Human Service Forum

Shared Living and Adult Family Care Conference
2026-04-14 08:30 - 17:00 (America/New_York)
ServiceNet is one of several provider agencies hosting this year’s Shared Living & Adult Family Care Conference at the Best Western Royal Plaza Hotel & Trade Center in Marlborough, MA. Join us as we come together to advance best practices in Shared Living and Adult Family Care. Get tickets

HSF I.T. Roundtable
2026-04-16 09:00 - 10:30 | Online via Zoom
A benefit for HSF members. IT professionals in Human Services — you are not alone! Join peers in a monthly roundtable discussion to connect with others who understand your work, crowdsource solutions, and share challenges. We are stronger together.
Get updates on any Roundtables by registering here: https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/ev/reg/3s7thg3

If you have not previously attended, or are not registered please contact Jeff Tingley for more information.

18th Annual Empty Bowls
2026-04-18 12:00 - 16:00
Join us for the 18th Annual Empty Bowls, a beloved community tradition held during a milestone year as the Amherst Survival Center celebrates 50 years of serving our neighbors with dignity and compassion.
Spend the evening enjoying a delicious, hearty soup prepared by your favorite local restaurants while connecting with community leaders, special guest hosts, and live music. Choose a beautiful handmade bowl from hundreds generously crafted and donated by local artists — a meaningful keepsake and symbol of the collective care that has sustained our community for five decades.
Alongside comforting soups, guests will enjoy fresh bread, salad, and dessert, with vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free options available so everyone can gather at the table.
For 50 years, the Amherst Survival Center has worked to ensure no one in our community goes hungry. Today, more than 12,000 neighbors rely on our Food and Nutrition Programs each year. Every ticket purchased and every donation made at Empty Bowls helps fill empty bowls — not just for one evening, but throughout the year ahead.

UMass 5K Annual Dash & Dine
2026-04-25 09:00 - 13:00
UMass Dining is excited to host the Fifteenth Annual 5K Dash & Dine on Saturday, April 25th, 2026! This event is open to both students and the community with the goal to raise funds for the Amherst Survival Center. We hope you join us for lunch immediately after the run/walk!

EnTEENpreneur Challenge
2026-04-28 09:00 - 17:00
Inspiring the entrepreneurs of tomorrow

When: Tuesday, April 28, 2026
Where: UMass Amherst Henry M. Thomas III Center at Springfield
Time: 9:00 AM ET

The EnTEENpreneur Challenge is essentially, a pitch contest similar in format to one seen on a reality TV show about entrepreneurship. Leading up to the event, students use the JA Company Program and the JA Be Entrepreneurial Program to learn valuable skills and build the mindset to be a resourceful, innovative entrepreneur.
Entrepreneurs and JA partners from the community make up the judging panel, and students have 90 seconds to convince the panel to fund their company. The judging panel determines 1st, 2nd and 3rd place winners by numerical score based on a rubric that is available upon request. The top three teams receive cash prizes in the following amounts:
1st place wins $500 ($100 per person, assuming a team of five students)
2nd place wins $375 ($75 per person, assuming a team of five students)
3rd place wins $250 ($50 per person, assuming a team of five students)
Students do not need a ready-for-sale product to participate in the challenge. Students who opt to create a product can participate in a trade show in Tower Square. Awards are given for the “Best Trade Booth” and “Most Innovative Product” as voted on by the panel and by all student participants in the event.
In addition, the winning student teams are eligible to submit their plans to the JA USA Future Bound competition held annually. In 2026, the competition will be hosted in Boston, MA. If a Western Massachusetts student team is selected, JAWM helps prepare the team for competition and covers expenses.

Autism Connections' 34th Annual Autism Conference
2026-04-30 08:00 - 17:00
We are pleased to announce the 34th annual Autism Conference on April 30, 2026!
This exciting event is designed to foster a sense of community among a diverse group of attendees, including parents, caregivers, individuals with autism and autistic individuals, extended family members and friends, educators, social workers, and other professionals.
The Autism Conference offers a unique opportunity to engage with exhibitors and presenters who will share valuable insights and resources, providing knowledge, inspiration and motivation to expand your circle of supports. We are dedicated to focusing on resources that address the needs of individuals across all life stages.
We are particularly excited to announce our keynote speaker, Dr. Daniel Wendler, PsyD, clinical psychologist, bestselling author, and autistic self-advocate, who brings powerful insights on neurodiversity, inclusion, and human connection through both professional expertise and lived experience. In addition to the keynote, participants can look forward to an all-new and expanded line-up of 18 Breakout Sessions!
We strive to make this event available to as many people as possible. If you are experiencing financial constraints and are interested in attending the conference at a discounted price, let us know by checking the Request Financial Support box on the registration form. Thanks to a generous grant from the Doug Flutie, Jr. Foundation for Autism we are able to offer up to a 100% discount on a limited number of tickets.
For all general event questions, please email us at AutismConference@servicenet.org.

Elevating Together: A Celebration of Youth, Legacy & Leadership
2026-04-30 17:30 - 20:30
For more than a century, the Urban League of Springfield has expanded opportunity, strengthened families, and invested in the future of our community. This year, we invite you to join us for an inspiring evening that celebrates that legacy and the leaders helping to shape what comes next.
Elevating Together: A Celebration of Youth, Legacy & Leadership will bring together civic leaders, corporate partners, and community champions for a powerful evening of recognition, music, and community impact.
Throughout the evening we will honor outstanding leaders whose work continues to uplift and empower our community while supporting the programs that serve youth, families, and seniors across Springfield.

Dementia Journey Group at The Shelburne Senior Center
2026-05-04 10:30 - 12:30 | Senior Center Shelburne Falls, 7 Main Street, Shelburne Falls, MA, 01370, United States
Join us for an 8-session group for people living with early stage dementia and their care partners to equip themselves with resources and peer connections to help navigate the journey ahead.
The group will center around Ariadne Labs’ Living Well with Dementia Toolkit, providing concrete strategies for enhancing quality of life.
Sessions cover essential topics such as relationships, daily living, future planning, health, and dementia supports.
A light meal will be provided!
Meeting at The Shelburne Senior Center
Limited Space. Registration Required. Call or email to learn more:
Contact LifePath’s Information & Caregiver Resource Center (ICRC) at 413-773-5555 X1230, or email info@lifepathma.org
This group is funded through a grant from the Executive Office of Aging and Independence

Dementia Journey Group at The Athol Senior Center
2026-05-04 10:30 - 12:30 | Athol Senior Center, 82 Freedom Street, Athol, MA, United States
Join us for an 8-session group for people living with early stage dementia and their care partners to equip themselves with resources and peer connections to help navigate the journey ahead.
The group will center around Ariadne Labs’ Living Well with Dementia Toolkit, providing concrete strategies for enhancing quality of life.
Sessions cover essential topics such as relationships, daily living, future planning, health, and dementia supports.
A light meal will be provided!
Limited Space. Registration Required. Call or email to learn more:
Contact LifePath’s Information & Caregiver Resource Center (ICRC) at 413-773-5555 X1230, or email info@lifepathma.org
This group is funded through a grant from the Executive Office of Aging and Independence

Dementia Journey
2026-05-04 10:30 - 12:30

HSF Virtual HR Roundtable
2026-05-05 09:00 - 10:30 | Online via Zoom
Open to HSF Members. Join us for a monthly discussion with fellow HR professionals from human service organizations. Connect with others doing similar work, share challenges, and explore solutions. We are stronger together.

Get updates on any Roundtables by registering here: https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/ev/reg/3s7thg3

If you have not previously attended, or are not registered please contact Jeff Tingley for more information.

Leaders Lounge
2026-05-14 08:30 - 10:00 | United Way of Pioneer Valley, 1441 Main Street, Suite 137, Springfield, MA, 01103, United States
Join us for Leaders Lounge—a free, informal monthly meetup on the second Thursday of every month for nonprofit leaders and community builders.
Hosted by United Way of Pioneer Valley’s Community Leadership Connect, it’s a space to share ideas, test solutions, and learn of best practices. All are welcome to join the conversation!
Come as you are to connect, grow, and recharge in a welcoming, relaxed atmosphere. We can’t wait to see you there!

17th Annual Jordan's Furniture Walk/Run for Adoption!
2026-05-17 10:00 - 13:00
At MARE, we know that all children deserve a safe, loving place to call home. However, the reality is that in Massachusetts, there are currently 1,400 children and teens in foster care awaiting adoption who have no relatives or other potential adopters.
That’s why we’re hosting our 17th Annual Jordan’s Furniture Walk/Run for Adoption! This main event includes festivities, food, games, balloons, and family-friendly fun! Walkers and runners are invited to complete a 5k fun-run, consisting of three loops around the course. All the funds raised from this event go towards helping children and teens in foster care find adoptive homes!

Dialogues Across Differences
2026-05-18 10:00 - 14:00
Dialogues Across Differences is a three-day training series preparing individuals, communities, organizations, and coalitions that are enhancing their skills in facilitating conversations across profound differences of experience, social location, and understanding. How do we talk about race? gender? equity? Learn the skills necessary to facilitate dialogue through an approach that will strengthen the abilities you already have. Drawing on current research, ancient global wisdom teachings, Popular Education, Dialogue Education and theories of adult learning, we will practice shaping dialogue and engaging in productive conversations across differences in a way that strengthens us all.

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Learning-based Objectives
• Engage adults in a process of learning and social change that employs a set of Popular Education principles that are respectful, empowering, and accountable.
• Work with content about intersectional oppression, anticipating tensions to address common and predictable misconceptions, values, and conflicts in our communities and culture.
• Find restorative resources for oneself.
• Learn when to apply this learning and when best to hold back.
• Identify powerful facilitative questions and creating opportunities to practice skills and receive feedback in a respectful, challenging, and energetic forum.
CEUs Available
This program has been approved for 10.5 Social Work Continuing Education hours for relicensure, in accordance with 258 CMR. NASW-MA Chapter CE Approving Program, Authorization Number D10624-1.

18 Under 18 Awards
2026-05-18 17:00 - 20:00
The Junior Achievement of Western Massachusetts 18 Under 18 Awards, presented by Teddy Bear Pools and Spas, provide an opportunity to recognize outstanding young people who exemplify an innovative spirit, leadership, and community involvement.
The celebration recognized the many contributions and accomplishments of our awardees at a special awards dinner.

Memory Training
2026-06-01 13:00 - 15:00
A four-week workshop series (2 hours for each session), this workshop is for people with mild age-related memory challenges, Memory Training teaches memory-enhancing techniques and practical strategies to boost memory functioning. Not intended for people with dementia or Alzheimer’s.

Winter 2026: Fridays from February 27-March 23, 12:30-2:30 p.m. In-person at the Holyoke Senior Center

Summer 2026: Mondays, June 1-22, 1:00-3:00 p.m. In-person at Chicopee RiverMills Senior Center
Fall 2026: Tuesdays, October 6 – 27, 1:00-3:00 p.m. In-person at Mont Marie Senior Housing, Holyoke

28th Annual Golf Tournament
2026-06-05 10:00 - 17:00
This year is our 28th Annual Golf Tournament! Take advantage of a gorgeous location at the Crumpin-Fox Club. The tournament features a fantastic golfer package and outstanding course as your support keeps JA’s programs going strong. It promises to be a day you and your team will be talking about until next year!
Please email Amie Miarecki at amiarecki@jawm.org to sponsor our mission to empower young people to reach their full potential!
Registration Begins at 8:00am
Shotgun Start at 10:00am
Crumpin-Fox Golf Club
87 Parmenter Road Bernardston, MA
