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Fall River disability commission confirms scholarship brunch May 24, discusses RSVP and outreach problems
Summary
Commissioners confirmed the scholarship brunch for May 24 at McGovern's restaurant but said RSVP nonresponse from families and schools required additional outreach; vice chair Debbie Pacheco developed an RSVP link and commissioners said they will streamline school notifications going forward.
The Fall River Commission on Disability confirmed its annual scholarship brunch will be held at McGovern's restaurant on Saturday, May 24, with attendees asked to arrive at 10:30 a.m., a program at 10:45 a.m., and food to be served about 11:15 a.m.
Vice chairwoman Debbie Pacheco said she and Chairman Dennis Paselli created an invitation with RSVP information and a link to track attendance, but that commissioners had to make reminder phone calls because some families and schools did not respond. "Families are not aware that they've got were issued a scholarship," Pacheco said, describing outreach challenges. She said the commission will ask schools to send a formalized announcement on the commission’s behalf so families receive the invitation and RSVP link directly from the schools.
Paselli said the commission’s scholarship policy, approved in October, helped the commission collect recipients’ institution names by the April 1 deadline and should make it easier to send scholarship funds to colleges and community colleges on time. He noted the policy’s June 15 deadline for scholarship funds to reach institutions. "If the monies are late, chances are they're not gonna get the classes they wanted," Paselli said, explaining why timely disbursement matters.
Commissioners said they hope FRG TV will cover the brunch and that the station might display recipient names and institutions on screen during the broadcast. Pacheco and Paselli discussed adjusting next year’s event date to the first Saturday in May to avoid conflicts with spring sports, graduations and Memorial Day weekend; Pacheco said she will not be able to attend this year because of the date change.
No formal vote was taken; commissioners used the discussion to confirm logistics and identify follow-up steps for better outreach in future years. The commission’s next meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, June 11.
