Mental health is focus of community conversations

MIDDLETOWN >> Middlesex Hospital is partnering with Middlesex County’s citizen volunteer members of Catchment Area Council 10 of South Central CT’s Region ll Mental Health Board to present “Community Conversations on Mental Health at Middlesex Hospital, with a light supper provided and free parking.

The meetings will be held May 23, 6-8 p.m. Goodwin Conference Room; June 6, 6:45-8:45 p.m. Goodwin Conference Room. (Note change of meeting room and time.) Ample free parking is available. This event is open to anyone in our community who wants to understand the challenges of dealing with mental health / addiction conditions and achieving recovery to live successful lives in their community. The program is based on a highly successful model used in communities throughout the country developed by the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). The sessions are led by facilitators trained in this model. The sessions are designed to be sequential in format and purpose, each building on the previous one, to end with viable action steps to impact agreed upon goals, improve community understanding and responsiveness, therefore, attendance at all three sessions is recommended.

For questions or to register, call 860-262-5027, or 860262-5051, email adminasst@ rmhb2.org or go to middletowndiscussplanaction.eventbrite.com.

AWP awards scholarship

MIDDLETOWN >> Artists for World Peace, a Middletown non-profit organization, has awarded its Dr. Yoram Kaufmann Scholarship to Middletown High School senior Jamie Dudyak. Dudyak, an accomplished trombone player, was a featured soloist at this year’s Middletown High Goes to the Symphony performance with the Hartford Symphony. Jamie will be attending the University of Connecticut in the fall, where she will be pursuing a degree in Music Education.

Artists for World Peace established this scholarship in 2009 with the goal of spreading peace through artistic expression and education. The fund provides financial assistance to students who are currently majoring in the arts and to high school seniors who will be attending college in the fall. Artists for World Peace has awarded scholarships to students from: The University of Hartford; Middlesex Community College; Middletown High School; Kathmandu University (Nepal); Wesleyan University; The Fashion Institute of Technology(New York City); Mercy High School( Middle town ); and Xavier High School( Middle town ).

For more information about the work of Artists for World Peace visit www.artistsforworldpeace.org.

Team Hope Walk

KILLINGWORTH >> The Connecticut Affiliate of the Huntington’s Disease Society of America (HDSA) is holding their 11th annual Team Hope Walk at Chatfield Hollow State Park in Killingworth on Sunday, May 21. The Team Hope Walk program is HDSA’s largest grassroots event, being held on over 100 cities across the country. All proceeds support HDSA’s fight to improve the lives of people affected by HD and their families.

National sponsors are Teva Pharmaceuticals and Asclephius Healthcare Resource. Local sponsors are Backus Hospital, Fresh River Healthcare, Kindred Healthcare, Boston Orthodics, the Nixon Family, the Lloyd Family, Suzio York Hill, Oak & Velvet, and Kohls stores in Hamden, Old Saybrook, Branford, Wethersfield, and Rocky Hill.

Registration begins at 9 a.m. and the walk kicks off at 10 a.m. The Connecticut affiliate is asking for support of the community to become a sponsor, form a team, walk as an individual, donate products or volunteer to help with the event activities. This 1.5-mile scenic walk is a fun, familyfriendly event that includes food, music, raffle/auction items and children’s activities, including face painting, balloon animals and magic. Dogs are welcome and children can ride their bikes. There is also trout fishing if you have your license. The walk is handicap accessible. Sonar, the Hartford Wolfpack mascot will be there. You only need $25 sponsorship per person to participate.

Huntington’s disease (HD) is a devastating, hereditary, degenerative brain disorder that results in a loss of cognitive, behavioral and physical control, and for which, presently, there is no cure and only one FDAapproved treatment for one of the symptoms. HD slowly diminishes the affected individual’s ability to walk, think, talk and reason. Symptoms usually appear in an individual between 30 and 50 years of age and progress over a 10 to 25 year period. To volunteer or support the Team Hope Walk, please contact Susan McGann at 860-558-8847 or cthdsa@ gmail.com or go to www.hdsa. org/thwct to register and for more information.