This year, via nomination from State Representative Jon Zlotnik, MVOC’s president and founder Cathy McWilliams was named into the 2025 class of Commonwealth Heroines. Commonwealth Heroines are women who don’t make the news but make the difference. Every day, thousands of women perform acts that make our homes, neighborhoods, cities, and towns better places to live. Commonwealth Heroines use their time, talent, spirit, and enthusiasm to enrich the lives of others in their community. They are mentors, volunteers, and innovators who strive to protect and represent the interests of seniors, victims of violence, children, immigrants, and other vulnerable populations. They are the glue that keeps a community together.
City Councilor Brad Heglin presents Cathy McWilliams with a citation for her award
Each year the Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Women partners with state legislators to identify women who have made outstanding contributions to their communities, and this year Cathy was given the honor. Cathy McWilliams turned her anger after her husband, Jesse H. Stallings, a Vietnam veteran, died by suicide in 1981, into 44 years of dedication to helping veterans and their families in the North Central Massachusetts region.
Speaking to the Gardner News, Cathy stated “I held onto that anger, and it was always in the back of my head and I turned it into a sense of urgency,” she said. “I started to send letters and call senators and the governor because it was very important to do something about this. Because my husband didn’t die in vain and my brother, who was also a Vietnam vet, needed help… This recognition is not a recognition of my work but of the mission I have been dedicated to for the past 40 years,” she said. “I couldn’t have done this without the help of a lot of people as well. The staff of MVOC and their work are also being recognized along with the mission we believe in.”
The MVOC is honored and proud to have Cathy leading this organization, and under her tireless advocacy for veterans we have grown from a phone in a hallway to an organization that helps over 500 veterans annually. Currently, the MVOC is able to provide transitional, permanent supportive, and independent housing to veterans as well as supportive services like counseling, benefits advisement, food and clothing pantry access, and suicide prevention. We look forward to seeing what we can do in the next 40 years!
