On Saturday, March 17th from 1:00 - 4:00 p.m. Alianza Latina hosted “Celebrate You!,” a community event in recognition of National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day. This free event was aimed at celebrating women’s inner beauty and promoting health and wellness, especially in regards to HIV prevention and treatment. In addition to guest speakers, health information, disease screenings and HIV testing, women had the opportunity to enjoy free beauty treatments provided by local salon professionals and national cosmetic retailers. Participants also were able to win fantastic raffles prizes, enjoy catered refreshments and have a studio portrait taken. A total of 84 individuals attended the event in the Evergreen Conference Center; 72 women and 12 men, residing primarily on the West and East Sides of Buffalo. A broad range of age groups and a diversity of racial and ethnic backgrounds were represented. HIV testing was provided to nine individuals. Participants at the event expressed that they learned a lot, had a great time and are already looking forward to next year’s event.
for more photos from the Celebrate You event, check out
Alianza Latina’s Facebook page!
Tayrin Tapia-Torres, our Administrative Assistant, went above and beyond to help us pull off our event for National Women & Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day. On top of all the planning and logistics, she also went out into the community to promote the event. A crew of girls from the Concerned Ecumenical Ministries afterschool program volunteered to help out at the event after Tayrin went out to their site and got them excited about the event.
Dining Out for Life is just around the corner. On Tuesday, April 24, more than 100 area restaurants will donate a minimum of 25% of the day’s food receipts to Evergreen Health Services. Dining Out for Life is a fun, low-impact event that everyone loves. Restaurants get to show off for new customers, and diners get to enjoy a delicious meal and fight AIDS at the same time. And, of course, Evergreen Health Services and our clients benefit from the exceptional generosity of the Western New York community. What can you do to help? Well, as it turns out, plenty! There are three easy ways for you to help us make this year’s Dining Out for Life (our tenth, by the way) the biggest and best ever. One: Spread the Word Help us get the word out
about Dining Out for Life. Send a note to your email list or Facebook friends letting them know April 24 is a great day to go out for dinner! Direct them to the DOFL website (www.diningoutforlife.com) where they can find delicious dining options for nearly any taste or budget, from pizza and wings to an elegant gourmet meal. Be sure to tell your friends that many restaurants are going to be much busier on the 24th than on a normal Tuesday, so reservations are strongly recommended. Two: Dine Out for Life Yourself Get a bunch of friends and family members together and go out to eat at a participating restaurant! Whether you choose a familiar neighborhood favorite or get adventurous and try something new, you’ll enjoy a delicious meal and support Evergreen Health Services. Best of all, when it’s
time to do the dishes you just get up and leave! Remember to make reservations. Three: Be an Ambassador Each restaurant has a volunteer “ambassador” who goes from table to table to explain to patrons how Dining Out for Life works and to thank them for their support. Ambassadors also pass out donation envelopes for patrons who would like to make an additional contribution the Evergreen Health Services. Close to 40% of the money from Dining Out for Life comes from donation envelopes, so the ambassador’s role is very important to the event’s success! It’s also a great opportunity to help people in the community understand what we do at Evergreen Health Services. You don’t have to be an extrovert. If I can do it, you can! Contact Kathy Oczek or Christina Singh for details.
Birthdays Dale Kingston - 4/7 Laurie Matson - 4/7 Pratheep Sakas - 4/9 Alexis Soto-Colorado - 4/16 Maria Lotempio - 4/17 Kimberly Harding - 4/23 Cathy Alvarez - 4/30
Anniversaries Kathleen Oczek - 12 years Matthew Pasquarella - 9 years Michael Hamann - 5 years Karen McLaurin - 2 years Tiffany Macauley - 1 year Lisa Schult - 1 year Christina Singh - 1 year
Your Continued Dedication and Hard Work Are Noticed and Appreciated! – The Management Team
CONNECTIONS CONTRIBUTORS PUBLISHER/LAYOUT JOHN CAROCCI EDITOR KIMBERLY HARDING CONTRIBUTORS LIYA MOOLCHAN JOSH MCCLAIN E-MAIL SUBMISSIONS FOR FUTURE ISSUES TO KIMBERLY HARDING OR JOHN CAROCCI
Justin Azzarella 1. I am one of five children, and the middle child. 2. I was on a wrestling team from 4th grade until my freshman year of college. 3. Mariah Carey is my favorite artist, no joke! 4. I love to travel but have yet to go to Europe. 5. Dark chocolate sponge candy is the work of God on Earth. 6. I am an Eagle Scout. 7. I live in Buffalo’s Elmwood Village and enjoy working on my house and gardens. 8. Although my last name, Azzarella, is Italian, one of my grandfathers was from Northern Ireland, County Armagh. 9. I have an almost unnatural love and appreciation for the City of Buffalo. 10.One of my goals is to run a marathon.
ATTENTION! Here is a little motivation for AIDS Walk 2012: If you walk you will get the same credit as those who work the event! Who couldn’t use a little flex time during the week?! So please sign up! Register! Fund Raise!!! Let’s make our team the most successful team on that day! Please join me as we walk for a cure. AIDS Walk 2012 will take place on Saturday May 19, 2012 at 9 a.m., Lakeside at Delaware Park. The event is a 5K walk that benefits Evergreen Health Services. Our team name is Red Ribbon Rockers. This team represents Evergreen Health Services as a whole. There is a minimum of $25 for each registration if you are not interested in fundraising. 1. Go to http://www.aidswalkbuffalo.kintera.org 2. On the right side of page click view all teams. 3. Scroll to find your team Red Ribbon Rockers. 4. Click "join this team". 5. Enter the required fields. You are registered! Everyone is welcomed and encouraged to also set up your own fundraising page or you can solicit for donations to be made to the team itself. Please get registered today! Sincerely, Jamila “La Capitana” Banks