The 15-40 Connection

I hate Cancer. I’m pretty sure most people would agree with me.

I was introduced to cancer at a very young age. A friend that I was in a karate class with sadly succumbed to it. I have fond memories of a large group of us in class, learning, laughing, and growing together…but at one point, she was no longer able to join us… and after some time, my parents had to break the news of what happened.

Since then, I have been reminded of the existence of Cancer all too often. Late in high school and early college I lost 2 of my grandparents to varying forms of it. I still get upset thinking about the excruciatingly slow process in which we were forced to say our good-bye’s.

More recently, my mother-in-law was diagnosed with it…. Lung cancer, to be specific.

While the 3 former examples ended in loss, the latter example of my mother-in-law ended with a more positive note. Why? Early detection. She did not feel well for a while. This past holiday season was very difficult for her. She had been coughing a lot and complaining of fatigue. She went to the hospital in January of this year, and after various tests, which were followed by biopsies, we had our answer. Stage 1 Lung Cancer. She immediately had surgery and the cancerous growths forming on her lungs were completely eradicated from her body. What helped to save her life? Early detection.

What exactly is early detection, you ask? That’s where the 15-40 Connection comes in.

The 15-40 Connection works to increase the cancer survival rate through teaching methods of early detection with 3 steps.

1. Know what “good” feels like for you.

• You know yourself best. If you don’t feel well, listen to your body.

2. The two-week rule.

• If you notice a change, even a subtle change, in your health that lasts over 2 weeks, call your doctor.

3. Share with your doctor.

• You are your best advocate. Share all the details with your doctor… even if your symptoms are embarrassing. Have you ever tried to embarrass a doctor? It’s difficult… they’ve heard and seen everything.

The idea is that by following these 3 simple rules, if you have Cancer, you will increase your chances of detecting it early and thus increasing your survival rate. While many organizations focus on research, what makes this organization different is that their focus is education. Knowledge is power. Armed with the knowledge, you can save the life of yourself and hopefully others.

The 15-40 Connection is working to create educational materials for their key audience, adults between the ages of 15-40. This age group has not kept up with the increasing survival rates of other age groups.

With that said, I have the privilege of working with the 15-40 Connection as they work to build their curriculum. A few weeks ago, I visited the 15-40 Connection offices, and met with the Founder, Jim Coghlin, and two members of his amazing team, Kelly and Tricia, to review their current materials and talk about all things education and messaging. After the meeting, I spent the rest of the day poring over their materials and later provided feedback on how to reach certain audiences and ideas on how to increase knowledge retention (you know high school kids, in one ear and out the other).

Even though the give back day is over, I have offered to volunteer my time with 15-40 Connection in any way that I can going forward. I am not a doctor or a medical professional, but if I can do anything… even if it’s one little thing to help in the fight of Cancer… here I stand.

If you want to learn more about the 15-40 Connection and all of the work that they do, please visit: https://www.15-40.org/ . If you visit the site, you can watch video blogs/stories from Cancer survivors and learn more about how essential early detection truly is.

Laura Bortolussi | Instructional Designer | Kronos Incorporated

Giving Back Inspiration, Hope, Courage

Tuesday 3/21, I used a giveback day (8 hours) to attend a photo shoot for an Ad Campaign, of which I am a selected spokesperson.  The organization, Amputee Coalition of America, is running this ad campaign both on social media, and other venues to give encouragement, hope, and strength to those persons with disabilities that struggle.  Insurance issues, mobility issues, bullying, acceptance, are all areas that are struggles for some.

My photo shoot took me into the heart of Boston, to Copley Square, to capture the business side of my life.  200+ photos were taken by a professional photographer, flown in from New Mexico.  With a background of the John Hancock building, and Trinity church, we captured me in business attire, showing off my advanced Microprocessor prosthesis.

We also took 200+ photos in Winthrop, on the beach, overlooking the ocean, the airport, and the Boston skyline (3 of my favorite things).

I hope that putting my story out into the world gives others like me the courage, strength, and hope to dream big, never give up, and fight for what they deserve.

One story has been published so far at http://www.amputee-coalition.com/sean-donnelly/

More to come.  In Motion Magazine, will be publishing a similar article in addition to the ad campaign, which is in the works now.

Thank you to my Kronos family for your constant support, overwhelming encouragement, and for always making me feel whole.

Thank You -

Sean P. Donnelly

Associate Manager, Education Delivery and Operations, Americas | Kronos Services | SmartValueFAST

The Education Services Giveback team had another successful Giveback event at Mill City Grows in Lowell. We participated in this activity to support the Mill City Grows mission of fostering food justice by improving physical health, economic independence and environmental sustainability in Lowell through increased access to land, locally-grown food and education. We participated in the event because we want to support our community in providing locally grown, healthy food to those in need, while spending time together as a team for a great cause.

 We learned that farming isn’t gardening and is a lot of hard work and sometimes takes a while to see the payoff, such as the 2 years it takes for the asparagus we planted. The organization we volunteered for grows 80,000 pounds of vegetables in a season  to help the local community, which is no easy task and volunteers are essential to its success. We were joined by another Kronos group of interns and a group from the Jean D’Arc Credit Union from Lowell and our combined efforts were impressive. We built mounds of dirt with trenches, laid irrigation and planted an area of asparagus in an afternoon that would have taken a month for the few people that work at Mill City Grows. There was also a lot of weeding also done across the farm that is essential to helping the crops grow strong. By representing Kronos at The Mill City Grows farm and sharing the experience on the giveback site, we will help to more bring visibility to this great cause so more Kronos teams get involved. The team included Alicia Alcaino, Lyn Bennett, Jane Bomengen, Alexandra Cote, Eileen Cushing-Craig, Jean Kilian, Colene MurphyLessard and Roger Tremblay.

Imagine that you’re a well-loved middle school teacher and lacrosse coach, when suddenly your life changes forever. You suffer a debilitating spinal cord injury and are paralyzed from the waist down. Then, a short time later, the unthinkable happens…your home is destroyed in a fire, leaving you and your family with nothing but the clothes on your back.

A few weeks ago, that was Tom Gallagher’s reality.

So many people would have been devastated by either of these circumstances. Rather than despair, Tom and his wife Annette have expressed gratitude for the outpouring of support they have received from the local Chelmsford community as they undertake the monumental task of rebuilding their home and their lives.

On 1/14/15 I taught a free self-defense class to the residents of our 500 home community.  I was required first to get approval by making a presentation to HOA board and make available my certification as a 2^nd degree black belt and instructor.

The purpose of the class was twofold – I wanted to help people:  1.) To avoid becoming a target of an attack; and 2.) To teach practical techniques if they were attacked.  These techniques included how to get out of grabs and holds along with basic strikes.  I taught the class alternating between lecturing and teaching the practical techniques.  The class was held in our community clubhouse  at 7pm with 10 students attending.  The students said that they found the class not only very helpful, but also enjoyable and wanted to know when the next class was going to be held.  I’m the one kneeling in front in the group shot.

Richard Wade | Sr. Workforce Solutions Consultant, OnDemand | Kronos Incorporated

Together with the help of Services Architects and other members of Global Services Business Development, we were able to give 19 pairs of women’s shoes along with a small cash donation to the Society of Women Who Love Shoes, a Texas-based non-profit 501 C 3 Organization.  As I’ve grown closer to the founder, I’ve learned that she truly is a beautiful person inside and out.  She is one of those selfless people who have dedicated her life to giving back and is truly passionate about her cause.  Because Dianne Samoff is so genuine, I enlisted some fellow Kronites to help in my efforts to do something special for this organization. Just prior to Kickoff I had challenged the team to pack a pair (or extra pair) of women’s shoes. While at Kickoff we collected 19 pairs of gently used shoes which were Fedex’d to my home in Texas. On behalf of Kronos, I presented these to Dianne’s husband who is also the co-founder of the organization (please see photo). They are very grateful for our contributions. 

 To learn more about the organization itself, please visit: http://www.societyofwomenwholoveshoes.org/

 Society Of Women Who Love Shoes (SWWLS)

“Healing Families of Abuse One Sole at a Time”

Sheree’ Bowen | Services Architect, Global Services Business Development | Kronos for Retail

On October 15^th a group of volunteers went to a home of a recently passed elderly lady to begin cleaning out the home.  Our focus on Wednesday was to remove all food items from the home and donate them to Friends of Forgotten Children.  FOFC is a non-profit organization located in Concord, NH that is here to assist children, families and seniors experiencing hardships by helping to improve their quality of life and ensure greater stability and success.  This is achieved through providing food assistance, self-help training opportunities, clothing and holiday gift wishes.

After 6 hours we had taken out two full truckloads of food.  Unfortunately we also had to throw away 20 garbage bags of food that was either opened, spoiled or  re-wrapped.  Our next volunteer day will be going in and cleaning out the home and continuing to make donations of furniture, books and supplies to local non-profit organizations.  Unfortunately she had no family, children or siblings to take care of her home and belongings so volunteers are giving their time to assist and provide closure for her.

Katie Dowling | Employee Enablement | Kronos Incorporated

I’ve been volunteering my time with the KC Pet Project.  The purpose of the Kansas City Pet Project is to facilitate the placement of homeless pets into suitable homes; to establish and maintain an animal shelter for Kansas City, MO; to maintain associated procedures which promote: the health and welfare of pets in our care, prevention of unplanned litters, pet retention and reunification of lost pets to their owners; to increase public safety by addressing issues related to irresponsible pet owners and dangerous animals. We are keenly focused on optimal lifesaving and creating a No Kill Community in the Kansas City Metro.

To end the killing of healthy and treatable pets in Kansas City, Missouri by using the most progressive and lifesaving programs and promoting effective animal control policies.

My time is spent walking dogs, assisting with taking pictures of the new animals to put on the web site, volunteering at off-site awareness and adoption events, and helping visitors select pets that fit their lifestyle.  It gives me great pleasure to work with a community of volunteers with a common cause.   You can view what we do at http://kcpetproject.org

Brian Lueken

Presales Director, Retail and Hospitality

More than 20 Kronites participated in a Gingerbread House making contest back in December!  Each team of 2 or 3 people were provided a gingerbread house, frosting and some basic decorating items.  Many teams brought in their own supplies as the teams competed to win the “best gingerbread house”.  The decision for the best house was determined by representatives from UTEC – The United Teen Equality Center in Lowell.  UTEC is a nationally recognized agency and their mission and promise is to ignite and nurture the ambition of our most disconnected youth to trade violence and poverty for social and economic success.  They serve the most vulnerable youths in the Lawrence & Lowell area.

 The UTEC Representatives awarded first place to the Barb Vlacich, Beth Russo & Trisha Cullen team.  It was a tough competition with the Marketing Team coming in a close second!  All gingerbread houses were donated to UTEC for the teens to enjoy! 

Nine years after a 20-foot wall of water devastated New Orleans, the city still has the 2^nd highest homelessness rate of all US cities. In early April 2014 the Presales Solution Center held a team meeting in New Orleans. As a Louisiana native, I knew we would be able to find plenty of opportunities to do something helpful as a group for this  (still) recovering city. So we decided to organize a Kronos Gives Back event with the New Orleans Women’s Shelter.

Since 2007, the New Orleans Women’s Shelter has provided assistance to more than 500 women and children. Most of these women have not completed high school or held steady employment.  Many of these women were children when Katrina turned their lives and families upside down. This shelter is focused on ending the cycle of poverty and homelessness for women and children by returning hope of living independently. 75% of the women who enter the program leave the shelter employed or enrolled in an educational program.

Chris Kearney, Kevin Arledge, Bill Bozeman,, and Dann O'Brien helping NOWS residents prepare resumes and apply for jobs.

Ten of us visited the shelter the morning of April 11, with a plan to fix computers in their common area, work with residents on computer skills and writing resumes, and provide workforce management consulting for the administrative staff.

On hand from Kronos were:

Part of our group went straight to work in assessing and correcting problems with the 3 barely functional computers they had in the main community room. In the matter of a couple of hours all the computers were fully functional and connected to the internet. One team member even ordered printer supplies from his personal Amazon account to be delivered to the shelter. At the same time, residents ranging in age from 18 to 60 began to enter the room.

They weren't sure what to expect, and neither were we. I watched a group of total strangers begin to engage with each other and together build resume’s, cover letters, search for and apply for jobs online. By the end of each of these individual sessions, it was clear that we had made a positive impact on their lives. I saw hope emerge in their faces as they talked about the possibilities of finding work and taking action to embrace opportunities that would certainly improve their lives and the lives of their children. We took turns entertaining babies and toddlers while their mothers worked with our consultants. While all of this was going on, two of us consulted with the Executive Director and staffing manager to assess and streamline some of their Workforce Management systems and processes. 

The Executive Director of the Shelter, Dawn Bradley Fletcher shared her thanks with this note and a few weeks later, they issued a press release for what we had done for their shelter.

Here are a few quotes some of the Kronos participants shared with me after the event.

Hello again,

I am writing with a follow up on Rihanna Santiago, my little cousin. She was born with a rare brain malformation that has caused her to be legally blind, wheelchair bound and have global developmental delay.

As I mentioned before, her parents need help to make their home accessible for her. They have set up a fund and I want to say thank you to all who have donated!

For those who have already donated, you will soon be receiving an email with a free MP3 of a song I wrote called Believe. Click the following link to watch the video and hear the song:

Rihanna’s parents have just about reached their goal, but need just a little more help. So here is how you can help.

If you have already donated, please forward the link to the music video to all of your contacts. (And enjoy the free download of Believe once you get it – in about a week or less)

If you have not yet donated and want to consider a donation, please go to: http://www.gofundme.com/5w1utg (anyone who donates will get a free MP3 of the song)

Purchase the song directly on iTunes at: https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/believe-single/id884157632 (all profits will go directly to Rihanna)

Thanks in advance for your consideration of this request.

 Maria (Maggie) Leon

Once a month, volunteers gather to help prepare donated food packages for over 500 low-income senior citizens in the Lowell-Chelmsford area as part of the Brown Bag Lunch program. It's a collaboration between the Elder Services of Merrimack Valley and the Greater Boston Food Bank. Today, (May 27) a faithful crew of Kronites, (Deb O'Connell, Lillian Montero, and myself) helped out with the program. 

Volunteers unloaded palettes of food-filled boxes from the Food Bank's 18-wheeler truck, then unpacked over 150 boxes of pre-assembled bags of food staples such as cereal, rice, pasta, and canned goods. Volunteers then placed the brown bags in plastic bags with handles, and added more food items, such as yogurt and raisins.  Loaded bags were lined up and picked up by local agencies, which then will hand-deliver the bags to individual seniors. All told, volunteers prepared over 500 bags of food staples for local seniors in less than two hours! Way to go team! 

Valley Days, is an environmental living program set in an 1880 agricultural community. Designed by teachers, museum docents, and volunteer staff.  This program offers an experience unparalleled to any other in Northern California – of which students in grades 3-5 engage in a full day in the life of the student in the 1880’s.  There are three major goals of the program.

1. To develop an understanding of the lifestyle of the people who lived in San Joaquin County in the late 1800’s.
2. To develop an awareness of how nineteenth century life in San Joaquin county fit into a larger concept of the development of the West.
3. To develop a sense of stewardship toward our heritage and the sites and artifacts of the 1800’s. 

I had the pleasure of volunteering alongside the “professional volunteers” (some very strict senior citizens).  In order to run a station all volunteers must complete one eight hour training on their respective station of volunteer. 

My day of formal “giveback” was held on Thursday May 8, 2014.  I had the pleasure of running the “leather stamping” station!  It was loud, intense, and fun!  Ideally about 250+ students roll through the grounds of the historic buildings at Micke’s Grove Park in Lodi, California.  (no they didn’t give us volunteers any wine.)  As the children live, a-day-in-the life… they attend class; tend to heard, stamp leather, go to the metal workshop, pan for gold, work the print press, make rope, etc.  It is an awesome experience.  Volunteers are actively engaging and assisting in all functions at their station.  Mid day there is time to have a lunch of which should contain items only from the time of the late 1800’s.  I met many children, shared my knowledge of where leather comes from the history of pounding hide to create things such as shoes, and other pliable trade.  We laughed, smiled, and got to play dress up too! 

Cheers – enjoy the pix!

Monicque Vasquez | Training Specialist, Education Delivery 

Many Kronites spend hours of their personal time every week engaged in giving back to their communities. Sean Donnelly, Training Specialist in Educational Services recently shared the following story of a giveback project in which he is engaged that is very close to his heart.

“I grew up with an Alcoholic parent, and suffered effects of that in my adult life.  Last summer I joined Adult Children of Alcoholics, a support group aimed at helping those that have effects of trauma related to growing up in an alcoholic or dysfunctional home.  We are encouraged to do “service” in these group sessions.  Service could include, helping a group member in a time of need, or taking on a role in the sessions.  I attend these meetings for 2 hours each Sunday where I am a new comer liaison.  I help new people that are coming into the group navigate their way through the program, and find the help that they need.  I also have become a chair person for the sessions, and lead 10 meetings a year.  Right now, this is what I am devoting my personal time to, as it gives me the ability to help myself, as well as help others in need.  Though it may not be giving things, the emotional support that this community needs to get past their troubled history is more than any gift I could personally give.”

Thank you to Sean for sharing this inspiring story. No doubt, his efforts in this organization are greatly appreciated by the families he serves.

Recently Barbara Nastri worked a booth at a Health Fair at Coquina Crossing Retirement Village.  While there, she distributed brochures on the services provided by the Council on Aging in St. Augustine, FL.

About the Council on Aging: this body provides a wide range of services to senior citizens throughout St. Johns County, FL – including Meals on Wheels (which are made on premises), educational seminars, yard work and minor home repairs, friendship visits and many, many other services.

The experience opened Barbara’s eyes to how fulfilling it can be to volunteer her time. She says “I’ve always wanted to volunteer but didn’t realize how rewarding it would be.  This was an opportunity to educate local seniors about services that are available to them, in their community, at no cost. Besides the personal gratification of giving back to my community, it was a great opportunity to open the eyes of older citizens and educate them on services they need or will need in the future.  As older Americans, they now know that they’re not alone. When one person becomes aware of available services, they often spread the word to their friends and family members.  The impact can be far reaching in the St. Johns County community.”

Great job, Barbara!

Eileen Cushing-Craig | Instructional Designer | Kronos Incorporated