Suska receives certification

Date: 8/18/2009

By Cory Garwacki

Staff Intern



CHICOPEE -- One city employee can now add "Certified Program Manager" to her list of work-related accomplishments thanks to the Massachusetts Association of Councils on Aging and Senior Center Directors (MCOA).

Each year MCOA conducts a staff certification process which serves a multitude of purposes including, "to promote professional credibility and visibility, to identify to the public and fellow colleagues, and Center Directors/Staff who've met specific professional standards set by MCOA, as well as to encourage the continued professional growth and development of the MCOA membership," as Chicopee Council on Aging's Health and Fitness Coordinator Violet Suska told Reminder Publications.

As a result of Suska's recent certification, this particular program manager will take on some additional tasks during her workday.

According to Suska, "as program manager I am responsible for the direct and active oversight of the core service that I am certified in, which is health and wellness."

According to Sandra Lapollo, executive director for the Chicopee Council on Aging (COA), "Suska was required to submit a highly-detailed portfolio that was then closely examined by an external review team of former COA directors and board members."

The MCOA external review board definitely knew what type of candidate they were looking for, simply because of the level of highly-detailed and vast amount of documents that Suska needed to submit.

"Among the information I was required to have in my portfolio was a summary of the core service, health and wellness, as well as an introductory narrative on the region, agency, population we serve, and economic details," she said.

Suska continued, "All of that in addition to proof of my education and any certifications or other educational achievements."

As the health and fitness coordinator at the senior center, one of the programs that she has been involved with is providing nutritional education classes for the older adult population and its many active and healthy-lifestyle based programs.

"They [the seniors] get to learn how to not only eat in a healthier way, but Violet actually will cook things with them and really educate them about things like portion control and how to maintain a balanced weight and things of that nature," Lapollo said.

Suska offered this explanation of how these older adults continue to make a lasting impression on her each day: "I am a better person because of them and I hope they feel better because of what I do. I love to come to work every morning."