The fight against multiple sclerosis takes place in many venues and the next battleground will be the state capitol in Hartford. As the state government prepares to slash costs for its next two-year budget, the National MS Society, Connecticut Chapter and its supporters will make their plea to legislators that the needs of those living with multiple sclerosis have never been greater.
That will be the overriding message on April 1, when the National MS Society, Connecticut Chapter, hosts its seventh annual MS Action Day.
The event will take place from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. in the Old Judiciary Room of the State Capitol Building at 210 Capitol Ave. in Hartford.
“It’s an opportunity for people with MS, their family members and other advocates to meet with state legislators and let them know how critical state funding is right now,” said Susan Raimondo, senior director of advocacy and programs for the Connecticut Chapter.
At the top of the priority list for MS Action Day is continued funding for the Connecticut Home Care Program for the Disabled.
The state approved funding the pilot program with $720,000 in 2007 and it allows up to 50 people with degenerative neurological conditions to receive home-based services instead of being prematurely institutionalized in nursing homes.
The Village for Families and Children has hired Luis B. Perez LCSW as the agency’s new chief operating officer.
Perez brings more than 20 years of experience to the Village. Most recently he served as CEO of the Connecticut Valley Hospital, a 550-bed psychiatric facility in Middletown.
Hill-Stead Museum in Farmington has been awarded a $21,750 Strategic Initiative Grant from the Connecticut Commission on Culture & Tourism in support of a new twice-weekly Farmers’ Market on the museum’s historic estate, set to begin in summer 2009.
Frederic Lee Klein, president of the Connecticut Power and Energy Society and chairman of Pullman & Comley LLC’s Energy & Utilities practice, presented Pat Wrice and Bill Zagorksi of Operation Fuel with a $3000 donation at the society’s February dinner meeting.
The National Conference for Community and Justice of Connecticut and Western Massachusetts Inc., NCCJ, founded in 1927 as the National Conference of Christians and Jews, will present its Annual Human Relations Award to Jeannette DeJesuÌs, president and CEO, Hispanic Health Council; Christine Marcks, president, Prudential Retirement; John Patrick, Jr., CEO, Farmington Savings Bank; and Richard Rosenthal, owner, Max Restaurant Group.
This event will be held on April 2 at Hartford Hilton in Hartford Connecticut. The reception will begin at 5:30 p.m. followed by the awards ceremony at 6:30 p.m.
