WINTER Edition: A Hopeful 2022
Judy Troilo (she/her/hers)-Executive Director
1. What is one thing you're hopeful for this new year?
I can’t pick just one! I hope for less hate and illness and more humanity and compassion.
2. What is something you enjoy during the winter months?
Napping for sure.
3. What is one thing you do for self-care that you wouldn't mind sharing with folx?
Morning me time. I get up extra early to drink my coffee while enjoying the sunrise with my sweet pug, Harper. I also catch up on the news, play wordle and think about how to manage my day.
Scott Havelka (he/him/his)- Deputy Director
1. What is one thing you're hopeful for this new year?
With the past two years being so unprecedented, I’ve sought out more joy to my everyday. I don’t mean toxic positivity. Just listening to music more, appreciating those in my life more, finding more moments to laugh & smile. Allow for stress, anxiety and sadness but keep adding more tools to my toolbox on how to better manage and cope with those emotions.
2. What is something you enjoy during the winter months?
I have been skiing since my Mom ran Ski Club at my elementary school. I just stay off the double black diamond slopes and I do just fine.
3. What is one thing you do for self-care that you wouldn't mind sharing with folx?
Once a week I attend C.A.L.M Queer Zen meditation on zoom and it gives me practices to get centered that I find myself utilizing all the time. Now take breath with me, and now let’s take another!
Shepard Verbas (they/them/theirs) Director of Programs and Services
1. What is one thing you're hopeful for this new year?
I'm hopeful to start off a new year with renewed intention and goals, and also that we might have more of an opportunity for safe, in-person festivities as the year continues
2. What is something you enjoy during the winter months?
I love staying in, being cozy and watching a good movie
3. What is one thing you do for self-care that you wouldn't mind sharing with folx?
I've recently been getting into exercise as a form of self-care and have started shifting my thinking to see it more as a form of loving myself, and less as a chore. I find this leaves me more excited to continue.
Jeffrey Guard (he/they) Director of Marketing and Communications
1. What is one thing you're hopeful for this new year?
International Travel. Oui. Por Favor. Danke.
2. What is something you enjoy during the winter months?
I love nesting, wearing comfy clothes, and getting to draw, color, read and write.
3. What is one thing you do for self-care that you wouldn't mind sharing with folx?
I do a ton of journaling, checking in with myself. It's often a mixture of writing and sketching/coloring. It's been super grounding for me during these wild two years.
Mia Edwards (she/her/hers) Case Manager, PROUDWST Me Program
1. What is one thing you're hopeful for this new year?
The end of omicron, the beginning of a return to "normal"
2. What is something you enjoy during the winter months?
Making hearty and tasty vegetarian/vegan soups
3. What is one thing you do for self-care that you wouldn't mind sharing with folx?
Food experiments: they help me recenter myself and heal
Dennis Richmond, Jr.(he/him/his) Program Manager
1. What is one thing you're hopeful for this new year?
This year, I’m hopeful for fostering new connections. It’s imperative to grow each year, and one way to do that is to connect with others. Connecting looks different for different people. For me, connecting means building relationships so they're even stronger. With work schedules, weekend schedules, and life in general, this is a task. Just because it’s a task doesn’t mean it’s not accomplishable.
2. What is something you enjoy during the winter months?
The number one thing that I enjoy during the winter months is wearing coats! I live for a good fur coat. I have dozens of pictures of my ancestors wearing coats.
3. What is one thing you do for self-care that you wouldn't mind sharing with folx?
For self-care, I’ll get a mani-pedi in a heartbeat. There is no problem in the world that a good manicure and a good pedicure won’t fix. Letting your feet soak in exotic beads to relieve stress is magical. Not to mention your feet look amazing afterward. Who can stop you after your fingernails are polished?
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Kira Lingala (she/her/hers) Peer Navigator, PROUDWST Me Program
1. What is one thing you're hopeful for this new year?
I am hopeful for more chances to be with our community in-person in 2022, but also for new and innovative ways to connect virtually that can make these trying times easier on all of us.
2. What is something you enjoy during the winter months?
I love cozy sweaters, cute boots, and warm cups of coffee by the fire in the winter. There’s nothing better than curling up with a good book on a lazy Sunday, but I also try to make a point of bundling up and getting out into nature on the warmer days. It can be hard, but the views and vibes are often rewarding.
3. What is one thing you do for self-care that you wouldn't mind sharing with folx?
Long baths with a book or podcast by my side help me feel refreshed and luxurious on nights when I’m wiped out.
Stevie McMahon (he/him/his, they/them/theirs) Community Engagement Coordinator
1. What is one thing you're hopeful for this new year?
I'm hopeful for the safety of connecting with the community in-person again.
2. What is something you enjoy during the winter months?
Winter is my fourth favorite season because what I enjoy the most is being outside, and I often find myself avoiding the cold wintery outdoors during these months. I passed my road test in January of 2013, and I'll never forget my eagerness to get out and drive by myself after that day. I really enjoy driving around with the heat blasting louder than my music, only until the car has generated more heat than my body can handle. Being warm in the winter is something I am extremely grateful for, and it's what I enjoy the most this time of year!
3. What is one thing you do for self-care that you wouldn't mind sharing with folx?
My biggest form of self-care right now would be my skin care routine. Some days I will just use a cleansing wipe to clean my face, and that is when I know I'm not focused on my mental wellness. I always feel better when I do three common steps at the start and end of my day - exfoliate, three drops of oil serum, and moisturize!