Courtney L. Lapp is selected to be the 2009 GBA student representative.
Courtney L. Lapp is selected as the 2009 GBA Student Representative. Courtney is a junior at Ella T. Grasso Southeastern Technical High School.
She is enrolled in numerous honor and advanced placement courses ranging from AP U.S History and honors pre-calculus. Her area of focus is in the electrical program and will graduate with her Electrical Certificate in 2011. She is interested in sports, literature and forensics and eventually hopes to own her own electrical business. Courtney is very active in the community and will be a great fit for the Groton Business Association. Courtney will be attending monthly business meetings and will be submitting articles every month for the Greater Mystic Chamber’s newsletter featuring a Groton business.
(l-r) Hospice aides Jessica Ruley, Lynda Souza, Sylvia Fournier, Executive Director Carol Mahier, Jim Hooper and Sandey Marchand receive certification from the NBCHPN.
Five Hospice Southeastern Connecticut hospice aides passed a rigorous exam to become certified or recertified by the National Board for Certification of Hospice and Palliative Nurses (NBCHPN). Jim Hooper, Jessica Ruley, Sylvia Fournier and Sandey Marchand all were recertified as Nursing Assistants, and Lynda received certification for the first time. Each showed competency in their field with tests measuring the knowledge of Nursing Assistants working in end-of-life care.
The NBCHPN is a national organization that advances quality in the provision of care to patients and families facing life-limiting illnesses through certification of health professionals. Certification is sought and earned by hospice aides on a voluntary basis, and is widely recognized by health care systems, insurers and patients as an essential tool to judge that a hospice aide has the knowledge, experience and skills for providing quality hospice and palliative care.
“We are extremely proud of all of our hospice aides, most especially these five who have proven their commitment to maintaining the highest professional level of care when working with the terminally ill and their families,” said Carol L. Mahier, Executive Director, Hospice Southeastern Connecticut. “As an agency, we encourage our hospice aides and nurses to achieve the highest level of excellence, not only for our patients but for their own careers.”
Hospice Southeastern CT provides care in the home and often in skilled nursing facilities for those facing the end of their life, regardless of age, disease or inability to pay. The organization also provides bereavement services for families in New London County free of charge, regardless of whether the death occurred under hospice care or not.
Peter Barrett’s original oil painting, Furling Sail at Sunset.
by Tyler Williams
Artist Peter Barrett, of East Haddam, presented an original oil painting, Furling Sail at Sunset, to the Alumni Association during a meeting of the USCGAA Board of Directors. Peter started painting more than fifteen years ago and throughout those years he has perfected his use of oil paints. His masterful use of oils brings to life the seascapes and water birds that he has primarily focused on painting. His love for painting seascapes and water birds comes from his childhood where he grew up around and near the water and it also embodies his experiences as an Officer in the U. S. Coast Guard.
As a graduate of the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in 1971, Peter was honored to have been asked to donate one of his paintings. He knew that he wanted to make this painting special and wanted the composition to be something that all alumni could relate to. He made his selection because he felt that every Cadet has spent time training on the Bark Eagle and was once aloft furling sails. This particular painting was also inspired by a photograph which was taken by then Cadet First Class, Daniel Miller, now an Ensign in the United States Coast Guard.
Peter didn’t always know that he wanted to study art but growing up as the son of a commercial artist had ingrained in him his future potential and his affinity for art. It wasn’t until his wife inspired him to study art, following his Father’s passing in 1993 that he really began to focus on becoming an accomplished artist. Inspired, Peter augmented his natural talent for art by studying under the mentorship of local artist Elizabeth Sennett.
Peter’s study of art coupled with his natural talent has made him the accomplished artist he is today. His painting, Furling Sail at Sunset is valued at $4,000 and hangs proudly on a wall outside the Alumni administrative offices in the U. S. Coast Guard Alumni Building.
Peter’s paintings and giclee reproductions can be found on his site, http://peterbarrettfineart.com and many of the reproductions are available for purchase in a variety of sizes.
Ilya the manatee is home for the holidays after being released from the Miami Seaquarium.
photo courtesy of Miami Seaquarium
After one-and-a-half months of rehabilitation and lots of t.l.c. at Miami Seaquarium, Ilya the wayward manatee was released back into the familiar waters of his home state. Ilya’s October rescue from a warm-water outflow at the ConocoPhillips Bayway Refinery in Linden, New Jersey was expertly coordinated by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Ilya was first transported to a heated indoor pool at the Marine Mammal Stranding Center in Brigantine, New Jersey where his health was assessed by a veterinarian to determine if he was fit for transport back to Florida. He was found to be in surprisingly good health, suffering from only a mild case of cold stress syndrome, and was flown back to the Sunshine State on October 29th, aboard a Coast Guard C-130 cargo aircraft. Once Ilya was back in Florida, he was transported to Miami Seaquarium for rehabilitation.
Patrick Rose, Save the Manatee Club’s Executive Director said, “There are many individuals, groups, and agencies responsible for Ilya’s amazing success story.”
“We’re all rooting for Ilya,” said Robert Rose, Curator at Miami Seaquarium. “We really hope he decides to stick around home and not get the traveling urge again.”
Each year, many manatees are injured or killed by human activities, including boat strikes. Through December 4th, 91 manatees had been killed by watercraft in Florida during 2009 – a total that is approaching the record number of 95 annual watercraft mortalities set in 2002. Ilya himself, early in his life, suffered from boat strikes that mutilated his tail and left him with a scar on his head. Manatee critical care facilities, including Miami Seaquarium, are vital to the recovery of the entire endangered manatee population, because each individual is important to the long-term survival of the species.
Safeguarding the welfare of individual manatees includes the rescue and rehabilitation of wayward manatees who find themselves too far from home when the waters start to cool. Manatees need water above 68 degrees Fahrenheit to survive. Although most of the manatees who wander north make it back safely on their own, others would die from cold stress without rescue efforts.
“The rescue and release of Ilya illustrates the commitment and dedication of so many agencies and individuals to the survival of manatees,” said Dr. James Powell, Executive Director of Sea2Shore Alliance. “There is a tremendous effort called the Manatee Rehabilitation Partnership (MRP), whose job it is to monitor rescued manatees once they are returned to the wild.”
(l-r) Herb Cummings, Chair, Executive Board of Directors, presents Lulu Kiley, Owner, Captain Daniel Packer Inne with the 2009 Employer of the Year Award.
(l-r) Neil Kluepfel is presented the 2009 Community Service Award by Lisa Carberg, NBC Connecticut News Anchor. “We should return the fruits of our gifts to the community.”-Neil Kluepfel.
David Silvia with his mother, Carol Silvia of N. Stonington, and his granddaughter, Sydney George of Norwich, after receiving the 2009 Volunteer of the Year Award.
It was another festive occasion for all those who attended the Greater Mystic Chamber of Commerce Annual Gala at the Mystic Marriott & Spa on December 10th. Friends and family members honored David Silvia as the Volunteer of the Year Award recipient.
If you know David, you know the meaning of having a positive attitude. He worked at Pfizer for more than 30 years while running additional businesses, ranging from snow and tree removal to appliance repair. David owns Patriotic Waves, which carries flag products.
When asked, “What do you like best about receiving this award?” David answered, “Sharing it with my granddaughter, Sydney.” Sydney George is a sophomore at Norwich Free Academy. Her granddad introduced her to community service in a big way! When called to the podium to accept the award, David invited his Sydney to join him.
LuLu Kiley, owner, Captain Daniel Packer Inne, holds the honor of being awarded the Employer of the Year. Accepting the award, LuLu commended her team: Allison Kiley Nasin, Judy Hartley and Chaz Paull and said, “It certainly helps having a daughter, Ali, serving as general manager.”
Community Service Award recipients are Neil Kluepfel and TheWashington Trust Company. Neil received a standing ovation for the best speech of the evening.
“We should return the fruits of our gifts to the community.”-Neil Kluepfel.
