Valley Arts Council holding sidewalk sale Saturday and Sunday in Derby

Valley Arts Council President Rich DiCarlo paints a sign Friday afternoon in a dark Gallery at 37, 37 Elizabeth St., Derby. The nonprofit arts organization that serves the Valley is unable to pay its electric bill, and DiCarlo has organized this weekend's sidewalk sale to raise funds.
Come check out the original artwork, from paintings, photography, and pottery to sculpture and jewelry.

THE VALLEY ARTS COUNCIL IS HAVING A HUGE SIDEWALK ART SALE!

This weekend!

Saturday 

Noon til 7 p.m.

Sunday 

Noon til 6 p.m.

at the Gallery@37

37 Elizabeth St.

Derby

Select art priced to sell ... 

Everything must go

Please spread the word!

~~~

Derby Public Library accepting scholarship applications

DERBY - The Derby Public Library is now accepting submissions for its Annual 

Scholarship Prize of $500.  It is open to all high school seniors living in Derby who are 

planning to further their education, regardless of where they go to school.  

The Library Board of Directors will choose the winner based on an essay explaining the role of libraries in their life.

The award will be presented at the June 17 Library Board of Directors meeting.

In addition to the monetary prize, the winner’s name will 

be added to the Scholarship Prize Plaque located in the Young Adult Department.  

High school seniors may submit their entry directly to the Library Director now through June 1.  

For more information, stop by the Library at 313 Elizabeth St. or call 203-736-1482.

This is a press release from Cathy Williams, Director, Derby Public Library.

Shelton woman among 5 nursing students to be honored

Pictured from left, Jacqueline Ines Palmer- Quinnipiac University School of Nursing, Jennifer Walker – Gateway Community College Department of Nursing, John LeBlanc – Southern Connecticut State University Department of Nursing, Michelle Sheridan – Sacred Heart University School of Nursing. Erica Gibson – Yale University School of Nursing was not present for photo. / Contributed photo

NEW HAVEN - Shelton resident Michelle Sheridan is among five nursing students who will be presented May 6 with a Nightingale Award for Excellence in Nursing.

John R. Quinn, President & CEO of the Visiting Nurse Association of South Central Connecticut, announced the recipients: Jennifer Walker, Jacqueline Ines Palmer, Michelle Sheridan, John LeBlanc, and Erica Gibson.
They will each receive a $1,200 scholarship through the Nightingale Awards for Excellence in Nursing program. 

The Nightingale Awards for Excellence in Nursing program was originally developed by the VNA South Central to be a collaborative effort to celebrate outstanding nurses and elevate the nursing profession. 

The goals of the program are to encourage retention, focus public attention, recognize the breadth and scope of nursing practice at the local level, and inspire future nurses.

To help achieve these goals, for the past 12 years the Nightingale program has provided scholarships to outstanding students from five local nursing schools: Gateway Community College Department of Nursing, Quinnipiac University School of Nursing, Sacred Heart University School of Nursing, Southern Connecticut State University Department of Nursing, and the Yale University School of Nursing.

Jennifer Walker, the recipient from Gateway Community College, is a second-degree student who holds a Bachelor of Arts in English and a Master of Public Administration. Jennifer’s experiences volunteering for the Peace Corps in Namibia and working with underserved populations in Texas encouraged her to pursue a career in nursing as well as provided her with the essential skills to deliver care to a variety of patient populations. She is described by clinical faculty as a student who “possesses compassion and empathy, a keen intellect and desire to learn, good moral and ethical principles, and excellent critical thinking skills.” 

Jacqueline Ines Palmer, the recipient from Quinnipiac University, is a senior nursing student who was recently inducted into the Tau International Honor Society for Nursing, having achieved and maintained a GPA of 3.54. 
“She has a strong work ethic, is determined, mature and responsible; yet always willing to seek support from her peers or faculty when needed,” according to faculty and staff at Quinnipiac. Jacqueline hopes to achieve an entry level position in critical care upon graduation and plans to pursue an advanced degree as a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist.

Michelle Sheridan, the recipient from Sacred Heart University, upholds high academic standards while balancing work and community service. She was inducted into the Sigma Theta Tau, International Honor Society as a junior nursing student and has been on the Dean’s List all four years. 
Michelle is also a mentor for underclassmen and volunteers throughout her time in different events to support the nursing program. She is described by nursing faculty as “a quiet leader; one who is unassuming and humble.” 

John LeBlanc, the recipient from Southern Connecticut State University, is an Accelerated Career Entry, second degree student in the pre-licensure baccalaureate nursing program. His prior academic work was completed at Temple University with a major in Spanish and a minor in Clinical Psychology. His experiences on a mission trip to an impoverished village in Guatemala solidified his decision to pursue nursing education. John is determined to pursue a career that will provide him with an opportunity to advocate for those who are physically and/or psychologically compromised. 

Erica Gibson, the recipient from Yale University, has been a Registered Nurse since 2008 and is currently pursuing an MSN in the Adult/Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner program. Erica serves on the Ethics and MICU End of Life Committees at Yale-New Haven Hospital. 

Erica has written her thesis and was as a poster presenter to represent Yale School of Nursing at the Eastern Nurses Research Society’s annual symposium in Washington D.C. 

All 2015 scholarship recipients were honored at a special reception hosted by the VNA South Central on April 15. In addition, thanks to the generosity of Platinum sponsor Yale-New Haven Hospital, they will be recognized at the Nightingale Awards for Excellence in Nursing, which will be held May 6 at Anthony’s Ocean View in New Haven. 

For more information about the Nightingale Awards for Excellence in Nursing, including sponsorship information and how to purchase tickets, visit http://www.nightingalenursingawards.org/index.php/home-newhaven or call the Nightingale hotline at 203-859-6765. 

To make a contribution to the VNA South Central in support of this important event, contact Melissa Healy, Community Development Specialist, at 203-859-6054. 

The Evolution of the Nightingale Awards for Excellence in Nursing
The Nightingale Awards for Excellence in Nursing program was developed in 2001 out of a desire to celebrate and elevate the nursing profession. 
As a nursing organization with more than a century of service, the Visiting Nurse Association of South Central Connecticut took the lead in creating the award ceremony. The Nightingale vision was quickly embraced by the Community Foundation for Greater New Haven, Yale-New Haven Hospital, and The Hospital of Saint Raphael, whose financial support brought the idea to fruition. 

In 2003, the program grew to include concurrent galas in the Hartford, Norwich-New London, and Stamford regions, as well as the original program in New Haven. 
The Nightingale Awards for Excellence in Nursing is open and inclusive of all health care settings—hospitals, home health care, health centers, schools, health departments, long-term care, nursing schools, medical practices and more. 
This year the Nightingale Awards for Excellence in Nursing will be held in Hartford, New Haven, and New London. 


This is a press release from the Visiting Nurse Association of South Central Connecticut. 

Crisco backs bills to aid college students, veterans

HARTFORD - State Sen. Joseph J. Crisco, Jr., D-Woodbridge, joined the unanimous and bipartisan Senate passage Tuesday of two bills designed to help Connecticut college students: making sexual assault nurses available for exams on the UConn Storrs college campus, and examining ways to make Connecticut’s ‘OASIS’ (Operation Academic Support for Incoming Service Members) centers for veterans more effective. 

State Sen. Joseph J. Crisco

“College students in Connecticut have acute needs and it is essential that we listen and respond to them,” Crisco said. 
“That means ensuring that victims of sexual assault have immediate access to the best care available, and making veterans’ on-campus support centers the best they can be for our students.”

Both bills passed the Senate on unanimous, bipartisan votes; the two bills had also passed out of their respective committees on unanimous and bipartisan votes. 

The two bills passed are: 

Senate Bill 966, An Act Concerning Sexual Assault Forensic Examiners at Institutions of Higher Education. The bill would extend a successful sexual assault forensic examination program from six acute care hospitals in the state to the University of Connecticut infirmary—thereby providing the victims of a campus sexual assault with quicker, more compassionate care. 
SAFE nurses (Sexual Assault Forensic Examiners) receive 40 hours of classroom training and have specialized knowledge of legal issues such as chain of custody and courtroom testimony. From July 2013 to July 2014, SAFE nurses responded to 173 sexual assault cases.

Senate Bill 694, An Act Concerning Services Available to Veterans on State College and University Campuses. Each public college in Connecticut has a veterans’ OASIS (Operation Academic Support for Incoming Service Members) center, usually a lounge area in a student center for some of the 6,000 veterans enrolled in Connecticut colleges and universities. 
Veterans use the OASIS centers to meet, study, relax and to gather information on federal veterans benefits, the GI Bill, tuition waivers, disability benefits and more. Each college OASIS is slightly different, however, and SB 694 requires the Board of Regents for Higher Education and UConn to evaluate and assess the different programs offered at the OASIS centers and to identify successful programming there. 


This is a press release from Crisco's office.