We are so proud to share that Evelyn Lynch and Paul Bogaev were honored with the CALA Outstanding Resident Accomplishment Award ( Connecticut Assisted Living Association). Nestor Mieres and Gloria Lodge were honored with the Outstanding Resident Service Awards. Residents and staff received their awards from the Connecticut Assisted Living Association at Water’s Edge Resort & Spa in Westbrook.
We are holding a community celebration on Friday, June 27th at 2:30 pm at The Greens at Cannondale. Read more about our winners below:
Evelyn Lynch, RN, BSN, MS
Nominee for CALA Outstanding Resident Accomplishment Award 2025
Very soon after Evelyn moved in, she became a leader on our Resident Welcome Committee.As part of the Welcome Committee, Evelyn greets new residents, has meals with them, introduces them to others in the community and has created long-term friendships with each.
Evelyn graduated from Nursing School at St. Vincent’s Hospital and went on to get her BSN and MS from Hunter College.She was hired as a staff nurse, then was promoted and retired from St. Vincent’s as the Associate Director of Nursing Services.Evelyn raised four children with her husband. Losing a son, William, at 10 years of age to a brain tumor.She has 8 grandchildren ranging in age from 10 – 24, some of whom reside in England.
Evelyn Lynch is highly deserving of the CALA Outstanding Resident Accomplishment Award.
Paul Bogaev
CALA Outstanding Resident Accomplishment Award 2025
Paul Bogaev came to The Greens at Cannondale after a difficult course of treatment for cancer when he needed extra support to continue his rehabilitation and recovery.Paul has accomplished the recovery and more and he is a deserving candidate for the 2025 CALA Outstanding Resident Accomplishment Award.
The day Paul arrived at The Greens he entered the dining room and introduced himself to others and learned everyone’s name within a few days.Very soon, Paul began to play the Grand Piano in the dining room at the end of meals for everyone’s enjoyment.The spirit of the community changed.Now, instead of folks leaving the room quietly to return to their apartment after dinner,everyone stayed to hear the music!Suddenly, people were talking and sharing over the wonderful music that Paul brought.
The Greens Chorus was an active group.A week or two after Paul arrived, he offered to help with the chorus.Within minutes of Paul taking the lead of the group, the change in the sound and energy was remarkable!The group grew in size and their recent performance was an absolute pleasure with music from many genres, solos, the members learned all their parts and the audience was enthralled all thanks to Paul’s expert conducting and the fun he brought.
Paul began to feel better and flew to Los Angeles and was a guest on The Jennifer Hudson Show.Residents and staff cheered Paul on as he told his story of recovery to Jennifer as they reminisced about working together on Dream Girls.
I didn’t yet share that Paul Boagev is a multi-award winning music director, arranger, conductor and composer. Paul’s work spans Disney classics such as The Lion King, the Oscar-winning film version of Chicago, and Broadway musicals such as Spider Man: Turn Off the Dark. Within the film industry, his credits include Dreamgirls, starring Beyoncé Knowles and Jennifer Hudson, as well as Nine, Across the Universe, Mulan, and Emperor’s New Groove. His Broadway credits include Les Misérables, Sunset Boulevard, Tarzan, Cats, Elton John and Tim Rice’s Aida, which earned him a Grammy, and Bombay Dreams, which earned him a Tony nomination. His television credits include South Pacific, Cinderella, and Annie, which earned him an Emmy. He has collaborated with celebrated performers such as Phil Collins, Barbra Streisand, Whitney Houston, Kristen Chenoweth, Elton John, Beyoncé, Fergie, and Harry Connick, Jr. He continues to teach music and singing through master classes and private coaching sessions. He also leads resident performance groups and performs at The Greens at Cannondale and other Senior Living Communities.
Nestor Mieres, Maintenance Assistant
The Greens at Cannondale 2025 CALA Outstanding Resident Service Employee Nominee
Nestor has been a Maintenance Associate at The Greens at Cannondale since 2021.He is a leader in customer service in our community and receives regular accolades from our residents and their families.He always “starts with yes”, has a smile on his face and helps make anyone who interacts with him to share a laugh and a smile.
A resident, Henry, was in the dining room and began choking and could not speak or breathe.Expertly and calmly, Nestor performed the Heimlich Maneuver and saved his life.Elfie, one of our residents who loves to walk, was walking very far from The Greens and was nearing Route 7.Nestor was on his way home and saw her.He pulled over, parked his car and walked with Elfie back to The Greens, smiling and chatting the whole way.
If the nursing team has difficulty with a heavy lift, Nestor is happy to jump in.At Christmas time, Nestor loves to put on a red hat and white beard to dress as Santa and spread Christmas Joy throughout the community.Recently, on a Sunday afternoon, Nestor sat with his friend Lena and was singing a beautiful song with a beautiful smile.
These things are all in addition to the things Nestor does every day:help residents with remotes, adjust thermostats, move furniture, move residents in, move residents to another room,find a hospital bed or a special piece of equipment, repair plumbing and more. Nestor is more than deserving of the 2025 CALA Outstanding Resident Service Employee award.
Gloria Lodge, RCA
The Greens at Cannondale 2025 CALA Outstanding Resident Service Employee Nominee
Gloria has been a caregiver at The Greens at Cannondale since 2009.She is a leader in Evergreen, our Memory Care community, on the evening shift.Gloria is a motivated, hardworking, dedicated and compassionate individual whose attitude is contagious.She helps keep the morale high among her teammates no matter how busy.Her unique way of approaching problems and finding solutions impresses her coworkers.They are most impressed by how she treats everyone with the same respect and positive attitude.
One Friday evening, Gloria got a call at work from our Executive Director, Ellen.A memory care resident had called her with a problem; another resident had gone into her apartment and mistook her drawer for bathroom.Gloria went in, made Florence feel safe, removed the nightstand, called housekeeping for assistance and got her a replacement nightstand for the evening.
Last spring we had an electrical fire in the microwave in one of the dining rooms in Evergreen.Gloria and the nurse manager, Allison, took action.They directed the team to remove all the residents from the area and called 911.Allison grabbed the fire extinguisher while Gloria helped us feel safe and secure in what we had to do to take care of the residents.The EMS responded and complimented all of us for our actions, but it was Gloria who helped us all feel safe and confident.
When there was a flood in an apartment, Gloria took charge of shutting off the water, removing the resident and calling for help for the cleanup.
On Easter weekend when we had a staff member called out Gloria, who was the team leader jumping right in, she took on five additional residents, ensured that all residents were adequately taken care of which included that medication was administered, meals were enjoyable and we all had a wonderful evening.
Gloria is always ready to step in to help without a fuss and things run incredibly smoothly.As a leader, Gloria makes us all feel secure, and as a person, she makes us all feel understood.Gloria is more than deserving of the 2025 CLA Outstanding Resident Service Employee Award.
