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The Wellness Garden Returns Staff and clients of the agency’s Wellness Center are once again raising fresh vegetables in a small plot behind the Evergreen Center. The vegetable garden is a great way for the Nutrition Services Program to teach Wellness Center clients how to grow, harvest and cook with fresh vegetables, and as always, it turns out we have a green thumb or two in our midst. The vegetable garden, along with the Hope Blooms Garden at the Victorian, was a featured stop on the 2013 Garden Walk. See page 12 for details on big changes at the Hope Blooms Garden and the Garden Walk.

pathways VOLUME 17 ISSUE 2

from the editor

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Pathways is Published by Evergreen Health Services __________________________________________________________

PRESIDENT & CEO/Ronald T. Silverio EDITOR/ART DIRECTOR/John Carocci COPY EDITOR/Kimberly Harding __________________________________________________________

EDITORIAL & ADVERTISING/716-847-0315 FACSIMILE/716-847-0418 E-MAIL/publications@evergreenhs.org ON THE WEB/www.evergreenhs.org __________________________________________________________

Copyright 2013 by Pathways, all rights reserved. Published by Evergreen Health Services, 206 South Elmwood Avenue, Buffalo, New York 14201.

Views expressed herein are not necessarily the views of the publisher.

Publication of any person or organization in articles, advertising or listings in Pathways is not to be construed as any indication of the sexual orientation or HIV status of such person or members of such organizations. Pathways cannot acknowledge or return unsolicited manuscripts unless they are accompanied by a self-addressed stamped envelope. Pathways’ mailing list is never shared. Pathways urges readers to consult their medical practitioners about any therapies or treatment strategies in this publication. .

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inside this issue Wellness Center Vegetable Garden / 2 From the Editor: So, What’s New? / 3 Pride Festival 2013 Recap / 5 AIDS Walk 2013 Recap / 10 New Hope Blooms in the Garden / 12 Dining Out for Life Recap / 14 ON THE COVER

New Hope Blooms in the Garden at the Victorian.

“So, What’s New?” Did you ever run into an old friend, at the supermarket maybe, and draw a blank when they ask “what’s new?” No such problems here at Pathways. So much has been happening at the Evergreen Association since our Spring issue went to press, and Pathways is eager to share it all with our readers.

Spring brought warmer weather and two of the agency’s most popular fundraising events: Dining Out for Life and AIDS Walk, which celebrated two decades of bringing Western New Yorkers together for a great cause. The annual Pride celebration grew from a jam-packed weekend to a jam-packed week, adding a 5k run, an art opening and a day at the beach to the already jam-packed schedule. This issue of Pathways has photo highlights of all of these great events, as well as links to full photo and video galleries. There’s a lot going on inside the Evergreen Association, as well. We welcomed Benedict House to our Association family, and the transition from COBRA Case Management to Health Home Care Coordination (described in the Spring 2013 issue of Pathways) is well underway. Our on-site pharmacy and medical practice continue to thrive and grow, and, just as we have done for thirty years now, we are bringing on new programs and services in order to meet the changing needs of our everexpanding client base. The Fall 2013 issue will feature full coverage of these changes and much more!

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Above: Pride Center Senior Director Jorien Brock, Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown, Assemblymember Sean Ryan, and Councilmember Mike LoCurto spoke at the Flag Raising Ceremony at City Hall.

The 2013 Pride Festival had a growth spurt! The usual weekend of events expanded to a full week, to enthusiastic community response. The debut Gay 5K run and Jim Rolls Memorial Art Opening were popular additions to the schedule. 300 people braved the rain to walk in the Dyke March, and the Allen Street Festival drew 1,500 people. The Pride Parade nearly doubled in size from 2012, with over 100 organizations participating, and streets along the route were crowded with cheering spectators. After the parade, over 15,000 people headed to Canalside for the Pride Festival, where headliners Neon Hitch and Latrice Royale worked the crowd into a frenzy. M&T Bank showed their Pride with financial support, volunteers, and a float in the parade. Other sponsors included Barefoot Wine & Bubbly; HSBC; The Conference & Event Center Niagara Falls, Old Falls Street USA & Global Spectrum; First Niagara; Buffalo.com; Vitaminwater; Algonquin Studios; LP Ciminelli; embraceWNY; Family and Friends of Jim Rolls; KeyBank; Comfort Suites Downtown; Visit Buffalo Niagara; Try-It Distributing and 464 Gallery. Turn the page to see more photos from the 2013 Pride Festival!

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Come on. This is Bualo. You didn’t think a li le bit of wind or rain was going to stop us from having a great Pride Parade and Fes val, did you?

CLICK HERE TO SEE MORE PHOTOS FROM AIDS WALK 2013 >>

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The Hope Blooms Garden at the Victorian has been a labor of love for agency staff, clients and volunteers for years. The lush green foliage, colorful flowers and koi pond combine to provide a quiet backdrop for relaxation just steps from one of downtown Buffalo’s busiest intersections. Each year during Garden Walk, the Hope Blooms Garden wows thousands of first time visitors to the Victorian along with friends who return year after year. Over time, as the older plants grew larger and new plants were added, the soil in the Garden became nutrient depleted, making it increasingly difficult for plants to grow and thrive. In addition, we discovered the liner of the koi pond had deteriorated to the point that it would have to be replaced. Our beautiful Garden was in desperate need of some attention. We asked for help, and thanks to the generosity of agency supporters, we were able to go beyond simple maintenance in order to create a larger, deeper koi pond and waterfall that is now the centerpiece of the revitalized Hope Blooms Garden. The work was completed in time for Garden Walk, making our clients, staff, volunteers and visitors (not to mention our koi) very happy indeed. Story/photos by John Carocci

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A famous hamburger chain had a slogan, “food, folks and fun”, that could just as easily apply Life, one of Evergreen Health Services’ most popular fundraising events. Thanks to the con

of the local restaurant community and their patrons, this year’s Dining Out for Life was o

successful ever. Thousands of Western New Yorkers Dined Out, raising much-needed funds as w

awareness about the effects HIV and AIDS con nue to have on our community. See photos o

and watch future issues of Pathways for informa on on Dining Out for Life 2014 as it be

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to Dining Out for nued generosity

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ecomes available.

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