President's Message: 2018-2019
It is with great honor that I serve as president of the Western Area Massachusetts Dietetic Association. The last time I served as president was 1986 to 1987 when I was expecting my first child, Allison. Now Allison is expecting and I will become a grandmother for the first time! After this year I am hoping to take more time to spend with my family and my grandchild.
It is obvious to me that our association is in good hands with a wonderful board of directors, many of whom will serve for two years. When we had our transition meeting this past summer, I looked around the room and was impressed by all of the new faces. It confirmed my belief that our organization is vibrant and the members are engaged and extremely motivated. I know that our profession will continue to evolve with the wonderful energy of our members.
Although we are a small group, we accomplish a great deal every year. Our most ambitious endeavor is our annual WAMDA 5K to benefit the Food Bank of Western Mass. This year we have new leadership and it will be exciting to see what they accomplish. I would like to thank the three people who have been working behind the scenes for many years obtaining sponsorships for this event. Lisa Wilby, Allison Clark, and Shannon Sojkowski were responsible for securing sponsorships so that WAMDA could make a significant donation each year to the Food Bank. Thank you ladies!
I encourage all members to get involved with our many programs and activities. We will be decorating a tree again this year at the Festival of Trees to benefit the Springfield Boys and Girls Club. The theme is “Kids Cooking” and we welcome donations to make our 8th tree a wonderful success.
In addition to these two events, WAMDA is active in legislative issues and has an annual scholarship. This year we will also have some social events with a WAMDA night at the Thunderbirds hockey game on November 2 and possibly a “Sip and Paint” night. Lastly, please reach out to any of us on the board if you have ideas, questions, or just want to get involved. Remember, this is your association and WAMDA needs you to continue with all of our wonderful events.
Respectfully,
Paula Serafino-Cross, MS, RDN, LDN, President WAMDA
[email protected]