Good morning Westfield! I hope everyone is making the most of their long weekend. Here is a quick update from the last week:
The school year is off and running in the City of Westfield! I hope all the students returning had a great first few days back. Monday I had the pleasure of speaking at the Westfield Schools’ staff convocation. It was a wonderful opportunity to express my sincere gratitude for the hardworking men and women who work in our schools. Thanks to these individuals the future of Westfield is very bright. I wish everyone a great school year!
Wednesday night the Westfield Opioid Task Force held a Vigil on the Green to honor International Overdose Awareness Day. It was a truly moving event. We heard from a number of people, some of whom shared their personal stories of addiction. Also on display was a new wall of healing and hope. This wall is a place for people to share stories, pictures, words of encouragement and more. It will be traveling around the city in the coming weeks.
One sentiment that was echoed again and again at the vigil was the need for us to continue this conversation. As individuals and as a community, it is very important that we continue to address the disease of addiction. Like many diseases, addiction can affect anyone. It does not discriminate. We need to continue to stand together as a community and work towards a solution to this epidemic.
With that said, keep an eye out in the coming months for more events from Westfield’s Opioid Task Force. We will be continuing this effort and keeping this issue in the forefront.
That’s all for this week Westfield! Enjoy your Labor Day Weekend. As always, please feel free to contact me with any questions, comments or concerns at [email protected] or 413-572-3920.
