Limited Tickets Remain for Difference Makers

HOLYOKE — Tickets still remain for the eighth annual Difference Makers Gala, to be staged by BusinessWest, the sister publication of HCN, on Thursday, March 31 at the Log Cabin Banquest & Meeting House in Holyoke, but they are going fast.

Those interested in attending the event — which will honor Hampden County Sheriff Michael J. Ashe Jr.; Mike Balise, Balise Motor Sales, philanthropist (1965-2015); Big Brothers Big Sisters of Hampden, Hampshire, and Franklin counties; Bay Path University President Carol Leary; and John Robison, president, J.E. Robison Service — are urged to order tickets promptly.

Tickets, with tables of 10 still available, cost $60 each. To reserve tickets, call (413) 781-8600, ext. 10, or visit businesswest.com. Difference Makers is a program, launched in 2009, that recognizes groups and individuals that are, as the name suggests, making a difference in this region. This year’s class was profiled in the Jan. 25 issue, and their stories can also be read online at businesswest.com.

Difference Makers is sponsored by EMA Dental, First American Insurance Agency, Health New England, Meyers Brothers Kalicka, P.C., Northwestern Mutual, PeoplesBank, Royal LLP, and Sunshine Village.