Human Service Forum

Fuel Up Week!
2024-12-02 08:00 - 22:00 (America/New_York) | MA

Connect Science: Service-Learning Training Program
2024-12-05 08:00 - 17:00 | MA
MSA is excited to announce the return of our Connect Science: Service-Learning Training Program! Join us to learn about Connect Science: a research-based science instruction that integrates social emotional learning, science, and service-learning.

WHAT: Training, materials, and support aligned with upper elementary MA Science and Technology Standards. Participants will receive an evidence-based service-learning/social emotional/science unit of study with all the materials to implement with students.
WHO: Any school district or out-of-school time program
WHEN:

December 5 & 6, 2024
December 12 & 13, 2024
Follow up virtual session determined by participants

WHERE: Massachusetts Service Alliance, 98 N. Washington Street, Suite 400 Boston, MA 02114

To learn more, read this linked info sheet and attend the upcoming Connect Science Service-Learning Training Info Session on October 4th at 11 am. Register for the Connect Science info session using this link.*
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*If you are not able to attend this session live and you would still like to hear the information, please still register and you will be sent a link to the recording of the session.

Holiday Performance
2024-12-05 12:15 - 13:30 | MA
Holiday Performance by Berkshire Hills Music Academy Musicians

December 5 @ 12:15 pm–1:30 pm
|Cost: $4|Cost for Members: FREE

Note: In-person Only

Join us for a live performance of holiday music! Berkshire Hills Music Academy (BHMA) students John Libera, Michael Cote, Matt Cloughley, Franklin Nichols, and woodwind instructor Paul Coffill will present a variety of seasonal selections. Together the five represent three different chamber ensembles at BHMA.

Hot Chocolate Run
2024-12-08 08:00 - 12:00 | MA
The Hot Chocolate Run is a community celebration of Safe Passage, the Hampshire County organization addressing domestic violence.
Sign up to run, walk, or volunteer on December 8!
Then, share your fundraising page with family and friends to create year-round support for survivors of domestic violence.

Join us for a great time for a great cause!

CHD’s & Cancer House of Hope’s Luminaria 2024
2024-12-09 17:00 - 19:00 | MA
Join us for the Cancer House of Hope’s annual Luminaria on Dec 9th, 5 pm to 7 pm at the Town Common in West Springfield, MA.
Honor your loved ones who have passed away or a loved one currently fighting cancer or has survived. You can buy a luminary for $10 each.

Legislators & Cookies
2024-12-10 10:00 - 11:30 | MA
Close out 2024 with COSA! Join COSA for an in-person December meeting at the Hadley Public Library. Bring a batch of your favorite cookies to share and learn how nonprofits can effectively engage with state & federal legislative offices. We will hear from legislative offices about the general timeline of events & actions in the new year, how and when to effectively advocate for legislation and budget line items, and get a chance to ask questions of legislators and their staff.

Speakers:

Dan Carey, State Representative, Second Hampshire
Mindy Domb, State Representative, Third Hampshire
Jo Comerford, State Senator, Hampshire, Franklin and Worcester
Koby Gardner-Levine, Regional Manager for Congressman Jim McGovern

Date: Tuesday, December 10, 2024
Time: 10:00am-11:30 am
Location: Hadley Public Library, 50 Middle Street, Hadley, MA 01035
Light refreshments will be available.

Advocacy 101: How to be the best advocate for your child
2024-12-10 17:00 - 19:30 | Inclusive Community Center, 41 Russell St., Hadley, MA, 01035, United States
This workshop led by Alison Greene will teach you the ins and outs of advocating for your child: How to be more successful by focusing on the most impactful activities that will result in quality supports and services for your child. Learn the processes that turn the wheels of special education, as well as tips for maintaining both a good relationship with the school and high standards for your child.

Community Leadership Connect
2024-12-12 16:00 - 17:00 | MA
Welcome to Community Leadership Connect launch! Join us on Thursday, Dec 12. 2024 at 4:00 PM to learn more about this exciting new initiative supporting regional leaders.
The CLC is designed to be a space for convening, collaborating and coordinating community resources that support our regional leaders.
Resource Database:
An inventory of regional leadership development services, including training programs, workshops, and networking events. This free, community access database is a resource guide for leadership development opportunities across the region.
Mentoring Hub:
A centralized mentorship platform that recruits experienced leaders (mentors) and matches them with emerging leaders based on areas of interest, industry, or leadership skills.
Peer Support Circles:
Regular group meetings (virtual or in-person) for shared learning, problem-solving, and emotional support, connecting peers centered on demographic or professional similarities.

Women’s Leadership Circle
New to Leadership
Leading Youth Programs
Board Chairs Circle

Leadership Learnings and Skill Developments:
In collaboration with Human Service Forum and local content experts, training opportunities ranging from multiple day series formats to single session workshops, provide ongoing education to meet the needs of all leaders, wherever they may be in their discovery.

More information

Feel free to share or bring a guest!

On Board Matching Event
2024-12-12 17:00 - 19:00 | MA
We are excited to once again host the United Way OnBoard Matching Event, where your skills and expertise can help make a difference in our community! This unique opportunity connects passionate individuals like you with local nonprofits seeking new board members.
At this event, you will:

Meet with nonprofit leaders actively seeking board members
Learn about the missions, challenges, and needs of these organizations
Explore opportunities to leverage your skills in support of meaningful causes
Network with other community leaders and like-minded professionals

Tthis event is a perfect chance to explore different options and find a match that aligns with your passion.
We hope you can join us for an inspiring and rewarding evening! Should you have any questions, feel free to reach out to Ali Maggio at amaggio@uwpv.org.
Free parking for this event is available at the MGM Springfield Garage.
Paid parking is available at the Tower Square Garage.

Santa's Train
2024-12-18 14:00 - 15:00 | MA
I
Come meet Santa in a sensory-friendly environment, just for you!
In collaboration with the Pioneer Valley Model Railroad Club, The Garden
House at Look Park will be transformed into a mystical wonderland, and
will offer sights and sounds to capture the magic of the season.
Children of all ages will have the chance to visit with Santa and Mrs. Claus
and explore an enchanted forest of holiday trees and playful miniature
villages with vintage model trains whizzing through the landscape. Bring
your camera to take your holiday photos, and share your images to post
with us after the event if you like!
Before leaving, you can drive through the park and enjoy the rest of the
holiday lights installed throughout the grounds.
Keeping this event sensory-friendly means the concessions, trolley. bar
and market will not be available from 2:00-3:00, during our private event.
Sounds and lights will be turned down low and limited.
The Garden house is wheelchair accessible.
Please contact kansas.brown@pathlightgrouporg with any question

Whole Children and Milestones Winter Classes Registration Open
2024-12-19 08:00 - 17:00 | MA
Winter session registration is open for in-person and virtual classes! The session runs from January 6 to March 1, 2025. NEW this winter are Craft Club and Music Exploration. Sign-up now to save your spot: https://wholechildren.org/class-schedule

Father's & Family Network Meeting
2024-12-19 10:00 - 11:30 | MA

Dreidel Painting Workshop
2024-12-22 12:00 - 16:00 | MA
Grab your family and head to The Mill District General Store and Local Art Gallery on Sunday, December 22 from 12-4pm to paint a wooden dreidel!
This FREE, family-friendly activity is perfect for kids of all ages. We will provide brushes, one wooden dreidel per person, and a choice between acrylic or tempura paint. Get ready to spend an enjoyable afternoon making memories at the gallery table with family and new friends! Wear clothes you don’t mind getting stained. Please RSVP via the ticket link.
Donations accepted for the Amherst Survival Center.

Winter Holiday Break
2024-12-30 08:00 - 17:00 | MA

FREE Youth Financial Literacy Workshop
2024-12-30 11:00 - 14:00 | MA
Control your finances before they control you!

Our free Youth Financial Literacy Workshop tells you what you need to know about managing your money, credit cards and more.
This workshop is for Middle School, High School and college-bound youths. December 30, 2024, from 11am-2pm at Way Finders, 1780 Main Street, Springfield, MA.
Everyone who attends gets free lunch and a gift card!
Attendance is limited to 30 – sign up today to reserve your space.

Community Foundation SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATION OPENS
2025-01-01 08:00 - 17:00 | MA
Obtaining a college education is expensive, and the Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts strives to provide some financial assistance to students living in Franklin, Hampden and Hampshire counties to help them achieve their goal of graduating from college. We have over 160 different scholarship funds, and each year we give away over 1,000 individual scholarship awards. This equates to approximately $1.4 million in scholarships.

Itty Bitty Basketball
2025-01-04 09:00 - 10:00 | MA

I survived Cancer, Now What?
2025-01-06 18:00 - 19:30 | MA
Jan 06, 2025, 6:00 PM – 7:30 PM EST

Interactive webinar to explore life beyond treatment with practical tools, personal stories, and support. Register today to take the next step in your cancer journey!

First-time Homebuyer Workshop
2025-01-08 17:30 - 20:30 | MA
Become a certified first-time homebuyer with Way Finders! Learn from local real estate professionals about the homebuying process.
The course covers finding, financing, purchasing, and maintaining a home. Participants receive a certificate of completion that is necessary to access several down payment assistance programs and special mortgage products.
This is a three-part online workshop:
Wednesdays 5:30pm-8:30pm
January 8, 15 and 22
Walk-ins are not accepted. Attendance for this workshop will be limited.
Cost of the workshop is $50 per household, nonrefundable.
Please register in advance at the link below.

Know Your Rights: Information for immigrant community members and programs who serve them
2025-01-10 12:00 - 13:00 | MA
Information for immigrant community members and programs who serve them.

Join us for an informative webinar, “Know Your Rights: Information for Immigrant Community Members and Programs Who Serve Them.” Speakers include Elizabeth Sweet, Executive Director of MIRA, MA Immigrant & Refugee Advocacy Coalition and Ilana Steinhauer, Executive Director of Volunteers in Medicine Berkshires

Conozca sus derechos: Información para miembros de la comunidad de inmigrantes y programas que los atienden.

Únase a nosotros para un seminario web informativo, “Conozca sus derechos: información para miembros de la comunidad de inmigrantes y programas que les sirven”. Los presentantes incluyen a Elizabeth Sweet, directora ejecutiva de MIRA, MA Immigrant & Refugee Advocacy Coalition e Ilana Steinhauer, directora ejecutiva de Volunteers in Medicine Berkshires

Story Telling for Wellbeing
2025-01-14 10:00 - 11:00 | MA

Create Better Health: My Plate Cooking Class
2025-01-14 18:30 - 19:30 | MA
The Food Bank of Western Massachusetts, in partnership with SNAP-Ed, offers free nutrition education programs to our member agencies.
In this cooking presentation, we’ll explore MyPlate healthy eating guidelines, decipher the nutrition facts labels and learn how to make a budget-friendly meal!
For more information, contact Nutrition Coordinators Abigail Killian at abigailk@foodbankwma.org (413)419-1156 or Katie Grimaldi at katiel@foodbankwma.org (413)203-6379.

Virtual Adoption Matching Event for Children with Disabilities
2025-01-15 18:30 - 20:30 | MA
The Massachusetts Adoption Resource Exchange (MARE) and the Department of Children and Families (DCF) invite you to a virtual matching event featuring children with disabilities. Families new to the adoption process and those from out-of-state are welcome to join us and learn more about these children. At the event, we will have a panel of experienced families, video snapshots, and opportunity to hear from social workers discussing the children on their caseload. This is a time to learn more about each child’s needs and ask them questions about their potential fit for your family. The event will take place over Zoom and information about how to access the event will be sent to you upon registration.

For Child Social Workers:
This event is for children on the specialized recruitment case and social workers will not be able to register via the website. We apologize for the inconvenience and look forward to hosting this type of event for more children in the future.

For questions please contact Kristina Russell atkristinar@mareinc.org

Morning Coffee
2025-01-16 10:00 - 11:30 | Palmer Public Library, Palmer, MA, United States
HomeFront Strong sponsors a monthly gathering on the third Wednesday of each month from 10:00-11:30am, hosted by the Palmer Veterans Services Department.
One of the main purposes of Morning Coffee is to connect service members, veterans, and their family members to the resources and services available to them. Many Morning Coffee attendees also find a community of people who can empathize with the unique challenges and benefits of the military life cycle, ready and eager to welcome them to the tribe!

2nd Annual One Mission Conference: Human Trafficking Awareness
2025-01-17 08:00 - 16:00 | MA
Join us for the 2nd Annual One Mission Conference: Human Trafficking Awareness, uniting professionals dedicated to making a difference.
This conference will focus on trauma-informed care for often-overlooked survivors of human trafficking, including LGBTQ+ individuals, male-identifying victims, and those affected by labor trafficking. Attendees will gain tools to support, identify, and advocate for survivors, fostering awareness and recovery through survivor-centered approaches.
Register today to be part of the change: bit.ly/41kO4iO

Hola. hablamos en espanol
2025-01-17 08:00 - 17:00 | MA

Credit Success Workshop
2025-01-18 08:00 - 12:30 | MA
Whether you want to buy a house or a car, pay off your student loan debt, or understand how to build your credit, Way Finders is here to help.
Our Credit Success Workshop provides the tools you need to reach your financial goals. Learn directly from a Way Finders’ certified counselor through interactive and engaging activities. After you complete your workshop, you will have the opportunity to meet with a HUD-certified housing counselor to discuss your individual goals.
There is a $10 fee to reserve your seat for the workshop. This fee will be refunded upon workshop completion.
Way Finders is dedicated to assisting low-to-moderate income clients achieve financial stability and success. You will not be turned away for inability to pay.
To request a one-time time waiver please contact our support department at homeownership@wayfinders.org or 413-233-1621.
Click the link below create an account and register. This is an in-person workshop at Way Finders’ Springfield Housing Center, 1780 Main Street, Springfield.

MLK Day 2025
2025-01-20 12:00 - 16:00 | MassMutual Center, 1277 Main Street, Springfield , MA, 01103, United States
MLK Day is January 20, 2025!
MassMutual Center
Sunday, January 20, 2025
12:00PM – Arts & Wellness Expo
2:00PM – Program
Each year, as we gather to honor the life and enduring legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., we are reminded of his unwavering commitment to justice, equity, and peace. This year’s theme, “Pursue Justice. Persist in Peace,” captures the essence of Dr. King’s philosophy and provides a framework for how we are to approach the myriads of challenges that persist today.
The event will take place on Monday, January 20, 2025, from 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM at the MassMutual Center in Springfield, MA. Our community welcome begins with artistic expressions, exhibitions, and vendors in the lobby entrance followed by an awe-inspiring purpose driven program where nearly 1,000 youth and supporting adult participants will manifest our theme through inspiring spoken word, dance & music presentations featuring MLK Charter School of Excellence, Martin Luther King Jr. Family Services’ Youth & Clemente Program, Community Music School of Springfield’s Sonido Musica, String City, African Drumming, Springfield CommUnity Chorale, Young at Heart Chorus, Springfield Public Schools students, and more.
Our community coalition of organizations include Community Music School of Springfield, D.R.E.A.M. Studios, Inclusive Strategies, Legacy Sounds, Martin Luther King Jr. Family Services, Martin Luther King Jr. Charter School of Excellence, Springfield College, Springfield Public Schools, Springfield Cultural Partnership, Urban League of Springfield and Young At Heart Chorus, who are all working in unity together to ensure this is a memorable community experience.
This collaboration demonstrates the power of coming together, transcending boundaries, and working toward the common goal of justice with and for our Beloved Community. Let’s show the world what persisting in peace looks like in the 4-1-3.
To learn more or to sponsor this inspiring community event, please contact cpazmany@mlkjrfs.org.

2025 Cammer Cup
2025-01-20 12:00 - 17:00 | MA
CHD’s All In Youth and Adult Recreation Sled Hockey is hosting its 15th Annual sled hockey games and teams will face off against local celebrities on January 20, 2025, at the Mass Mutual Center. Do not miss this opportunity to support the Springfield Thunderbirds Sled Hockey team, have some fun watching local sled-brities, and raise funds for CHD’s All In Barrier Free Program. Your Cammer Cup ticket gets you Exclusive Access to the Thunderbirds vs. Bridgeport game played after our games.
Game Day Schedule
Cammer Cup vs. Celebrities – noon to 12:45 p.m.
Travel Team vs. Vermont Pioneers – 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Thunderbirds vs. Bridgeport game – 3:05 p.m.
The Cammer Cup honors and celebrates the memory of late teammate Alex Camerlin, and a portion of the proceeds goes directly to CHD’s All-In program. We are excited to be hosting this event 15 years in a row and providing kids and adults with physical disabilities with a way to get active in a fun, engaging, and inclusive environment where everyone can shine and included.

* One ticket purchase gets you into all 3 games.
** Tickets cannot be purchased at the Mass Mutual Center box office or through CHD. They can only be purchased through the link provided above.

Cammer Cup 25
2025-01-20 12:00 - 17:00 | MA
