenness of our health care system, and I’m working closely with colleagues and state officials to ensure it has financial stability now and into the future. (As we fight for Seven Sisters, it’s also important for us to understand that reports indicate that maternity units in 11 Commonwealth hospitals have closed or are in the process of considering closure since 2014, which is unfortunately in keeping with national trends.)

A trip to Maine focused on PFAS

On August 12, I traveled to Maine with colleagues from the Legislature, the Healey-Driscoll Administration, and advocacy organizations to learn more about Maine’s approach to PFAS contamination in agriculture. Maine was the first state in the country to pass legislation to address the impact of toxic sewage sludge applications on farmland.

We met with Maine legislators Senator Henry Ingwersen, Representative William Pluecker, Representative Lori Gramlich, farmers, and other state officials to hear about the lessons they learned while enacting strong policies to protect soil and food from further contamination, as well as providing critical support to help PFAS-affected farms stay in business.

I am grateful to our team’s Legislative Director Rachel Klein and to the organization Defend Our Health for wrangling this visit. Massachusetts must ban PFAS, ban the land application of PFAS-contaminated sludge, and tackle this crisis head-on, with the well-being of farmers as our guiding light.

More on this visit here. 

A step towards equity in payments for state-owned land

On August 13, Governor Maura Healey signed an Executive Order establishing a Commission on Payments in Lieu of Taxes (PILOT) for State-Owned Land (SOL) to explore and recommend program reforms. 

As I wrote in this blog, the state-owned land PILOT formula has shortchanged communities in western and central Massachusetts for too long, undervaluing the enormous contributions these communities make in stewarding the Commonwealth’s forests, farms, and watersheds.

Despite the Legislature appropriating more money for SOL PILOT, our municipalities are getting less money; eastern Massachusetts is gobbling up all of the new money and then some.

Representative Natalie Blais and I cheered loudly for this Executive Order, as we have been advocating on this issue for years. In 2023 and again this year, Rep. Blais and I filed legislation to change the formula based on the recommendations in Auditor Suzanne Bump’s 2020 report. This session’s bills, An Act to reform payments in lieu of taxes for state-owned land (H.3032/S.1939), would also add an additional ecosystem services payment for the benefits provided by our natural and working lands.

Housing funding for rural towns

On August 19, I joined Franklin County state legislative colleagues (Reps. Blais, Aaron Saunders, and Susannah Whipps), Franklin Regional Council of Governments (FRCOG), and Rural Development Inc., to host Lieutenant Governor Driscoll, Housing and Livable Communities Secretary Ed Augustus, their teams, and regional and statewide housing leaders for a summit and tour on rural housing challenges and opportunities. 

Our conversations focused on the unique barriers rural communities face in accessing state housing resources — and what it will take to overcome them.

Rep. Blais and I supported the creation of a dashboard in the Fiscal Year 2026 budget (we also filed it as a bill) to track state investment in housing by county to evaluate whether western and north central Massachusetts are receiving their fair share. We’re looking forward to seeing the results, and to the ensuing work.

Committee hearings on bills I filed

Public hearings on bills that have been filed this session are well underway — 53 of the 68 bills we filed on your behalf this session (not including Home Rule Petitions filed on behalf of municipalities) have now had a hearing. 

If you would like to be notified about opportunities to testify on legislation, sign up to be added to an email list corresponding with your priority issue area(s). 

In September I provided testimony on six bills:

S.1937/H.3056 – An Act enabling a local option for a real estate transfer fee to fund affordable housing.

S.1649 – Resolutions to embrace the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons and move the U.S. back from the brink of nuclear war

S.55/H.112 – An Act fostering agricultural resilience in Massachusetts (the FARM bill)

S.56/H.109 – An Act protecting our soil and farms from PFAS contamination

S.1938/H.3159 – An Act supporting family caregivers

S.104/H.222 – An Act relative to an agricultural healthy incentives program

I share just a few highlights here.

(Remember, these are just the hearings on bills I filed, not the bills I’ve cosponsored, which I know many of you are advocating for, like Smart Meters, Same Day Voter Registration, etc.)

I’m extremely grateful for the dedicated advocates and passionate constituents who joined me in supporting these bills. 

The Hampshire, Franklin, Worcester district is All Aboard for Northern Tier Passenger Rail

As part of our work to build momentum for the re-start of passenger rail along Route 2, our team launched a series of videos featuring folks from across the Hampshire, Franklin, Worcester district and beyond discussing why we need Northern Tier Passenger Rail. 

Thanks to Summer intern Lily Frank (UMass Amherst) for her work to coordinate, film, and edit these informative videos. 

Check out the fun series here, and watch the first video with Ben Heckscher from Trains in the Valley below. 

Glad to see this work featured in the Greenfield Recorder here and grateful that the Northern Tier delegation joined Northfield, Deerfield, and dozens of other communities in supporting the Massachusetts Department of Transportation’s application for federal funding for Northern Tier Passenger Rail. 

Cup o' Jo: Representative Mike Kushmerek and AARP's Jen Benson

In the latest episode of Cup o’ Jo, I sat down with Representative Mike Kushmerek (3rd Worcester District) and AARP’s Massachusetts State Director Jen Benson for a beautiful conversation about family caregivers. 

Rep. Kushmerek and I filed An Act supporting family caregivers (S.1938/H.3159), to create new benefits and policies to support family caregivers and their loved ones, including providing a tax credit to family caregivers and allowing spouses to be paid as caregivers by MassHealth.

Check out the full episode here: 

Hampshire, Franklin, Worcester district's MVPs

On September 15, our municipalities and the Franklin Regional Council of Governments (FRCOG) were awarded $1.29 million in grant funding to help prepare for increasingly extreme weather — heat waves, flooding, wildfires, and storms. 

This year, the Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness (MVP) Action Grant program targeted funding specifically to rural and small towns, with $11.1 million out of a total $28.7 million supporting rural initiatives. My team and I, in partnership with delegation colleagues and local officials, have been meeting with MVP colleagues to ensure they understand the barriers that rural communities face when applying for this absolutely critical funding. (See the graphic below for the regional wins.)

Clearing power lines across Hampshire and Franklin Counties

In August of 2022, we first engaged with Eversource, the Massachusetts Environmental Policy Act office (MEPA), and many of you on Eversource’s WT-11 Transmission Right-of-way Reliability Program (TRRP) Project. This project involves line clearing (read: tree cutting) across a vast swath of the district — including Northfield, Erving, Wendell, Montague, Leverett, Shutesbury, Pelham, and Amherst.

At that time, given the considerable impacts to communities and the 300+ emails I received from constituents expressing concerns and questions, our office hosted a briefing with Eversource on the project and, with the partnership of the legislative delegation, got the comment period extended. You can watch the briefing here.

Fast forward three years to this August when we received notice that Eversource had submitted a Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR) on this project. Given that this notice was sent out during the height of summer vacation season and in recognition of the importance of this project and extensive impact on some communities, I knew it was vital that MEPA hear from communities affected. I wrote again to MEPA to request that the public comment deadline be extended 60 days from the initial deadline of September 22. This request has been granted and the new public comment deadline is November 21, 2025.

The full DEIR submission by Eversource can be accessed here. To submit comments, visit the Energy & Environmental Affairs Public Comments Portal and search for the project by either Project Number/I.D: “16570” or Project Name: “WT-11 Transmission Right-of-Way Reliability Project”

Positive momentum: Thank you, Superintendent Kristen Smidy, for joining the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education

Picture courtesy of Kristen Smidy

Governor Healey has appointed former Gateway Regional High School Principal and Superintendent Kristen Smidy to the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE). 

Before this week’s appointment, neither Hampshire, Franklin, nor Berkshire County had any representation on this statewide decision-making body. The delegation has been advocating for more western and north central Massachusetts appointees to major statewide boards, and Superintendent Smidy's appointment is a very positive and welcome advance.

Kristen has been a fierce advocate for rural schools and I know she'll bring her strength and experience to BESE.

Our region’s lack of real representation on BESE has left us at the mercy of eastern Mass board members who do not fully understand the challenges or opportunities of our region. That’s why, in our pending rural schools bill (S.314/H.517), Rep. Blais and I mandate regional equity on BESE.

Massachusetts must join other states in protecting children from toxic chemicals

On September 6, I published an op-ed in MassLive focused on legislation I filed with Representative Jim Hawkins (2nd Bristol District) to ban PFAS and other toxic chemicals in all children’s products (S.195/H.384). 

Read the full op-ed here.

My thoughts on a new state Flag, Seal, and Motto

Our region has long led the statewide advocacy for a new Commonwealth flag, seal, and motto and the current Massachusetts Flag, Seal, and Motto Advisory Commission is laboring long and hard to produce options for the public’s review and feedback.

Symbols have weight. They have meaning. They have power.

It is time that we join together as a Commonwealth to account for our history, actively reject discrimination and injustice in all its forms, and embrace a common humanity and a transformative path forward.

Nothing worth doing is easy or simple. This is complex work. I am grateful to the Advisory Commission members, as well as the predecessor commission, for pressing forward to a new and better day for all Commonwealth residents.

Answering your calls to action on legislation and other pressing issues

About one-third of the hundreds of emails I receive each day are from constituents calling me to act on pieces of legislation or issues they support. Thank you for allowing this “bulk” reply to some of the issues I have heard most about in the recent weeks. 

An Act relative to preventing overdose deaths and increasing access to treatment (S.1393)

YES! I am proud to co-sponsor this legislation and am grateful for Senator Julian Cyr’s leadership. Overdose prevention sites have proven to be an effective and life-saving harm reduction tool. 

An Act establishing same day voter registration (S.505)

YES! I am proud to co-sponsor and publicly support this legislation, and I’m grateful for Majority Leader Cindy Creem’s leadership.

Continued coverage for GLP-1 medications 

I understand that constituents want GLP-1 medications to remain covered by insurance. I also understand that, for many, these are life saving drugs. GLP-1 use has skyrocketed and there aren’t yet cheaper, generic medications available. I am engaged with state health and Division of Insurance officials to better understand the path forward for future GLP-1 coverage. 

Protecting access to free and fair elections

YES! Please know that I hear the call to strengthen protections of mail-in and other accessible voting methods.

RetirementPlus

YES! My colleagues know that this is a priority for my constituents. That is why I was an early cosponsor of this legislation. They ask me “Jo, can we please discuss something other than R+ today?” And I respond, “Let’s pass it and we can stop talking about it.” 

Remove Section 45 in Governor Healey’s energy bill (H.4144)

YES! I agree that it would be unwise to repeal the 1982 state referendum requiring voter approval before building new nuclear power reactors in the Commonwealth. I have also filed legislation this session (S.2237) to remove nuclear fusion and pumped hydro storage (think: FirstLight) from the definition of clean energy.

Protecting immigrants

YES! I am a co-sponsor of Dignity Not Deportations, the Safe Communities Act, and legislation to establish an Immigrant Legal Defense Fund. And, I am joining colleagues in vetting a state legislative response to masked ICE agents who have been unwilling to demonstrate that they are federal law enforcement officers, as well as other provisions.

On Labor Day, I joined Senator Adam Gomez (pictured speaking below), colleagues from the Pioneer Valley Workers Center (PVWC), Neighbor to Neighbor, LUCE, the ACLU, and others to protest the ICE arrest of PVWC member leader Demetrio.

Ways to engage

Read on for new opportunities to engage and take action on the issues that matter most. 

• Office hours in October — Director of Constituent Services Jessie Cooley will be hosting remote office hours via Zoom on Thursday, October 16 from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Sign up here. Thanks to Jessie for leading.
• Opportunity to engage in energy infrastructure siting and permitting reforms — The Department of Energy Resources’ (DOER) Clean Energy Siting and Permitting Division is developing regulations to guide the local siting and permitting process for clean energy projects. On September 12, DOER released its proposed regulations. 
• There is an opportunity to participate in in-person informational sessions on October 8 at 6:00 p.m. at Fitchburg State University and on October 9 at 7:00 p.m. at UMass Amherst prior to a public comment hearing on October 15 at 7:00 p.m. For more information, visit here and scroll down. 

Out and about

As always, we’re only able to share a few highlights of our team out and about. As you scroll through, please know that my team and I also attended a meeting on strengthening mental health centers in western Massachusetts, a dinner hosted by FRCOG celebrating rural wins, a breakfast in Hadley with veterans, Congressman Jim McGovern’s annual farm tour, welcome back breakfasts at Smith College and UMass Amherst, a meeting with a group of Village Neighbor representatives, events for both of the region’s Children's Advocacy Centers, and much more. 

On July 15, I was glad to join Rep. Whipps in presenting a citation celebrating Geoff Newton, a lifelong Royalston resident, who retired as the town’s Building Inspector after 55 years of municipal service. Bravo and thank you, Geoff! 

On August 4 through 6, Chief of Staff Jared Freedman, Legislative Director Rachel Klein, and Communications & Engagement Director Katelyn Billings attended the 50th Annual National Conference of State Legislatures’ Legislative Summit in Boston. It was a packed three days  meeting staff and legislators from other states, learning about developing policy areas, and more. 

On August 14, I was glad to join U.S. Senator Ed Markey, FRCOG, local officials, and emergency response personnel in Greenfield to discuss the implementation of an Emergency Communication System and efforts to improve emergency response in Franklin County through regionalization and infrastructure improvements. Thank you to FRCOG for a tremendous presentation. 

August 22 was a jam-packed day of celebrations. I began my morning at Smith Vocational and Agricultural High School, where I joined school officials, Representative Lindsay Sabadosa, and others to cut the ribbon on their new Horticultural Building. 

A fire destroyed the old building in May 2022. A little more than three years and $7 million later, Smith Voc has a new facility, worthy of its important work. I was proud to secure $275,000 to support this work and prouder still that the Executive Office of Education and the Executive Office of Energy and Environment contributed $6+ million to this effort.

Thank you to the architectural team and builders for prioritizing this project. Thanks also to Smith College, the City of Northampton, Smith Voc parents and caregivers, local businesses, and members of the wider community who also contributed generously.

In the afternoon, I attended MassHire’s YouthWorks 2025 Summer Celebration. YouthWorks is a state-funded career readiness program for teens and young adults aged 14–25. Participants gain paid training and real-world work experience with local businesses and organizations.

Bravo to these young people for spending their summer working for local businesses.

On August 23, District Director Elena Cohen and I were delighted to serve alongside dozens and dozens of others at Stone Soup Cafe’s 20th Annual Harvest Supper. 

The Harvest Supper is the embodiment of community as it ought to be. It’s the perfect celebration of what makes western and north central Massachusetts the very best places to live. 

On September 5, I was delighted to join Elena and Jessie for the launch of a new Campus Food Pantry at UMass Amherst. This long-time vision is now a reality — with thanks to all of the students, staff, and faculty who have advocated for it for years; to Chancellor Javier Reyes who championed this project since he arrived on campus; and to the Amherst Survival Center.

I'm grateful to have such steadfast legislative partners in Representative Mindy Domb, Rep. Blais, and Congressman McGovern, all of whom are champions for greater food security in the Commonwealth.

The pantry opened for the first time on September 6, and over 160 individuals/families received food. Read my remarks from the launch event here. 

On September 12, I helped celebrate the 10th Anniversary of the Knowledge Corridor Rail Line with Massachusetts Department of Transportation Secretary Monica Tibbits-Nutt, Mayor Gina-Louise Sciarra, Congressman McGovern, Congressman Richard Neal, Rail & Transit Administrator Meredith Slesinger, Reps. Blais and Sabadosa, and Senator Jake Oliveira. 

The Knowledge Corridor — or north/south rail connecting Greenfield to Northampton and southern destinations — has exceeded all ridership projections and is a harbinger of the interconnected regional rail that this region needs and deserves.

On September 13, I joined a joyous ribbon cutting for Forbes Library's new performance stage, named in honor of Marjorie Hess, whom I have long admired.

I don't often pause to celebrate the impact of our team's actions, but I must say that I was very moved to know that our team secured $50,000 to help build a stage that will delight generations of people in Northampton and beyond.

Grateful to the many folks who worked tirelessly to bring this stage from paper to reality. 

On September 15, I joined Rep. Blais on the banks of the Connecticut River in Deerfield for our annual participation in the Connecticut River Conservancy’s (CRC) Source to Sea cleanup. 

In one hour, we pulled the trash that is pictured below out of the River. (Yes. I’m carrying a hot dog warmer.)

It's our collective job to protect and cherish this vital watershed. Thank you CRC for calling us into meaningful action and thank you to the hundreds of people who are participating in the clean up!

On September 17, I joined the 50th Anniversary gathering of the Massachusetts Caucus of Women Legislators at the State House. 

Since the founding of the Massachusetts State Legislature, 243 women have served, compared to 20,000 men. (Yup.)

A comment on my Facebook post about the event suggested that our group of “radical hags [were] nothing to celebrate.”

I respectfully disagree (about the celebration part of that comment). I’m proud to be part of this ceiling-shattering group, and I’m proud to have been woman #200 to be elected.

(And, if I ever write a memoir, “Radical Hag” will be the title.)

On the 21st day of September, I was glad to join Rep. Sabadosa and many others to speak at an energy fair at Smith Voc. Thanks to the Northampton Energy and Sustainability Commission, the Northampton Climate Emergency Coalition (NCEC), the Northampton Youth Commission, and others for hosting. 

Later that afternoon, I had the real privilege of joining the stellar Mount Grace Land Conservation Trust’s extraordinary annual meeting in Montague. Read my remarks about the importance of Mount Grace’s conservation efforts here. I’m pictured with Executive Director Emma Ellsworth.

You would absolutely never believe that it was just the fall equinox because “balance” in these extreme days is a rare commodity.

We’ll stop there and send our love to you. 

Jo, Jared, Katelyn, Elena, Jessie, and Rachel

P.S. We’ll close with two final examples of how — together — we’re moving the needle toward progress.

1. My team and I are excited about the new Environment & Climate One Stop (ECO One Stop) Grants Catalogue just released by the Executive Office of Energy & Environmental Affairs (EEA). Through this portal, municipalities will be able to submit a single application that will be considered by seven different grant programs at once. Modeled after the Executive Office of Economic Development’s Community One Stop for Growth program, this new initiative will enable communities to more easily apply for state funding for climate and environmental resilience projects. What’s more, I was also thrilled to learn that EEA eliminated all match requirements for small and rural communities across all seven grant programs. Expressions of interest are open now and due by October 28. Learn more here.
2. In March 2025, the western Massachusetts delegation wrote to Governor Healey about judicial vacancies on the Superior Court and about equitable representation on the Judicial Nominating Commission (JNC). I’m delighted to let you know that all four vacancies have been filled by the Governor and her team and more western and central Mass people are being considered for membership to the JNC. Now we turn our attention to the similarly critical need in the District Court. Thanks to Governor’s Councilor for District 8 Tara Jacobs and Western Massachusetts Director for Governor Healey, Kristen Elechko, for their leadership and partnership.

P.P.S. On September 25, many from our region gathered to love and cheer Clare Higgins and Community Action Pioneer Valley and celebrate Clare's remarkable life's work and retirement. Clare has set the bar high for all of us in public service. (Some who attended are pictured below.) Love you, Clare.

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