July 2013 revised

Courtney Voss

1) I moved recently from Rochester and I am brand new to the Buffalo area!

2) My previous work experience is with Child Protect Services and Depaul Personal Recovery Oriented Services (PROS).

3) One of my former jobs was as a Party Host for children at an indoor inflatable play place called Jump Club.

4) I love cooking, and specialize in vegetarian and gluten-free cuisine.

5) Another former job was as a youth circus coach.

6) I can juggle torches and knives!

7) I spent two weeks traveling in Singapore and Thailand this summer.

8) I have an art degree.

9) I spent my last year at school conduc ng research on community gardens and their perceived effects on par cipants in Rochester.

10) I love to read, and I’m obsessed with Stephen King.

Urgent Care vs. Emergency Room Did you know that over 43% of all visits to the ER could have been treated at an urgent care center? On average, emergency room visits cost $500 more than urgent care center visits. Here are some convenient, affordable alterna ves to expensive hospital visits.

MASH Urgent Care

Lifetime Health Group (continued)

Lifetime Health Group (continued)

Lifetime Health Group (continued)

3980 Sheridan Drive (in the Dent Tower) Amherst, New York 14226 Phone: (716) 929-2800 9:00 AM – 9:00 PM Daily

Mosher Health Center Urgent Care Center 899 Main Street Buffalo, New York 14203 (716) 878-2700 Weekdays: 10:00 AM – 10:00 PM Saturday & Sunday: 10:00 AM - 6:00 PM

Urgent Care Center 2099 Niagara Falls Blvd Amherst, New York 14228 (716) 564-2273 Weekdays: 9:00 AM - 10:00 PM Saturday & Sunday 9:00 AM – 8:00 PM

Pediatric and Adolescent Urgent Care 1800 Maple Road Williamsville, New York 14221 (716) 636-5437 Weekdays: 4:00 PM - Midnight Saturday & Holidays: 12 noon – Midnight Sundays: 10:00 AM - Midnight

West Seneca Health Urgent Care Center 120 Gardenville Pkwy West West Seneca, New York 14224 (716) 668-3600 Weekdays: 12:00 Noon - 10:00 PM Saturday & Sunday: 10:00 AM - 8:30 PM

Urgent Care Center 7616 Transit Rd Williamsville, New York 14221 (716) 204-2273 Weekdays: 9:00 AM - 10:00 PM Saturday & Sunday: 9:00 AM – 8:00 PM

Western New York Immediate Care 2497 Delaware Avenue Buffalo, New York 14216 (716) 874-2273 Weekdays: 9:00 AM - 10:00 PM Saturday & Sunday 9:00 AM – 8:00 PM

Urgent Care Center 5014 Transit Road Cheektowaga, New York 14043 716.684.2273 (phone) Monday-Friday 9:00 AM - 10:00 PM Saturday & Sunday 9:00 AM – 8:00 PM

Urgent Care Center 3050 Orchard Park Road Buffalo, New York 14224 (716) 675-3700 Weekdays: 9:00 AM - 10:00 PM Saturday & Sunday: 9:00 AM – 8:00 PM

Excel Medical Care dba AccelCare 4154 McKinley Parkway Ste 275 Blasdell, New York 14219 (716) 202-1462 10:00 AM – 8:00 PM Daily

4827 Transit Road Lancaster, New York 14086 Phone: (716) 771-3394 9:00 AM – 9:00 PM Daily 3245 Southwestern Boulevard Orchard Park, New York 14127 Phone: (716) 362-8777 9:00 AM – 9:00 PM Daily 921 Wayne Street Olean, New York 14760 Phone: (716) 379-8600 9:00 AM – 9:00 PM Daily Lifetime Health Group Amherst Health Center 1185 Sweet Home Road Buffalo, New York 14226 (716) 689-0040 Weekdays: NOON - 10:00 PM Saturday & Sunday: 10:00 AM - 8:30 PM

Reddy Care Walk-In Clinic 6161 Transit Rd Suite 6 East Amherst, New York 14051 (716) 688-6161 Weekdays: 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM Sat, Sun & Holidays 11:00 AM – 4:00 PM Five Star Urgent Care Jamestown Medical PLLC 15 South Main St Jamestown, New York 14701 (716) 489-3144 Monday- Friday 10:00 AM – 10:00 PM Saturday & Sunday 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM

Submitted by the Human Resources Department

5

randomfacts Statue of Liberty Edition THERE’S NO LIE THIS MONTH... THEY’RE ALL TRUE! 1

The Statue of Liberty’s waistline measures 35 feet.

2 Lady Liberty’s total weight is approximately 225 tons.

3 The total overall height from the base of the pedestal to the p of the torch is 305 feet 6 inches.

July Birthdays Charell Elliot – 7/12 Ray Ganoe – 7/14 Gary Williams – 7/15 Gloria Kornowski – 7/19 Keisha Leavy – 7/19 John Carocci – 7/21 Andrew Ma le – 7/24 Cheryl Brune – 7/26 Cecil Su on – 7/29 James Hill – 7/31

July Anniversaries Patrick Butler – 1 year Barbara Poff – 1 year Chris na Turner – 1 year Patrick Hildenbrandt – 2 years Tara Rosado – 3 years Pratheep Sakas – 3 years Ileana Hernandez – 7 years Dale Kingston – 7 years Norma Bocanegra – 8 years

Your Con nued Dedica on and Hard Work Are No ced and Appreciated!

- Management Team

4 The Statue of Liberty’s crown has seven rays, which represent the seven con nents. The rays vary in size, with the largest being about 9 feet long and weighing about 150 pounds.

5 The Statue is covered in a layer of copper approximately 3/32 inch thick. That’s slightly less than the thickness of two pennies.

connections J U LY 2013

PUBLISHER/LAYOUT John Carocci EDITOR Kimberly Harding CONTRIBUTORS Johanna Aponte, Elisa Luciano Sheila Marcheson, Brendan Orrange Talor Struckmann, Courtney Voss

I LOVE that this city has a rich history! It seems like this city is the Kevin Bacon of all ci es! If you look hard enough at any situa on, there is a Buffalo connec on.

I really HATE the segrega on and condi oning. There are people here who really believe that certain things and places belong to them, and don’t want to connect to others. I especially hate the “bad rap” the city gets!

People s ll believe that Buffalo is some scary, unsafe place, and the suburbs are the only place one can raise a family. Can the city do be er? Of course! But it will take all of us to fix it, not just a select few.

— Maisha Drayton Things I LOVE about Buffalo: the food, fes vals and night life. I HATE the cold.

— Amajaraya Hunter I LOVE the architecture and art, being the underdog, and Jim’s Steakout. I HATE the segrega on.

— Brian Planty I LOVE living in a place where we have presiden al history, Niagara Falls, older architecture than much of the rest of the US, etc. I LOVE the affordability - cheap housing and eats compared to most Northeastern cities. I LOVE the summer fes vals and fun - Italian Fesval, outdoor concerts, Fitness in the Parks, farmers’ markets, Allentown Art Fes val, Macedonian Fes val, Canalside, and so much more… One thing I HATE? WINTER. Cliché? Yes, but I really could do without the long cold and wet season.

— Stephanie Vroman

I LOVE the low cost of living (housing, food), the sense of opportunity afforded by high vacancy rates (adapve re-use of buildings, crea ve uses for vacant land), and the natural ameni es: water (rivers, lake) and park systems. I HATE that among many suburbanites I’ve met, there is a distrust or s gma that “the city” is unsafe. I think this is unsubstan ated, and it just perpetuates the imbalance of wealth/popula on between the city and its suburbs.

— Ka e O’Sullivan I LOVE that Buffalo is on the waterfront, that it has a ton of fairs and fes vals. I LOVE that Buffalo has outdoor concerts all over the city throughout the summer. Super cliché but I HATE the LONG winters!!!

— Mindi Mietlicki I LOVE chicke wings. Hot with a splash of BBQ. Duffs, please. I LOVE hockey. Youth hockey is so exci ng in this area. Two of my three boys play hockey. I LOVE that my wife and children are here with me. I met my wife here. (I’m from New Mexico.) I HATE that the rest of my family lives in New Mexico – it’s difficult for my kids to understand their heritage from such a distance.

— Kevin Bidtah I LOVE living on Lake Erie, that we have all of the arts and cultural resources that a big city offers but they are free or affordable, and that everyone’s connected… three degrees of separa on! I HATE segrega on in many parts of the city.

— Kate Gallivan

I LOVE the food, the two degrees of separa on, and the smell of Cheerios.

— Melissa Lacount I LOVE Buffalo food, how Buffalo people look out for each other, and the fact that we have 4 seasons in Buffalo. I HATE that there’s no parking anywhere. The city should have a budget surplus from parking viola ons.

— James Rautenstrauch I LOVE the people - I just saw someone a few days ago riding their bike with a keytar on their back. I LOVE the weather - I hate being hot. I LOVE the summer concert series. I HATE being away from family.

— Nicole D’Addario

I LOVE being near lakes, rivers and streams, the four seasons and, yes, that includes winter. Last, but not least, I LOVE my job here at Evergreen. I HATE b-u-mp-y, potholed roads.

— Lavine Corp I LOVE that Buffalo is an undiscovered gem. Let the world think we’re just blizzards and losing football teams. I LOVE being near so much water and being 140 miles away from my family. I HATE that so many people waste their me longing for glory days that will never return. Forget trying to be a major city and focus on being the best mid-sized city we can be. I hate being 140 miles away from my family.

— John Carocci

ConnecƟons Poll Results

This month’s quesƟon was submiƩed by loyal ConnecƟons reader Johanna Aponte

In light of the recent death penalty case in Arizona, “Do you support the death penalty?”

9 (64%) – do not support the death penalty

5 (36%) – support the death penalty

24 Hour DomesĆ&#x;c Violence Hotline Response for Erie County (716) 862-HELP (716) 862-4357 (716) 884-6000 (for Shelter) For Deaf or Hard of Hearing Call 711.

All Calls are Confiden al.

Counselors are Available 24 Hours a Day. It is the policy of the Evergreen Associa on to promote a safe environment for its employees and clients. The agency is commi ed to working with its employees to maintain a work environment free from violence, threats of violence, harassment (sexual, verbal), inmida on, or other disrup ve or dangerous behavior.

Please know that help is available if you are a vic m of domes c violence.