As a City Councilor for Westfield, I spend a large portion of my time working to resolve negative issues that impact the residents of Westfield.
However, there are so many positive events which effect Westfield residents also. One such event is the CSFWestfield Dollars for Scholars 54th Annual Scholarship Awards Night which was held on May 17, 2016.
CSF Westfield Dollars for Scholars is a dedicated group of volunteers working to the goal of providing scholarships to Westfield students to achieve their dreams of undergraduate higher education. The Awards ceremony lasted one night but the volunteers work year round to acquire scholarship funds, manage the scholarships, review the scholarship applications, anonymously choose the student with the best match for the scholarship requirements, and work with the colleges and universities to implement the award.
Cynthia Neary is the President of CSF Westfield Dollars for Scholars. For all of dedication and hard work, Cynthia received the 2015 Ralph “Cy” Seibert National Volunteer of the Year Award from Scholarship America. Cynthia was selected from 30,000 volunteers to receive this prestigious award. Cynthia is quick to point out that this award was the reflection of the entire group of CSF Westfield Dollars for Scholars volunteers.
The Award ceremony itself was a culmination of all of the hard work from the CSF Westfield Dollars for Scholars volunteers. The highlights included listening to the stories behind the scholarships. Some of the donors spoke to the entire audience offering sage advice and the personal meaning behind the scholarship.
After the ceremony, the scholarship recipient had the opportunity to personally thank the donor or presenter. I was fortunate to spend time talking with Valerie Sampier-Brown, the generous patron of the Joel Philip Brown Memorial Endowment Scholarship. To hear the story of her husband Joel, the person behind the scholarship, and their legacy, was a heartfelt honor. It certainlyrevealed the true meaning ofthe scholarship.
The 2016 CSF Westfield Dollars for Scholars awarded $131,600.00 scholarships to 137 students. This was the highest dollar total in the 54 years. If anyone would like to contribute to CSF Westfield Dollars for Scholars or begin a scholarship of their own, please email to csfwestfieldma.com or call 413-568-2103.
Congratulations to the deserving students, and thanks to the donors and volunteers of CSF Westfield Dollars for Scholars for their hard work and supporting the education of Westfield students.
The Run Westfield 5K Road Race and walk will be held May 21. The race begins by Westfield State University and ends in downtown Westfield.
This is another great event that brings residents together in downtown Westfield. Last year there were over 850 runners, countless walkers, and thousands of people cheering.
If you look closely, not towards the front or even the middle of the back of the pack, you may spot me aiming for the finish line.
In the Westfield City Council Health and Safety Committee, we are discussing two issues—a proposal to ban plastic grocery type bags and adopting a Complete Streets policy.
The plastic bag discussion focuses on the types of bags that are used in many grocery stores and big box retailers. One can often see these bags blowing around certain retail areas of the city. These lightweight bags are bad for the environment because they don’t easily degrade and can find their way into water sources and become a danger to animal life. However, the committee is also looking at potential impacts that restrictions would have on businesses and residents. The devil is always in the details: What size bags? What thickness bags? Produce bags in grocery stores? The committee is considering all aspects of this proposal so that the right decision is made for Westfield.
The Complete Streets policy is a policy, or ordinance, which makes City roadways more bicycle and pedestrian friendly, as judged by the Massachusetts Department of Transportation. The policy can be as simple as allowing bicycles to ride on sidewalks or as complex as dictating that every new road must have a dedicated bike path along the side of the road. Anything between these extremes or not adopting a policy at all is being considered. If the City does create a Complete Streets policy or ordinance, the MassDOT must formally approve it. Upon approval, the City becomes eligible for up the $50,000.00 in engineering funding and $400,000.00 in construction funding for qualified projects. Some of the down sides of Complete Streets are that road projects can become more expensive and MassDOT funding can be used up or eliminated before Westfield has a chance to collect any money. The Health and Safety Committee is moving cautiously to determine what will be in the best interest of the City.
Everyone is encouraged to attend the Health and Safety Committee meetings and learn more about these proposals or to express their opinions. We want to know how the residents feel on these issues and you may bring up points that none of us on the committee even considered. The meeting dates and times will be posted on the City web site www.cityofwestfield.org.
Thank you for taking time to read this. Please feel free to contact me at [email protected] or 413-568-7747.
