News  Emerging Adult Court of Hope (EACH) celebrates 5th Anniversary and John M. Greaney Award

Five Springfield District Court Probation employees were among the Emerging Adult Court of Hope (EACH) team that recently celebrated the court’s 5th anniversary—coincidentally on the very same day it accepted its first client five years ago—and were presented with the John M. Greaney Award by the Hampden County Bar Association.

The John M. Greaney Award is named in honor of John Greaney, a Springfield attorney who later served as a Housing Court, Superior Court, Appeals Court and Supreme Judicial Court judge before retiring in 2008. Each year, the award is presented to an attorney and non-attorney for their contributions to the legal community. The Probation and Specialty Court award recipients include Springfield District Assistant Chief Probation Officer Cheryl Guilbault, Probation Officer II Megan Burke, Probation Officer Tara Parker, Associate Probation Officer Ronja Gagnon and Specialty Court Coordinator Raiza Ramos.

During the ceremony, the Probation staff discussed the court’s history, honored past graduates, and recognized Probation colleagues who were previously part of the EACH Team, including: Lori Sheehan, currently Northampton District Chief Probation Officer; Marcus Cameron, Hampden Superior First Assistant Chief Probation Officer; and Springfield District Probation Officer Elvia Ramos. Hampden County District Attorney Anthony Gulluni served as master of ceremonies at the February 27th event held at the Roderick Ireland Courthouse in Springfield.

“We are honored and fortunate to be the recipients of the John M. Greaney Award. This award is a symbol of the collective effort put forth by our team and reinforces our commitment to making a positive impact in our field. To be honored by the Hampden County Bar Association at our five-year anniversary event, surrounded by our peers, made it a highly poignant moment," said Ms. Guilbault, Springfield District ACPO.

The current EACH Team includes Judge Kevin Maltby, three members of the District Attorney’s Office: DA Gulluni , First Assistant District Attorney Jennifer Fitzgerald, and Assistant District Attorney Deb Roberge; ROCA staff: Martha Cutt, Solomon Baymon, and Kyenna Thorne; Northampton Assistant Clerk Magistrate Lucy Moran; and African Diaspora Mental Health Association members David Lewis and Gary Porter.