The Northampton Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Leeds, MA has a very successful Compensated Work Therapy Program for veterans. We have partnered with this program for several years and every year we have great fun hosting a holiday party with the veterans and the staff at our shop. We eat and play games (where we generally make complete fools of ourselves!) and we send them back with gift bags full of little things from each of us on the staff.
CWT is a nation-wide program and they’re always looking for businesses to work with, so, if you think your business might be able to use their services, please look up the nearest location at https://www.va.gov/health/cwt/
Gift bags
The Veterans
Larry Creswell
Lynn Koontz made pomander balls for everyone on our staff. (Pomander balls are lemons or oranges with cloves stuck in them to create a beautiful scent.)
Ed Brown
Chris Esposito
Bill Hereth
Tom Galko
Ed O’Brien
VA Staff
Beth Graziadei. This will be Beth’s last party because she is retiring and moving to Maine in a few weeks. We will miss her.
Tom Haskell
Sonja Reynolds
Rachel Harris
Jim Pruner
Lynn Dehneh
Justin Maynard
Kris Waskiewicz
Kurt Zellen
Staff of NECS
Jocelyn (Sarah and Mark’s daughter) is the youngest member of our staff. As you can see, she loves a party!
Mark and Sarah
April and Kathy. (Kathy is April’s mother.)
Mary wrote the poem for the “Pass the Gift” game.
Angie and the real Jocelyn
Jeff
Ricki (aka The Cheese Queen) playing the hat game.
Our Famous (Infamous?) Party Games
Sarah said a few words before we moved the tables and chairs.
BINGO
Sonja, Ricki and Lynn
HAT GAME
PASS THE GIFT
Mary wrote the poem for this game and we think she did a great job.*
*Mary’s poem
