News You Can Use

On this week’s program, hosts Ann Baldwin and Lisa DeMatteis-Lepore speak with Gian-Carl Casa, President & CEO of the Connecticut Non-Profit Alliance. Gian-Carl serves as a strong and persistent voice representing mission-driven nonprofit organizations across the state of Connecticut. On this episode, Gian-Carl talks about the needs of non-profits post COVID-19 and the importance of stat...

On this week’s program, host Ann Baldwin and guest co-host Beth Connor speak with Jessica Smith, Deputy Chief of Business Development at The Connection. Jessica speaks about the professional development training programs offered by The Connection. She also explains the importance of mission alignment and how The Connection strives to help other organizations continually grow and reach their...

On this week’s program, host Ann Baldwin and guest co-host Beth Connor speak with Teresa Ferraro, Service Area Director-Community & Residential Behavioral Health Services at The Connection. Teresa talks to the hosts about how The Connection was able to successfully operate their Middletown-based Eddy Shelter during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Teresa shares the gratitude for her...

On this week’s split program, host Ann Baldwin speaks with two guests. On the first half of the episode, Ann speaks with Patrice McCarthy, Deputy Director and General Counsel member at Connecticut Association of Boards of Education (CABE). Patrice talks about the challenges of this past school year, and her optimism about the year coming up. Tune in Sunday to hear Patrice speak about the imp...

On this week’s program, host Ann Baldwin speaks with Gail Lebert, Director of Partnership Development at Klingberg Family Centers. Gail talks about the Klingberg Vintage Motorcar Event coming up this Father’s Day weekend. For 29 years, this event has provided an opportunity to see rare, historic, antique cars and give back through programs that help children and families. On Saturday,...

On this week’s program, hosts Ann Baldwin and guest co-host Beth Connor speak with Ted Koppy, morning anchor for NBC Connecticut. Ted is a familiar face in Connecticut media. He has worked at News 12 Connecticut and before that, WTNH in New Haven. Ted talks about the heart-wrenching stories he’s covered since Covid-19 and the surge in child obesity due to the pandemic. Tune in this Sun...

On this week’s program, hosts Lisa DeMatteis-Lepore and guest co-host Beth Connor speak with Gail Eureka, Program Director at The Connection. Starting as an Intern nearly 10 years ago, Gail has turned her passion of helping others succeed into a successful career at the agency.  The Connection is currently hiring for its diverse human services programs across Connecticut.  For info...

On this week’s program, hosts Ann Baldwin and Lisa DeMatteis-Lepore speak with Alicia Davis, Professional Certified Coach (PCC) for Transformative Leadership Strategies. Transformative Leadership Strategies, LLC (TLS) provides coaching support and leadership development services to individuals looking to increase their personal fulfillment and improve their leadership skills. Alicia talks ab...

On this week’s program, hosts Ann Baldwin and Lisa DeMatteis-Lepore speak with New Britain Mayor, Erin Stewart. Mayor Stewart talks about the relaunch of New Britain Recovers, a social services initiative aimed at addressing homelessness, addiction and youth prevention. She also shares detailed information regarding the Covid-19 vaccine in hopes New Britain residents, and most importantly pe...

On this week’s program, hosts Ann Baldwin and Lisa DeMatteis-Lepore speak with Tom Casey, Managing Principal of Discussion Partner Collaborative, a global Advisory firm with over 200 consultants. Tom is the author of over 500 articles, books and blogs that have been published in a range of magazines, periodicals and social media sites. Most recently, Tom published a blog titled “With E...

On this week’s program, hosts Ann Baldwin and guest co-host Beth Connor speak with April Goff Brown about her new children’s book “I Hug You in My Heart.” April retired in 2017 from a 35-year career of developing and managing youth programs, and now relishes this stage of her journey as a creative entrepreneur and author. April is happily married to her husband of 40 years...

On this week’s program, hosts Ann Baldwin and guest co-host Beth Connor speak with Ray Gorman, President and CEO of Community Mental Health Affiliates (CMHA.) CMHA is a leading provider of an integrated health and behavioral health care system for children, families and adults. By fostering improvement in the quality of life for their clients, CMHA contributes to the well-being of the commun...

Happy Easter! On this week’s program, hosts Ann Baldwin and guest co-host Beth Connor speak with one of The Connection’s long-time strategic partners, Ryan Lawless from The Schuster Group, a full-service employee benefits firm. Ryan talks about The Schuster Group’s TANGO, a community of over 1,400 nonprofit organizations. As a Member, your organization can save money and receive...

On this week’s program, hosts Ann Baldwin and Lisa DeMatteis-Lepore speak with Keith Grant, APRN, Senior System Director of Infection Prevention from Hartford HealthCare. Keith talks about the historic event that happened last week in Connecticut, as many front-line healthcare workers, including himself received the first round of the COVID-19 vaccine. Keith offers a unique perspective, shar...

On this week’s program, hosts Ann Baldwin and Lisa DeMatteis-Lepore speak with Gian-Carl Casa, President and CEO of The Alliance; a strong and persistent voice representing mission-driven nonprofit organizations across the state of Connecticut. Gian-Carl talks about the financial struggles that many Connecticut nonprofits are facing due to Covid-19. Tune in this Sunday to hear more from Gian...

On this week’s program, hosts Ann Baldwin and Lisa DeMatteis-Lepore speak with Mayor Ben Florsheim, City of Middletown. Ben Florsheim was appointed Mayor in 2019, serving as one of Connecticut’s youngest mayors. Through his efforts, Mayor Florsheim has helped rejuvenate the city of Middletown, working closely with The Connection to promote wellbeing for all within the community. Mayor...

On this week’s program, hosts Ann Baldwin and guest co-host Beth Connor speak with Charles Mitchell, Program Coordinator for Middlesex County Chamber’s Recovery Employment Program and Harry Burr, Business Coordinator for the program. The Recovery Employment Program is designed to work with individuals who are currently working through recovery and assists them with job training and pla...

On this week’s program, hosts Ann Baldwin and guest co-host Beth Connor speak with Cerina Savino, a certified worksite wellness program consultant for Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield. In this role, Cerina develops, implements and coordinates customized wellness strategies to increase health awareness and participation in wellbeing programs offered to Anthem’s large group clients. Cer...

On this week’s program, hosts Ann Baldwin and Lisa DeMatteis-Lepore speak with Sara Szafranski, Director of McLean Home Care and Hospice and Cassandra Lokke-Seemann, McLean Hospice Primary Care Nurse. In keeping with the weekend’s theme of love, Sara and Cassandra explain what hospice care is and how you can provide comfort to a loved one during end of life care. The McLean Hospice Car...

On this week’s program, hosts Ann Baldwin and Lisa DeMatteis-Lepore speak with Eileen O’Neil, a long-time public school teacher and administrator. Eileen is also a Board Member at The Connection. With years of experience in special education and as a former childcare counselor in a residential treatment facility, she talks about how her real-life experiences are now being applied to he...

On this week’s program, hosts Ann Baldwin and Lisa DeMatteis-Lepore speak with Anne Ventimiglia, Program Director of Supportive Housing for Families at The Connection. The Supportive Housing for Families Program, started by Lisa 25 years ago, helps families thrive by finding homes in safe, nurturing neighborhoods and providing the support necessary for achieving economic independence, develo...

Director of Supportive Housing for Families at The Connection. The Supportive Housing for Families Program, started by Lisa 25 years ago, helps families thrive by finding homes in safe, nurturing neighborhoods and providing the support necessary for achieving economic independence, developing healthy relationships and a stable and caring home environment. Anne has worked with thousands of families...

Todd Hawk is the Director of Information Technology at The Connection, working to connect our staff and clients to each other and the world for nearly a decade. Passionate about both human services and technology; Todd works to make technology easier, more accessible, and more impactful for our staff and the communities we serve. 2020 Mckinsey Report on Technology and Business – COVID-19 has...

Program Director under The Connection’s Behavioral Health Department. Lee Anne talks about her 25-year’s experience working with individuals who are homeless and how she is passionate about creating real change in society. Lee Anne is responsible for 11 of The Connection’s programs statewide, all of which help Connecticut’s homeless population, including Permanent Supportiv...