‘Building & Sustaining Livable Communities’ Event Slated for June 29
HOLYOKE — OneHolyoke CDC will host its second annual “Building & Sustaining Livable Communities” event, featuring a keynote address by Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll, on Monday, June 29 at 9 a.m. at Wyckoff Country Club, 233 Easthampton Road, Holyoke.
This year’s event will center around innovations in public safety, bringing together community leaders, public safety officials, and community members to explore collaborative approaches to safer, stronger neighborhoods. Registration is open for the event, which will include breakfast, with a suggested donation of $50, at oneholyoke.org/sustaining-communities. For community members, there is a limited number of complimentary registrations.
In addition to Driscoll, the event will also feature a presentation by First Assistant District Attorney Jennifer Fitzgerald on the Hampden County District Attorney’s Emerging Adult Court of Hope (EACH) program, a specialized, collaborative program launched in partnership with Roca Inc. and designed to give young adults (ages 18-24) facing serious criminal charges a second chance through intensive support and judicial oversight. Fitzgerald serves as one of Hampden County District Attorney Anthony Gulluni’s top administrative prosecutors, overseeing all of Hampden County’s criminal prosecutions. She was appointed by Gulluni when he was first sworn into office in 2015.
The event will also recognize Ed Caisse and his impact through the Holyoke Safe Neighborhood Initiative (HSNI). Caisse retired earlier this year after more than three decades with the Hampden County Sheriff’s Department. The HSNI is a partnership between local, state and federal law enforcement; city and state government; civic and human service organizations; faith-based organizations; the business community; education providers; property managers; and residents coming together with a goal to create safe, healthy, and economically viable Holyoke neighborhoods.
Also part of the program will be a presentation from the Local Initiatives Support Corp. (LISC), bringing its expertise on community engagements and improvement planning. LISC is the home of recognized experts on crime prevention through environmental design (CPTED), and will share about upcoming work with OneHolyoke CDC to develop a neighborhood blueprint based on CPTED principles.
Michael Moriarty, Executive Director of OneHolyoke CDC, will serve as moderator for the event. According to Moriarty, “one of our priority organizational strategies at OneHolyoke is to assure that families and individuals living in our housing communities feel safe. This requires us to collaborate with others, and we have targeted the Churchill neighborhood for special attention in employing leading-edge approaches to achieve that goal. This symposium will provide us and other like-minded individuals and organizations innovative ways to build safer communities.”