Tech Sergeant Matthew Slaydon, U.S. Air Force (ret.) shares the good news of receiving his new guide dog, Legend, from Fidelco Guide Dog Foundation, Bloomfield, with Alexis Ann,editor & publisher, the Resident, after a luncheon held at the Fisherman Restaurant, Noank.
As Summer begins, it brings us “good news” of legendary success around the region. Reading the article, Wounded Vet Gets Guide Dog is a MUST. We are reminded of the generous, kind, caring, and compassionate people in our beloved U.S.A., especially during tough times. See how Fidelco Guide Dog Foundation is helping Tech Sergeant Matthew Slaydon, U.S. Air Force (ret.), along his road to recovery here.
River Fest is a huge success! This year 20 teams joined in on the fun. The Dragon Boat Race is very competitive and a major fundraiser for the Greater Norwich Area Chamber of Commerce. Congratulations to the Kazoku Martial Arts Pink Strokes for winning the race again this year. Race over here.
Amazing work and dedication, here, by Mohegan Sun employees. In only 12 weeks, the 500 participants of Mohegan Sun’s Biggest Loser 4 lost over 6,700 pounds! Wow! Hats off to the Mohegan Tribe and its management team for making this awesome program available.
Let’s support the Phoenix Rising Equine Rescue through their fundraiser scheduled for Saturday, June 26 at the Third Baptist Church, North Stonington. Tickets are only $8.00 for the dinner and can be purchased by calling 860.599.0555.
Fresher than fresh, homegrown ingredients from local farms is on the menu at Octagon. Join them for the Farm Dinner on June 28th with some of the proceeds donated to CT Farm Land Trust.
Thanks for reading the Resident, the Good News that Rocks! Please remember to patronize our advertisers as they’re helping to make the “good news” happen.
story & photos by Jessica Warzeniak
based on interview by Alexis Ann
(l-r) Becky Cook, placement specialist, Fidelco Guide Dog Foundation, Tech Sergeant Matthew Slaydon, U.S. Air Force (ret.), Legend, Jessica Morrissey, Mystic, and Jack Hayward, Director of Communication, Fidelco, met with the Resident at the Fisherman Restaurant to tell the story of Matt and Fidelco’s partnership.
Tech Sergeant Matthew Slaydon, U.S. Air Force (ret.), was serving in Kukuk, Iraq, when a roadside bomb changed his life forever. During an interview with the Resident, Matt talks about his experience in Iraq and the series of events that landed him at the Fisherman Restaurant, Noank, to tell us about it.
It all began in Iraq on October 24, 2007. Matt, a team leader for the Explosives Ordinance Disposal (EOD) Unit, responded to a call in an area known for improvised explosive devices. While inspecting the area, he saw something suspicious.
He ordered his team to stay in the trucks and took “the long walk” – when a leader scouts a site to avoid putting his team in danger. “They call it the long walk. You go by yourself, to do it by yourself,” said Matt.
Matt talks about disarming the bomb that nearly killed him. “In the process of trying to isolate where the bomb was, I slid my mine probe into the ground and it went off.” Only two feet from the bomb when it exploded, Matt was thrown 30 feet. “I shattered every bone in my face, my jaw bone twice.”
Despite wearing safety glasses, which were ineffective against 15 pounds of explosive, Matt lost his left eye and damaged his right one, leaving him blind. The bomb also severely injured his left arm resulting in amputation. “Fortunately, I was following procedure. If I hadn’t protected my off hand, I would have loss this one too,” said Matt. “There were two charges. The top one went and the bottom one didn’t. If it had, it would have killed me.”
Matt expresses his anger over the disregard for the laws of war. “I was sucker punched. It wasn’t honorable. It was cowardly. I despise these people. I hate them because they are cowards, murderers. He tried to murder me. It wasn’t lawful. It was attempted murder. They say that someone is killed in combat, but they are not killed by combatants.”
“He’s in prison, the guy that put the bomb there. They caught him in January of 2008. The follow-up EOD team collected evidence. We find a lot of them.” Matt explains that EOD treats the bomb site as a crime scene. “We are the only people allowed to disarm bombs. We collect evidence and figure out who put it there. We don’t blow everything up so there is evidence left to collect.”
Tech Sergeant Matthew Slaydon, U.S. Air Force (ret.), injured while serving in Iraq leaving him blind and with one arm, received a guide dog, Legend, from Fidelco Guide Dog Foundation, Bloomfield.
Life after the injury isn’t easy for Matt. “It’s a massive adjustment,” said Matt. “It still hasn’t sunk in that I’m not in the service. It will probably be like that for the rest of my life.”
Matt says the toughest part of his injury is, “The loss of my career. That I can’t go [to Iraq] any more.” Matt was injured during his third tour and his EOD Unit is heading out for what would have been Matt’s fifth tour. He planned to retire after 30 years of service, but his injury cut his service in the Air Force short – to 16 and a half years.
The best part? “Learning how many people really do love me. Things like this bring out the best and the worst in people. You find out who your friends are,” said Matt. “It’s like when you need to move a couch. You find out who’s really your friend if they’ll help you out and this is a really big couch to move.”
Matt doesn’t waste any time wondering why he was injured. “Maybe it’s just that I’ve seen a lot of crazy stuff. I’ve seen a lot of bad stuff happen to good people and a lot of good stuff happen to bad people. I don’t need to know why. It’s up to the mechanic, the master planner of the universe.”
So how does a wounded Airman from Phoenix, Arizona, find his way to Connecticut? The answer is Fidelco Guide Dog Foundation, a non-profit guide dog school based out of Bloomfield. Fidelco, celebrating its 50th anniversary, pioneered In-Community Placement, a process that allows guide dog users to stay in their own home, their own community, and be trained.
“I first met Fidelco at the Blind Veterans Association conference. I talked to the staff at the Fidelco booth. I also met several veterans wounded before me who received guide dogs from Fidelco,” said Matt. “Fidelco is the only one that does home placement. Having them help me learn in my own area makes a lot of sense.”
Another reason Matt chose Fidelco for his guide dog was his love of German Shepherds – the only dogs that Fidelco breed and train as guide dogs. “I planned to get a Shepherd when I retired. They always impressed me. They are beautiful and smart dogs. I figured if I’m going to have one now, I may as well get what I always wanted.”
Fidelco paired Matt with his guide dog, Legend. “Together, Legend and I are highly functional. It’s only been a couple of days, but imagine what it is going to be like in a couple of years,” said Matt. “This is the first time I can get out and walk without hanging on to someone.”
“The motivating factor to getting a guide dog now is to be independent as possible. Returning to school is now a possibility. I hope to return to finish my Bachelors this fall, if not, at least in the spring,” said Matt. “Having Legend facilitates this process and I can focus that much more on school.”
Matt hopes to become a clinical psychologist for the VA. “I can’t fight with boots and bullets like I used to, but I can help to screw their heads on straight. It’s still winning the war. Like I say, there’s a lot more to it than what happens at the sharp end,” said Matt. “I think it will help with my own Post Traumatic Stress Disorder by helping others deal with theirs.”
More and more soldiers are returning with PTSD. “There are an increased number of vets that sustained injury. I would have died in any other conflict,” said Matt. “People ask, ‘What’s up with PTSD?’ The answer is they would have died normally.”
Normally, Fidelco relies solely on their In-Community Placement, but Matt’s situation was unique enough to warrant bringing him to Connecticut to work directly with a number of trainers and support staff, then continue training in Arizona. To keep his “good” hand free, Matt is learning to hold Legend’s leash with his prosthetic left hand; a task that required a lot of research and development on the part of Fidelco. Their rehabilitation specialist, include a prosthesis expert, worked with Matt to find the right combination of harness and handle that Matt could use.
Matt, who was left handed before the amputation, has a specially designed prosthetic for his left arm and hand. “It’s made of plastic and carbon fiber. It’s called the iLimb,” explains Matt. “It’s the only one right now. Next summer, I am getting a new model, the next generation. It is the only hand that can grab round objects. Everything else is a clamp.” To make it work, doctors separated the nerve from the muscle in the remaining part of Matt’s arm. He contracts one muscle and the hand closes. A different muscle makes it open and the elbow is automated.
Jessica Morrissey, Mystic, the catalyst for this interview, was involved in Fidelco since she was nine-years-old when her father helped Charlie Kaman, founder of Fidelco, find investors for the business. Philanthropists, like Jessica, allow Fidelco to provide guide dogs at no cost to their users. The more than $45,000 cost per dog is offset entirely by voluntary public contributions that support Fidelco’s services.
During the interview, Matt gets a chance to thank Jessica. “It’s because of people like you. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have Legend. This is what makes the U.S. so great. We are generous, kind, caring, and compassionate. I have experience that by seeing other societies. So thank you!”
(l-r) Sophia Wright, 19, and Allan Selserman proudly give tours of the new ARC General Store and Bakery, 52 Sacred Heart Drive in Groton. Here you will get service with the biggest smiles imaginable and homemade blueberry muffins you will swear were made in heaven.
story & photo
by Maren Schober
Something new and wonderful opened at 52 Sacred Heart Drive, Groton, and today, I am checking it out. Walking through the door the aroma of home baked goods surrounds me and I have all I can do not to head right for the muffin counter. The fresh blueberry and orange cranberry muffins are unbelievably tantalizing.
“Hello,” Allan Selserman, manager, Arc General Store and Bakery, greets me. “Welcome to our new store. We opened May 3. Everything you see in the store is made by our Arc individuals or donated by their families and our staff members. This is Sophia Wright. She will give you a tour.”
The General Store is one large comfortable room with the bakery off to one side. The rest of the store is filled with a large variety of gift shop items. “Here is some jewelry made by us,” Sophia, age 19, points out.
I see a large inventory of beaded necklaces and bracelets. “Did you make one of these?” I ask
“I made this one,” Sophia replies and hands me a pretty bracelet. Sophia stands before me with the biggest smile on her face and it is right from her heart.
She is smiling at me with her whole being which is something I don’t experience often enough. It feels so good. I am warmed from within and return the smile. It is impossible not to like this young woman immediately.
Sophia continues the tour pointing out candles, tea cup sets, rubber stamps, tie dyed shirts, other crafts made by the Arc individuals and sweatshirts, ceramic coffee mugs and travel mugs, with the Arc logo on them.
“This week we are going to start selling Cool Beans coffee which is roasted in Hartford and distributed by Crystal Rock Water,” Allan tells me.
“What do you do in this store, Sophia?” I asked.
“I take inventory using the computer, pricing, make coffee, customer service, cashier, and I help customers.”
Allan explains, “Upstairs on the second floor is our Employment Transition Center which includes a crafts room, library, job training area, computer lab and industrial kitchen all used to teach our clients life skills so they can get jobs as cooks, cashiers and similar positions. Although my title is manager, I consider myself much more than that. I am a mentor. I help these men and women feel good about themselves, increase their self confidence, and get jobs in the community.” Allan loves what he does and it shows!
Although the home made chocolate chip and oatmeal cranberry raisin cookies are very tempting, I walk out with four muffins and one rubber stamp for my collection. All I can say is, you better get over there fast. You are in for a big treat and service with the biggest smiles you have ever seen.
The Store is open Monday-Friday 8:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. For more information call 860.449.1529.
(l-r) Eddie Oomen, Team Manager, Flying Dutchmen, with the Flying Dutchmen cyclists: Jan Van Vliet, Mick Kallenfels, Jerry Kallenfels, Thomas Polak, Robin Van der Lijn, and Bob Verkooijen competed in the third annual Whaling City Cyclone event held in Fort Trumbull.
Beware of the Flying Dutchmen, a team of cyclists from Holland, as they swept the reigning champs on Saturday, June 12th at The Nutmeg Classic Criterium in New Britain, buzzing by them like a swarm of killer bees! They also competed on Sunday in New London, their “home away from home,” in the third annual Whaling City Cyclone event held in Fort Trumbull. To this team of six cyclists, riding is their life!
Bill Humphreys, race coordinator, Whaling City Cyclone, explained to me that cycling is to these youngsters as baseball is to the average American kid.
Sporting snappy Rogelli cycling jerseys, which proudly display the names of local sponsors, Mystic.org and Mohegan Sun Casino, the boys were ready to defend their title. They did quite well but didn’t win this event.
The defeat isn’t keeping these happy Europeans down though, Bill arranged a fun-filled week for them, including a trip to Block Island on Monday, where a pickup game of soccer turned into a sand-hurling skinny-dipping hootenanny, and Tuesday, a trip to our local gem, the Mystic Aquarium.
I stumbled upon the athletes for the second time, to see how they are enjoying the Nutmeg State, and they were awestruck, while petting cow-nose rays at one of the exhibits at the Aquarium. The media often states that the people of Holland are among the happiest on the planet, and they attribute this to the healthy side effects of cycling.
Although they have visited the US before, this is their first trip to CT, which, Jan Van Vliet says, “It’s a beautiful state, everything is so green and I love the Coast!” Jan, among several of his teammates comes from a long line of cyclists, his father is a former professional.
Thomas Polak, says, “When I was young, I dreamed of being a professional cyclist, but now I’m older I realized it’s really hard to become a (professional cyclist.) But I still hope one day I can start in races as the ‘Tour de France,’ or ‘Paris Roubaix.’ But what I am doing right now is fine for me, too. I will always love riding a bike!”
“I think the kids are going to wake up,” Zachary Mathiau remarks. “They will have to sacrifice and work hard in high school in order to get into college.” Zachary is a ninth grader at East Hartford High School attending the College Knowledge Day at ECSU in Willimantic on June 3.
story & photo
by Maren Schober
When should I consider college? Why think about college now? What can a college education do for me? Where do I start? How will I pay for college?
Today, Thursday, June 3, hundreds of eighth and ninth graders from high schools across the state converge on the campus of Eastern Connecticut State University (ECSU) in Willimantic to discover the answers.
From 9:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m., informative workshops are presented to help address these questions and others. The students hail from towns such as Bloomfield, Bridgeport, Berlin, East Hartford, Ellington, Hartford, Manchester, Norwalk, Norwich and many more.
Roy Jordan is a guidance councilor from East Hartford H.S. (EHHS) here with 30 ninth graders. “I am hoping we can offer Advanced Placement classes at our high school,” Roy tells me. “These are challenging subjects where our college bound students can earn college credit. The college credits earned will shorten the time they have to spend in college and save their parents lots of college financing.”
Perhaps the workshop that means the most to the students is the one in which four high school seniors share their plans for college after they graduate from high school.
“You will want a college education so you don’t have to spend your 40-50 working years living from paycheck to paycheck,” their peers explain.
“People will respect you.”
“You have a choice. Do you want to party all the time in high school and get low grades and then be unhappy all your working years, or do you want to make the sacrifice in high school, make good grades, go to college and have a rewarding career?”
“Colleges are looking for students who have a 3.0 grade point average in high school. Now is the time for you to be working hard to achieve that. Colleges look back at the grades you make in 9th and 10th grade.”
“How many of you are on Facebook?”
Every hand shoots up!
“Be aware the college admissions people look at the pictures you put in Facebook showing your activities. They take that impression of you as part of their decision making process. Don’t put anything on Facebook that you would be ashamed of.”
Zachary Mathiau is one of the ninth graders from EHHS. “I think these kids are going to wake to reality,” he comments.
Kalisha Jones another EHHS ninth grader states, “I want to go to college so I can work as a social worker. I like helping people. I want to learn how to get college credit while I am in high school.”
Today, students are being introduced to Project Opening Doors, a partnership between public and private sectors that seeks to increase CT student participation and achievement in Advanced Placement courses.
To better ensure their success in college, the KnowHow2Go website was established in 2007 by The American Council of Education, Lumina Foundation for Education and the Ad Council. The KnowHow2Go website is designed to help students start to plan and prepare for their college education.
