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Date: 6/21/2021
CHICOPEE – For the second year in a row, state Sen. Eric Lesser has converted his Thrive After 55 Health and Wellness Fair from an in-person event to a virtual one with a special edition of “Mass Appeal” seen on WWLP.
The show will be aired at 11 a.m. on June 25.
Lesser explained to Reminder Publishing the event is having a second year on TV because of the months of planning it requires. The in-person event would have required planning to start in March, a time when the future of the pandemic was still in question.
The senator noted the annual event drew 1,000 people to the campus of Springfield College where it was presented. The daylong event featured a lunch, a lottery and many presentations of interest to seniors, as well as vendors.
This year the televised program will feature live interviews with Lesser and a “Savvy Seniors” segment from Attorney General Maura Healey. “Savvy Seniors” provides information on how older adults can recognize and protect themselves from scams, financial fraud and identity theft.
Other guests include Michael J. Bobbitt, executive director of the Massachusetts Cultural Council; Jennifer Fields, assistant professor of Exercise Science at Springfield College; Sheila Magalhaes, master yoga Instructor and owner of Heartsong Yoga in East Longmeadow; John Roberson, vice president of Children and Families at the Center for Human Development.
“There’s pluses and minuses” to the televised event, Lesser said. People do miss the social nature of the live event, but he noted, “You can actually pack a lot [of information] into an hour...you can reach a lot more people.”