Milestones Birthdays For those of you new to the Associa on, the Evergreen Founda on is the fundraising arm of the agency with offices located upstairs at the Victorian. Here’s a look at what’s going on in our li le corner of the world. Buffalo Bills Up Close Are you ready for some football? The Founda on has discounted ckets for select Buffalo Bills games. The deepest discount ckets we have are for the Kansas City game on November 3rd. Those ckets are only $25 each and some are s ll available. Discount ckets can also be purchased for other select games with prices ranging from $35 to $76 per cket. The agency doesn’t make any money from these sales. We offer these ckets as a benefit for employees. As a ma er of fact, the agency even picks up the small per cket charge, so you’re ge ng a really great deal. If you’re interested, email me or give me a call. Year-End Appeals The holidays are a me of compassion and generosity. We reach out to our friends and supporters reques ng contribu ons to help us connue providing the best services possible for our clients and pa ents. And each year, those friends reach deep into their pockets and donate to us. Appeals will be mailed to supporters of Benedict House and Evergreen Health Services in October and November, and we expect to raise about $50,000. Mark Your Calendars for These 2014 Events AIDS Walk Buffalo (May 17, 2014, Lakeside at Delaware Park) Many of our Evergreen Associa on staff share their me and enthusiasm as walkers and volunteers. In 2013, our agency team of walkers, lead by Patrick Butler, raised over $1,500, and close to 40 employees pitched in as volunteers that day. Together, we raised our highest AIDS Walk total ever, $54,527!
Dining Out for Life® (tenta ve date: October 7, 2014 in restaurants from Niagara Falls to Jamestown) Dining Out for Life® is our region-wide restaurant event that is part of an interna onal AIDS fundraiser. In 2013 we had 85 restaurants that each donated at least 25% of their gross income on Dining Out for Life day. So the more diners ate, the more money was raised! Volunteers also served as Ambassadors in restaurants, collec ng personal gi s from diners or answering quesons about the event or Evergreen Health Services. Forty-three employees served as ambassadors and deserve a special pat on the back for their help. In all, we raised $67,000 with 10 restaurants yet to send in their dona on. We had great media coverage, which also makes this a terrific public awareness event for Evergreen, showing Western New York how we help people challenged with HIV/AIDS. The proposed October 7 date (pending confirma on) is a big change for us. The last 9 years we’ve held Dining Out on the fourth Tuesday of April. Un l now, with AIDS Walk and the DOFL event so close together, it was difficult to keep all things running smoothly and give maximum a en on to each. By moving the date to the fall, we’ll be able to focus on AIDS Walk and then Dining Out, with the goal of improving the profitability of both. If you’d like to be on an event commi ee (meetings are held outside work hours) or if you have contacts that might be helpful for making dona ons, please drop by the Victorian, say “hello” and let’s talk. I’ve resorted to giving candy or other giveaways just to have a visitor. So please, don’t leave me to eat all those goodies myself. — Kathy Oczek, Extension 3331
Norma Bocanegra – October 1 Ma hew Pasquarella – October 1 Cortney Anderson – October 4 Lizzie Vazquez – October 5 Seth Girod – October 9 Lisa Schult – October 9 Courtney Rhines – October 11 Sally Burns – October 14 Stephanie Miranda – October 14 Courtney Voss – October 20 Nicole Coonly – October 21 Cornelia Meredith – October 21 Lisa Zuppa – October 21 Krista Fenske – October 22 Richard Fleurant – October 24 Wanda Jimenez – October 31
Anniversaries Siobhan Fitzgerald–Cushing – 1 year Lindsey Soroka – 1 year Carly Kane - 3 years Sheila Marcheson – 5 years Sally Burns – 7 years
Your Con nued Dedica on and Hard Work Are No ced and Appreciated! - Management Team
connections OCTOBER 2013 PUBLISHER/LAYOUT John Carocci EDITOR Kimberly Harding CONTRIBUTORS James DeGarmo, Sheila Marcheson, Kathy Oczek
The only thing that can bring up the graduation rate in any school system is parent involvement beyond the obvious, such as making sure the homework is done, and the influence of a parent over a child to show them that education is important. Today’s kids come home and turn on the TV and the laptop. I had to go to the kitchen table and do my homework. My parents spoke to my teachers, not only if there was a problem, but also to find out what was going well so it could be emphasized. To put it simply, due to my parents involvement, graduating wasn’t an option... it was what you did. James Rautenstrauch
I could go on for days about this subject. Education Reform is one of my passions. I’ll just say, when all public, charter, and private schools stop focusing on standardized tests/exams as the major determination of a student’s learning, then we can begin the conversation about improvement. Maisha Drayton The failure of the BBPS comes down to one thing: money. Government funding is being shifted away from education in favor of other things (mainly defense spending). When schools have adequate funds, they have adequate programming. I was lucky to at-
tend a school with enough funding for music and arts programming, which helped me graduate. I was uninterested in conventional studies, but when I found music and art, my grades in other subjects improved. Most Buffalo schools don’t even have enough funding for text books let alone art materials or musical instruments. The other problem comes at home and is also tied to money. Good study habits and tutoring should be taught and supported by families. But, if a family is struggling, they may have more than one job, leaving the student to pass/fail on their own. Books not bombs!! Lindsay Zasada
The largest pumpkin ever measured was grown in 1993. It weighed 836 pounds. According to tradi on, if you wear your clothes inside out and walk backwards on Halloween, you’ll see a witch at midnight. According to a 2010 survey, 40% of Americans wear a Halloween costume. 33% a end or host a party. 72.2% hand out candy to trick or treaters. 11.5% dress their pets in costumes. Candy corn has been made with the same recipe by the Jelly Belly Candy Company since around 1900. What’s in that recipe, exactly? Sugar, corn syrup, and marshmallow. (yuck!) How many licks does it take to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop? A mechanical licking machine designed by engineering students at Purdue University needed 364.
Connec ons Poll
THIS MONTH’S QUESTION:
“Do you text or talk on the phone while driving?” 12 say Neither. 8 say Both. 8 say Talk. 0 say Text.
ail Note the new em
address!
I would go back and spend the day with my great grandmother. She passed when I was about 12 and it wasn’t un l I was older that I started to truly appreciate all the special mes we had together. - Mindi Mietlicki I would want to spend the day with my grandmothers. I never got to meet them because they both died when my mother and father were just children. There is so much that I would love to ask them and tell them – it would be a great day. - Gloria Kornowski
I would love to go back and spend a day being an assistant in Nikola Tesla’s lab. I would love to see him at work, and know exactly what he was working on before he was shut down. He uncovered secrets about electricity that have been lost to history. - Lindsay Zasada If I could spend a day at any point in the past I would go to ancient Greece, find Socrates, and ask him “Whatchathinkinbout”? - James Rautenstrauch
I would go back to see the March on Washington and Dr. Mar n Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech in 1963. With over 250,000 at the Washington Monument, it would have been an incredible experience to be present for the most defining moment of the American Civil Rights movement. - Patrick Butler I’d go back in history to spend a week with Jim Morrison and the doors. Would love to see how much of a reality the phenomenon was and if all the books and movies are true. - Aaron Pry
Yearbook Flashback Answers (left to right) Keisha Leavy Patrick Butler Alex Ando Johanna Aponte Ron Silverio Aaron Pry Andy Kiener Connie Butler Kimberly Harding
Top: Shawn Moultrie, Thomas O’Kell; Bo om: Richard Fleurant