Valley United Way to present Monroe resident with Flynn Award

Ron Villani

Ron Villani has been selected as the 45th Charles H. Flynn Humanitarian Award winner by Valley United Way. 
The award is the Valley’s oldest and most prestigious community service award. It is named for the late editor of The Evening Sentinel and has been presented annually since 1971.

The award is presented for a lifetime of service to the community, encompassing more that one town or organization. The award will be presented April 21 at Valley United Way’s 47th Annual Meeting and Recognition Dinner.

Jack Walsh, President and C.O.O. at Valley United Way said, “We were very fortunate that when Ron came to Shelton with GE, he “adopted” the Valley as a home for his community involvement and shared his time and expertise with us so well.” 
Villani one of the few people to serve two full terms as a Board member including two years as the chair (2003 and 2004), leave the Board and come back to serve two more terms including a term as chair of the Allocations Committee. He was also instrumental in leading the short and long term planning efforts at Valley United Way.

Villani has also been very heavily involved with Birmingham Group (now BHCare). Its former Executive Director Marilyn Cormack said, “Ron was serving on the Birmingham Group board as Vice President at a critical period in the history of the organization.  We made the decision to enter into merger negotiations with another health care organization and if it was not done in a planful manner many people would be effected namely staff. Ron’s expertise working at GE Corporate Human Resources division was invaluable in helping the Group keep all staff from both organization and assisting with a successful merger. Ron’s advice was also very valuable to me as I was transitioning into retirement.”

Ron is also a member of United Way of America’s prestigious Tocqueville Society.

He was born in Somerville, N.J. and raised in neighboring Raritan, where he attended public schools in the Bridgewater-Raritan school system. After high school he graduated from Bucknell University in Lewisburg, Pa. with honors in Economics and then completed his MBA degree at The Wharton Graduate Division of The University of Pennsylvania in 1970, graduating in the top 5 percent of his class.

Following Penn he joined GE and completed the Human Resources Leadership Program. During his 35 year career with GE Ron held leadership assignments in nine different GE businesses and three corporate staff components in seven different geographic  locations. His final assignment and the one that brought him to the Valley was as Chief Human Resource Officer for GE Supply.

After retirement from GE Villani began his second career at the University of New Haven as an Adjunct Professor and Practitioner in Residence in the College of Business and ran his own human resources consulting business that specialized in leadership development and improving organizational effectiveness.

In addition to being on the Board of Valley United Way he serves as a member of the Board of Directors of BHcare as well as that organization’s joint venture with Bridges, communiCare.

For the past 20 years Ron has been on the Board of Police Commissioners for the town of Monroe and is currently Chairman of that Board. 
He a volunteer reader for the School Volunteer Association’s Read Aloud Program in  Bridgeport’s Hallen School and mentors a fifth grader at Cesar Battala School. In the past he has also served as a Deacon and Property Chairman for the Monroe Congregational Church.

Ron has been married to his wife, Peggy, for almost 43 years. They have lived in Monroe for 27 years and raised two daughters and three golden retrievers there. Megan, Administrative Assistant to the Principal-Haldane High School, lives in Cold Spring, N.Y. with her husband Chris, a Special Agent for Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and their two daughters, Katie, 10 and Julie, 8. Lori Villani Cimeno is the Director of Student Services for the Wellesley Public School System (Wellesley, Mass.) and lives in Walpole, Mass. with her husband Tim, the Scholastic Brand Manager for Marathon Sports in Boston. All the Villanis are proud graduates of Bucknell University. 


This is a press release from Valley United Way, the leading philanthropic resource for the Valley towns of Ansonia, Derby, Oxford, Seymour and Shelton matching the needs of the community and the interests of donors to improve the quality of life in the community. 

United Way supports and creates initiatives addressing youth, families and people in crisis. 
Each year Valley United Way funds programs and organizations that make a measurable difference in the lives of people living and working in the Valley.

Program on orchids planned at Kellogg Center in Derby

DERBY - The Department of Energy and Environmental Protection has announced an April program on orchids at Kellogg Environmental Center, 500 Hawthorne Ave. 

Orchid care and history

Add some dramatic spring color to your home with orchids.  
Join Dave Tognalli from the Connecticut Orchid Society at 10:30 a.m. April 18 to learn all about orchid care and history. 
The program is open to all ages and will include live examples of orchids, explanation of their adaptations, basic care and maintenance, and the tools to care for them.  
Following the program there will be time for questions and answers to assist participants with specific issues and concerns.

Tognalli will share his knowledge of orchid care and windowsill and outdoor growing methods.
Orchids are very showy and not hard to care for but do have some special requirements.  
Expand your understanding of this beautiful flower and house plant and perhaps begin a new hobby. 

The Connecticut Orchid Society is an incorporated, non-profit association for the preservation and extension of knowledge concerning the conservation, ecology, and cultivation of orchids.
The program is free; donations welcome.

Registration is requested. For further information, directions, or to register call 203-734-2513 or email donna.kingston@ct.gov.

This is a press release from Kellogg Environmental Center.

Food bank at church in Ansonia needs volunteers

ANSONIA - The Kathleen C. B. Samela Food Bank located in the basement of Christ Church, 56 S. Cliff St. is seeking additional volunteers.

The pantry was recently renovated and dedicated.

Kathleen C. B. Samela Food Bank

As the need continuously increases to feed families in this area so are the responsibilities of those involved in caring for them, supporters say.

In the past month 130 families received assistance from the food bank.

The hours of the food bank (through March 31) are 9 a.m.-2 p.m.

For information, call the church, 203-734-2715.

Ansonia High School slates talent show, dance

ANSONIA - Ansonia Public Schools' Facebook page lists upcoming events at Ansonia High School:

An annual talent show will be held at 7 p.m. April 1.
Tickets are $5 and go on sale today, March 23.

A Spring Fling dance will be held from 7-10 p.m. April 10.
Tickets cost $5 in advance; $7 at the door. They go on sale March 30.

Wesley Village in Shelton plans open house for memory care program

SHELTON - Wesley Village will host an open house from 1-3 p.m. April 12 to introduce “Lifestyle Transitions,” a new memory care neighborhood in the newly renovated northwest wing of their Wesley Heights community.

“Lifestyle Transitions at Wesley Heights” will offer specialized assisted living in a secure, supportive environment for those living with memory loss. 
This new program is designed to support residents with cognitive impairment by engaging them in life and activities within the larger Wesley Heights community and providing encouragement, friendship, and a feeling of security. 
It will also focus on developing daily routines for successfully managing individualized physical, social, and cognitive challenges.

The “Lifestyle Transitions” program space encompasses existing apartments and newly renovated gathering areas, including a library, family-style kitchen, living room area, laundry nook and enclosed outdoor courtyard. 
Safe and quiet space for reading, relaxation, and dining, and other stimulating activities such as baking, gardening, exercise, art classes, musical entertainment will be available. Colors, textures, lighting, and furniture was chosen with the help of a dementia consultant in order to organize these therapeutic spaces in a way that best meets resident needs.

Unique to Wesley Village, “Lifestyle Transitions” offers a mission-based, relationship-centered approach to care, as well as: affordable pricing, a wander-management system, 24-hour staffing with caregivers trained by the Alzheimer’s Association, on-site physician services, engaging activities, a variety of apartment styles for individuals or couples, education and support services for residents and families, and a specialized design to maximize independence.

Deposits are now being accepted for apartments in this new neighborhood.

For more information or to RSVP for the open house, contact Lisa Kelleher, 203-944-6099.

This is a press release from Wesley Village, located at 580 Long Hill Ave., and is owned and operated by United Methodist Homes, a local not-for-profit organization.
The campus offers assisted and independent living, skilled nursing, short-term rehab, and outpatient therapy and fitness services.
To learn more, visit  www.wesleyvillage-ct.org.

My Sister's Place in Ansonia to hold Easter event

Panel discussion at Griffin Hospital in Derby to focus on breast health

Denise Barajas, M.D.

DERBY - The Hewitt Center for Breast Wellness at Griffin Hospital will host free breast health presentations and an expert panel discussion to answer questions about breast cancer screening and prevention April 9 at Griffin Hospital, 130 Division St.

“Breast Health: Controversies and Q&A” will feature experts from the fields of breast surgery, radiology, nutrition, and physical therapy.

The program starts at 5:30 p.m. in the hospital’s Dining Room for registration and refreshments before proceeding to the presentations and discussion at 6:30 p.m. in the hospital’s Meditation and Learning Center.

Denise Barajas, medical director of The Hewitt Center for Breast Wellness, will lead the presentations and panel discussion. 
Panelists will include Dr. Devika Jajoo, who will speak on breast imaging; Dr. Mark Melendez, who will speak on patient advocacy; Fran Harmeyer, who will speak on physical and lymphedema therapy; and Stacey Leary, who will speak on nutrition.

Registered nurses can earn up to two contact hours by attending this program.

This event is free and open to the public, but registration is required. 
RSVP to 203-732-7233 or on the event calendar at griffinhealth.org.


Located at 350 Seymour Ave. in Derby, The Hewitt Center for Breast Wellness at Griffin Hospital combines advanced technology, a team of highly trained physicians, breast and reconstructive surgeons and patient navigators, and a Planetree healing environment to offer our patients a comprehensive range of personalized breast care and wellness services. 

For more information, call 203-732-1300 or visit breast-center.griffinhealth.org.


This is a press release from Griffin Hospital. 

Congratulations to Seymour Pink on successful fundraiser

SEYMOUR - The sixth annual wine-tasting event to benefit Seymour Pink held at The 
Waterview in Monroe raised more than $10,000 from just raffles, according to a release in the Valley Independent Sentinel. 

As a breast cancer survivor who has benefitted from the incredible generosity of Seymour Pink's board of directors, I was thrilled to see that the wine tasting drew more than 525 people to support the nonprofit. Events such as these not only raise much-needed funds, but also awareness of a devastating disease.

Kudos to all those volunteers whose tireless efforts made the wine tasting a huge success.