Your copy of the Asylum Hill Neighborhood Association 'News & Views' has arrived! You will find that you can easily go to any subject in the table of contents by just clicking on it or just browse through the articles as you wish. Please have a look.
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AHNA News & Views
June 2017
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Next Meeting 06/05/2017
The next meeting is Monday June 5th, 6:15 P.M. at The 224 Eco-Space, 224 Farmington Ave
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From The Chair
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Thoughts from the Chair
I was asked by a good friend, what do the words "Quality of Life" mean to you?" I immediately answered, "having good solid loving relationships and enough money to live on and to share with others."
My answer was not exactly what my good friend was looking for. He asked the question because he lives in Asylum Hill and he said, "The quality of life where I live is not good. The standards that I have set for my family do not line up with my living environment."
I asked him "what is the problem?" and he said, "let's take a walk." So I did.
The street on which he lives was filled with all kinds of liter, fast food wrappers, bags and cups, cigarette butts, etc. Children were on the streets playing while cars raced down the street, conversations where being held that children should not be exposed to, the stench of marijuana and cigarette smoke filled the air. As we walked down the stairs to his apartment complex, people were sitting on the steps smoking marijuana, refusing to move as we walked in. He said to me "I can't take this another day, I have to move." I couldn't say a word that would change his mind. I wouldn't live under those conditions either.
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| From the House |
Greetings to my friends and neighbors in Asylum Hill!
House Tackles Cyber-Crime
Following this month's global cyber attack that infected 200,000 computers across 150 countries, the Connecticut House of Representatives unanimously passed House Bill 7304 to increase penalties for cyber-criminals.
The legislation now heads to the state Senate for consideration. Under the bill, computer extortion by ransomware would be classified as a felony. Criminals use ransom ware to either encrypt a computer user's files and documents, or halt an entire computer system. A ransom would later be issued requiring those affected to pay to get their documents back or into their computer. On May 12, a ransomware worm targeted deficiencies in Microsoft Windows computers and forced hospitals and clinics across the world to cancel appointments and divert ambulances. Car factories, shops, schools, and delivery giant FedEx Corp. were also affected. As national leaders fear that a second cyber attack is coming, there are a number of precautions you can take to safeguard your computers:
- Update the patches that hold vulnerabilities in the Microsoft system.
- Avoid opening any suspicious attachments or links.
- Use a reputable security/anti-virus software.
While computer extortion has been increasing at an alarming rate, we have not been affected by it here in Connecticut. But rather than reacting to every crisis, we need to be proactive. This legislation, if approved, is just one of the measures we can take to crack down on cyber-criminals in the state.
Read More
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On May 5, 2017 WMCS played host to Junior Achievement (JA), which is our annual program that serves grades K-8 although this past year they served grades K-6. Junior Achievement staff works with The Hartford, who sponsors the program, to identify volunteers who are interested in volunteering their services by teaching the Junior Achievement program to each grade level identified above. All volunteers go through a JA Program training to learn the different aspects of the program and how to teach it in the classroom.
JA programs help prepare young people for the real world by showing them how to generate wealth and effectively manage it, how to create jobs which make their communities more robust, and how to apply entrepreneurial thinking to the workplace. Students put these lessons into action and learn the value of contributing to their communities.
On May 19, 33 WMCS 8 grade students attended JA's Economics for Success Middle Grades Conference at The Hartford. This was an opportunity for the students to not only participate in the JA program but also visit The Hartford. The program gives students the information needed to build strong personal finances, a cornerstone to a happy, secure life. Students learn the importance of exploring career options based on their skills, interests, and values. They also learn about spending money within a budget; saving and investing wisely; and using credit cautiously. Students were able to eat lunch and certificates for completion of the JA program were provided to each student.
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| Exploring Asylum Hill |
Exploring Asylum Hill - Ofc. Sid Palmieri Our New CSO
Asylum Hill has a new CSO (Community Service Officer). After years of fine work by Ofc. Chris Chanaca, he was recently promoted to the rank of Sargent so we now are fortunate to have our CSO position filled very quickly by Ofc. Sid Palmieri.
Ofc. Sid is from Bridgeport and is a good friend of Ofc Joe Sherbo, the West End CSO who convinced him to apply for a position with HPD on 2008. He was accepted and after all the usual processes began with HPD that year, first as a cadet and then as a patrol officer. When they reinstituted the foot patrol two years ago, Ofc. Sid was one of the first to be assigned to that detail, with his beat being the Barbour and Capen Sts. area in the North End. He enjoyed that work very much especially because it allowed him to get to know many of the local residents and just as importantly allowed them to get to know him.
Clearly this has been great training for the CSO position, because he was chosen from a field of more than a dozen officers who applied for the position. That there were so many seeking to be the CSO in Asylum Hill speaks well for our neighborhood as does the fact that he was chosen by Chief Rovella speak well for him.
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Asylum Hill Then And Now |
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Courtesy of Hartford History Center |
This beautiful postcard of Immanuel Congregational Church from the Hartford History Center of Hartford Public Library is conveniently printed on the back "Rally Day Sunday September 19, 1909 be sure and come if possible" clearly when the church was very new. The Photo below shows the church today from much the same perspective, nearly 108 years later.
Now
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Volunteer of the Month
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Volunteer of the Month - Lee Whittlemore
Lee has never really been a stranger to volunteering. Since his final return to Hartford and Asylum Hill where he was born, he has served on various committees including the Farmington Avenue Alliance and the Farmington Asylum Business District as well as the West End Civic Association when he lived on Kenyon St. And even aside from these committees, Lee has always been generous with his time whether it was when he ran the Nutshell Press and published the annual West End - Asylum Hill Directory or when he had his own construction business. But it wasn't until he connected with Louisa Barton-Duguay one summer day when she was looking to get some inexpensive benches made for the garden that she was planting at Grace Lutheran church, that this current volunteer opportunity presented itself.
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Georges Needs A Kidney Part 4
I'm now in my third month of pursuing the opportunity to donate a kidney as part of a matched pair so that Georges can get a kidney from another living donor. Since my last article I spent a 9 hour day at Hartford Hospital meeting with doctors all dedicated to the task of being sure that I fully understand as much as possible what I've agreed to do without actually having done it. This is informed consent with the emphasis on the "informed". In addition to Assy, my Living Donor Transplant Coordinator, I met with Kate D'Addabbo, my Social Worker; Mary Fearon, my Kidney Donor Advocate, Kari Rancourt, my Living Donor Pediatric & Incompatibility Transplant Coordinator, Dr. Yong Kwon the Surgeon, and Dr. Joseph Singh the Nephrologist. I also had a Pulmonary Function Test and a CTA scan. But that's not what I want to talk about this month. Most of these articles have been about my experiences so this month I want to take some time to let you know about Georges' experiences.
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Urban League Annual Employment Empowerment Expo at Dunkin' Donuts Stadium
Early last month the Urban League held their 17
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annual jobs fair and this year was remarkable especially because they were able to use the newly completed Dunkin' Donuts Stadium.
This annual event has been a big part of the Urban League's efforts throughout the region not just to help the unemployed to find an entry level job, but to assist and encourage all their clients to find and secure the most productive and satisfying occupation or career possible.
Throughout the year the Urban League works with their clients to remove the obstacles to success, whether they be education, health, secure housing, youth services, or job training for employment. This Employment Empowerment Expo is the opportunity for many of the companies and corporations who require skilled, dedicated and prepared workers to grow their businesses to connect with the clients who need the stability of a good, productive job to continue on the path to success.
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Mayor Bronin's Town Hall
On Tuesday evening Mayor Bronin concluded his recent tour of Town Hall meetings on the budget at the 224 EcoSpace on Farmington Ave with several dozen citizens. He began by laying out the fundamental problem as he has done so many times before; Hartford does not have sufficient revenue sources to meet the costs of the services that a Capitol City needs to provide. It has been a longstanding problem made worse by decades of neglect. He lists nearly a dozen of the non-taxed properties in Hartford that benefit the region, everything from the State Capitol Buildings, the hospitals and colleges to the MDC and the CRRA, the regional trash burning facility that serves 70 local towns. All of these contribute to the 50% of Hartford's non-taxed property that still must be supported by all of the city services that the rest of the City receives.
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Hartford City ID Program
The Hartford City ID is available to all residents who can provide proof of
identity and residency in the City of
Hartford.
Hartford residents must bring required proof of ID and city residency to a
preferred enrollment center. For a complete list of eligible documents and application guidelines, click link below.
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Arts and Music on the Hill
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Hartford News AHNA Supplement
As part of our communications efforts we publish our newsletter 'AHNA News and Views' as a supplement in the Hartford News monthly. To cover the printing costs we need to secure ads generating $500.00 dollars each month. This provides us with four pages with color. If you, an organization you work for or belong to would like to help support this effort please see the order form below. Please contact the editor at [email protected] if you know of anyone or business you think we might reach out to for support. Thank you. Ad Order Form
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Events Calendar
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Please click on the following link to go to our online Events Calendar.
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If you have any comments, suggestions or submissions please contact me via email at
[email protected]
Sincerely,
Paul O'Mara Communications Committee Chair
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