University of Massachusets Athletics
UMass Community Salute
Congratulations to all of our 2019-2020 UMass Community Salute recipients! Thanks to the Massachusetts Lottery, we were able to recognize five extremely deserving members of the UMass community throughout the course of the UMass Hockey season.The Massachusetts State Lottery is proud to present the UMass Community Salute program. In Fiscal Year 2019, the Lottery returned $1.1 billion in net profit to the Commonwealth to support all 351 cities and towns. Examples of how these funds are utilized include public safety staffing and equipment, snow removal, local road improvements, programs for seniors, and parks and recreation projects and services.
Here’s a closer look at our 2019-2020 recipients and the contributions they’ve made to our community:
Briana Baker
March 5, 2020
UMass Student Briana Baker is one of five girls on the Amherst Fire Department Student Force, where she is looked up to as a role model, serving the role of Volunteer Lieutenant Firefighter. As a woman in a male-dominated field, Briana lives at the fire station, leads a crew of 5 firefighters and averages over 500 hours a semester on duty. In addition to her time volunteering at the station, she is also a member of the Medical Reserves Corps Chapter at UMass, where she helps ensure safety during public health crises on campus.
Madsen Family
February 29, 2020
The Madsen family recently suffered a tragic loss as their wife and mom, Nicole Madsen unexpectedly passed away around the holidays. Chris Madsen has continued to be a strong, devoted father to his two children, Jacoy and Sophie and has helped them to find the happiness in each day and celebrate the life of their mother. Not only is Chris caring for his two children, he serves as the Dean of Students at the High School of Science and Technology and is also a well-respected youth soccer coach in Northampton.
Jen Matoney
February 22, 2020
Jen Matoney lost her mom to suicide 13 years ago, and since then Jen has dedicated her life to promoting mental health and preventing suicide across Massachusetts, and nationwide. She co-chairs the Massachusetts chapter of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, serves as the Treasurer for the Pioneer Valley Regional Coalition for Suicide Prevention, runs multiple support groups for people who have lost loved ones to suicide, and has presented on the topics of suicide prevention and mental health to countless community groups, healthcare workers, church groups, students, veterans, inmates, and others in many towns throughout Western Mass and across the Northeast.
Nancy Jenks
January 31, 2020
Nancy Jenks works as the Lead Nurse with the Granby School system. On top of her work supervising the nurses, Nancy started a food pantry program out of an athletic closet for 30 students, just 3 years ago. This program that she dedicates so much of her time to continues to expand and now serves over 300 students in need with food, clothing, books and resources. This program has blossomed into the Granby to Go Program, serving kids from pre-school through grade 12, adopting the motto of “feeding families and bridging the gap.” With a priority for nutritious support, the Granby to Go Program provides weekend food bags, winter coat drives, toiletries and more. You can visit the website and help bridge the gap at granbytogo.org.
John Miller
February 7, 2020
John Miller joined the UMass volunteer firefighting department his freshman year and has also served the Amherst Fire Student Force for the past 3 years. On top of those efforts, he has dedicated countless volunteer hours as an EMT on an ambulance in Springfield, MA. This experience has inspired him to pursue a career as a firefighter and serve our community tirelessly to increase safety and peace of mind. He can be seen him around campus servicing fire extinguishers, smoke detectors and fire alarms to ensure our campuses safety. His goals post-graduation are to become a first responder and a leader within his department.