Senior Fair set for today at Warsaw Park in Ansonia

 

Logan to host annual senior health fair at Warsaw Park in Ansonia

Crisco pens farewell column, thanks constituents

By Joseph J. Crisco, Jr. 

I would like to thank my constituents for the privilege of serving as your state Senator for the past 24 years.

As I write this, the start of the 2017 legislative session is just one week away. But for the first time, I will not be there.

I was first elected to the state Senate in 1992, a Wilbur Cross High School and UConn grad who spent most of my life commuting back and forth from the Valley to my day job as director of government affairs for the United Technologies Corp.

Joseph J. Crisco, Jr. 

There are all kinds of ways to serve your fellow man: for a long time I took a lot of pride in my athletic accomplishments on the football field at Wilbur Cross and UConn. 
Teamwork and dedication, win or lose, were the hallmarks of my youth, and they instilled in me a spirit of effort and compromise, of commitment and acceptance.

There really is no better place to spend your time than in the General Assembly. I really consider it my second home. 
The staff and the other legislators become your second family; you rely on them for advice, and for comfort, for support, and you come to trust their judgment. You have to, because there are so many important issues that we deal with.

I had been in the legislature just six years when I struck on the idea of creating a ‘Family Day’ in Connecticut to celebrate what I think is the most important teacher of individual responsibility and morality. As the father of six and the grandfather of 18, I honestly believe that.

I was happy to launch the Connecticut Hall of Fame in 2006 to recognize all the famous and productive people who have called Connecticut their home. Katherine Hepburn, Mark Twain, and Igor Sikorsky were the first three inductees.

Along the way I kept the annual 17^th District Senior fair going on at Warsaw Park in Ansonia. I was happy to sponsor the annual Young Women in Technology Expo to help introduce 7^th-grade girls to the types of careers you might find at UTC or any of the other high-tech companies now located throughout Connecticut. 

There were state grants, too, for the Ansonia Nature and Recreation Center and the Sterling Opera House in Derby, for athletic fields and libraries, animal shelters and affordable housing and recreational trails. I worked with area legislators to help keep the Troop I Barracks in Bethany.

I used my position as chairman of the Insurance Committee to fight for better patient care, especially when it came to women’s breast cancer. 
I was so happy to be introduced to Dr. Nancy Cappello, because we had a years-long partnership working to improve health insurance coverage for women’s breast exams, which led to the legislature’s passage of the ‘dense breast tissue’ and breast MRI bills which have undoubtedly saved many lives here in Connecticut, throughout the nation and the world. 
This has become even more of a personal issue for me now that my wife is undergoing treatment for breast cancer.

My concern for the health and welfare of Connecticut’s residents is also reflected in my creation of the Biomedical Research Fund, which has awarded millions of dollars over the years to Connecticut-based researchers doing work in heart disease, cancer, smoking-related illnesses, Alzheimer’s, stroke, and diabetes. 
Just two months ago I was at Griffin Hospital in Derby to celebrate $1.3 million to be used for research at Griffin’s Multiple Sclerosis Treatment Center.

Everything I’ve done in my life has been in that spirit of teamwork and dedication, win or lose, showing effort and commitment whether it be in a practice or the big game. 
I’m so happy to have fought and won for you, and to have had your support and your trust for so many years. 

It is my sincerest hope that the work I have done will live on for years to come, doing good, and that you and your families have a wonderful New Year, this year and for our future to come.  


Crisco, a Democrat, is a Woodbridge resident.

Crisco to host annual senior fair at Warsaw Park in Ansonia

Crisco's senior fair in Ansonia draws big crowd

State Sen. Joseph J. Crisco talks with Lillian Norwid, left, and Arlene Jachyra right, both of Derby, at the 30th annual Senior Fair Thursday at Warsaw Park in Ansonia. / Contributed photo 

ANSONIA -  State Sen. Joseph Crisco Jr., D-Woodbridge, today celebrated yet another successful Senior Fair at Warsaw Park, welcoming hundreds of seniors to the 30^th annual event.

Nearly four dozen vendors were on hand to inform Valley seniors about valuable programs and services offered by the AARP, VNA of South Central Connecticut, American Red Cross, Ansonia Nature Center, Connecticut Library for the Blind, YMCA, Woodbridge Human Services, The Kennedy Center, Griffin Hospital, Connecticut Association of Optometrists, Agency on Aging of South Central Connecticut, University of Bridgeport School of Dental Hygiene, Valley Transit District, Ansonia Rescue Medical Services, and others.

“This Senior Fair is a very small token of my appreciation for all of the senior citizens in the Valley who have given so much to our communities over the decades,” Crisco said. “It’s one way of saying ‘thank you’ and to make life a little easier not only for our seniors, but for their families, too. We’ve got a lot of information here that can be helpful to mom and dad as well as their kids.”

Arlene Jachyra of Derby was at today’s event, her second in two years.

“I don’t have a computer or access to the Internet; I wouldn’t know where to begin looking for phone numbers. But they have a lot of brochures here that and helpful,” said Jachyra, who found information on assisted living options for a relative. “These fairs are very good – I hope Senator Crisco keeps them up.”

Jean Steeves of Derby is a regular at the senior fairs; she says she brought two friends from Ansonia who normally don’t get out much.

“There are new things all the time for seniors. You get a nice massage, they feed you – what’s not to like?” she said.


This is a press release from Crisco's office.

Crisco to host 30th annual senior fair in Ansonia

Joseph J. Crisco

ANSONIA - State Sen. Joseph J. Crisco Jr., D-Woodbridge, will continue his commitment to seniors from the Valley when he hosts the 30th Annual Senior Fair from 11 a.m.- 2 p.m. Oct. 15 at Warsaw Park.

Crisco’s annual Senior Fair has become a Valley tradition, attracting hundreds of seniors from around the region to receive free dental care and blood pressure screenings, a massage, nutrition tips, or to meet with dozens of state, local and non-profit vendors offering services to our senior citizens.

The annual Senior Fair was begun in 1987. Warsaw Park is at 119 Pulaski Highway.

The non-political event typically attracts several hundred area residents to get flu shots, play bingo, learn about scams and fraud, apply for drivers’ licenses, manage chronic diseases and meet with state and local agency representatives such as the local police or visiting nurses.

This is a press release from Crisco's office. 

Crisco holds senior fair in Ansonia

Hundreds attend annual event

State Sen. Joseph J. Crisco, D-Woodbridge, directs some of the hundreds of people entering his 29th Annual Senior Fair Thursday at Warsaw Park in Ansonia. / Submitted photo

ANSONIA – Democratic state Sen. Joseph J. Crisco Jr.’s 29th Annual Senior Fair was another rousing success today, attracting hundreds of area seniors who – despite the rain – trekked out to Warsaw Park to receive free dental and blood pressure screenings, a massage, nutrition tips or to meet with more than 40 state, local and non-profit vendors.

“There’s more of a need for this senior fair than ever before,” Crisco said as he surveyed the hundreds of attendees collecting information on energy assistance, transportation, housing options, fire safety, fall prevention, weather emergencies and more.

“We’re looking at a ‘silver tsunami’ of aging residents hitting Connecticut over the next 15 years, and we need to prepare for that in order to make their lives better. That’s what this senior fair helps accomplish.”

The annual Senior Fair was begun in 1987. The non-political event typically attracts several hundred area residents to get flu shots, play bingo, learn about scams and fraud, apply for drivers’ licenses, manage chronic diseases and meet with state and local agency representatives such as the local police or visiting nurses.

Mary Jane Drauss, 69, of Derby, attended last year’s Senior Fair, and is very glad she did.
“When I was here last year I got information on identity theft. I never thought I would have to use it myself. Then someone broke into my house when my husband and I were at church,” Drauss said. 
“With the help of the information we got from the senior fair, we were able to act immediately – we called the police and the bank to protect out credit and our bank accounts.”

Mary Ann Drenkhahn, 71, of Ansonia, was also pleased to be in attendance, especially after Crisco provided her with a replacement raffle ticket for the one she had just lost.

“My neighbor told be about the senior fair, and I thought I’d come and see what it’s all about,” Drenkhahn said. 
“I think it’s wonderful that someone does something like this. You can gather a lot of information just walking through here.”


This is a press release from Crisco's office.

Crisco to host annual fair in Ansonia

Crisco

ANSONIA - State Sen. Joseph J. Crisco Jr., D-Woodbridge, will host the 17th District Senior & Veterans’ Fair from 11 a.m.- 2 p.m. Thursday at Warsaw Park, 119 Pulaski Highway (Route 243).

The event will feature nearly four dozen state and community agencies and non-profits.

They include: the state Department of Veterans Affairs, Agency on Aging of South Central Connecticut, the Ansonia Fire Marshal’s Office, Griffin Hospital Community Outreach, Naugatuck Valley Health District, University of New Haven Nutrition and Dietetics program, and the Valley YMCA.


This is a press release from Crisco's office.