Human Service Forum

2025 Annual West Region Self Advocacy Conference
2025-05-31 09:00 - 16:00 (America/New_York)
Massachusetts West Region Self Advocacy is elated to invite you to celebrate and reflect with us at our2025 Annual West Region Self Advocacy Conference! The event will be held Saturday, May 31, 2025 at the Sheraton Monarch Place Hotel in Springfield, MA.

Self advocacy is an international civil rights movement started by and for people with disabilities. For over 40 years in Western Massachusetts, self advocates have added to the richness of our community by recognizing a need for change and calling for action. The Annual West Region Self Advocacy Conference was created to further these meaningful pursuits by facilitating collaboration and community. For two decades self advocates from across New England have come together at the conference to share knowledge, stories, collaborate to create change, and recognize one another’s efforts and accomplishments.

This year is especially meaningful for our community as we celebrate the 30th anniversary of Massachusetts West Region Self Advocacy! This is a powerful opportunity to celebrate and reflect on our victories over the past three decades. Every year we select a theme based on the ideals of our movement; this year we are proud to highlight The Legacy of Self Advocacy: Past, Present, and Future. Every day we build on the accomplishments of our past and move forward towards an inclusive and equitable world for everyone.
We must acknowledge that even on the brink of this milestone anniversary, self advocates are actively facing new challenges in today’s world. The conference remains an important time to come together and harness the collective energy, wisdom, and passion of our community. We know that when people work together, revolutionary things happen.

Men's Health Forum
2025-05-31 08:00 - 15:30
Welcome to the Men’s Health Forum!
Come join us at the UMass Amherst Henry M. Thomas III Center at Springfield for a day focused on men’s health. Our forum will feature informative sessions, interactive workshops, and expert speakers covering a range of topics including physical health, mental well-being, and lifestyle choices.
Whether you’re looking to learn more about preventive care, fitness tips, or mental health resources, this event is for you. Connect with other men in the community, ask questions, and gain valuable insights to help you lead a healthier life.
Don’t miss out on this opportunity to prioritize your health and well-being. Mark your calendar and join us at the Men’s Health Forum! Bring your dads, husbands, sons, brothers, uncles, nephews, and friends!
Presented by Men of Color Health Awareness (MOCHA) and UMass Amherst Henry M. Thomas III Center at Springfield
In collaboration with UMass Amherst School of Public Health & Health Sciences Center for Community Health Equity Research and Baystate Health

Western Massachusetts Network to End Homelessness 9th Annual Regional Gathering
2025-05-30 09:30 - 12:00
Bold Leadership in Uncertain Times
Western Massachusetts Network to End Homelessness 9th Annual Regional Gathering

Please join our Network partners, legislative and municipal leaders and community members as we gather in solidarity, in gratitude for our community, and in determination to provide safe and stable housing to our most vulnerable residents across western Massachusetts.
9:30am: refreshments & networking
10–11am: program
11am: more networking!
In-person attendance is full but please click here to register for Zoom access.

Building Strong Credit
2025-05-29 17:00 - 20:00

Combining Qualitative & Quantitative Data to Advance Equity for Immigrants
2025-05-29 13:00 - 14:00

Board Retention & Recruitment: An OnBoard Training Workshop
2025-05-29 08:30 - 10:00
A facilitated workshop co-led by Rebecca Coolong, Human Service Forum, and Sarah Tanner, Financial Development Agency
The leadership role of the Board is not to be taken lightly. In this roundtable discussion, we will explore and share successful approaches toward attracting the right fit of individuals to your organization, and how to keep them engaged and productive. Participants are encouraged to come with specific challenges to discuss and best practices to share with the group.

The Road To Recovery: Advances In Stroke Treatment
2025-05-28 18:00 - 20:00
Timely intervention can be the key to effective recovery when it comes to stroke. Join Dr. Janhavi Modak, MD, MPH and discover the latest breakthroughs in stroke treatment and how these interventions can significantly improve recovery, reduce long-term disability, and help patients regain their independence and quality of life.

May Massachusetts Landlord Workshop
2025-05-24 09:00 - 14:00
This online workshop includes an overview of basic residential rental property management in Massachusetts that provides an introduction to the Massachusetts laws that govern the rental relationship. Important for all owners of rental properties, including owners of 2-4 family homes.
Topics covered include:

proper tenant screening
relations with tenants
lead paint laws
types of tenancies
State Sanitary Code
fair housing laws
the eviction process
how to deal with drug problems

Certificates of completion are awarded at the end of the session; this workshop satisfies the course requirement for first-time buyers of multi-family homes.
Registration fee is $119.95 (non-refundable & includes Way Finders’ Property Management Manual, valued at $29.95).

Worth Standing Up For
2025-05-22 18:30 - 20:30
We hope you can join us at one of the Truth Tellers Theater Ensemble’s upcoming performances of this year’s production Worth Standing Up For.

This moving and courageous performance advocating for positive change in the child welfare system was performed last week for an audience of Massachusetts Department of Child and Families social workers and administrators—the very people who navigate the system every day, making impossible choices and often feeling the weight of a system too big to change.

The honesty, openness, and bravery of the actors and their audience was a testament to the power of art to transform and transcend. It was a poignant reminder of what’s possible when we listen to the voices of those with lived experience—because stories change hearts, and changed hearts change systems.

Join us and witness the transformative power of storytelling.

Upcoming Performances:

Wednesday, May 14
5:00PM | Holyoke Media

Wednesday, May 21
10:00AM | Massachusetts State House

Thursday, May 22
6:30PM | De la Luz Divine Theater at Lighthouse Holyoke

Time Lost is Brain Lost
2025-05-21 18:00 - 20:00
Discover why recognizing stroke as an emergency is crucial. Join Dr. Varun Naragum, Neurologist, to explore the warning signs and symptoms to watch for and learn how immediate medical intervention can make the difference between life and death

30th Annual BCArc Golf Classic
2025-05-21 08:00 - 17:00
Berkshire Hills Country Club 500 Benedict Road, Pittsfield, MA, United States

Expect the full event of golf, lunch, awards, raffles, silent auction, prizes, and dinner. $170 per person Credit cards accepted the day of the tournament Proper attire is required to play (i.e. collared shirts, no jeans allowed). Format: 4 person, captain and crew placed in divisions by total team

Wheeling for Healing Ride, Walk, Run for Cancer Care & Services
2025-05-18 08:00 - 13:00
Ready, Set, Ride, Walk, or Run!
Lace up your sneakers and tune up your bikes – Wheeling for Healing is back to support cancer care and services for patients throughout Baystate Health. Join us on Sunday, May 18, from 8 am to 1 pm at Yankee Candle Village for this special event. Races will include a 50, 25, and 10-mile route, as well as a 5K run/walk. The event will close with a picnic lunch to celebrate coming together to fight cancer, celebrate our survivors, and remember those who have lost their battles.
Thanks to the generosity and dedication of our community, Wheeling for Healing has provided funding for items such as new infusion chair, new exam tables, and programs such as art therapy, writing, and yoga for patients and survivors.

Family Farm Day Workshop
2025-05-17 10:00 - 12:00
When: May 17th, 2025, 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Where: Cultivating for Community, 32 Shattuck Rd, Hadley MA 01035

Sign up by emailing the names and ages of your family to amandar@foodbankwma.org.

The Food Bank Farm and Kestrel Land Trust will be hosting Family Farm Days throughout the growing season! Families will learn about regenerative farming practices and The Food Bank’s mission. Volunteer activities include planting seedlings, maintaining farm beds, and harvesting on Cultivating for Community, and taking a nature walk on our larger 142-acre farm in Hadley.

About Cultivating for Community
Cultivating for Community is the Food Bank Farm’s regenerative farming and education initiative. The farmland is a part of our Second Food Bank Farm in Hadley, Massachusetts.
Cultivating for Community:

Educates volunteers and students on regenerative farming, nutrition, the local farm economy and food insecurity.
Practices regenerative farming methods such as no-till farming, plant diversity and companion planting.
Donates the CFC harvest to Food Bank member food pantries for people who live with food insecurity.
Creates equity in the local farm economy through farmland leasing opportunities at the Food Bank Farm.

Volunteering with Cultivating for Community is one way you can help us work to end hunger in Western Massachusetts.

May First-time Homebuyer Workshop (English)
2025-05-14 17:30 - 20:30
May 14 @ 5:30 pm – 8:30 pm
$50

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
May 14, 21 and 28
Walk-ins are not accepted. Attendance for this workshop will be limited.
Cost of the workshop is $50 per household, nonrefundable.

Stop It! Caregiver Behaviors That Impede Progress
2025-05-13 18:00 - 19:30
Parents and caregivers!
How many of us are doing things for our children or loved ones
with disabilities that we really shouldn’t continue to do? Things
that could easily become barriers to independent living models.
Things that may even make our person more vulnerable than
necessary.
There’s no doubt that we do these things out of love, maybe
sprinkled with a little bit of guilt and a whole lot of just plain
survival…but regardless, our overcompensation and natural
instincts to protect for a lifetime are counterproductive.
Helping our loved one reach their highest level of independence
and autonomy they can reach takes courage, vulnerability, and
planning on our part, and yet, preparing those we love for life
without us is the final and most important gift we can give them.
Email Meg at megan.moran@servicenet.org for more information
about the this webinar. We hope you can join us!

Story Telling for WellBeing
2025-05-13 10:00 - 11:30
In this presentation we will consider the skill of storytelling and how this practice helps Indigenous People move towards health and wellness.

José Lugo has served as the Native Education Liaison for Collaborative for Educational Services. He is a detribalized Chicano Macewalli who uses storytelling to reconnect with his Indigenous cultural practices. Through this skill development José works to heal from the impacts of colonization.

Tuesday, May 13, 2025

10am-11:30am

Hadley Public Library

Light refreshments will be available.

Springfield Symphony Chorus Benefit
2025-05-11 16:00 - 18:00

A Community Discussion About Menopause
2025-05-10 14:00 - 16:30
Join us for a screening of the documentary The M Factor: Shredding the Silence on Menopause, followed by a Q&A with Baystate Health menopause providers.
This event is free and open to the public, but space is limited. Please arrive early to get your seat and email menopausemovie@gmail.com to let us know you’ll be there.

Walk/Run for Adoption - Springfield
2025-05-10 09:30 - 13:00 | Forest Park, 302 Sumner Ave, Springfield, MA, 01108, United States
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 1,150 children and teens in foster care awaiting adoption who have no relatives or other potential adopters.
That’s why thousands of walkers, runners, volunteers, and supporters from across Massachusetts are participating in the 16th Annual Jordan’s Furniture Walk/Run for Adoption!
Our Springfield Walk/Run event includes festivities, food, games, and family-friendly fun! Walkers and runners are invited to complete a 5k fun-run. All the funds raised from this event go towards helping children and teens in foster care find adoptive homes! Lace up your sneakers and hit the course in Springfield! This event is a great way to get active while supporting the mission to find loving, permanent families for children in foster care. Every step counts—join us and be part of the impact!

The Support Network's Annual Children's Mental Health Awareness Dinner
2025-05-06 17:30 - 20:30
Come join the Support Network for a fun-filled evening at Hamel’s Summit View for our annual children’s mental health dinner. This year’s dinner will recognize the 30 years of valuable work that the Support Network has done to support families and children to navigate systems and create change! Enjoy delicious food, an exciting game of BINGO, and great company while raising awareness for this important cause. Don’t miss out on the chance to celebrate wellness, resilience, action and purpose; and win amazing prizes. Let’s come together and show our support for children’s mental health!

May Credit Success Workshop
2025-05-06 09:00 - 13:00
May 6 @ 9:00 am – 1:00 pm
$10

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.

Derby Party
2025-05-03 17:00 - 20:00

Start Telling Your Story with Your Candid Profile
2025-05-01 10:00 - 11:00 | Online via Zoom
Learn how updating your nonprofit’s Candid profile on GuideStar will grow your organization’s online identity and choose what tens of millions of potential donors see about your organization.
During this introductory session, you will learn what your nonprofit’s Candid profile is and how you can earn Seals of Transparency associated with that profile to tell your story, including sharing information about the work you do and the impact it makes. We will also talk about how to collect demographic data for your organization and the benefits of earning a Gold Seal of transparency.
WORKSHOP OUTCOMES

Plan next steps for telling your organization’s story via its Nonprofit Profile.
Describe how the information in your Nonprofit Profile informs potential donors and funders and powers 200+ charitable sites.
Explain how earning Seals of Transparency creates opportunities for your organization to be found, grow trust, and share your impact.

This event is at no cost to HSF Members. However, if you register and then can not go, please let us know.
ABOUT YOUR PRESENTERS
TRACY KAUFMAN
Tracy is an Educational Programming Manager at Candid, leading workshops related to nonprofit sustainability, management, fundraising, and other essential issues relevant to philanthropy and the social sector. Her trainings primarily serve nonprofit professionals, but also audiences comprised of funders, artists, students, and academics. As one of Candid’s training experts, webinar instructors, and a frequent public speaker, she has spoken at numerous conferences, including at the United Nations, and has represented Candid on numerous panel discussions. In addition, Tracy provides training and support to Candid Community partners – libraries, nonprofit resource centers and other institutions – and provides philanthropy and fundraising information services to individuals and local organizations. Her relationship with Candid began in 2007, when she began working as a librarian for Foundation Center, one of Candid’s two legacy organizations. Previously, Tracy held positions with the Association of American Publishers and New York Public Library. Tracy earned her Bachelor of Arts in Writing Seminars from Johns Hopkins University, and studied Library and Information Science at the Pratt Institute.
About Candid
Candid is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that provides the most comprehensive data and insights about the social sector. Every year, millions of nonprofits spend trillions of dollars around the world. Candid finds out where that money comes from, where it goes, and why it matters. Candid was formed in 2019 when GuideStar and Foundation Center merged. Candid combined GuideStar’s tools on nonprofits and Foundation Center’s tools on foundations with new resources to offer more comprehensive, real-time information about the social sector. Find out more at candid.org and on LinkedIn and Instagram.

Know Your Air: Updates From Healthy Air Network
2025-04-30 13:00 - 14:00

April Credit Success Workshop
2025-04-29 17:30 - 20:30
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.

Food Bank of Western MA Wants to Hear From You
2025-04-29 17:30 - 18:30

Big Brothers Big Sisters 15th Annual Daffodil Run
2025-04-27 10:00 - 13:00
By signing up for the Daffodil Run 5k or 10k, you’re helping Big Brothers Big Sisters of Hampshire County create and support one-to-one mentoring relationships that ignite the power and promise of youth.

CHD’s Big Brothers Big Sisters of Hampshire County will hold the 15th Annual Daffodil Run in person at the Amherst Town Common, Amherst, MA 01002.
We will celebrate our community and raise essential funds for mentoring services for youth in our area! See below to learn more.

Derby Kickoff Party: Cocktails for a Cause
2025-04-26 18:30 - 21:30
About the event

Get ready for a night of Derby-style elegance and excitement!
Join us at Gary Rome Hyundai’s Derby Kickoff Party: Cocktails for a Cause, where the showroom will be transformed into a festive celebration featuring:

Signature cocktails and hors d’oeuvres

Derby-inspired decor and entertainment

Derby-themed games and horse races

Prizes for best homemade Derby hat & best-dressed Derby couple

Exciting raffle prizes you won’t want to miss ️

Enjoy the fun while connecting with others and supporting a meaningful cause. The funds raised for Each Moment We’re Alive Cancer Support Network will be used to continue our mission of providing free programs, resources, and support for cancer survivors and their families as they navigate life during and after treatment. These funds will also help us add additional Licensed Clinical Social Workers (LCSWs) and facilitators to meet the increasing demand for our survivorship programs. This support ensures we can continue providing high-quality, personalized care to those we serve, making this a night to remember.

Become a 2025 Derby Sponsor
We invite you to join us as a sponsor for this special evening, which directly benefits individuals and their families
diagnosed with cancer! The Derby Kickoff provides the perfect opportunity to promote your business while
supporting a worthy cause. Sponsors will receive the recognition outlined in the following enclosure. Cocktails
for a Cause promises to be a memorable evening that underscores the power of community and compassion.

South Church Dinner To-Go
2025-04-26 17:00 - 18:00
Order your meal online through the South Church Fiddler’s Pantry website. All funds raised will support the Amherst Survival Center, Food Bank of Western Massachusetts and the ministries of South Church.

UMASS 5K Dash and Dine
2025-04-26 09:00 - 13:00
April 26 @ 9:00 AM
Walk or run to benefit the Amherst Survival Center!
$15.00 UMass & Five College Students
$25.00 Faculty & Staff (*Day of Registration is $30.00)
$30.00 General Public (*Day of Registration is $35.00)
UMass Dining is excited to host the 14th Annual 5K Dash & Dine on Saturday, April 26th, 2025! 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 at one of our award-winning Dining Commons immediately after the event!
09:00am Begin check in at the top of the Southwest Horseshoe
10:00am Fun Run for children 8 and under
11:00am Race begins
11:30am Award Ceremony
12:00pm Lunch
Please arrive no later than 10:30am to receive your race number and line up at the starting line.
To give additional donations to the Amherst Survival Center:
