UMass Community Salute
Congratulations to all of our 2018-19 UMass Community Salute recipients! Thanks to the Massachusetts Lottery, we were able to recognize five extremely deserving members of the UMass community throughout the course of the UMass Men’s Basketball season.The Massachusetts State Lottery is proud to present the UMass Community Salute program. In Fiscal Year 2018, the Lottery returned $997 million in net profit to the Commonwealth to support all 351 cities and towns. Examples of how these funds are utilized include public safety staffing and equipment, snow removal, local road improvements, programs for seniors, and parks and recreation projects and services.
Here’s a closer look at our 2018-19 recipients and the contributions they’ve made to our community:
Sid Ferreira
February 6, 2019
Sid is the Special Assistant to Vice Chancellor and Campus Life here on-campus. Sid’s work extends beyond campus and into the Amherst community. Sid and his wife are the Resident Directors of Amherst Committee for a Better Chance. A program that provides young men from around the country with the opportunity to attend Amherst High School to pursue a better education in high school and beyond. Sid is also a member of the Amherst Human Rights Commission and a Member of the Amherst Housing Trust which provides affordable housing opportunities. Sid was recently honored by the group 100 Men of Color for his impact on the lives of so many here in Western Massachusetts.
Robert Charland
February 9, 2019
In 2017, Robert was diagnosed with a terminal brain disease, it was then he founded the organization Pedal Thru Youth. Pedal Thru Youth promotes an active lifestyle to low income kids and shows the positive side of Law Enforcement. An auto mechanic and Deputy Sheriff for the Hampden County Sheriff’s Department, Bob and numerous volunteers restore bicycles late into the evening after their day jobs, tightening wheels, adjusting seats and positioning handlebars. What started as a passion project has mushroomed into a community phenomenon, having donated over 1,000 bikes to over 15 schools throughout Western Massachusetts and Connecticut. Pedal Thru Youth partners with State and local Law enforcement, as well as first responders and AAA. Pedal Thru Youth donate the bikes and AAA contributes a helmet for every bike. Pedal Thru Youth has been featured in PEOPLE magazine, The Washington Post and a documentary movie called My Last Days. To learn how you can help this great cause please visit Pedal Thru Youth dot org.
Kevin Moriarty, MD
February 23, 2019
Dr. Kevin Moriarty is a 1985 graduate of UMass and a 1989 graduate of UMass Medical School. Dr. Moriarty is a Professor of Surgery and Pediatrics at the new UMass-Baystate Medical School and the Surgeon in Chief of Baystate Children’s Hospital, where he performs the most delicate and complex surgeries on newborns through teenagers. Dr. Moriarty also is on the volunteer surgical staff at Shriners Hospital for Children in Springfield. He has brought his surgical expertise and compassionate bedside manner to his patients in our community for over 20 years. Dr. Moriarty traveled to Haiti in 2010 after the devastating earthquake, volunteering as a surgeon for those affected by the natural disaster. Passionate about childhood safety and the risk that firearms in the home pose to children, Dr. Moriarty has helped to organize gun buy backs throughout Western Massachusetts for over 10 years.
Ann Rood
February 26, 2019
Over the past year, Ann has coordinated three major food drives through a partnership with C&S Foods. The food drives are staffed with volunteers from Life Point Church. The food drives have provided food for over 200 local military families. The remaining food goes to local food pantries and soup kitchens to further help those in need. This year Ann also worked with Team Red, White and Blue to bring pizza and drinks to our veterans at the Soldiers Home in Holyoke before the Super Bowl.
Mike Lawlor
March 6, 2019
Mike is a retired Air Force veteran who is now working to help our current service men and women. Mike volunteers for the Pioneer Valley United Services Organization, each week Mike delivers pizza to the active military men and women at the Westover Air Reserve Base in Chicopee. The USO also coordinates dinners for over 150 troops and their families. Mike is also an active volunteer in coordinating food drives with C&S Foods for military families.