Household Monthly Household Size Income Cannot Exceed 1 .....................................$1,265 2 .....................................$1,705 3 .....................................$2,144 4 .....................................$2,584 5 .....................................$3,024 6 .....................................$3,464 7 .....................................$3,904
SNAP (formerly food stamps) stands for Supplemental Nutri on Assistance Program. SNAP is our first line of defense against hunger here in the United States. Evergreen’s new SNAP program is funded through a grant from Hunger Solu ons and OTDA (OďŹƒce of Temporary Disability Assistance). My mission is to spread the word about SNAP to all income eligible folks in Erie County, through a series of outreach events and flyers describing the program direct mailed to homes. The main targets are women with children and seniors. People outside those demographics who are struggling to make ends meet because of tough mes and many challenges that are made to sacrifice to pay bills are some of the clients the program is targeted for, as well. See the chart at le for income requirements. - Marlyn Moore
October Birthdays Bocanegra, Norma Pasquarella, Ma hew J Anderson, Cortney Vazquez, Lizzie Lewis, Colleen Girod, Seth Lark, Robbie Denise Schult, Lisa Rhines, Courtney Morris, Bianca Franco, Elise Kaminsky, Ellen Burns, Sally Miranda, Stephani Reybrouck, Christopher Baer, Richard Allen Voss, Courtney Meredith, Cornelia Westphal, Allison Coonly, Nicole Fenske, Krista Ruppert, Sco Fleurant, Pierre Richard Buck, Susan Scull, Denise Jimenez, Wanda
October October October October October October October October October October October October October October October October October October October October October October October October October October
1 1 4 5 8 9 9 9 11 12 12 12 14 14 15 15 20 21 21 21 22 24 24 26 29 31
October Anniversaries Miller, Christopher Nelson, Kristopher Abbatessa, Laurie Reybrouck, Christopher Owens, John Bailey, Shari Soroka, Lindsey Fitzgerald-Cushing, Siobhan Marcheson, Sheila Burns, Sally
1 year 1 year 1 year 1 year 1 year 1 year 2 years 2 years 6 years 8 years
Your Con nued Dedica on and Hard Work Are No ced and Appreciated - Management Team
My vinyl record collection (I’m old school) – Trish Hopkins; I am assuming
My blankie (don’t laugh!). I still have my baby blanket that I was brought
that purse can be included in the things I don’t have to worry about. If
home in and it is still special to me. My Aunt Jerrie crocheted it before
so, the next thing to save would be my journal. – Shannon Bryant; Some
I was born and passed away just a few years ago. It has comforted
keepsakes that my great grandmother left for me when she passed, and my
me through all these years and will continue to. And, my violin. It
valuable/rare comic books – Ashlee Rudolph; My wedding ring – Maisha
was a present from my grandmother for my 13th birthday and it
Drayton; All of my shoes – Kimberly Brown; My external hard drive – Cecil
has changed my life. It is worth saving, since it saved me. – Lindsay
Sutton; Four paintings by my father. They are my prized possessions – John
Zasada; My purse – Stephanie Peete; My coin collection – Kimberly
Carocci; My jewelry chest. Most of my keepsakes are in there – Susan Buck;
Harding; Wolfman Shaving painting by a local artist - Jimi Konidis
Juan Isack Guerrero
Emilio Rodriguez
(Administrative Assistant, EMG)
1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
I love long distance bicycle riding. I enjoy playing video games. I love researching about architecture and the world. From me to me I enjoy making music on my computer. I love cooking my own food.
1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
1. 2. 3.
4. 5.
I have two beau ful li le boys ages 7 and 3. I play piano, bass clarinet, and guitar. I lived in Jacksonville, North Carolina for three years and Panama City, Florida for four years. I love camping. My favorite food is mashed potatoes.
Love camping. Love to joke and laugh. Fishing. Hanging out with friends and family. Bike riding.
James Thompson
(Administrative Assistant, Behavioral Health)
1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
I am an elite level cyclist, race 25 days and ride 12,000 miles per year. I rowed compe vely for 8 years and won four na onal championships. I have four cats. My favorite vegetable is kale. To sustain my level of ac vity I eat upwards of 4000-7000 calories per day.
Played crew in high school. Greek life @ Oswego (Zeta Beta Tau). I am Armenian, Italian and Polish. I went to six concerts this summer. I have four piercings (only in my ears).
Misty Wolff (Patient Service Specialist)
(PT Pantry Services Coordinator)
Jessica Lobuglio (Adherence Specialist, EMG)
Sean Tulumello
(Harm Reduction Counselor)
1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
I love to hike. I am obsessed with cats. I just found out I’m afraid of heights. I drink vinegar because I love the taste. I’m in the Air Force Na onal Guard.
Laffy Taffy – Kimberly Brown Milky Way – Ileana Hernandez Smarties… Olivia saves them for me! – Susan Fiedler Twix mini bar – Shannon Bryant Anything chocolate – Cecil Sutton Almond Joy – Maisha Drayton Milky Way – yum, it makes me want one right now! – Trish Hopkins Suckers! – Ashlee Rudolph Nobody to bring home treats anymore as my daughter is in college, but I go buy Snickers bars on sale after Halloween. – Susan Buck Milk Duds – Kimberly Harding First? Nobody says you can’t eat EVERYTHING first! - Lindsay Zasada
Army Reserve’s 1982nd Forward Surgical Te Team Includes Evergreen Medical G Editor’s Note: this ar cle originally appeared in the September 13, 2014 issue of Buffalo News. Evergreen Medical Group’s own Kristopher Nelson is a member of the Army Reserve’s 1982nd Forward Surgical Team profiled in the ar cle. Kris and the rest of the team, which is based in Niagara Falls, have been deployed to Afghanistan. The tour is expected to last under a year.
SGT.
Felicia Love recalled her last tour in Afghanistan and the organized chaos of the modest emergency room in a forward operating base where she and her fellow surgical team members labored to save the lives of badly wounded soldiers. Sgt. Jason Duff y served once in Iraq and once in Afghanistan, where he trained Afghan Army medics for the time when American doctors, nurses and medics won’t be there. And Staff Sgt. Brett Harbour has served overseas three times as an infantryman. He’s going back again, this time as an operating room technician, and he said his infantry experience better prepares him to care for his fellow soldiers. “It shows me how more prepared we need to be from the medical standpoint, because the reason soldiers go down range is they know they have us behind them to take care of them if anything happens,” Harbour, 41, a Montana native who lives in Hamburg, said in an interview. Love, Duff y and Harbour are three of the 15 members of the Army Reserve’s 1982nd Forward Surgical Team, based at the Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station, who are
reporting for another tour in Afghanistan. It is the team’s third deployment to a war zone, following a posting in Iraq in 2003 and a second in Afghanistan in 2010 and 2011. Some members have served overseas before. But others are on their first wartime deployment, at a time when many civilians don’t realize this country still is sending soldiers into harm’s way. The 15 reservists in their day jobs provide medical care in hospitals, outpatient clinics and jails, and they will draw on that experience during a tour of duty that should last a little less than a year. Saturday afternoon, the Air Reserve Station hosted a farewell ceremony that recognized the team members for their service and thanked the soldiers’ parents, children and siblings for their support. The deployment is a challenge for soldiers who have families – Duff y has three children, while Harbour was married one month ago – and just as difficult for their families. “It’s the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do, ’cause he’s my baby,” said Tammy Nelson, of Lakewood, mother of Spc. Kristopher Nelson, who is headed overseas for the first time. “He wasn’t supposed to grow up this quickly.” The 1982nd Forward Surgical Team received word last fall to begin preparing to deploy this year. The commanding officer, Maj. Joseph Pulvino, and other officers put together a team of 15 who will soon ship out to Fort Hood, Texas, for a month of training before heading to Afghanistan. The members have a mix of deployment experiences and civilian backgrounds, and team members said it is up to the veterans who have experience serving overseas before
to mentor the members of the team who are heading to Afghanistan for the very first time. “They all have their medical skills. Now it’s just bringing everybody together as the family we’re going to be,” said Harbour, who works as a surgical technologist at Gates Vascular Institute in downtown Buffalo. While deployed, forward surgical teams set up an operating room to treat severely wounded soldiers who have been worked on by front-line medics and are brought by ambulance or helicopter for follow-up, lifesaving care. The team members work under pressure to stabilize their patients, perform surgeries on them to save a limb or essential bodily function and prepare them for transport to a larger hospital in Afghanistan or Germany. Love, who served in Afghanistan in 2008 and 2009 with an active-duty Army unit, said the tiny operating room would look chaotic to an outsider. “It can be overwhelming initially,” said Love. “But everybody has a job on the team. So you’ve got five people moving around, running everywhere, but they know exactly what they’re doing and we all know exactly what they’re doing. So it’s organized chaos,” She left the active-duty Army in February, joined the 1982nd soon after and learned then she would have to deploy again. Love has put on hold her plans to go back to school to study physical therapy. She has neighbors watching her Kenmore home while she is gone, and village police have promised to do the same. Her family remains in her native Tampa, Fla., where they are bracing themselves for another of her deployments.
eam Deployed
roup’s Kris Nelson “You’re still their baby, no matter how old you are,” said Love, 35. On Duff y’s first deployment to Afghanistan, in 2007 and 2008, he went on patrols with the Afghan Army to help them provide humanitarian assistance to villagers and to oversee their medical training. Duff y and other American combat medics tried to get the Afghan medics to fend more for themselves, such as setting up their own, reliable system of obtaining medical supplies instead of relying on Americans. “They are definitely behind,” said Duff y, who is a registered nurse at Millard Fillmore Suburban Hospital in Amherst. Duff y has three children: a 19-year-old son, Brandon, and daughters Ellie, 8, and Jordan, 7. “They’re still young, and I don’t think it’s totally hit them yet,” Duff y, 40, who also lives in Kenmore, said of his girls. Harbour’s three overseas deployments included missions in Somalia and Haiti. The former infantryman never was wounded himself but he had “battle buddies” who were. He said preparing for an overseas mission never becomes second nature, but he’s more concerned today with helping the first-timers know what to expect when they deploy. Harbour has two children, including a son, Jarren, who is an active-duty Army specialist and combat medic. He was married Aug. 16 to a fellow soldier, Sgt. Ashley Harbour, who performed the national anthem at Saturday’s farewell ceremony. Saturday’s farewell ceremony at the Reserve Station honored the soldiers for their service.
“We celebrate your successes and pray for your safe return,” said Army Reserve Master Sgt. David Shenk, the former Boston town clerk and Erie County comptroller, who has deployed four times before but is not part of this mission. Pulvino, the 1982nd’s commander, said the families won’t be forgotten while their soldiers are serving overseas and he urged them to take advantage of the support network that is in place. He also encouraged the soldiers to seek out help if they return altered by their service experiences. “It changes everybody in a different way,” Pulvino said after the ceremony, noting that he still flinches at loud noises long after his overseas deployment.
Ed and Sherry Duff y, the sergeant’s parents, attended the ceremony with their granddaughter Ellie. “It’s one day at a time,” said Sherry Duff y, who has another son, Ryan, who has served overseas with his Army unit, and whose husband is a Vietnam veteran. “It doesn’t get any easier.” Ellie Duff y said she hopes to keep in close contact with her father while he’s gone. “I don’t like it – I’m going to miss him,” the 8-year-old said. “My dad bought me a new computer, and bought my sister an iPad, so we can Skype with him.” Tammy Nelson said she looked forward to spending the day with her son, Kristopher, and they hoped to go to the falls if the weather cooperated. “All I want him to do is come home.” C
CLASSIFIEDS
The Evergreen Association does not endorse, promote or warrant the accuracy or quality of the items promoted, and cannot be held liable for the ads placed by staff in Connections.
FOR SALE
2 Tickets to Chicago (the musical) at Shea’s Bualo February 21, 2015 at 2:00 p.m. $73.00 per cket (must buy the pair) Loge 4 row AA Seats 203 and 204 (this is first row balcony loge center)
Contact Shari DeMarco in Finance
The quest for knowledge mo vates me. I love learning how to do new things. If there’s a problem or puzzle, I need to find the answer. – Lindsay Zasada My children – Kimberly Brown There’s always more out there – Maisha Drayton My children and grandchildren – Ileana Hernandez Past experiences, good and bad – Ashlee Rudolph My daughter and se ng a good example for her – Susan Buck The desire to become a power couple with my fiance and rule the world – Jimi Konidis
James Konidis
Giovanna Gasbarre
(Program Administrator, Pride Center)
1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
I directed a summer theatre program for GLYS. I started the first GSA at Performing Arts. I was a flight a endant for Delta Airlines. Mom got me an Ariel & Eric bridal doll set for Christmas when I was 8. I worked at Teen Reality Theater for Planned Parenthood.
Steve Rein (Test Counselor, EMG)
1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
My brother plays hockey at UB. I Civil War movies and books. My favorite thing to study is the brain. I won an an -smoking poster contest in the 4th grade. I taught 4th and 5th grade in Florida.
Bianca Morris
(Nutrition Program Assistant)
1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
I can speak Italian and some French. I backpacked through Europe in 2013. I play guitar and cello. I went on a medical mission to Hai in 2012. I won the 6th grade spelling bee!
Leonard Be s (Overnight Support Coordinator, Benedict House)
1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
I can re re when I want to (of that age). Being a father second me around. Golfing. Working nights again. Sharing my me and experience.
(PT Support Coordinator, Benedict House)
1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
I have a four year old son. I wear a size four shoe. I volunteer at Crisis Services. I was a correc ons oďŹƒcer. I would like to speak Burmese.
overdoseawarenessday PROJECT SAFE PRESENTS...
by Trish Hopkins
Overdose Awareness Day originated in Australia, started by Sally Finn and Peter Streker. On August 31, 2001, Finn and Streker held an event in remembrance of those who have passed from overdose. The distributed ribbons at the event, and paid homage to the families who lost loved ones. Over 6,000 ribbons were distributed locally and statewide during the first year. The following year, a steel badge design was unveiled to replace the ribbon. Since 2001, interest in acknowledging an annual Overdose Awareness Day has spread to countries such as New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Community organizations, hospitals, health centers, and user groups have held events to raise awareness and honor those who have been lost to drug overdose. Project S.A.F.E. conducts a workshop on the third Thursday of the month to provide education, awareness and advocacy for participants. Exchange Worker Trish Hopkins held a workshop on August 27 for participants to introduce Overdose Awareness Day. Nine program participants attended. Participants learned about the event and reflected on how overdose has impacted their lives, especially during the “heroin epidemic� that has been covered by local news.
Staff discussed the history and goals of this particular day which seeks to raise recognition of overdose and to reduce the stigma of a drug-related death. It also gives Project S.A.F.E. the opportunity to spread the message that an overdose death is preventable. In addition, staff distributed tribute cards for people to fill out to honor and remember those they have lost. At the end of the workshop, participants who wished to read aloud their tribute were given the opportunity to do so, and many shared a their story about a lost loved one. The cards are currently on display in the Project S.A.F.E. waiting area (see photo at left). The workshop also stressed the importance of Opioid Overdose Prevention Training (Narcan) from Project S.A.F.E. Narcan can reverse the effects of an overdose and ultimately save lives. Currently, 216 lives have been reported saved from trainees of our program. This training is open to anyone in the community: drug users or their loved ones, syringe exchange participants or non-participants, employees or organizations. Overdose Awareness is an event that will be recognized Project S.A.F. E. annually and we plan to include other affiliates within EHS and the community. Our next Overdose Awareness Day will be held on Thursday, August 27, 2015. C
theconnectionsprofile
Connections: How did you get your start at Benedict House? How long have you worked at Benedict House? Derek Miller: I began my adventures at Benedict House about one and a half years ago. I was hired to be an IT nerd but my job eventually grew to include some administrative responsibilities as well. Tell us a bit about your personal life (hobbies, family, etc.). My personal life revolves around hobbies. Any day that I can spend working on personal projects is a good day. Right now, most of my free time is being spent programming a Renaissance themed trivia adventure game for the iPad called Scholar Quest. With any luck, it’ll be out by the end of the year. I’m also a musician. I play the drums as loudly and as often as possible. How do you unwind and have fun? Since my job and hobbies all seem to revolve around computer screens, I really like to get outside to unwind. Running, hiking, and climbing the occasional mountain all help me stay sane. What have you seen as the biggest change(s) at Benedict House in the past few years? Oh, let me count the ways. The first major change would have to be the addition of James Sheehan to our team. Jim did a really good job of shaking up the status quo around here. His leadership has been an extremely positive influence for both staff and clients. Things are a bit bittersweet for us right now though because Jim recently accepted a position as Senior Director in the Center for Behavioral Health. He’ll be missed sorely, but the Center of
Behavioral Health has gained a great asset. The second major change was, of course, when Benedict House joined the Evergreen affiliation. Working with all of the Evergreen folks has meant that we’ve had a ton of experience and talent to tap into. The impact that has had on our program has been immeasurable and will continue to bear fruit far into the future. I think people are going to be really excited about some of the changes coming down the pipeline here and how we’ll reshape ourselves to fit into Evergreen’s housing continuum. What are your job responsibilities at Benedict House? What keeps you interested/motivated in your position? My job has a few facets. Part of my day usually entails putting together reports for our funders. It also includes maintaining the tools and databases that allow us to collect all the data we need for those reports. I also take care of the IT work around the office, so my job also involves helping staff members and clients out whenever they’re in any kind of technology-related bind. What has kept me motivated in my role is the fact that I am always learning. During my time at Benedict House, I’ve had one foot in IT and the other in administration. Those two areas start to overlap when you’re working on projects where you have to take a reporting requirement from a funder and create some kind of business process or database solution that will allow you to track data and accurately report that data back to funders. These
kinds of projects have allowed me to get to know the clinical program fairly well along with the financial and administrative sides of the business. I’ve been in the non-profit world for a relatively short time. The dualrole I have here has allowed me to learn a lot about how our business works. Gaining that knowledge has been an enjoyable challenge and has kept me on my toes for the last year and half. Walk us through a “typical” workday: I’m not sure that I have a “typical” workday. My morning ritual involves doing database backups and drinking coffee. After that, all bets are off. Some days I spend most of my time working on reports or preparing for site visits. Other days, I spend a lot of time training staff on computer systems. Sometimes, I spend my time working with residents who want one-on-one computer training. I just try to show up to work ready for anything. What would be your dream life? In my dream life, I’d be playing the drums in some phenomenally successful band and living out of hotel rooms. Since that’s not too realistic, I try to be satisfied with the life I have, which isn’t too hard. Life is usually pretty awesome. If you could change one thing about anything in your life, what would it be? I would really like it if the hair on the top of my head would stop disappearing. Where do you see yourself in five years? I’m not sure what I’ll be up to, but I really hope that in five years you can use Bitcoin to purchase electric, self-driving cars. That is the future I’d like to see.
Keep Your In-Box Clean and...
Say No to Phish! We’ve been warned about the dangers of phishing emails and scams, but what exactly is phishing?? Phishing is an attempt to acquire sensitive information (user names, passwords, credit card numbers, protected health information) by masquerading as a trustworthy entity in electronic communications. You’ve received emails from IT about the dangers of clicking links in unsolicited emails, and telling you to question whether every email you get is legitimate. Phishing attempts are cunning. They parade as a legitimate entity in order to trick you into clicking a link, entering information, or opening an attachment which turns out to be malicious. Perhaps you got an email from what you think is your bank asking you to click a link to confirm your account details. Why shouldn’t you? Your bank is a trusted institution that houses your money, and the email displays their logo and is from financialdepartment@ capitalonebank.com or support@capone.com. It’s easy for a tech savvy person to fake an email or create a website with an online form with instructions to enter your name, address, social security number, account numbers and current balances. Look at the email shown above. A Capital One account holder might say “the logo is there. It says there’s something wrong with my account. I’m concerned and I better confirm my account details so they can get this squared away, right?” Wrong! Here’s why: Invalid or Questionable Email Address. Most financial institutions will never send you an email to confirm account details. If they’re asking you to email any of your
information (or to click a link to enter information) it’s probably a phishing attempt. Always call the party who sent the email to you and find out if it is legitimate. Attachments! This is an automatic red flag. Don’t click to open! Usually, phishing emails will have an attachment that turns out to be malicious software. Once you open the attachment, a program could render your computer useless, or worse. Some programs look for your personal or financial information. Ever bought anything online? Then your financial information could be contained somewhere in your computer. That’s what these programs are looking for. When in doubt, don’t open attachments. Impersonal Greeting If the email is addressed simply to “user”, this is another red flag. Your financial institution will know your name and address you as such. You’re a valued customer, right? Even if it’s addressed to you, it doesn’t mean the email is legit. Phishing emails can scan the inboxes of your contacts to get your name and email. Phishers use mail merging to send blanket emails that fill in the information collected from some of your contacts! Threats When an email makes threats, you can count it as not legitimate. If your financial institution threatens that your account will be disabled, shut down, cancelled, etc. if you don’t respond in a certain amount of time, you can count on it being a scam. If you are their ‘valued customer’, they won’t threaten you, especially via email. Click here to… Don’t click! Banks and official institutions are heavily protected on the internet. You won’t be able to access your account just by clicking. They usually
ask for all sorts of verification information, as well as for your first-born. You’ll never be asked to access your account from anywhere other than their very secure website. Bogus hyperlink If the hyperlink they offer has lots of mumbo-jumbo (letters, numbers, punctuation) then it’s almost always spam. Also, if it’s a dropbox.com link: don’t click. This is a way they try to get you to download a file. Often the bottom of the email will contain links to the company’s legitimate website to add believability. Use common sense and question all aspects of the emails. When in doubt, contact your system administrator and ask them to review the email. Or call the institution. They will be able to investigate whether it’s a legitimate email or not. What you can do to combat Phishing attempts: Use your intuition. If you think an email is a scam, it probably is. Contact your system administrator or any member of the IT department to help you identify a threat. Second, use your spam controls in your email box. There is a link at the bottom of every outside email you receive with an opportunity to mark it as spam. Click the link that says ‘this is spam”. The first time you use ManageMySpam, it will take you to the ManageMySpam website and ask you to confirm your identity by clicking the ‘send me an email’ link and then following the link in an email to confirm you’re you. Then you can classify email as ‘spam’ or ‘clean’. You can also choose ‘always allow this sender’ or ‘always allow this domain’. This “whitelists” the sender or an entire company as safe. Give it a try, and you’re on your way to an easier, virus-free inbox. - Lindsay Zasada
Life Would Be Meaningless Without My friends. There is li le more precious in the world. Love – Maisha Drayton; My children and grandchildren – Ileana Hernandez; Love – Shannon Bryant; Family (friends too, but they are family to me!) – Susan Buck; My life would be meaningless without my mom and best friends. They are my GREATEST supporters!!! – Stephani Miranda; Love, whether from a partner, friend or pet. Can’t live without it. – Trish Hopkins; Ne lix - Jimi Konidis
The Summer Event I Enjoyed Most Horseback riding for my birthday. A serene trail ride on a big beast who trusted me to guide it through the thick of the woods. Good mes. – Lindsay Zasada; My trip to Chicago! – Ashlee Rudolph; Seeing Soundgarden, Dillinger Escape Plan, and Nine Inch Nails live – Cecil Su on; Leo Season – Maisha Drayton; Dunkirk Fast Pitch So ball Tournament – Susan Buck; When my children and grandchildren went to Ohio to see my youngest
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Evan Greene Sightings Kate Gallivan - CBH Brendan Orrange - IT Dale Kingston - ADMIN Aaron Pry - EMG Theresa Woehrel - Marketing
STAFF POLL Would you rather stay home and relax or go out and party? Stay Home – 26 staff Party – 4 staff
son, Sco ’s, baseball tournament for the weekend. – Ileana Hernandez; Summer was spent many a ernoons and evenings on my cool porch with nice neighbors, and fun mes in the backyard with my pooch, Eboney. She loves chasing a ball or a s ck. – Trish Hopkins; Pride, because all my friends who moved away come back, and it’s like a family reunion - Jimi Konidis
connections OCTOBER 2014
PUBLISHER/LAYOUT John Carocci EDITOR Kimberly Harding CONTRIBUTORS Tasheri Artis, Kimberly Harding, Trish Hopkins Sheila Marcheson, Derek Miller, Lindsay Zasada