story & photo
by Christopher Annino

Justin McCraken with his friends and family at his benefit concert.

Justin McCraken was paralyzed in a motor vehicle accident on August 28, 2010. Several weeks ago a musical fundraiser with such guest bands as DOT, Stressbomb, The Munsell Brothers Band, Missing Cat, and Resume performed to raise money so that a wheelchair and ramp could be bought for him. Send any additional funding to: Bank of America, Alicyne Gordon Larson, 28 Main Street, Moosup, CT, 06354

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Special Olympics Connecticut celebrates Eunice Kennedy Shriver Day with the first official announcement of the athletes and partners selected to compete at the 2011 Summer World Games in Athens, Greece. The event was held at Saint Barbara Greek Orthodox Church, Orange.  Father Peter Orphanakos proudly poses with the team, including, (l-r) Kera Connolly, Norwalk, Frank Smurlo, Old Greenwich, Kathleen Ledwidge, Mystic,  Christopher and James Hasak, Fairfield, after sharing traditional Greek food and dance in preparation for their journey to Greece.

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story and photo
by Angela Olsen

Dr. Jim Scarles, Mystic, and Mrs. Pugsley, New London, a five year cancer survivor, volunteer on behalf of Lawrence & Memorial Hospital for the Terri Brodeur Breast Cancer Walk.

More than 340 walkers, determined to find a cure for breast cancer gathered at three starting points on yet another glorious and curiously warm, New England morning, Saturday, October 2nd to walk a full, half ,or quarter marathon.  The sky shone so brightly, one had to wonder if angels were smiling down upon the team-work, unity, and passion shared by so many walkers and volunteers for the common end: Find a cure for breast cancer!

Now in its fifth year, the Terri Brodeur Breast Cancer Foundation, (TBBCF) is gaining notoriety within the medical community for its many strengths.  How proud Terri Brodeur and Norma Logan would be to see how far this idea has evolved! This month marks the fifth year since Terri Brodeur lost her battle with Stage IV Breast Cancer in October of 2005 at the age of 41.

The Walk Across Southeastern CT began at 7:00 am at Saybrook Point for people walking the full marathon and ended at Camp Harkness.  Driving through Waterford gave a bit of perspective into how devoted people are to finding a cure.  Over 200 volunteers lined the streets and worked the tents, keeping Norma Logan’s dream alive!

The operative word of the day was not cancer.  The word was RESEARCH!  When founding president, Norma Logan, began the TBBCF she developed the “100% pledge,” as she grew tired of watching valuable monies raised for research get absorbed by overhead and operating expenses for other non-profits.

“To date, we have raised 1.4 million to fund 15 researchers; $900K went to Dana Farber to search for a cure for breast cancer,” said Stacey Gualtieri, Treasurer, in a heartfelt speech at the closing ceremonies. “Imagine that!  Imagine it’s us!  Us giving Dana Farber $1 million to go out and fight cancer!”

Breast cancer will claim the lives of nearly 41,000 women in the United States this year, and research is the window to a cure.  That was the common theme, as Dr. Jim Scarles, Mystic, whose wife, Amelia, is a survivor said, “Our government doesn’t donate enough money.  Research is critical.  I am involved with TBBCF as a husband and as a doctor.”

The Terri Brodeur Foundation is responsible for funding some of the most elite research in the Northeast, according to John LaMattina, president. “So where does all of this money go?” he said. “We set our philosophy on the scientific advisory committee to try and identify young researchers just getting started out in their careers at some of the best research institutions in the Northeast!  And we focus on places like, Memorial Sloan Kettering, Harvard Medical School, Dana Farber Medical School, Yale and others.  The quality of the grants has been remarkable.”

“Having said that, the quality of research is remarkable – thanks to your efforts. As you were walking today, you were walking to try to help a researcher find out why breast cancer patients develop resistance to an important breast cancer drug. We’re trying to find out why women who bear children earlier in life than others are more resistant to breast cancer. We’re trying to understand why your own immune system doesn’t fight the disease.  Your work today is going toward finding answers to these questions.”

What a glorious moment in time it will be when we are speaking about breast cancer in the past tense, as a disease that now has a cure.  The dedicated walkers and volunteers are tireless in their efforts, and gaining momentum!

“We are getting closer; this is evident by the growing number of survivors who join us every year,” said Stacey Gualtieri. “Always remember Norma’s Dream, she gave us the final four months of her life and we can’t ever forget that.”

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Dr. Linda S. Schwartz

Dr. Linda S. Schwartz, commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Veterans’ Affairs, was recently installed as the president of the National Association of State Directors of Veterans’ Affairs (NASDVA) for 2010-2011.  Dr. Schwartz is the first woman to hold this position in NASDVA’s 65-year history and the first person from Connecticut to ever lead the nation’s veterans’ affairs directors.

NASDVA is an organization comprised of the top veterans’ affairs officials in each state, the District of Columbia and the U.S. territories.  NASDVA members are tasked by their Governors as the “office of prime responsibility” for providing services to veterans and are uniquely qualified to be a vital resource which can augment Federal programs, improve the identification of needs, coordinate local resources and ultimately enhance the quality of care and services to America’s veterans and their families.

NASDVA provides a medium for the exchange of ideas and information between states so that issues facing veterans and their families nationwide can be addressed uniformly and effectively.   NASDVA is also actively involved in the development, analysis and implementation of veterans’ legislation both at the state and Federal levels.

Collectively, state governments commit more than $4 billion each year of their own resources in support of our nation’s veterans and their families. States are second only to the Federal VA in providing benefits and services to the men and women who defend our nation.

“Serving as NASDVA’s president during these challenging times for today’s veterans is both an honor and a serious responsibility,” said Dr. Schwartz.  “Our states and the Federal government must work even more closely together to maximize available benefits and services for both our aging veterans and those returning each day from Afghanistan and Iraq.  “I intend to use this position to continue my strong advocacy for veterans which began over 30 years ago.”

Dr. Schwartz was originally appointed commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Veterans’ Affairs in 2003, becoming the first woman and nurse to hold this position in state history.  She served as an officer and flight nurse in the United States Air Force from 1967 to 1986, both on active duty and as an Air Force Reservist.  She retired from the military in 1986 after sustaining injuries in an aircraft accident while conducting a mission as an Air Force flight nurse.

Dr. Schwartz holds a doctorate degree in public health from the Yale School of Medicine and a master’s in nursing degree from Yale School of Nursing, where she is an associate clinical professor.  She is a past president of the Connecticut Nurses Association and Connecticut Nurses Foundation and has served on the National Board of Directors of the American Nurses Association, the Vietnam Veterans of America and the Vietnam Women’s Memorial, Inc.

Prior to her installation as NASDVA president, Dr. Schwartz served for several years on the Association’s executive committee, most recently as senior vice president.  She has represented NASDVA frequently before Congress, testifying on a variety of topics related to the care and conditions of today’s veterans.

Commissioner Schwartz makes her home in Pawcatuck.

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Jim Cronin, president & CEO, Dime Bank

September 2010: Dime Bank, Norwich, earned the highest rating for strength and stability from BauerFinancial, Inc., Coral Gables, FL, the nation’s bank rating firm. Earning Bauer’s coveted 5-Star Superior rating indicates that Dime Bank is one of the strongest banks in the country excelling in such areas as capital adequacy, delinquent loan levels and profitability. In fact, Dime Bank has earned a recommended designation for the past 83 consecutive quarters.

“There has been a lot of debate recently about how much capital banks should have on hand,” explains Karen L. Dorway, president of BauerFinancial. “That has never been a question here at Bauer. A sizeable capital cushion can make all the difference in an economic crisis. In fact, we consider it so important that in order to earn a 5-Star rating from Bauer, Dime Bank’s capital ratios are at least twice what federal regulators require. With twenty-seven years to back us up, Bauer has always believed that capital is king.”

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