Warming hearts, including her own
By Elissa Bass
Jennifer Bruyette has worked as a fixed asset analyst with CMG finance in Farmington for almost three years. Outside the office, however, she swaps a keyboard for knitting needles and plies all sorts of snuggly creations from neatly wound balls of yarn.
How long have you been knitting and what got you started?
I remember when I was quite young, my mom taught me how to knit. Just the knit stitch, no purl (a different stitch made by moving the yarn to the front of the needle versus the back of the needle for a knit stitch). I was probably in my mid-30s when I picked up the book I Taught Myself to Knit and quite literally taught myself how to knit. I started off making scarves, moved onto baby blankets and eventually to sweaters and hats.
When did you start using your hobby to help others?
Last year was the first time. I saw an article about the Hartford HealthCare Medical Mission and a request for hats. I wasn’t busy with any other projects at the time, so I knit 11 hats.
You also knit hats for a shelter. Which one and how did that get started?
This year, I’ve knit a couple of hats for Enfield Safe Harbor, a warming center in Enfield. I’m active on local boards and committees, and this is another way for me to help locally.
With your donated Medical Mission hats, were you on site that day? Did you get to see people choose their hats?
No, I’m more of a “behind the scenes” volunteer.
What’s it like to see someone receive something you know will make their life better, even in a small way (warms heads matter!)?
My favorite gift to make is a baby blanket for expectant parents. I’ve always made one for co-workers, family members and my own grandchildren.
Knowing that a child will spend years wrapped in something I made warms my heart.
Stone Cold Curler
By Elissa Bass
Jennifer “Jenna” Haley discovered the sport of curling a few years ago and winters haven’t been the same since for the Charlotte Hungerford Hospital manager of cardi rehab and cardiodiagnostics.
Curling seems more Canada than Connecticut. How’d you get into it?
I became interested in curling because there is a club not far from where I live. I kept meeting people who were members and became curious. Three years ago, I convinced a friend to do a “learn to curl” event with me “and I loved it! I signed up for a six-week instructional league. It’s a great way to make the “winter seem short.
Indoors or outdoors?
While it originated as an outdoor sport, curling in Connecticut is played indoors on dedicated curling ice or arena ice.
Explain the game.
The playing area is called a sheet. At either end of the sheet is a target that looks like a bullseye, called the house. The center of the house is called the button. Two teams of four play eight to 10 “ends” when both teams throw all the stones toward one end of the ice sheet. The object is to get your team’s stones closer to the button than the other team’s.
Curling ice is not smooth but has small frozen water droplets on the surface called “pebbling” that cause the stones to curl. Even though arena ice can be pebbled for curling, ice skates cause irregularities in the ice surface that can make stone movement unpredictable.
Stones — 42 pounds of a specific granite from Scotland — are delivered to the house at the end of the sheet. Teammates act as “sweepers” to reduce friction under the stone, debris in front of it and curl.
After the 16 stones are played, the team with the one closest to the button scores one point and additional points for each stone that’s closer to the button than the closest opposition stone. Only one team can score in an end. The points of all the ends for a winner.
Games are timed. Time management is important to maximize the number of ends played.
Is it competitive in Connecticut?
There are curling clubs with dedicated curling ice in Norfolk and Bridgeport. Both host leagues and tournaments called bonspiels. I have traveled to bonspiels in New York, Rhode Island and New Hampshire and focus more on having fun. This year, I’m curling in three leagues—open, mixed (two male and females per team) and doubles. I’m also hoping to play in some bonspiels. I enjoy the opportunity to play. There are so few ways for adults to play, have fun and set aside life worries for a couple hours.
If someone wants to learn how to play, who can they call?
Clubs host promotional events that include basic instruction and short, friendly games. Last year, I organized a private session for CHH leaders with the Norfolk Curling Club (www.norfolkcurlingclub.org) and the Nutmeg Curling Club (www.nutmegcurling.com).
Scuba Santa to the Rescue
By Maggie Werner
Michael Cassetta, MD, a Hartford HealthCare Medical Group rheumatologist, takes his passion for helping others to new depths. As assistant chief of the Newtown Underwater Search and Rescue team and aquarium volunteer, he combines a love for diving with a deep commitment to making a difference.
When did you start diving?
I started scuba diving in my early 20s in 1989. Since then, I’ve been diving regularly. I’ve completed close to 3,600 dives.
How do you use your diving to help others?
In 2010, I began volunteering at the local aquarium and in 2013 following the Sandy Hook tragedy, I joined the Newtown Underwater Search and Rescue Team (NUSAR). As assistant chief, I respond to water-based emergencies year-round, including drownings and vehicle recoveries. I also help with educational programs at the aquarium and spread cheer as “Scuba Santa.”
Do you have a standout rescue?
About eight years ago, we were called to a flipped boat on Lake Lillinonah. A guy fell off and his friends thought he was dead so they tied him to a tree and walked out to seek help. We found the rope tied to the tree when we arrived but nobody was there. I yelled, “Come to the light” (probably wasn’t the best choice of words) and sure enough he was still alive! He kept saying, “I’m alive, I’m alive!” I told the fire chief, “He’s alive, I’m going with that!”
What’s the origin of Scuba Santa?
The Scuba Santa Program started as a volunteer-driven initiative in 2010. The goal was to create a fun experience for visitors with Santa diving in the aquarium’s tank and educating the public about sharks. The program helps show that sharks aren’t the terrifying creatures often portrayed in movies.
This will be my 15th Christmas doing it and it’s always such a joy. There’s nothing like seeing the smiles and excitement on people’s faces, especially the kids when they see Santa diving in the tank. It’s a rewarding experience every year.
As part of the program, we also do an educational session using the same full-face mask we wear for underwater search and rescue.
This allows us to speak directly to the crowd while in the tank. It’s fun because, while underwater, people can hear your voice and sometimes patients recognize me, which is always a great surprise.