2024 Annual Meeting: Community Partnerships and Student Achievements
Our Annual Meeting featured board elections, recognition of three employer partners, acknowledgement of student achievements, and anticipation of our annual literary fundraiser, 30 Poems in November!
Leadership and Board Elections
Anthony Pagan was elected Chair, with J Vaughn as Vice Chair, Kathy Levesque as Clerk, and Shardool Parmar as Treasurer. Emily Sit and Aleksandra Peryeva join the four officers on our dedicated board. We appreciate J Vaughn for his unwavering service as Chair during the challenging years of the pandemic.
Program Highlights and Employer Partnerships
In addition to holding elections, we shared last year’s program highlights and honored key employer partners who have been instrumental in helping our students find meaningful employment: GreenLeaf Foods, Baystate Health, and River Valley Co-op. Guests were moved by personal stories shared by students and alumni about their journey with Center for New Americans and the role employers played in their lives.
GreenLeaf Foods Plant Manager, Miguel Encarnacion, spoke passionately about their diverse workforce, which includes a significant number of immigrant workers. “For the first time in years, we are fully staffed,” Miguel said. “The immigrants we hire are reliable, engaged, and hardworking, and they are very thankful for the opportunity. We are proud of the contributions they are making to our company’s success.”
Allison LeDuc of Baystate Health and Nicole Cowlin of River Valley Co-op shared similar sentiments.
Community Makes Our Work Possible
We were moved by our community’s commitment to welcoming immigrants. Rep. Mindy Domb and Northwest D.A. David Sullivan arrived early, perused the display table, and chatted with staff and students. Mark Wineburg, owner of YES Computers, spent time with our Tech Support team and promised to continue providing ipads at deeply discounted prices. Greenfield Savings Bank President Tom Meshako and colleague Lindsay Allen connected with our Finance Committee. 30 Poems Event Chair, Sarah Sullivan, and other program volunteers chatted with teachers and enjoyed sushi catered by Pangaea Foods Retail, a business started by Center for New Americans alumni, Su Su Min and Poe, at River Valley Coop where they work.
We extend our heartfelt thanks to everyone who took the time to learn about our efforts last year to welcome and serve a record number of immigrants. We look forward to another successful year!
