BRANFORD - A Shoreline benefit for BHcare featuring Cupcake War
2014 will be held from 5:30-9:30 p.m. May 15 at The Owenego Beach and Tennis Club.
The evening
will feature a full menu, silent auction, music, a beautiful view of Long Island
Sound, and delectable cupcake desserts.
Five
local bakeries are participating in the cupcake war. They are: JCakes (North
Branford), Marjolaine Pastry Shop (New Haven), Meriano’s Bakery & Cannoli
Truck (Madison), Pastry Fusions (North Branford), and Take the Cake (Guilford).
The
committee, chaired by Charlotte Mattei, Senior Vice President, Webster Bank, and a BHcare board
member, is seeking event sponsors and ad sponsors.
Event sponsorships range from $250-$1,000 and
ad book space is available for as little as $50.
Tickets
are currently on sale for $50 each and are selling quickly. Any persons or businesses interested in
sponsorship or tickets are asked to call Debbie Soulsby, 203-736-2601,
ext. 1321
or visit www.bhcare.org.
Decreases
in state and federal funding coupled with increases in demand for services make
fund-raising events such as this benefit critical to sustaining services for
those at risk and in need.
The
BHcare Shoreline Benefit is sponsored by Guilford Savings Bank, as well as by
Connecticut Mental Health Center, Rose & Kiernan, and VNA Community
Healthcare.
Media partner is Shore Publishing.
BHcare
is a regional community provider of behavioral health, addiction prevention,
and domestic violence services for the Lower Naugatuck Valley, Greater New
Haven and Shoreline communities.
NEW HAVEN >> By all appearances, Leslie Morgan Steiner has
everything. She’s a graduate of Harvard and the Wharton School, and
she’s had a successful career as a magazine journalist, book author and
marketing executive.
And, she’s a mother who carts her kids around in a minivan.
She’s also a survivor of domestic violence. She was married to a man who beat her so severely she feared he would kill her.
“I come off as someone who’s strong and confident,” Morgan
Steiner said. “The stereotype of a domestic violence victim is that they
have self-esteem problems, they’re weak, impoverished. “I deliver the
message obliquely that this” – domestic violence – “is an everyone
problem.” Morgan Steiner is
one of three experts on domestic violence set to speak at a conference
called “Beyond the Bruises: A Conference on Psychological Abuse and
Stalking” set for Sept. 30 in New Haven.
Also speaking will be Mark Wynn,
a former police officer and a consultant and trainer on domestic
violence and sexual assault issues, and Hema Khan, an attorney for the
Stalking Resource Center.
The Umbrella Center for Domestic Violence Services is holding the conference. The Umbrella Center is a program of BHcare, a nonprofit health service provider based in Branford.
BHcare recently tried, unsuccessfully, to open a domestic violence shelter in Milford.
Neighbors near the proposed site exposed the address in public, leading
the BHcare executive board to vote to abandon the plans. Most shelter
addresses are kept confidential to protect the residents.
BHcare spokesperson Emily Granelli said the seminar is about
spreading awareness of domestic violence and stalking.
A grim statistic
cited on the flier for the conference reports that 12 people died in
2012 in domestic violence situations, and six have died this year,
according to statistics from the Connecticut Coalition Against Domestic
Violence.
Morgan Steiner wrote the book “Crazy Love” about her experience
being married to a batterer. Her abuse took place more than two decades
ago, but it also took her that long before she could talk about it
publicly.
“It took about five years before I could talk about (the abuse),
and another 10 years before I could write ‘Crazy Love,’” she said.
She began speaking publicly about domestic violence after the
book was published. Her story is an example of how it’s possible to
survive an abusive relationship, she said.
“The most important thing I can do is get up there and say, ‘It happened to me, I’m not ashamed, and I made it out,’” she said.
Wynn, a former Nashville, Tenn., police officer, said he’ll talk
about the entire sphere of violence against women, including domestic
violence, sexual assault and human trafficking, and what kind of law
enforcement response those crimes bring.
“Often, we focus on just domestic violence, which is a large
component, but when you look at all the crimes committed against women,
it’s a big, big problem for the community and law enforcement,” he said.
“When we show that most of the crimes in the country are committed
against women, you refocus your resources.”
He’ll also talk about empathizing with domestic violence victims and how, for a victim, leaving an abuser is an intense process.
“We’re still dealing with this problem of people focusing more on
the victim than the offender,” he said. “The question should be, what
are we going to do for her when she decides to leave? When you talk to
victims, it’s the process of leaving that’s the most difficult.”
Morgan Steiner had the rare opportunity to walk away from her
abuser. One night, when they were both students at Wharton, she
experienced “the worst one” of his beatings. After, he simply left their
apartment. That was the end of their relationship, but he was never
punished for his crimes.
For more information about the conference, visit BHcare.org.
Note: BHcare is a behavioral health organization
serving the Valley, Greater New Haven, and Shoreline
communities.
BHcare will hold the 4th Annual Girl’s Night Out Fashion Show
Fundraiser from 7 to 10 p.m. May 10 at WoodWinds in Branford.
All
proceeds will benefit BHcare programs and services that
provide comprehensive behavioral health, prevention and domestic
violence services to individuals and families throughout the Greater
New Haven, Shoreline and Valley communities.
The
evening will feature fashions and accessories by Carol’s Creations and
Ella where She Shops…, as well as a red carpet entrance,
signature cocktails, boutique shopping, silent auction, giveaways,
photo booth, DJ, food and ore.
Chris Velardi, News 8 Morning Anchor will emcee the event starring
Patricia Andriole, Jo Ann Begley, Tricia Bohan, Sarah Beth Luce DelPrete, Betty Ann Donegan, Emily Granelli and Gina Ragusa.
Tickets are $35.
For information or to purchase tickets, visit www.bhcare.org.
The
4th Annual Girl’s Night Out is sponsored by Guilford Savings
Bank, VNA Community Healthcare and Rose & Kiernan, Inc.
BHcare is hosting its third annual Girl’s Night Out Fashion Show from 8-10 p.m. Friday at Woodwinds in Branford.
BHcare is a behavioral health organization with offices in Ansonia and Branford. The show supports BHcare programs.
The evening will feature fashions and accessories by Ella where She shops, Asiye's Boutique and Carol's Creations, as well as signature cocktails, boutique shopping, a raffle, and DJ.
Cost is $35 per person, which includes hors d'oeuvres, dessert, food, fashion and fun.
Guests will enjoy a red carpet entrance complete with paparazzi, photo booth, Hollywood Glam theme, and more.
For information and to purchase tickets, visit www.bhcare.org.
By Jean Falbo-Sosnovich
Register Correspondent
ANSONIA — The city will explore all of its options, including eminent domain, in an attempt to save one of Ansonia’s last remaining parcels of open space from being developed.
The Board of Aldermen this week unanimously voted in favor of two resolutions geared toward property in the city’s Hilltop area at 64 Pulaski Highway.
A Branford developer is currently under contract to purchase the 25-acre parcel, and previously floated a conceptual plan before the city’s land use boards about building 36 single family homes there. A formal proposal has not yet been submitted.
By Michelle Tuccitto Sullo
Naugatuck Valley Bureau Chief
and Jean Falbo-Sosnovich
Register Correspondent
Anyone with property damage from Hurricane Irene should report it, to help the state get funding from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., urged residents Thursday.
“This information is critically important, as it forms the basis for the amount of money that FEMA will give,” said Blumenthal. “People should document and report damage as quickly as possible.”
Gov. Dannel P. Malloy has submitted an application, and the congressional delegation has written to FEMA to support it, according to Blumenthal.
By Cara Baruzzi Register Business Editor Two Greater New Haven health care nonprofit organizations aim to join forces, with the announcement Friday that Ansonia-based Birmingham Group Health Services Inc. and Branford-based Harbor Health Services Inc. plan to merge. Officials at the groups said a due diligence process and “integration plan” are slated to be completed for board members’ review by October. If the merger ultimately is approved, the new unified group would begin operating in January as a regional provider of behavioral health and domestic violence services. Both Birmingham Group Health Services and Harbor Health Services are private, nonprofit corporations. If the merger is approved, they will gradually combine into a single organization and brand over the next year.
The evening
will feature a full menu, silent auction, music, a beautiful view of Long Island
Sound, and delectable cupcake desserts.
