News You Can Use

On this week’s program, Ann Baldwin and Lisa DeMatteis-
Lepore, welcome Gina Luongo O’Connell (Cookie) to the show!
Gina is not only Lisa’s best friend, she is an amazing woman
with many talents, one of which is being a stand-up-comedian.
The Connection is honored to have her as the emcee for their
3rd Annual Community Links Golf Tournament fundraiser on
Monday, August 17th at Great River Golf Club in Milford. Gina
talks about her belief in supporting nonprofits and why she is
donating her talents to this great event. She talks about the
time that it takes to prepare her “schtick”, as well as why it is
important to give back to organizations, especially during the
COVID pandemic. For more information on how to sponsor, or
sign up for the golf tournament go to HERE

On this week’s program, Ann Baldwin and Lisa DeMatteis-
Lepore, welcome Gina Luongo O’Connell (Cookie) to the show!
Gina is not only Lisa’s best friend, she is an amazing woman
with many talents, one of which is being a stand-up-comedian.
The Connection is honored to have her as the emcee for their
3rd Annual Community Links Golf Tournament fundraiser on
Monday, August 17th at Great River Golf Club in Milford. Gina
talks about her belief in supporting nonprofits and why she is
donating her talents to this great event. She talks about the
time that it takes to prepare her “schtick”, as well as why it is
important to give back to organizations, especially during the
COVID pandemic. For more information on how to sponsor, or
sign up for the golf tournament go to HERE

On this week’s program, Ann Baldwin and Beth Connor from
The Connection share some exciting news about two great
events benefitting The Connection. Pam Minish from the CFA
Society - Hartford talks about their the CFA Society’s Virtual
Corporate 5K from July 27th to July 31st. The first 500 people to
register get a tech shirt.
And on August 17th, The Connection is holding their 3rd Annual
Community Links Golf Tournament at Great River Golf Club in
Milford. We talk to Jeff Velleca, one of the golf committee
members, about all that this tournament has to offer. This
event will fill up soon, so visit Link to Event

On this week’s program, Ann Baldwin and Beth Connor from
The Connection share some exciting news about two great
events benefitting The Connection. Pam Minish from the CFA
Society - Hartford talks about their the CFA Society’s Virtual
Corporate 5K from July 27th to July 31st. The first 500 people to
register get a tech shirt.
And on August 17th, The Connection is holding their 3rd Annual
Community Links Golf Tournament at Great River Golf Club in
Milford. We talk to Jeff Velleca, one of the golf committee
members, about all that this tournament has to offer. This
event will fill up soon, so visit Link to Event

Happy Father’s Day! On this week’s program, hosts Ann Baldwin and Lisa DeMatteis-Lepore speak with one of The Connection’s long-time strategic partners, Ryan Lawless from The Schuster Group, a full-service employee benefits firm. Ryan talks about how the landscape has significantly changed over the years when it comes to employee benefits and offers ideas on how The Connection, other non-profits, and individuals are having to be more creative when it comes to people benefitting from their benefits. Ryan offers some great advice on how we can all better understand how to access our complicated health care system.

Happy Father’s Day! On this week’s program, hosts Ann Baldwin and Lisa DeMatteis-Lepore speak with one of The Connection’s long-time strategic partners, Ryan Lawless from The Schuster Group, a full-service employee benefits firm. Ryan talks about how the landscape has significantly changed over the years when it comes to employee benefits and offers ideas on how The Connection, other non-profits, and individuals are having to be more creative when it comes to people benefitting from their benefits. Ryan offers some great advice on how we can all better understand how to access our complicated health care system.

On this week’s program, hosts Ann Baldwin and Lisa Dematteis-Lepore speak with Louanna O’Connell, a recent graduate of Immaculate High School in Danbury. When Louanna was 8 years old, she was diagnosed with a rare cancer.  She underwent surgery at Memorial Sloan Kettering in New York City.  Although the surgery was a success, she was left with a scar on her leg that she now considers a badge of honor.  In her lifetime, Louanna has earned multiple titles in cheerleading and has never let her cancer stop her from succeeding!  She has always maintained a positive attitude and is a great example of a young person who was able to take a bad situation and use it as inspiration and motivation! Tune in Sunday to hear Louanna’s amazing story!

On this week’s program, hosts Ann Baldwin and Lisa Dematteis-Lepore speak with Louanna O’Connell, a recent graduate of Immaculate High School in Danbury. When Louanna was 8 years old, she was diagnosed with a rare cancer.  She underwent surgery at Memorial Sloan Kettering in New York City.  Although the surgery was a success, she was left with a scar on her leg that she now considers a badge of honor.  In her lifetime, Louanna has earned multiple titles in cheerleading and has never let her cancer stop her from succeeding!  She has always maintained a positive attitude and is a great example of a young person who was able to take a bad situation and use it as inspiration and motivation! Tune in Sunday to hear Louanna’s amazing story!

On this week’s program, hosts Ann Baldwin and Lisa DeMatteis-Lepore speak with Michele Klimczak, Training Director at The Connection about a new on-line training program, “Parenting in a Pandemic”.  This training is designed for all parent’s struggling with stresses due to COVID-19.
Michele also shares some great advice on how to manage the fears and frustrations of young people, while keeping ourselves centered.
The on-line program, “Parenting in a Pandemic, runs June 24th-July 22nd.  For more information and to sign up, go to 

On this week’s program, hosts Ann Baldwin and Lisa DeMatteis-Lepore speak with Michele Klimczak, Training Director at The Connection about a new on-line training program, “Parenting in a Pandemic”.  This training is designed for all parent’s struggling with stresses due to COVID-19.
Michele also shares some great advice on how to manage the fears and frustrations of young people, while keeping ourselves centered.
The on-line program, “Parenting in a Pandemic, runs June 24th-July 22nd.  For more information and to sign up, go to