The Bridge Builder - Livengrin Foundation

The Bridge Builder
Giving the Gift
of Recovery for Life
Special
Edition
Attorney Allen Toadvine and his wife, LuAnn,
with Livengrin’s VP of Business Development
Sue Bright and her husband Rick
Livengrin Patient Care
Coordinator Dana Curran
with Gianna Kirlin
Board Member Julie Negovan with husband Mark
Livengrin CEO Rick Pine with District Judge elect Mike Gallagher, Board
Member Pam Janvey and PA State Rep. Gene DiGirolamo
Board Member Bruce Murray and wife, Ginny
(AMICare Founders) and son Glenn
Livengrin Family Therapist Alicia Schreiner-Orr
with Ed Mondillo
Board Member Mike Astringer lets
Andrew Blacker try out his motorcycle
Livengrin VP for Development Scott Blacker
with Ruth Arneo and Mitchell Rubin
Independence Lodge Sober Living Founder
and CEO Bryan Kennedy with a couple of
our local heroes
Learn more about opportunities to give back to Livengrin at www.livengrin.org/donate
The Bridge Builder
Emilie House Co-founder Micki Kaisinger and Livengrin
Director of Detox and Utilization Review Cheryl Jennings
with Bensalem police officers
Ride Committee members Bryan Kennedy, Micki
Kaisinger, Cheryl Jennings, and Scott Blacker
Ride attendees Rachel Parello, Jen Marra, and
Shannon Karby pose for the camera
Riders take off on their scenic route
around Bucks County
Mike Astringer with Alicia Schreiner-Orr
and Ed Mondillo
Kids have a blast on the slide
Enjoying the refreshments are Livengrin staff member
Rob D’Onofrio with Sarah Taylor and Kathleen Murray
Anne Marie Serpico, Amber Evans, and Ride Committee
member Sue Davies man the raffle table
Pam Janvey with Scott Blacker
Learn more about opportunities to give back to Livengrin at www.livengrin.org/donate
Livengrin Quality Improvement Associate
Kristy Naughton with daughter Hannah Rush
Courtney Jones Moore, daughter Molly,
and Kelly Moore enjoy the festivities
Riders eager to take off from the Bensalem campus
Giving the Gift of Recovery for Life
Joe DeMaio with son (and future rider)
Vincent
The gang from Emilie House squeeze for a photo:
Carina Trainor, Ryan Kaisinger, Patrick Kaisinger, Mike Kirlin,
Micki Kaisinger, Kate Entrican, and Sam Kaisinger
Livengrin Webmaster, Ryan Roth tries to get on the
good side of Sweet Pea Ice Cream staff
Livengrin Development Associate, Maureen Coulter (ground)
with fiancé Tim Rudderow, Jr. and Ride donors
Tim and Judy Rudderow
Attendees letting us know what they
thought about the event (thumbs up!)
For more information, contact: (215) 638-5200 x 1011
Sue Bright and Cheryl Jennings enjoying the picnic
Clinical Outreach Representative and Bicycle Ride
Chair, Dave Alfe finishes the inaugural R4R bike run
Sarah Stecker with daughter Rebecca
Emilie House co-founder and Ride donor
Gary Kaisinger with Max Martini
Livengrin supporter Mark Daley of
MDC Contractors with Rachel Salmon
A young rider takes in the live music of the band,
The Mixxtape, offered at the event
See you next year!
Livengrin Foundation • 4833 Hulmeville Road • Bensalem, PA 19020
The Bridge Builder
Livengrin’s 11th Annual Ride for Recovery
Raises Money & Awareness for Addiction & Treatment
On Sunday, May 31st, Livengrin hosted its 11th Annual Ride
for Recovery motorcycle and bicycle run and picnic, and it
was a huge success! Thanks to our participants, sponsors,
alumni, friends, and families, we were able to exceed our
goal, raising more than $110,000 for patient programs and
charity care—ensuring that thousands of patients and their
families receive effective and affordable treatment.
A total of 152 motorcyclists and six bicyclists of all ages and
walks of life took a tour of the region, and over 1,000 Ride
supporters joined us for the afternoon family picnic.
We also raffled off chances to win a Harley Davidson Softail
Slim motorcycle. Our winners:
The Ride Committee, comprised of both Livengrin staff and
community volunteers, committed months to planning,
fundraising, and organizing to deliver a safe, fun, and
inspiring event. They include: Micki Kaisinger & Cheryl
Jennings (Co-chairs), Sue Bright, Dana Curran, Bryan
Kennedy, Ryan Roth, Maureen Coulter, Scott Blacker, David
Alfe, Renee Arnao, Kristy Loughridge, David Romero, Kate
Entrician, Ralph Miller, Alicia Schreiner, Scott Fleming,
Bobby Bruner, Rick Bright, Gary Bradshaw, Gary Kaisinger,
and Jim Skudris.
Thank you to all of those who contributed to the Ride’s
continued success and helped to advance the mission of
Livengrin Foundation!
1st-Maureen Fossil, Holland, PA
2nd-James Lombardo, Hamilton, NJ
3rd-Drew McHugh, Edgewood Park, NJ
Coverage by the Bucks
County Courier Times,
CBS Philly, and other print,
broadcast, and internet media
spread the word about the
Ride and its purpose to bring
awareness to the public about
recovery and stigma.
Alcoholism
and
drug
addiction is a growing crisis
in our community, affecting 2 in 3 local families. It is
through support from our local families, businesses, and
communities that Livengrin is able to provide help and hope
to those struggling with the disease.
Motorcycle raffle winner Maureen
Fossile with Chuck Kinsing
This event was made possible by our generous sponsors,
including Innovative Risk Solutions, Joseph Jingoli & Son,
Parx Casino, USA Architects, and the Haugland Family
Foundation.
Learn more about opportunities to give back to Livengrin at www.livengrin.org/donate
Giving the Gift of Recovery for Life
For more information, contact: (215) 638-5200 x 1011
Parx and Livengrin Team Up to
Fight Gambling Addiction
Parx Casino, a hub of entertainment in Bensalem, PA, will be donating $75,000 over
the next three years to help Livengrin develop its new Gambling Addiction Recovery
Program. We are excited to commence this partnership, effective immediately, to
provide successful and affordable education and treatment to those suffering from
this disease.
With this investment, Parx Casino is continuing its tradition of philanthropy and
service to the local community. Parx recognizes the rising problem of gambling
addiction, which often accompanies addiction to alcoholism and drugs. By joining
forces with Parx, Livengrin will expand and improve its current Outpatient Program
for problem gambling, addressing a growing need in our area.
New Grants
from Austelle
and Raab
Foundations
Support
Veterans and
Charity Care
Livengrin Spruces Up
Detox Facility
Thanks to a generous grant from TD Bank
Foundation, Livengrin has renovated five
rooms in our detox, providing a more
welcoming environment for our incoming
patients. We gutted the bathrooms, painted
the walls, and purchased new beds, bedding,
and decorations. We are now revamping
our admissions area, creating a brighter
and warmer space while also accommodating new patients’ and families’ privacy
concerns. Livengrin’s goal is to not only provide excellent service throughout each
patient’s continuum of care, but to also create a setting that offers comfort to patients
and families during the initial admitting process, which is always a very trying time.
Save the Date
Saturday, October 10, 2015
Our annual community appreciation event, Back to Livengrin Day, has been
scheduled for this fall on Saturday, October 10th. Hundreds of alumni, families, and
community members join Livengrin for a fun-filled day of food, rides, fellowship,
and an open 12-Step meeting. Mark your calendars!
This spring, we received grant
awards
from
the
Austelle
Foundation, based in Montgomery
County, and the Norman Raab
Foundation, based in Bucks
County. Austelle provided a partial
scholarship for a military veteran to
seek treatment in Livengrin’s First
Responders Addiction Treatment
(FRAT) Program. The Raab grant
came from the Foundation’s
Philanthropy Today program,
which is a student-led giving club
offered to a selection of public high
schools in Bucks County. A student
group from the Middle Bucks
Institute of Technology toured
the campus and learned about
Livengrin’s mission and programs,
reinforcing the importance of
service and philanthropy to these
young leaders. The students
awarded the gift to be used for our
charity care program.
Livengrin Foundation • 4833 Hulmeville Road • Bensalem, PA 19020
The Bridge Builder
Board Member Joe Jingoli, Jr. Helping the
Livengrin Community Today and Tomorrow
Prominent New Jersey contractor Joe Jingoli, Jr. was first
introduced to Livengrin Foundation several years ago
through the Foundation’s Vice President for Business
Development Sue Bright and her husband Rick, who was
serving as chair of Livengrin’s Ride for Recovery Corporate
Sponsorship Committee at the time. Inspired by the mission
and the passion of the organization’s staff and alumni, Joe
has become one of Livengrin’s unsung heroes, joining the
Board of Directors and raising tens of thousands of dollars
every year for the Ride. In addition, Joe founded “The Farm
Team”, an innovative non-profit that partners with Livengrin
to provide a firm foundation for those in early recovery from
alcohol and drug addiction.
“Recovery is very important to me. Providing direct
scholarships to people who really want it –the options of
inpatient treatment can change a life. It changes the family,”
he said.
“
Along with his brother
Providing direct scholarships Michael, Joe took a
to people who really want it four t h-generation
regional construction
can change a life.
company and built
It changes the family
Joseph Jingoli & Son
into an international
firm doing business in 10 states and three countries.
The company specializes in real estate development and
design, pre-construction and construction services, site
development, and transportation infrastructure. Projects
include the new Bucks County Courthouse and Garage in
Doylestown, and various large-scale educational, health
care, industrial, and retail facilities.
Joe Jingoli, Jr. has made a true impact
on the recovery community
Joe’s success in the
business world has
enabled him to make
a significant impact
in the local recovery
community.
The
Farm Team is “a
way for newly sober
people to see the
benefits of recovery,
to work a day job on
a farm. We help them
with a scholarship to
Livengrin, and the
job helps them pay
to live in a recovery
house,” he explained.
“It’s hard (for someone new in recovery) to get a job and
keep a roof over their head. Over time, we help these
people identify specific skill sets to find work. The Farm
Team brings in Livengrin Alumni who have experienced
the consequences of addiction, such as legal fees and fines.
We help with job career placement. The support network
includes grants to treatment and counseling,” he said,
providing a strong level of support to Livengrin Alumni in
their first few years of recovery.
Joe summed up the reason for his continued commitment
to Livengrin: “I believe that, dollar for dollar, Livengrin is
the best return for our families. The support it provides for
recovery in the greater Bucks County community is at the
highest level.”
Joe lives in Lambertville, New Jersey, with his wife, Shannon.
Learn more about opportunities to give back to Livengrin at www.livengrin.org/donate
Giving the Gift of Recovery for Life
For more information, contact: (215) 638-5200 x 1011
Hometown Livengrin Booster Gene DiGirolamo:
The “Father” of the Drug and Alcohol
Movement in PA
A lifelong resident of Bensalem, Bucks County, State
Representative Gene DiGirolamo is serving his 11th term in
the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. Over the past 20
years in Harrisburg, DiGirolamo has been a vocal advocate
for access to drug and alcohol rehabilitation, individuals
with special needs, and the improvement of student athletics
statewide.
For the 2015-16 session, he is serving a third term as the
majority chairman of the House Human Services Committee,
a position where he can effectively continue his advocacy of
issues relating to drug and alcohol treatment and prevention,
physical and intellectual disabilities, and individuals with
mental illness.
Five years ago, Rep. DiGirolamo authored legislation to
increase funding for drug and alcohol rehabilitation centers
and to establish a separate state cabinet agency, the Department
of Drug and Alcohol Programs, to streamline drug and alcohol
treatment services in Pennsylvania. The legislation was signed
into law as Act 50 of 2010. In addition, DiGirolamo authored
Act 148 of 2012 to create methadone death and incident review
teams in cases where methadone was either a primary or
secondary cause of death.
recommended that my son try a change of scenery in a new
treatment center in Florida. As a parent suffering with an
addicted son, we jumped and helped him relocate to Florida.
Everything clicked,” he said. Besides treatment, DiGirolamo’s
son lived in a halfway house and recovery house in Florida.
“He got a job. He rode
a bicycle to work. He
settled in the community
and met his wife and they
are a very happy family
today,” he continued.
Livengrin was an essential
part of the younger
DiGirolamo’s recovery,
providing education and
support, and “planting
the seed” prior to his
relocation to Florida and
his ultimately successful
recovery.
Gene Girolamo used his
leadership to increase access to
treatment for thousands of families
Inspired by his own personal experience, DiGirolamo and
Deb Beck from DASPOP continued working tirelessly to
change hearts and minds in Harrisburg in order to increase
accessibility to and funding for drug and alcohol treatment.
Rep. DiGirolamo has received numerous accolades from the
drug and alcohol treatment community for his efforts, but
one award in particular stands out. In 2000, he received the
Standish Forde Hansell Award for Excellence in Leadership
from Livengrin Foundation.
“Once you can get their mind to understand that it’s a disease,
and (it won’t be solved by) putting addicted people in jail,
you’ll change their thinking. It’s not just bad decisions,” he said.
“Slowly, I changed the (Republican) Caucus. People started
seeing it (addiction) as a disease.”
While he appreciates the public recognition, Rep. DiGirolamo
is most proud of his son, who has 16 years of long-term recovery
from an addiction to heroin. In 1999, his son was a patient at
Livengrin while DiGirolamo was serving in the Pennsylvania
General Assembly. It was in Harrisburg where DiGirolamo met
Deb Beck from DASPOP (Drug and Alcohol Service Providers
of Pennsylvania). After sharing his story with her, they began
working together to get help for people needing treatment—
which meant changing the culture in the state capital.
In recent years, Rep. DiGirolamo has worked to add millions
of dollars to an “emergency residential treatment fund” for
those in need and fighting to expand Medicaid in PA.
“After a couple of months, my son relapsed and came back
to Livengrin. Rick Pine, Livengrin’s CEO, called me and
Livengrin Foundation has been a beneficiary of Rep.
DiGirolamo’s leadership in many ways, including the
construction of our Residential Houses on campus in 2011.
While his accomplishments are numerous, he knows that
there is still much to be done. He plans to continue to spread
awareness about the disease of addiction and to guide resources
to much-needed rehabilitation programs, so that individuals
and families can receive life-saving treatment.
Livengrin Foundation • 4833 Hulmeville Road • Bensalem, PA 19020
4833 Hulmeville Road
Bensalem, PA 19020
NONPROFIT ORG.
US POSTAGE
PAID
LANGHORNE, PA
PERMIT #204
Julie Negovan, Esq.
A Rising Star at Livengrin
Julie Negovan joined the Livengrin Board of Directors in 2009
because she felt drawn to the mission. “I love being involved
with the recovering community and am inspired by those who
are able to overcome such a devastating disease. By being on the
Board, I feel like I am able to help out in some way. I’m also
excited to be on the Executive Committee for the first time this
year, leading the Board to help Livengrin achieve its mission.”
Julie has helped to raise funds for the Ride for Recovery and
Annual Gala, and is on both the Development and Strategic Plan
Committees, helping the organization to strategize for the future.
Julie is an attorney at Spruce Law Group, LLC, in Philadelphia.
She focuses her practice on construction, energy, health care,
class actions, mass torts and complex commercial litigation. In
addition, she has extensive e-discovery experience, including
project management, litigation holds, forensics and production.
She represented an international wind turbine manufacturing
company in multiple commercial suits across the country,
including managing its e-discovery effort in the EU and U.S.
in connection with litigation involving
claims in excess of $100 million. She
has represented contractors, developers
and owners in all facets of construction
litigation, and has defended many medical
institutions and their members in civil suits.
She is a frequent author and speaker on legal issues. She was
named a 2006 Lawyer on the Fast Track by American Lawyer
Media and a 2005, 2006 and 2007 Pennsylvania “Rising Star”
by Law & Politics magazine. More recently, Ms. Negovan was
named to Best Lawyers® 2014 (Commercial Litigation) and to
Super Lawyers® 2013 and 2014.
In addition to her service at Livengrin, she is vice chair of
the Board of Directors of Bucks County Choral Society, a
150-member volunteer choral organization providing fine
arts performances in Bucks County. She is also a Republican
Committee Woman for Warwick Township, Bucks County.
Produced by the Livengrin Office of Development