Making Tie-Dye at the Wellness Center

N o rest for the weary, even on a cold, snowy afternoon. The Alianza Latina Outreach Team, led by Program Coordi-nator Felicia Cruz, was out on January 12

doing what it does best: street outreach. Accompa-nying Felicia were Peer Coordinator Jessica Lehsten and Alianza Peers Millie and Olga. This dedicated team conducts outreach on Buf-falo’s Lower West Side on a weekly basis, bringing much needed HIV/AIDS education and free condoms to those in need in the community. Street outreach is one of the goals required under the NYSDOH AIDS Institute grants that fund the agency. “We are here to provide a service to the community with HIV/AIDS education, prevention counseling, outreach, and promoting programs that benefi t the community,” Felicia said. Felicia has been an outreach worker for the past seven years, beginning at Project Reach. “Street outreach means becoming part of that com-munity and meeting people where they’re at,” Felicia explained. “Enhanced outreach is identifying the need of that person, building a relationship, and link-ing them to services.” Felicia has trained the Peers on outreach, who already have communication skills, street smarts, and the passion to make a diff erence. Back at the Victorian, Peers prepare condom packets with information about the services off ered by Alianza. Felicia and the team go out at least three times a week, meeting people on the street as well as visiting community centers and making “condom drops” to vendors on a regular basis. Their target ar-

eas are the West and East sides of Buff alo—areas that will best benefi t from street outreach. Felicia sees a lot of new faces, but many of the same ones as well, facing the same issues. Vendors also look forward to seeing her every week. Felicia has built a rapport in these communities, and they have come to de-pend on the condom drops and the Outreach Team’s friendly faces. Felicia states, “Being a constant fi xture in the neighborhood leads people to trust you, and that’s how I have built relationships.” When asked to cite the positive and negative aspects of outreach, she said, “A positive aspect is reaching out to members of the community that may not have access to services if it weren’t for outreach. One negative aspect is the safety issue; we’re going into neighborhoods that have high crime, drug use, poverty, etc, but these are the people we need to reach because they need services too. Another as-pect is the weather—especially on a day like today. It can play a big part on outreach not getting done; however people are looking for us and we’ve got to get the job done. I can say that we have made a diff er-ence in the community with our presence. Outreach has always been a part of me as has been talking to people, getting to know them, and helping to make a diff erence.” Just like the Doobie Brothers song “Takin’ It to the Streets”, you can bet this team of dedicated out-reach workers does the best they can every week to make a diff erence in the community in which they serve, live, work, and play. - Story by Margie Soto

<< the Alianza Latina Outreach Team hits the streets in January.

TAKIN’ IT TO THE STREETSAlianza Lati na’s Outreach Team is...

Respectin the

WorkplaceSubmitted by Liya Moolchan

Studies and polls indicate that Americans view incivility as a serious problem that is getting worse. One study found that 60% of employees believe co-workers’ disrespect and negative be-haviors can have a detrimental eff ect on produc-tivity and job satisfaction. Civility has just about everything to do with creating workplaces in which people can do their best work and busi-ness can thrive. Here are a few ideas for how you can help to create a more civil and respectful working environment:

Always respect the value of everyone’s time by showing up for meetings prepared and on time.

Manners matt er. Greet everyone with a ‘hello’ and a smile, and be sure to say “please”, “thank you” and “I’m sorry”.

Before acting , consider the impact of your words and ac-tions on others.

Rely on facts, rather than assumptions or second hand information.

Don’t take items fr om another person’s desk, fail to return loaned items or read another person’s mail.

Don’t use behavior or language associated with racial, sexual, age-related, or other diff erences that can off end.

Remember, your daily actions signal to others the level of personal respect that you hold for them. What you do and say matters! C

BirthdaysFelicia Cruz — 02/02

Jamie Borow — 02/13Margie Soto — 02/08

Damian Martinez — 02/09Tom Needham — 02/14

Stephanie Vroman — 02/14Frank Goldberg — 02/16

Ann Licata — 02/19Karen McLaurin — 02/22

Sheila Marcheson — 02/22Victoria De Leon — 02/26

AnniversariesJulie Vaughan — 1 year

Lymarilys Rodriguez — 1 yearJacob Perrello — 1 yearYakira Moreno — 1 year

James Hill — 1 yearKimberly Harding — 1 yearD’Addario, Nicole — 1 year

Jamie Borow — 1 yearCarrie Sentz — 2 years

Joshua McClain — 2 yearsCrystal White — 3 years

Jerome Robinson — 3 yearsJohn Carocci — 17 years

Your Continued Dedication and HardWork Are Noticed and Appreciated!

– The Management Team

Th e February Book Club meeting will take place on Wednesday, February 16 from 12:00 noon until 1:00 p.m. in the Foundation Board Room. We will be discussing Lowboy by John Wray (available at the Buff alo Public Library). Lunch will be ordered from Merge (menu available at www.mergebuff alo.com). RSVP by Monday, February 12 to Margaret Hodson (x363) or Jim Mohr (x306).

Amazon.com Review:I'm not the fi rst and certainly won't be the last reader to herald Lowboy for the subtle homage it pays to one of the best-known heroes in 20th century fi ction, or to envy and delight in its masterful vision of New York City as seen from its darkest, most primal places. What's most seductive for me about John Wray's third novel — and arguably the one that puts him squarely on the map alongside contemporary luminaries like Joseph O'Neill, Jonathan Lethem, and Junot Diaz — is how skillfully it explores the mind's mysterious terrain. Th is isn't exactly uncharted land: John Wray's Will Heller — a.k.a. Lowboy — is a paranoid schizo-phrenic off his meds and on the lam, certain of both his own dysfunction and of the world's imminent col-lapse by way of global warming, but Wray handles that

F E B R U A R Y B O O K : L O

subtext delicately and is careful to make Will's mission to "cool down" and save the world feel single-minded without being moralistic. Wray invokes all the classic elements of a mystery in the telling, and that's what makes this novel such a searing read. As Will rides the subway in pursuit of a fi nal solution to the crisis at hand, we meet (among others) Will's mother Violet, an Austrian by birth with an inscrutable intensity that gives the story a decidedly noir feel; Ali Lateef, the unfl appable detective investigating Will's disappear-ance whose touch of brilliance always seems in danger of being snuff ed out; and Emily Wallace, the young woman at the heart of Will's tragic odyssey. Th e novel moves seamlessly between Will's fi ts and starts below ground and Violet and Ali's equally staccato investi-gation of each other above. Th is kind of pacing is the stuff we crave (and we think you will, too) — the kind that draws you in so unawares that before you know it, it's past midnight and you're down to the last page.

— Anne Bartholomew

Save the Date for the March Book ClubWednesday, March 16Restaurant TBABook: Th e Screwtape Lett ers by C.S. Lewis

W B O Y B Y J O H N W R AY

Julie Vaughan shows off one of the tie-dyed creations made by clients at the Wellness Center

TIEDYE

~ at the ~

WC

A wonderful time was had by all at the January Wine on Wednesdays event at the Protocol in Williamsville. For more information on this fun event - includ-ing future venues and menus - contact Kim Harding or visit us online at www.wineonwednesdays.com.

Dining Out for Life has become one of the agency’s biggest annual fundraisers, and it’s easy to see why. Aft er all, who doesn’t enjoy a delicious meal with friends or family at one of Western New York’s fi nest restaurants? Here’s how it works: on Tuesday, April 26, par-ticipating restaurants will donate a minimum of 25% (and in some cases up to 100%) of every food bill to AIDS Community Services. Th at’s it. No catch, no small print, and best of all, no dirty dishes to wash. And with nearly 100 restaurants participating, there’s some-thing for every taste and budget, from pizza in a casual sett ing to an elegant gourmet dinner. “Gee John,” I hear you saying, “that sounds awesome! What can I do?” Funny you should ask. Th e beauty of Dining Out for Life is how easy it is to pitch in. Here are three sim-ple but eff ective ways you can help make Dining Out for Life 2011 our biggest and best ever: Be a Dining Out for Life Ambassador You’ll be assigned a restaurant where you’ll greet patrons, explain how they’re helping fi ght AIDS just by eating dinner, and answer any questions they may have about the event or AIDS Community Services. You’ll also give them a donation envelope in case they’d like to make an additional donation. Being an Ambassador is a huge help, as nearly 40% of the event’s income comes from donation en-velopes! Dine Out for Life Invite your family, friends or Facebook crew out for dinner at one of the participating restaurants. Visit an old favorite or be adventurous and try something new! One warn-ing: nearly all of our participating restaurants will be very crowded on the 26th, so make reservations even if you normally wouldn’t. Help Us Spread the Word Even if you can’t be an Ambassador or at-tend the event, help us spread the word to your family, friends, pro-fessional contacts, etc. It really makes a diff erence! — John Carocci

CONNECTIONS CONTRIBUTORS

EDITOR KIM LUANGPAKDYPUBLISHER/LAYOUT JOHN CAROCCI

CONTRIBUTORS KATE GALLIVAN,

JUSTIN HAAG, JIM MOHR, LIYA MOOLCHAN,

MARGIE SOTO, GARY WILLIAMS

Department of Social Services

WORKSHOP by Kate Gallavin

The Western New York Coalition for the Homeless is pleased to announce the 2011 Department of Social Services Workshop. The workshop will fea-ture speakers from Medicaid, Food Stamps, Tem-porary Assistance, Emergency Services, MAAT Unit (Multi-Abuse Assessment Team), Employment, Daycare and more. Participants will have the op-portunity to hear updates on each department and a presentation, as well as ask questions. To register, contact Connie Mosher at conniesrudd@yahoo.com. If you have specifi c questions, e-mail Connie or call her at 812-8310. Once you send in your request for registration, Connie will send you the total cost for the workshop.

When: Tuesday, February 15, 8:30 a.m. - 3:45 a.m.Where: Adam's Mark Hotel, 120 Church StreetCost: $20 (Coalition members) $25 (public) Cost includes lunch but does not include parking. Please submit payment by February 11. Make checks out to Western New York Coalition for the Homeless. Send checks to Catholic Chari-ties, 128 Wilson Street, Buff alo, NY 14212 (Attn: Bill Larsen). Please don’t mail cash. If you plan on pay-ing at the door, notify Connie upon registration. If payment is not received prior to the day of the workshop, you will be expected to pay at the door. You will receive a confi rmation e-mail prior to the workshop once your payment has been received.

Do you have projects around the house that need to be completed, but you can’t aff ord to purchase the materials at full price? Projects that require plumbing sup-plies, light fi xtures, doors, countertops, windows, bathroom vanities, sinks, fi x-tures, etc.? There is a new resource open to non-profi ts, and essentially to you, that is making materials such as these avail-able at drastically reduced prices.

What It Is?

Framing Hope Warehouse, a program run by WNY AmeriCorps, off ers deep-dis-counted items by leveraging donations from local and national retailers through Gifts in Kind International. The ware-house also relies heavily on a partnership with the Home Depot Foundation, which sends truckloads of new products from its stores across the county. Products in-clude overstock or discounted items, as well as special-order items that were nev-er picked up by customers.

How It Works

WNY AmeriCorps allows non-profi ts to pass this program along to their employ-ees with one stipulation—that purchases be paid for via the nonprofi t’s company check or credit card. Ron Silverio has agreed to open this up to employees. Open Houses for Evergreen Associa-tion employees are held on the fi rst and third Wednesday of the month between 12:00 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. Identify yourself as an ACS employee upon arrival at the warehouse. You will be allowed to leave with your purchases, and I will pay for all your purchases at the end of the day. You reimburse the agency by the next day (check is preferred). A current inventory and price list can be seen at http://www.wnyamericorps.org/fi les/webform/warehouse/warehou-seinventory.pdf. The Warehouse is located at 635 South Park Avenue, Buff alo. Please contact Gary at extension 329 if you have any questions.

Framing Hope Warehouse

by Gary Williams

1 I always fl ip through magazines backwards out of habit because I’m left-handed.

2 I think Dunkin Donuts coff ee is superior to Starbucks, Tim Hortons, AND Spot.

3 My favorite Offi ce character would be Dwight or Creed. Least favorite: Meredith

4 I used to work with autistic preschool and elementary-aged children.

5 In high school, my hair was bleached blonde at one point, as well as blue, purple, green, and black.

6 I will choose vanilla over chocolate almost exclusively, regardless the treat in question.

7 I love summer, specifi cally cliff / bridge jump-ing.

8 I’ve driven over 10,000 miles in three weeks across the continental US and back

9 My weirdest tattoo story is having a small portion of my nipple accidentally tattoo’d. My artist and I still joke about it.

10 I play in a band; we probably won’t be ready to play out until mid-spring, check with me for updates : )

THIS MONTH

Justin Haag!

by Jim Mohr

Th anks to everyone that helped with the prescription pill bott le collection project for Doctors Without Borders! Th e response has been terrifi c! Th e project is coming to and end; the last day to drop off your bott le will be Feb-ruary 15.