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by Ezekiel Goodwin
Life Changes program began organically as a response to the need for a safe space where LGBTQ people of color could congregate. In 2007, AIDS Community Services staff gained access to mee ng space in the Pride Center offices, then located on Trinity Street. Life Changes was born. Over the years, the Life Changes program has grown in numbers and popularity. Program highlights include LGBTQ lobbying ac vi es in Albany, an annual barbecue for members, and a Thanksgiving dinner for those without family to welcome them during the holiday season. The Movement Within a Movement Founded in December 2011, the MPowerment Project is a model HIV preven on program designed to address the specific needs of young gay and bisexual men. Scien fic studies demonstrate that the program reduces the rates of unprotected anal intercourse among this group, and thus lowers the rate of new HIV infec on. Life Changes/MPowerment combines social, behavioral, and biomedical HIV preven on into our programming, addressing individual level issues (such as clearing up any mispercep ons about safer sex, self-efficacy to use condoms), interpersonal issues (sexual communica on with sexual partners), social level issues (social norms), structural issues (providing a safe gathering space
for men, and condom access), and biomedical issues (mobilizing men to support each other about frequent HIV tes ng, linkage to care). The MPowerment staff offer HIV/STI tes ng services to our members, and we refer them to appropriate preven on programs. HIV posi ve members are linked to care and have access to a suppor ve and welcoming home in our drop-in center. MPowerment involves adaptability and methods that explore proven approaches that use the dissemina on of informa on and to mobilize men to learn more about promising new HIV preven on strategies such as Pre-exposure prophylaxis. The interven on is member driven, and allows the opportunity for each par cipant to become “sexperts” in their community. With the knowledge and support they receive, they can have conversa ons with their peers, and stand in confidence that they are delivering the informa on in a way that is accurate and easily understood. Our members provide feedback to the staff, and we use that feedback to maintain the essence of the client centered approach. And in addi on to all of this, we have a blast doing it! Who is Eligible? MSM of color between 17 - 29 years old. We accept all ages in Life Changes, but we are only able to report 17-29 years of age. For further informa on, please contact Seth, Ezekiel, or Kate. C
September Birthdays Lewis, Thomas Stokes, Andre’ McClain, Bridget Lee, Michael Henderson, Corinne Lombard, Kimberly Gbadamosi, M.D., Fatai Vaughan, Julie Rein, Jason Bryant, Shannon Falk, Julie Jarmusz, Lynda Stephens, Sheila Mohr, Corey Weaver, James Brock, Jorien Wiehe, Amber Sheehan, James Beard, Shaquan
September 2 September 9 September 10 September 10 September 11 September 15 September 16 September 17 September 20 September 20 September 22 September 25 September 25 September 25 September 26 September 26 September 26 September 27 September 30
September Anniversaries Wiehe, Amber Guzman, Jasiel Baer, Richard Allen Alvarez, Cathy Fonville, Bobby Fleurant, Pierre Richard O’Kell, Thomas Ross Roberts, Ashley Fenske, Krista Pry, Aaron Eichelberger, Tracy Girod, Seth Zasada, Lindsay DeMarco, Shari Leavy, Keisha Gbadamosi, M.D., Fatai Fiedler, Susan Williams, Gary Lombard, Kimberly A
1 year 1 year 1 year 1 year 1 year 1 year 1 year 2 years 2 years 2 years 3 years 3 years 4 years 6 years 9 years 9 years 10 years 16 years 22 years
Your Con nued Dedica on and Hard Work Are No ced and Appreciated - Management Team
Connections: How did you get your start at Evergreen? How long have you worked here? Maisha: This August was my 10 year anniversary at Evergreen! Picture it: Buffalo, 2004. A young woman picks up the newspaper and sees an ad for an open Community Educator position. I had done the work before at the campus health center at Buff State, so I knew I could do it. I interviewed in the now Wellness Center with dozens of other people. It was set up like a cattle call because there were many positions open, but I only applied for one. I was called back for a second interview and got the job! I remember seeing Trish Hopkins at my first interview, along with Cathy Alvarez. We were at the same table filling out our applications. The rest is history. Tell us a bit about your personal life (hobbies, family, etc.) My personal life is chocked full of all things hip hop, believe or not. My family is the representation of the four elements: DJing (my hubby Trevor DJs on the side) Bboying or dance (my 16 year old son Xavier Flyywalker is an accomplished dancer) Graffiti Arts (my 10 year old son Tariq is a prolific artist) and the MC (who talks more than me?). We live in the Parkside area by the Zoo, and have a 150 pound English Mastiff named Egypt. (I figured since I put out there where I live, I’d let people know I have a huge dog in case they want to try me.) Music, dancing, art, and pontificating is what I do when I’m not here. Oh yeah, and watch TV. I DVR about 10 hours of TV a week and I’m weeks behind on everything! No spoilers, please! I also read like nobody’s business. I read 34 books for pleasure last year, and I recently started working out 3 to 4 times a week (hopefully I keep going!) How do you unwind and have fun? I enjoy dancing and laughing. Laughing is my favorite thing on the planet. I try to have at least one belly laugh a day, and if I don’t: you can tell. I get my energy from people, so the way I relax and have fun is with others. We can go out and eat and talk. Go to a bar and dance. We can stay in and play board games (I’ll crush you) or whatever! As long as it involves people, laughter, and fun. I also enjoy crafting and going to the movies, and talking to smart, thoughtful people who care more about others than themselves. What have you seen as the biggest change(s) at Evergreen while you’ve worked here? It sounds clichéd, but there are so many people! It breaks my heart that I don’t know everyone anymore! It helps that I host orientation, but I hate looking around staff lunch and not recognizing all the faces, let alone know their names. I know it’s a good thing and a sign of growth, but I still want to know who people are! What entails your job at Evergreen? What keeps you interested/motivated in your position? I have one of the best jobs here. I’m serious! I get to work for everyone! My passion is helping people reach their highest potential, and I have a job that allows me to walk in my passion. As the Senior Director of Staff
Development, my job is to manage and create the Association’s training goals. So, I’m responsible for all of our mandatory trainings, but also trainings that we feel will enhance our staff ’s ability to serve our clients. At present, I work a lot with supervisors offering them opportunities for their staff, however, I’d love to be able to be a resource for staff. I’d like to help staff develop their own personal development plans that will make them more efficient in their current positions, or make them more viable for promotions. What keeps me motivated is I have people above me who aren’t afraid of my crazy ideas, and who approve things that regular old run of the mill companies would say no to. Like starting a grant for personal development, or having a food truck day, or renting out Dave and Buster’s and PAYING staff to play video games. And when they do say no, I see it as a deferment, not a denial (cue sinister laugh). Walk us through a ‘typical’ workday. I don’t have a typical workday, and that’s, Ladies and Gentlemen, what I love about my job. I have projects I’m constantly working on and I keep chipping away at them. Of course, new meetings, emails and conversations beget new projects, so I’m constantly juggling different tasks and deadlines. My white board and yearly calendar keep me on track, and there’s nothing more satisfying then erasing something that’s been up there for a while. The space is never empty for long. What is typical is taking a full hour lunch, laughing with co-workers, and feeling accomplished at the end of the day. I make sure these things happen every day. What would be your dream life? I would be independently wealthy, traveling around the world. I would write fiction, nonfiction, and for academic journals, and stick my rich nose in people’s business being a watchdog for injustice. I guess I just described a rich Murder She Wrote, one woman A Team! I do love it when a plan comes together… What are your pet peeves? 1) PASSIVE AGRESSIVENESS, 2) negative coworkers (I heard them described as the people who you give a bonus and they complain about the paper the check was written on). I say co-workers because negative people I can just tell off or avoid. However, we still have to work with negative co-workers so it’s a pet peeve of mine. No one is happy and positive every day, I get it. But if you spew more negativity then solutions, GRRRRRRRRRR! If you could change one thing about anything in your life, what would it be? I would be fearless. I don’t think I’m fearful, but I have so many ideas and things I want to experience, and if I didn’t have that little voice saying, “You can’t do that! You have a family and a mortgage!” I would running the world by now (cue even EVILER laugh). Where do you see yourself in five years? Happy, healthy, and hopefully here.
Moses parting the Red Sea or Jesus walking on water – Jerome Robinson; I would go back to the MTV Spring Break concert in ‘96 where Gavin Rossdale played “Glycerine” in the pouring rain/hurricane. That would have been the most epic concert experience ever. – Ashlee Rudolph; I’d love to see Dr. King deliver the ‘I Have a Dream’ Speech. – Maisha Drayton; If I could go back in time, I would love to see the beginning of the universe with my own eyes. I know that my atoms and my carbon were there on that fateful day (can I call it a day, if time didn’t exist yet at that point?) but I think I would weep with joy if I could somehow witness the beauty of the Big Bang. – Lindsay Zasada; The Star Wars premiere in 1977 – Jimi Konidis; I would go back and watch my wedding. I want to see friends, family, and my wife and I on that day. One of the best days ever. – Kevin Bidtah
I wish that the Shawshank Redemption had a sequel. I want to see what Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman did after they were reunited in the sand!!! – Aaron Pry; To Wong Foo… – Jimi Konidis; Gone with the Wind. The last line spoken in the movie, “After all, tomorrow is another day”, leaves everything up in the air. What happened to Rhett and Scarlett? Did they
reconcile? Did they go their separate ways? Was there a ‘happily ever after’? – Kimberly Harding; The original Total Recall (Was it a dream? Was it reality?!? What happens on Mars??!!?) – Maisha Drayton; Howard the Duck – Jerome Robinson; 1984 by George Orwell. – Ashlee Rudolph; Heathers... could they be soccer moms now? – John Carocci.
Infinite wealth, infinite life and the wisdom to properly manage both! – Jerome Robinson Infinite resources, the ability to speak and understand every language and dialect on the planet, the ability to read and control minds (a li le more than Professor X, but less than Phoenix because I don’t want to go crazy). – Maisha Drayton My dad passed away when I was 3. I would love to go back in me and re-live those moments (I always wonder what he was like), to have enough money so that my immediate family, friends and I could be VERY well off, world peace!! – Stephani Miranda Reverse worldwide pollu on damage brought on as a by-product
of corporate greed, eliminate the need for destruc ve and cruel factory farming and the environmentally damaging hor cultural prac ces, eliminate the need for fossil fuels by using alterna ve energy sources. – Kimberly Harding Cure for HIV, power to influence the elements, find a way to invent light speed travel – Jimi Konidis A billion dollars, Ashan and Meagan Good. – Cecil Su on I would wish that no human was capable of harming an animal unless they were going to use it to survive (food, etc.), I would wish to reverse climate change so our animals can actually have a habitat (polar bears, hello!) and so humans can enjoy the earth for much
longer than predicted. I would wish to make the days longer so that we could get all of our work done and actually have me to do fun things and enjoy life. – Ashlee Rudolph For my three wishes, I would ask that the world move to a barter payment system instead of a monetary/capitalism system, illness would be eradicated from the world, I could have my own private island in paradise complete with wild horses, kayaks and a li le bungalow where I could plant Juniper bushes, lime trees, mint and sugar cane and all would be right with the world. – Lindsay Zasada I only need one wish: that Celine Dion’s parents had never met. – John Carocci
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Kim
Watermelon & Cheese Skewers
Zucchini Sauté
Cut up watermelon to bite size pieces. Cut up any preferred cheese to same bite size pieces Alternate on preferred skewers (not cooking so use whatever you want with no prep required) Balsamic Glaze – drizzle to taste or serve on side for dipping
Too much zucchini on your hands? Here’s an easy and tasty recipe to use it up:
Balsamic Glaze: 2 cups balsamic vinegar and one half cup brown sugar reduced on stovetop (s r occasionally un l glaze coats spoon). Or make it really simple and buy one from the vinegar aisle. Op ons: add basil leaves in between to taste; replace watermelon for tomatoes (Caprese style) or use any other preferred fruits/veggies. - Clara Opyrchal
Quarter two zucchini lengthwise. Slice into bite-size pieces. In a sauté pan, melt 4 tablespoons bu er and a bit of olive oil (to prevent the bu er from browning or burning) Add zucchini and sauté un l so ened. (Approximately 10-15 minutes) In the mean me, mince two cloves of garlic. Add garlic at the end of cooking (s rring frequently) so it doesn’t burn or turn bi er. Finish with salt and pepper. Devour with gusto. - Kimberly Harding
STAFF POLL Are you a “glass half full” or “glass half empty” person? Glass half full – 37 staff Glass half empty – 5 staff
connections SEPTEMBER 2014
PUBLISHER/LAYOUT John Carocci EDITOR Kimberly Harding CONTRIBUTORS Ezekiel Goodwin - Kimberly Harding Sheila Marcheson