News and Events
On the Air & In the News
Hear our new PSAs airing now on radio and television stations throughout Connecticut
RADIO - "I Need Help" 60sec PSA (2010)
RADIO - "I Need Help" 30sec PSA (2010)
TV - Helping Hand PSA
June 15 - 4th Annual Connecting with Hope Gala
We've picked a new venue for our Fourth Annual Connecting with Hope Gala on June 15, 2012: The charming ballroom and courtyard of the Cromwell Courtyard by Marriott.  We'll announce our special guest speaker in March.  Past guests include Emmy winning actor Joe Pantoliano, four-time World Series champ Darryl Strawberry, and Grammy Award winning artist Aaron Neville.  Email us if you 'd like to be on the invitation list for this wonderful evening of celebration! 
Grammy Winner Neville Speaks at Sold Out June Gala
© 2012 The Connection, Inc.  All rights reserved.
Please report any problems to the webmaster
Trio Appointed Senior Directors of Agency Programs
Shown at right, Marcie Dimenstein (left), Lisa DeMatteis-Lepore and Jake Villeneuve were recently appointed as Senior Directors of The Connection by President and CEO Peter Nucci. Under the new structure, the three will have operational and managerial oversight over our four core service areas: Supportive Housing, Women and Children’s Services, Behavioral Health, and Community Justice.

Dimenstein will oversee behavioral health programs, DeMatteis-
Lepore has responsibility for supportive housing and women and children's programs, and Villeneuve guides the community justice areas.  The restructuring will streamline operational and reporting mechanisms and will help ensure that the agency responds dynamically to new initiatives and to ongoing programmatic and service needs.

"It has been 15 months since the Boards of Directors of ALSO-Cornerstone and The Connection decided to join forces for a better Connecticut through a formal merger in January 2010,” Nucci said.  "In addition to our increase in size as a result of the merger, we grew substantially with the addition of new and expanded programming at the same time, and we have even more under way now.   Nucci also said the new structure will enable the organization to make measured evolutionary changes in operational structures in order to adapt to any changes and to best leverage resources to better serve Connecticut communities and people in need.
Patrick Liddle Named Agency's Director of Training
Patrick Liddle, a long-term employee of The Connection, has been named Director of Training for the agency.  Liddle is working with key leadership staff at the agency to develop a training program to ensure that the knowledge and skills of staff meet “best practices” standards. He is developing a series of monthly staff trainings to address clinical, management, and technology issues. The first trainings will be offered to management level supervisors in Quality Improvement, Information Technology, Finance, Human Resources, and Program Administration.

Liddle is a Licensed Professional Counselor and has developed a process for including pro social role plays into the curriculum of The Connection's Center for the Treatment of Problem Sexual Behavior.  He oversees the fidelity of the clinical work done at the CTPSB in conjunction with Program Director Dr. Randall Wallace.
Patrick is a clinical member of several national associations, and is co-author of the latest workbook for the Reasoning and Rehabilitation (R&R) program.  He is a senior associate for the Cognitive Center where he trains staff to present the R&R curriculum to offenders. He completed a Training New Trainers (TNT) seminar for Motivational Interviewing and has provided national training in the R and R curriculum and Motivational Interviewing.
Six-time Grammy Award winning musical artist Aaron Neville was keynote speaker at The Connection Fund’s Third Annual Connecting with Hope Gala on June 17. 

The sold out event, emceed by Lisa Carberg of NBC CT, was held at The Stone House in Deep River.  Over 300 guests were treated to wine tasting, cocktail social, silent auction, elegant New Orleans-style buffet by Lincoln Culinary Institute, dancing with the swing band Shiny Lapel Trio, and audience Q&A with Mr. Neville.  Joined by his wife Sarah, Aaron spoke about his stellar 50-year career as a solo artist and with the Neville Brothers, and how faith, family and giving back have sustained him throughout life.  He sang several songs, greeted guests, posed in photos, and signed autographs all evening. 

Special thanks to our presenting sponsor, Antiques and Home Furnishings of North Branford.  View more than 200 colorful pictures from the Hope Gala on our Flickr page.  
Staff Member Wins Gold with Team USA in Italy
Dr. Kathleen Savino, clinical supervisor with The Connection's Supportive Housing for Families program, recently returned from the World In-Line Hockey championships in Roccaraso, Italy. Team USA won its third gold medal, snatching a 3-2 victory over arch-competitor Canada during the final second (or, according to the Canadian press, the final hundredth of a second) of the regulation match. France came in third. 

Kathleen has been playing ice hockey since she was five years old and has played in seven championship games, during which Team USA came away with three gold medals, three silver, and one bronze. This year, twelve teams representing 12 countries played in the world championships.

"It was an honor for me to be chosen to represent my country in the World Games. There are few words to describe the excitement of winning a gold medal," Kathleen says.
The Connection Staff Presents at Argentina Conference
Peter Nucci, The Connection's President and CEO traveled in October with Marcie Dimenstein, Senior Director of Behavioral Health and Gerardo Sorkin, Director of Prevention and Intervention, to the Province of Córdoba, Argentina to present at a conference titled “The Relationship between Civil Society and Government."

The conference was the first opportunity for local providers, academia, not-for-profits and governmental agencies to discuss a new provincial law regarding the deinstitutionalization of people with mental illness. The Connection was invited to share the expertise gained through 40 years of experience in community service development. The conference was sponsored by the Asociación Civil Transformadora (ACT) whose mission is "Helping the community by developing and managing alternative mental health systems." Nucci spoke on the role of non-government organizations in the transformation of the mental health system in Connecticut and the United States, and Dimenstein spoke on recovery tools and concepts in the mental health system.

"This is a unique time in the development of Argentina's service delivery system," says Sorkin, a native of Argentina who is currently President of ACT. "The country is currently exploring and identifying the system they desire, how they will provide services, the development of a safety net and the relationship between not-for-profits and government."

“I was delighted to accept the invitation to present at the ACT Conference,” said Nucci. “Sharing information is clearly in alignment with the mission of The Connection. The Connection and ACT share similar missions and goals. This opportunity has given The Connection an international platform to share the knowledge and resources that we have developed. This also presents an opportunity to learn from these individuals about completely new paradigms of service. I hope that this is just a starting point for an ongoing relationship between the two organizations – and our two states.” 
Hundreds Run Against Poverty on October 30
Winter Storm Alfred crippled much of Connecticut on Oct. 29.  But the snow, ice and power outages wouldn't keep over 700 guests from running against poverty by attending The Connection Fund's Second Annual Wicked Good 5K and Family Festival on October 30, at New Haven's Lighthouse Point Park.  The event was emceed by Hallie Jackson of WFSB-TV, and sponsored by Aetna and the law firm of Wiggin and Dana LLP.

Adults and children alike participated in a costume contest where trophies were awarded to the top three entrants.  Youngsters ran the half-mile fun fun and enjoyed carousel rides, pumpkin craft and face painting.   Chowder, hot dogs, Chabaso bread, fresh fruit and snacks were served to hungry runners and walkers.

Joost Keizer of New Haven posted the fastest time overall for the men with 17:43.   The fastest women's time of 17:43 was posted by Guilford's Marie Davenport.  The top three male and female finishers in nine categories,
ranging from 12 and under to 80+ years, were awarded trophies.  Race results are posted here.

Special thanks to all our sponsors, volunteers and entrants for assuring the success of this charity event, which will help us bring help and hope to kids and adults in need.  We look forward to our third event in 2012!  
Foundation Grant Supports Women at Mother's Retreat
A generous $2,500 grant by the Community Foundation of Eastern Connecticut has enhanced the lives of women and children served by Mother's Retreat in Groton.  The grant, awarded in March 2011, provided a client activity fund that undewrote the costs for:
  • A new computer center that enables women to create resumes, locate affordable housing, childcare and other valuable assistance
  • Mass transit tokens to assist in travel to medical appointments, vocational training and other necessities
  • Outdoor patio furniture
  • Kitchen cookware for instruction on nutritional cooking
  • Flat screen TV for groups facilitation and socialization
  • Craft supplies and storage cabinet
  • Outing to Ocean Beach for mothers, children and staff
Coat Drive to Benefit Needy Children, Adults this Winter
Children and adults in need of warm coats will be helped by Best Cleaners' Coats for Connecticut drive.  The statewide dry cleaning company is accepting donations of gently worn coats and jackets.  They will launder and deliver them free to The Connection now through the end of January.  Drop your coats at any Best Cleaners location (not to The Connection), and know that they will benefit local individuals and families this winter.  Thank you for caring. 
Donate Now through January 31, 2012
Hong Kong Therapists Visit The Connection
Three Chinese therapists from Hong Kong’s Castle Peak Hospital met in early November with Greg Bivens, Program Manager of The Connection’s CREST Center in New Haven. The visit was part of a program sponsored by the Yale Program for Recovery and Community Health (Yale-PRCH).

The visiting therapists observed the Peer Support Services and the Citizens Group offered by Yale-PRCH, and learned from Fellowship Place, Inc.’s Social Club and Social Rehabilitation Model.  Bivens provided information on the multi-disciplinary and inter-agency approach that the CREST Center, a partnership between The Connection Fellowship Place and the Connecticut Mental Health Center, takes in serving the mental health population that is involved with the criminal justice system.

Castle Peak Hospital (CPH), with 1,144 beds, is the oldest psychiatric hospital in Hong Kong that provides psychiatric services, including forensic psychiatry, psychogeriatric services, child and adolescent psychiatry, rehabilitation, consultation-liaison psychiatry, and substance abuse treatment to both voluntary and involuntarily admitted patients. CPH also manages a network of psychiatric clinics and a day hospital that provides both outpatient and day patient services. The recent trend in psychiatry, which places significant importance on creating comprehensive treatment plans including hospital treatment and community psychiatric care, inspired CPH to send a delegation to the United States to explore how communities here are integrating services for the mental health population.

Pictured, from left:  Gregory Bivens, Program Manager, The Connection’s CREST Center; Cynthia Hunter-Gamble, Forensic Peer Specialist, Yale-PRCH; Chan Wai Kuen “Wendy,” Therapist- Castle Peak Hospital; Jeff Johnson, Forensic Peer Specialist, Yale-PRCH; “Davis,” Therapist- Castle Peak Hospital; Bridgette Williams, Forensic Peer Specialist, Yale-PRCH; Mary Guerrera, LCSW, Executive Director, Fellowship Place; Patty Benedict, Supervisor, Yale PRCH/Citizens Group; “Alan,” Therapist- Castle Peak Hospital; Raphael Bouloudnine, M.D., Visiting Professor, Yale-PRCH.
Stylists Provide Free Services to Clients on "Hair Day"
Lisa and Maggie, a pair served by our women and children's programs, had their hair cut and styled - for free - at the Contemporary Image Salon in Newington. The two women were among the six lucky winners of the 2011 "Hair Styling Day" for individuals served by Hallie House, Mother's Retreat, and Elm City Women and Children's Center. They join more than 70 Connection clients who over the past five years have enjoyed free hairstyling by salon owner Fabiola Kulig and her sister, Arleta.

The Hair Styling Day was the inspiration of Clinical Supervisor of Women's Services Frances Fallon. "Fabiola has been doing this for five years!" Fran says. "It started in 2007, when I was at Hallie House and wanted to give the women something really special for the Holidays," Fran says. "I was sitting in the salon one day and saw that Fabiola could talk to all kinds of people, so I got the idea of asking her to give haircuts to our clients. She said yes!  And she's been donating haircuts to our clients once a year ever since.
"I've always wanted to help," Fabiola says. But I wanted to do it in a way where I could see the results. It's easy to go into a store, pay a dollar, fill out a shoe or balloon for a charity and hang it in the window. But it doesn't mean a lot. I like to see the results of my work. When I cut people's hair, I can see their faces and see how happy my donation makes them. When you get your hair done, you feel terrific."
"We are grateful to the Community Foundation of Eastern Connecticut for their investment in our mission and work," said Sherrie Weaver, Program Director of Mother's Retreat.  "The grant has made a measurable, lasting impact on the women and children whom we serve."  Click for more information on Mother's Retreat.
Mother's Retreat staff with women served by this grant