2024 Year in Review
As we wrap up 2024, we wanted to take a minute to reflect on all the great memories we made this year and celebrate or successes!
West Region self advocates worked hard and accomplished a lot this year. Here are just some of the highlights:
Several West Region self advocates tackled new leadership roles both as part of our Regional Planning Team and on the M.A.S.S. Statewide Self Advocacy Board.
West Region self advocate Irene Morrison was recently named Secretary of the M.A.S.S Board.
We hosted our milestone 20th Annual West Region Self Advocacy Conference. The event brought together almost 100 self advocates from across the state, and we were honored with special recognition from Senator Ed Markey and Attorney General Andrea Campbell.
We participated in National Disability Voting Rights Week by hosting an in-person voter registration drive and a virtual voter education event. Some self advocates voted for the first time year!
West Region self advocate Steven Tobey and Self Advocacy Peer Coordinator, Amber Pettell traveled to Marlborough, MA to participate in the 2024 Paul W. Spooner Generational Leadership Summit. The summit, hosted by the Massachusetts Developmental Disabilities Council (MDDC), Disability Policy Consortium (DPC), and Boston Center for Independent Living (BCIL), tackles the future of disability advocacy.
To kick-off the holiday season, West Region self advocacy groups Leadership Through Advocacy, Westfield Self Advocacy, and Open Door Club organized food drives. As result of their efforts, hundreds of pounds of food were donated to food pantries in Chicopee, Northampton, and Westfield.
We partnered with amazing organizations like United Way of Pioneer Valley, Massachusetts Voter Table, MEFA and others to create useful learning opportunities for self advocates. We already have a few exciting collabs planned for 2025!
Thank you for being part of our community we value you more than you know. Stick around, big things are coming!!
