HEAR US

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The MJK Foundation is a nonprofit organization committed to improving youth mental health through education, mentorship, prevention, and community connection. 

Our mission is to create stronger support systems for young people by bringing together schools, families, community organizations, and trusted mentors—helping youth feel supported before challenges become crises.

Our mission is to strengthen youth mental health by bringing communities together through education, support, and meaningful action. Through mentorship training and scholarship funding, we invest in healthier minds and brighter futures.

The CJ Cronin Memorial Mentorship Program brings that mission directly into youth athletics. Created in memory of CJ Cronin, a former multi-sport athlete and Northeastern University student, the program places trained college interns alongside high school student-athletes to provide a relatable, near-peer source of mentorship and support. Mentors attend practices, games, and team activities, helping create an environment where athletes feel comfortable talking about the pressures and challenges they experience both on and off the field.

In addition to ongoing mentorship, the program provides workshops focused on confidence, performing under pressure, resilience, leadership, and mental well-being. 

Our goal is simple: give student-athletes another trusted person in their corner and provide them with practical tools and relationships that can make a lasting difference in their lives.

Joseph Hutchison III

Founder and President | MJK Foundation

joe@mjkfoundation.org

413.478.4592
www.mjkfoundation.org

Facebook: MJK Foundation
Instagram: @MJKMemFoundation

Thank you for the opportunity to be featured as part of Thank You for Inspiring. I am honored to share my story and the work I am doing across transportation, workforce development, housing, second chances, and community development.

My name is Asiala Denise Rivera. I am the Founder and CEO of CCR Freight Logistics, Founder and Executive Director of CorePath Alliance, Development Officer for Justice for Housing, and a Commissioner of the Springfield Redevelopment Authority.

I am an entrepreneur, pediatric cancer survivor, mother of four, workforce advocate, and community leader. I founded CCR Freight Logistics in 2020 and became the first Black woman in Massachusetts to own a freight brokerage. My journey in transportation has grown into a much larger mission centered around creating access, opportunity, and ownership for people who are too often overlooked.

Through CorePath Alliance, my partner Leslie Credle and I,  are building an ecosystem around Workforce, Housing, Transportation, and Ownership. Our work includes Youth in Trades, hands-on construction training on real development projects, second-chance and reentry opportunities, violence intervention and prevention partnerships, trucking and CDL pathways, housing revitalization, entrepreneurship, and pathways to homeownership.

I am also proud to work with Boston-based Justice for Housing and Youth in Crisis. These partnerships allow us to connect the work happening in Western Massachusetts with established organizations serving justice-impacted individuals, families, and young people in Boston, with the goal of developing programs that can ultimately be replicated in multiple communities.

One of the things I believe most strongly is that inspiration has to go beyond words. I want people to see what is possible, but I also want to help build the actual pathway to get them there. Sometimes that means making an introduction. Sometimes it means creating a training opportunity, helping someone start a business, advocating for policy change, connecting someone to housing, or simply making sure another person gets access to a room they may never have been invited into before.

As a pediatric cancer survivor, my life started with a fight. Today, I try to use the life I was given to create opportunities for other people. For me, success is not simply about what I accomplish personally. It is about how many people can access opportunities, rebuild their lives, create businesses, become homeowners, and build something that can change the trajectory of their families.

Thank you again for this recognition and for creating a platform that celebrates people who are working to uplift and inspire others. I am grateful to be included.

Warm regards,

Asiala Denise Rivera
Founder & CEO, CCR Freight Logistics, Founder & Executive Director, CorePath Alliance
Development Officer, Justice for Housing, Commissioner, Springfield Redevelopment Authority
669-288-0512 or INFO@OTNation.com

Pat Spradely has been a mentor and inspiration to me for nineteen years. She was one of my first encouragers and role models of knowledge and compassion as an educator, and also as a dedicated community engagementI leader. Pat is one of my most favorite humans and I am blessed by her. Gianna Allentuck

I serve in my purpose because I believe that it is what God had planned for my life. Motivating others has been what I've always done as a child. And I have been inspired and gratified doing the very same into adulthood. I am drawn to those less fortunate than I am, helping them to realize their potential. 

I have been blessed to have mentors throughout my lifetime, and I truly believe that it makes a difference. Lastly, I have aways been able to see the positive side of whatever life has thrown me but also been able to help others do the same.

Patricia Spradley, Consultant & Motivational Speaker

One of Dawn’s most beautiful gifts is her friendship with others, as written here by her friend Rania Kfuri…

Dawn Creighton believes deeply in Western Massachusetts and in the people who make this region special. Throughout her work with Associated Industries of Massachusetts and now as Sr. Advisor, Community Outreach Officer at Liberty Bank, she has connected people and organizations, strengthened partnerships, and championed opportunities for our communities to grow. Dawn is also the person you can count on to show up: volunteering, lending a hand, and cheering others on at seemingly every community event.

Her commitment extends to her service on the boards of Tech Foundry and Revitalize CDC. As a former board president of Dress for Success Western Massachusetts, Dawn helped strengthen support for women entering or returning to the workforce. She leads with energy, generosity, and a genuine belief in what our region can accomplish together. Thank you, Dawn, for all the ways you inspire and support our community.

Of all of Dawns accomplishments the title Mom to Ben, Mackenzie and Caleigh, Glamma to Grace, Kayden and Charlotte and Furbabies Stella Mae, RIP, and Forest is her favorite accomplishments.

Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dawncreighton/

Dawn Creighton is Community Outreach Officer, Western Massachusetts Market, Liberty Bank 

Dawn is highly connected in the Western Massachusetts community through her work past experiences with the Associated Industries of MA, Greenfield Community College, MassHire Holyoke, and Corporation for Public Management. She created many partnerships with local non-profits. 

At Liberty, Dawn is responsible for helping to advance Liberty Bank’s Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) agenda in the Western Massachusetts market by providing a visible and engaged presence in the Bank’s CRA Assessment Area. As Community Outreach Officer, she is an integral link in further establishing Liberty’s reputation in low-and-moderate-income communities through cultivating strategic partnerships with non-profit, civic and community development organizations, in alignment with our CRA objectives. Dawn also focuses on CRA investments, lending and services, making  loan and credit products available to more individuals within the Bank’s assessment area. In addition, Dawn identifies, coordinates and conducts financial education activities with community partners, and facilitates and manages our Academy for Small Business, also to support our CRA strategies and expand Liberty’s Be Community Kind brand.

Dawns commitment to the community has earned her awards including 2018 Citizen of the Year, Chicopee Chamber of Commerce; 2018 Women of Influence, Women Owned Business Association; and 2016 Outstanding Citizen, Fruits of Labor, Big Will Express Athletic Club. 2026 Impactful Community Member in Action, Springfield Partners for Community Action. Woman Empowered 2026, Western MA Scouting Council.

She currently serves on the Tech Foundry and Revitalize CDC Boards.  Very proud to be the past Board President of Dress for Success Springfield and Vice President World Affairs Council of Western MA. She holds two degrees from Greenfield Community College, obtained a Lippi Certification in Women's Fund Leadership Skills and attended the Springfield Chamber of Commerce Leadership Institute. 

RJ Saltarelli, known by many as “Salty,” is someone who believes that giving back to his community is not something you do for recognition—it is simply something you do when you have the opportunity to make a difference. Through his personal brand, Salty Method, and his involvement with the Da Click Auto Club MC, RJ has spent years bringing people together and using his time, energy, and resources to help others.

RJ has helped raise money and support for numerous causes, including cancer awareness and support, Down syndrome, children and families in need, and other community causes. Through his involvement with Da Click, he has participated in community efforts such as back-to-school drives, helping provide children with supplies and needed support.

His willingness to show up and help extends well beyond any one event or organization. Whether someone needs a helping hand, a fundraiser needs support, or a family in the community is going through a difficult time, RJ is someone people know they can count on. 

But perhaps the greatest example of who RJ is can be found in the way he lives his life as a father. He is a devoted dad to his three children, RJ, Blair, and Alaya, and has been recognized for the love, dedication, and example he gives them. He teaches his children through his actions that being a good person isn't about what you have or what you receive—it is about how you treat people, how you show up for others, and what you do when someone needs you.

RJ doesn't give back because he wants attention or recognition. He does it because helping people is simply part of who he is. His family, his friends, his motorcycle community, and the many people who have benefited from his generosity are all part of the impact he continues to make. He is the kind of person who believes that if everyone did a little something to help someone else, the world would be a better place.

That is the Salty Method.

https://open.spotify.com/artist/5LXbVL2v60Ai0yGXIefSik?utm_source=chatgpt.com

Spotify — The Salty Method:

https://open.spotify.com/artist/5LXbVL2v60Ai0yGXIefSik

Spotify — Lefty Method:

https://open.spotify.com/album/13I5iQ4r6Fr7if1Sw15sZm

Spotify — Clown:

https://open.spotify.com/album/27dL2F4Nzu5Who1d6K1AVT

Amazon Music — Demon Time:

https://music.amazon.com/tracks/B0GMH44JZN

Spotify — Clown:

https://open.spotify.com/album/27dL2F4Nzu5Who1d6K1AVT

Amazon Music — Demon Time:

https://music.amazon.com/tracks/B0GMH44JZN

Facebook ; Rj James Widowmaker Saltarelli (Salty Method)

https://www.facebook.com/rj.saltarelli

At fifty five years old, I have been blessed with the gifts of wonderful family, friends, colleagues, and community partners my whole life. I am a lucky woman.

Among those blessings are my new friends, Christine, Sue, and Sue. Every time I see them, I am greeted with love, kindness, laughter, and hugs. All of my favorite love languages. Though I just met the three in Spring 2026 when Lee and I ventured onto the Jewish Community Center Pickleball court, they feel like home in my heart. 

If I am not able to play on a certain day, they will text me and check in. How am I doing? Am I feeling better? Or they will send a cute or funny meme about friendship and love. The friendship that has blossomed in a few short months, feels like a garden that has been growing for years.  And I am grateful.

The “girls” as Lee and I affectionately call them have offered me their love and friendship; and also their inspiration for feeling strong and healthy, often inviting me to a strengthening or conditioning class. We joke because I am not an early riser or an exerciser, but the seriousness of their love and support for me is not lost in the silliness. I take their care to the core of my heart.  Lee does too. 

And so. We truly love and appreciate the “girls”. 

For sharing their kindness.

For sharing their inspiration.

For sharing their awesome.

Diana Marie Preston, MSN, RN, is the Founder and CEO of Caring Medical Staffing, LLC, a nurse-owned healthcare staffing and training company dedicated to creating opportunities and strengthening the healthcare workforce. As a nurse, educator, and entrepreneur, Diana is passionate about helping people discover their potential, gain meaningful skills, and build careers that allow them to make a difference in the lives of others. Her journey from earning her GED to becoming a nurse and ultimately building her own healthcare company has shaped her commitment to showing others that where you start does not have to determine where you finish.

Through Caring Medical Staffing, Diana works to expand access to healthcare education, including CNA and CPR training, while connecting individuals to employment and career opportunities. She believes that caring for others begins with investing in people, and she strives to create an environment where students, healthcare professionals, and community members feel supported, empowered, and valued. Her motto, “Nurses by profession, caregivers by nature,” reflects not only her company’s mission but the way she approaches her work and her community—with purpose, compassion, and a genuine desire to uplift others.

Diana Preston, MSN, RNFounder & CEOCaring Medical Staffing, LLCMBE & WBE Certified (413)435-0226diana@caringmedicalstaffing.comhttp://caringmedicalstaffing.com

The Darrell Lee Jenkins Jr. Resource Center (DLJJRC) is a Springfield-based nonprofit dedicated to honoring Darrell’s legacy and walking boldly in God’s grace by supporting children, families, and communities impacted by grief, violence, substance use, and other tragic loss. Survivor-led and trauma-informed, DLJJRC creates a safe, compassionate, and judgment-free space where individuals can find healing, support, hope, and the resources they need to move forward.

Our work is rooted in the belief that no family should have to face life’s hardest moments alone. Through our five areas of service Healing & Mental Wellness, Youth Development & Violence Prevention, Family Stabilization & Support, Community Engagement, and Education we connect families and young people with support while working to prevent violence and break cycles of trauma.

Our Programs

MORE4YOUTH provides a safe and supportive space for young people to build relationships, develop positive skills, express themselves through music and art, receive mentoring, get help with schoolwork, and participate in activities that encourage healthy decision making and leadership.

Our H.E.A.L.I.N.G. Re-engagement and Violence Prevention Program works with school-age youth who have experienced grief, loss, violence, suspension, or other challenges that can affect their ability to succeed. The program focuses on healing, education, achievement, life skills, conflict resolution, and positive re-engagement rather than simply punishing young people for their struggles.

DLJJRC also provides support for survivors and families impacted by homicide and violence, helping individuals navigate grief, connect with resources, and find places to be heard and supported. We believe healing does not look the same for everyone, and our goal is to meet people where they are.

Through our family and community initiatives, we also address substance use, re-entry, workforce support, family stability, violence prevention, and educational advocacy. We work to bring people together because healing is not just an individual journey it is something we must build together as a community.

At the heart of everything we do is a simple belief: there is still light after loss. Our work was born from tragedy, but it continues through faith, love, and a commitment to making sure another family does not have to walk through grief alone.

Website: DLJJRRC.com

I was born in Springfield, MA.  My parents (Juan & Myrna), like many Hispanic families living in Springfield, grew up in both New York City and Puerto Rico.  We first lived in an apartment on School Street.  In 1988, they purchased their first home on Ellsworth Avenue in East Forest Park.  

I am a proud product of the Springfield Public Schools System: Alice B. Beal Elementary, Chestnut Middle School, and Central High School (2003). Receiving a quality education in a diverse school system has made me who I am today, and is part of what drives me to give all I can to Springfield.

During High School, after earning the support of the staff of the Forest Park Library where I used to volunteer before Boy Scout Meetings, I became the first Page at the new East Forest Park Library (then in the Brooks Plaza.)  I also worked at Stop & Shop in East Longmeadow, and in the summers worked as a tutor at Sumner Avenue Elementary School.  I’m no stranger to hard work!

I studied at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, earning a degree in Computer Systems Engineering in 2007.  I also hold a Master’s Degree from Western New England University.  In 2013, I purchased my first home in Sixteen Acres, where I live today.

My first job out of college was in software development for the Fender Music Corporation.   For the last 10 years I have worked in the telecommunications industry as a radio frequency engineer designing wireless networks.  My work includes providing expert testimony to municipalities across New England.  My professional experiences have prepared me to take a goal-oriented, leave-no-stone-unturned approach to supporting Springfield. 

I have been a volunteer Boy Scout Leader for 15 years, serving the Greater Forest Park Community.  I know that the investment of our time and energy into Springfield’s youth is the best investment we can make, and as your City Councilor, I will always prioritize efforts to create opportunities for our youth.  From 2014-2017, I served as a member and chair of the City Council Young Professional Committee.  My appointment provided first hand insight on the work required to advance legislation and ideas in the City.  Our achievements included passing of the Mobile Food Truck Ordinance, the introduction of modern metered parking payment options, an updated City Website, and businesses and schools adopting first-time home buyers’ incentives. The YP Committee’s proudest achievement is Springfield Restaurant Week.  Since 2016, in coordination with the Business Improvement District, Restaurant Week has brought significant investment to our restaurants and created a best-in-state dining event.  What was once limited to Downtown, Restaurant Week celebrated its’ 5th anniversary in 2019 with more than 40 restaurants across every neighborhood in the City.  If elected, business owners in Springfield will have a strong voice at the table.  

I serve on the Executive Board of the Boy Scouts of America of Western Massachusetts, and volunteer as a reader for Link to Libraries, a server at Friends of the Homeless, and have coordinated food drives for the Salvation Army of Greater Springfield.

I am a parishioner at Holy Cross Church and a proud Godfather.  

I am a product of my experiences, my upbringing, and my work ethic.  As your next City Councilor, I will use every experience I have had to work for the best interests of our city.

I was born in Springfield, Massachusetts, and grew up with very little money in a family deeply affected by addiction. By the time I graduated, I had moved through six different school systems, including Springfield, Chicopee, Northampton, and Michigan. Starting over again and again was hard, and the Boys & Girls Club is what saved me. It gave me consistency, mentors who believed in me, and a team when home couldn't always be that. I've spent my career trying to give that same feeling to others, especially young people who are carrying more than anyone around them can see.

At Google, I founded and led Project Pathfinder, a program that opened doors into tech for people from non-traditional and underrepresented backgrounds. With a global team of more than 100 Googlers who volunteered their time, we partnered with coding bootcamps, mission-driven organizations, and Minority Serving Institutions. Together, that work helped lead to more than 2,000 hires into Google and more than 10,000 into Big Tech more broadly. We also built free interview prep and mentorship resources that reached around 40,000 people.

In January 2024, my wife, Vish, and I started The Pathways Foundation together. Vish is the heart and engine of TPF. Her vision, steadiness, and belief in every young person we serve make this work possible, and I'm grateful every day to build it alongside her. This year I left Google to focus on TPF full-time. TPF's mission is to create access, opportunity, and advancement through sports, technology, and education. Our AI Career Accelerators partner with universities and professional athlete organizations to help athletes build AI skills and prepare for life beyond their sport. 

Our flagship event, Hall of Hope, is how I give back to the city that raised me. Each year we bring Springfield-area student-athletes together with basketball legends at the birthplace of basketball, so that kids who grew up like I did can see what's possible for them. Our daughter, Kaya, is a big part of why we do this. We want to help build a better, kinder world for her and for every child growing up today. None of this happens because of us alone. It happens because of our team, our volunteers, our partners, and the young people who show up ready to grow. I'm truly humbled to be included among so many inspiring people.

Website: thepathwaysfoundation.org Instagram: @the_pathways_foundation YouTube: The Pathways Foundation Hall of Hope: Program page | 2026 Impact

Hall of Hope photos (photo credit: JB Picture-Art)Hall of Hope 2026 Impact Report

VideoHall of Hope on YouTube

Thank you again for this incredible honor and for everything you do to lift up our community.

With gratitude,Malar Patel, President & Founder, The Pathways Foundationthepathwaysfoundation.org

Stronger Business Communities.One Region. One Town at a Time.

Living Local 413 is a 501c3 nonprofit organization that empowers local businesses, entrepreneurs, professionals, and civic leaders across Western Massachusetts — through regional connection, local action, and hybrid programs designed to make our communities thrive.

Why We Exist

Western Massachusetts is full of promise — but we’re facing deep, interconnected challenges:

Unsustainable Towns & Cities – Outdated systems that can’t support long-term growth

Dying Downtowns – Main streets are losing their vibrancy and foot traffic

Lack of Housing – Especially workforce and mid-range options

Siloed Efforts – So many people working hard, but often working alone

Youth Leaving – Our next generation is moving away for opportunity

We believe the solutions start with the local business community.

How We Make Change Happen

We start with local business communities.

Our approach is simple but powerful:

We bring the business community together regionally through our 413 Online platform and shared programming.

We work directly with towns and cities to understand and support their unique needs.

We use both in-person and online tools to connect people, share resources, and drive sustainable local development.

Big government, big corporations, and big universities won’t fix this alone.

The Magic

Living Local 413 does what no one else is doing simultaneously:

We combine regional connections with local action, utilizing a mix of in-person programming and online tools to empower businesses and collaborate with organizations in building stronger communities across Western Massachusetts.

It’s this unique blend — by-region + by-town + online + in-person — that makes our work so impactful.

Our Process

Living Local 413 does things in a way that serves the region:

We combine regional connections with local action, utilizing a mix of in-person programming and online tools to empower businesses and collaborate with organizations in building stronger communities across Western Massachusetts.

Bill Cole, President

www.livinglocal413.org

Nasir is a husband, father, friend, community leader, and mentor whose life reflects resilience, transformation, and a commitment to serving others.

Growing up in Springfield, Massachusetts, Nasir experienced many of the hardships and challenges that confront young people in urban communities. His journey included difficult choices, adversity, and incarceration. Rather than allowing those experiences to define his future, he chose to use them as lessons that strengthened his understanding of accountability, growth, and the possibility of change.

Nasir is the founder of The Vanguard Movement 413 established in Springfield in 2014 with a mission centered on reducing gun violence, mentoring young people, strengthening families, and helping create safer communities.

His lived experience allows him to connect with individuals who may feel misunderstood, overlooked, or trapped by their circumstances. Through mentorship, violence intervention and prevention, conflict resolution, and community engagement, he works to demonstrate that a person’s past does not have to determine their destination.

Nasir believes deeply in second chances and personal transformation. He strives to lead with respect, compassion, resilience, and dedication while continuing his own journey of growth.

His purpose is simple but demanding: use what he has lived through to serve others, help young people make better choices, and leave his community stronger than he found it.

I thank God for blessing me with life and with an assignment that I believe I must fulfill before I am called home. I wake up wanting better for myself, my child, and the generations that will come after us. I have lived, learned, fallen, gotten back up, changed directions, and kept going. Through it all, I try to use what I have learned, the relationships I have built, and the opportunities I have been given to help someone else along the way. 

Janell Caldwell is a U.S. Air Force veteran, first-generation college graduate student, entrepreneur, professional transportation leader, author, and Founder and CEO of Phenomenal Js LLC. Her journey has been shaped by a simple desire: to create something better for herself, her child, and the generations that come after them. Her path has not been linear. She has pursued education, served her country, built a career in transportation, experienced setbacks, changed directions, started a business, and continued moving forward when the next step was not always clear. Through it all, perseverance, determination, and resilience have become more than words to Janell. They are qualities developed through lived experience.

Those experiences influence how Janell shows up for others today. She understands what it means to search for the next opportunity, enter rooms where she is still learning, ask questions, rebuild after setbacks, and keep going when success takes longer than expected. Through entrepreneurship, veteran and small-business communities, transportation, mentoring, and relationship building, she shares resources, knowledge, connections, and opportunities with others. She believes that when you learn something that can help another person move forward, you should not keep it to yourself. Time and again, others have seen something in Janell and entrusted her with opportunities to lead, represent, encourage, and inspire. She sees those moments not simply as recognition, but as blessings from God and reminders that her life has purpose.

For Janell, inspiring others is not about appearing to have everything figured out. It is about continuing to build while reaching back, sharing what she has learned, and showing someone else that another path is possible. She is building toward a future where her daughter inherits more than possessions. She wants to leave behind knowledge, opportunity, ownership, systems, and an example of what perseverance can produce. 

Janell believes God blessed her with life and an assignment to fulfill, and she intends to use both in service to something greater than herself. Her goal is deeply personal: she does not want the generations after her to have to start where she started. She wants them to have the opportunity to start where she finished.

Website & social media: Phenomenal Js LLC website & LinkedIn Profile

Website and Calendly Link

Book Your Service Here- Phenomenal Js LLC

Book on Amazon Link: Trucking to Success: https://a.co/d/0gJ9oa13