By Alyssa Dearborn  For many Central New Yorkers, The Everson Museum’s annual Festival of Trees and Lights is a beloved holiday tradition. In its 38th year, the festival welcomes all to enjoy beautifully decorated trees and wreaths, an artisanal market, live performances, cultural activities, and the museum’s own collection of art. What many do not know about the festival, though, is that this treasured holiday tradition is the result of hard work and collaboration between the Everson staff and the museum’s member council. For the past few years, Liz Herrick – president of the member coun ..read more

By Janelle Davis    Lauren Miter, special education teacher at Elmcrest Elementary in the Liverpool district, recently returned from a journey to Kenya, Africa for the Global Autism Project. Her time in Kenya lasted two weeks, during which she collaborated with team members, local educators, families, and children to build programs for children with autism. In special education for 12 years, Miter has been familiar with the Global Autism Project for a long time.   “This whole opportunity was incredible. It was eye-opening, fulfilling, and I feel a new urge to continue to bu ..read more

By Norah Machia  A recent study published in Discovery Magazine noted that “giving to charity makes us happier; especially when we freely choose to give. Whether we have a little or a lot of money, how we choose to spend it matters most to our happiness.”  Iris Buczkowski, owner of Birch Wealth Management in Rome, knows this firsthand and shares her experiences of giving with clients as part of their estate planning. Showing people how they can help others is the favorite part of her job, said Iris, a registered investment advisor.   Her company serves clients throughout th ..read more

By Kathy Franco  As a mother with two adult children who live out of state, I take a different approach to holiday decorating in my home. I’ve begun to simplify and decorate more for my taste. Gone are the endless days of opening boxes and littering every surface with holly branches and tinsel. Now, I find myself drawn to more calming decorations, like white lights, soft candles, greenery, and single-color accents. The holidays are so much more enjoyable when they are no longer bookended with stressful decorating in the fall and days of packing and repacking in the New Year.   W ..read more

By Janelle Davis Shelley Skellington is a survivor in more ways than one. Her son, Joseph, was born with a rare blood disorder and a cleft palate. He spent a lot of time in the hospital throughout his childhood. “I would cry on many occasions for the obstacles Joseph had to face with surgeries on his cleft palate, ear surgeries, and the blood disorder,” Shelley said. Through this, Joseph’s strength kept Shelley strong. “He would say, ‘Mama it’s going to be alright. We are strong,’ She shared. Despite Joseph’s conditions, he remained happy and positive and would light up a room wherever he went ..read more

By Alyssa Dearborn Rochele ‘Shelly’ Clark has been a nursing professional for four decades, earning several awards and helping to establish the first neuroscience service line at Crouse Hospital over the course of her career. She has found a fulfilling career working in nearly every major hospital in Syracuse, but when she was a young person trying to decide her future career path, she never expected to become a nursing professional.  “Back in the 80’s, I wanted to be a teacher and my guidance counselor said, ‘There aren’t a lot of teaching jobs. What else would you like to do?’” Rochele ..read more

By Rob Bick It has been almost five years since my beloved wife, Ann Marie, passed away. It feels like five seconds ago that I was holding her when she took her last breath. It feels like 50 years since I have looked into those piercing blue eyes. It is September 7th as I sit down to quantify some thoughts on the passage of time and the evolution of grief and assimilation to a different reality. The date “the 7th” holds special meaning to me. We met on a 7th day, we were married on the 7th day and she died on the 7th day, so doing this today is appropriate. Many of you know Ann Marie’s story ..read more

By Frieda Weeks Search the word “survivor” in a dictionary and the top definitions are fairly black and white. Simply put, a survivor is described as someone who remains alive after coming close to death. Keep reading and you’ll find a bit more depth; survivors carry on despite hardship, cope well with difficulties and persevere through trauma. If you’ve been a survivor, or love one, you understand that words alone cannot capture the entire complex journey. Dictionaries paint a very lonely picture, but survivors desperately need a strong support system to persevere. Survivors are not simply pe ..read more

By Norah Machia Kathy Mezzalingua remembers accompanying her late daughter, Laurie, a breast cancer patient, to one of her first chemotherapy appointments. As they waited to be called into a room for treatment, Laurie overheard another patient discussing how she was struggling to pay for her chemotherapy treatments and at the same time, cover her household expenses, including her groceries. “After that, Laurie became very aware of other breast cancer patients and their needs,” said her mother. Her daughter, who displayed incredible strength and resilience after being diagnosed with breast canc ..read more

By Kate Hanzalik Have you ever felt as if you don’t have a purpose? Have you ever felt like you’re not living up to your potential? Or maybe you’re content but you’re always open to growing and changing? If so, you’re like a lot of the people and companies Chris Allen coaches. As a workplace psychologist/executive and team coach, and the president of Insight Business Works, she helps organizations become healthy in ways that are right for them. She assists them in finding purpose, improving communication, becoming more eco-conscious, more diverse and inclusive at the executive level, which hel ..read more