News You Can Use

On this week’s program, hosts Ann Baldwin and guest co-host Beth Connor speak with Charles Mitchell, Program Coordinator for Middlesex County Chamber’s Recovery Employment Program and Harry Burr, Business Coordinator for the program. The Recovery Employment Program is designed to work with individuals who are currently working through recovery and assists them with job training and placement. A job coach is also provided to help guide them through this process. Charles and Harry discuss the program’s success since its inception in early 2020 and elaborate on areas of improvement. This is your chance to find your career with a helping hand. Tune in Sunday! 

On this week’s program, hosts Ann Baldwin and guest co-host Beth Connor speak with Cerina Savino, a certified worksite wellness program consultant for Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield. In this role, Cerina develops, implements and coordinates customized wellness strategies to increase health awareness and participation in wellbeing programs offered to Anthem’s large group clients. Cerina shares her expertise in health and wellness, breaking down nutrient rich recipes to listeners. Her training, background and personal passion drove her to create “Whole Life Nutrition and Wellness,” offering holistic nutrition and lifestyle counseling for individual clients. Tune in this Sunday to hear more from Cerina and how you can support healthy living in your community

On this week’s program, hosts Ann Baldwin and Lisa DeMatteis-Lepore speak with Sara Szafranski, Director of McLean Home Care and Hospice and Cassandra Lokke-Seemann, McLean Hospice Primary Care Nurse. In keeping with the weekend’s theme of love, Sara and Cassandra explain what hospice care is and how you can provide comfort to a loved one during end of life care. The McLean Hospice Care team responds nonjudgmentally to individual needs and concerns to provide physical, social and emotional well-being. The team also offers support and education to family members and caregivers to help them better understand processes. Tune in this Sunday to hear more from Sara and Cassandra about their work experiences and the many components of hospice care.

On this week’s program, hosts Ann Baldwin and Lisa DeMatteis-Lepore speak with Eileen O’Neil, a long-time public school teacher and administrator. Eileen is also a Board Member at The Connection. With years of experience in special education and as a former childcare counselor in a residential treatment facility, she talks about how her real-life experiences are now being applied to her work as a Board Member for the many programs that The Connection delivers to their clients.  Hear more about the lessons she shares with us about patience, understanding and most importantly, empathy

On this week’s program, hosts Ann Baldwin and Lisa DeMatteis-Lepore speak with Anne Ventimiglia, Program Director of Supportive Housing for Families at The Connection. The Supportive Housing for Families Program, started by Lisa 25 years ago, helps families thrive by finding homes in safe, nurturing neighborhoods and providing the support necessary for achieving economic independence, developing healthy relationships and a stable and caring home environment. Anne has worked with thousands of families and non-profits to break generational cycles of abuse and neglect and offers a fresh start to parents who have been separated from their children. Tune in this Sunday to hear more from Anne about the program’s humble beginnings, its growth and its importance to the state’s child welfare system. 

Director of Supportive Housing for Families at The Connection. The Supportive Housing for Families Program, started by Lisa 25 years ago, helps families thrive by finding homes in safe, nurturing neighborhoods and providing the support necessary for achieving economic independence, developing healthy relationships and a stable and caring home environment. Anne has worked with thousands of families and non-profits to break generational cycles of abuse and neglect and offers a fresh start to parents who have been separated from their children. Tune in this Sunday to hear more from Anne about the program’s humble beginnings, its growth and its importance to the state’s child welfare system.

Todd Hawk is the Director of Information Technology at The Connection, working to connect our staff and clients to each other and the world for nearly a decade. Passionate about both human services and technology; Todd works to make technology easier, more accessible, and more impactful for our staff and the communities we serve. 2020 Mckinsey Report on Technology and Business – COVID-19 has accelerated technology adoption by years in a few short months. Nearly all companies have set up new solutions to help them function through this crisis – much more quickly than was thought possible.
What about us? Are nonprofits at a disadvantage?
Everyone is using technology now!
Christmas on Zoom
Funerals
Netflix
Amazon
What if we didn’t have technology during this crisis?
No Netflix, Amazon, online shopping, working from home, telehealth!

Program Director under The Connection’s Behavioral Health Department. Lee Anne talks about her 25-year’s experience working with individuals who are homeless and how she is passionate about creating real change in society. Lee Anne is responsible for 11 of The Connection’s programs statewide, all of which help Connecticut’s homeless population, including Permanent Supportive housing, Transitional housing and the Eddy Homeless Shelter which houses Young Adult Crisis beds for people between the age of 18-23. Tune in this Sunday to hear from Lee Anne about community networking, collaboration and program expansion.

On this week’s program, hosts Ann Baldwin and Lisa DeMatteis-Lepore speak with Keith Grant, APRN, Senior System Director of Infection Prevention from Hartford HealthCare. Keith talks about the historic event that happened last week in Connecticut, as many front-line healthcare workers, including himself received the first round of the COVID-19 vaccine. Keith offers a unique perspective, sharing his emotion and hope about what this means for the health and future of all of us. As someone who knows all too well what it has been like to see people die alone due to the Coronavirus, Keith talks about what this means for the country and a potential return to some sense of normalcy. This is a truly candid and eye-opening conversation that you will not want to miss.