Your Neighbors, Inc., Board Members

Carole Grove is the originator of Your Neighbors, Inc., which began in 1980. She is also YNI's Food Coordinator and has served as an active volunteer since Your Neighbors, Inc. , began. Carol and her husband Ed (who is also very active member of YNI) owned and operated the Bagel Grove in Utica, NY, until transferring it to their son and daughter-in-law.

Joe Pietruch provides grant-writing and documentation support to Your Neighbors, Inc., and became a board member in 2006. A Utica-area native, he worked in proposal/presentation support for GE, Martin Marietta, and Lockheed Martin for 17 years. He has coordinated the content development of several e-commerce websites, and is currently employed as a part-time Technical Writer. Joe and his wife Martha (a YNI volunteer driver) currently reside in Marcy.

Carolyn Yacco has been on the Board of Your Neighbors, Inc., for a number of years as Secretary, and is currently serving as Vice-President. She is the social worker at the Visiting Nurse Association. She plays an active role in the Personnel Committee and was instrumental in her previous role as President. Carolyn resides in Whitesboro with her husband and three children.

Randy Wilson came on-Board as Treasurer, and currently serves as President of the YNI Board. He has also volunteered during past Garage Sales and Chicken BBQs. Randy and his family have been next-door neighbors to Carole and Ed Grove for over 30 years, and have long been active supporters of Your Neighbors, Inc. Randy's wife, Janet, is a YNI volunteer shopping driver. Randy has been active in many community organizations, including the Sauquoit Rotary Club, the Faxton St. Luke's Healthcare Foundation, the Blood Services Committee of the American Red Cross, and St. James Episcopal Church in Clinton. His business experience includes personal banking, real-estate appraising, and wholesale food distribution. Randy is looking forward to using his wide network of business and community contacts to help expand the awareness of, and find more support for, the caring mission of Your Neighbors, Inc.

Carolyn has worked at St. Elizabeth's Medical Center as a discharge planner in the case management department for almost ten years. She currently works on a med/surg unit. Carolyn currently resides in Utica with her three children, a son and twin daughters.

Paula D. Carey, a Mohawk Valley native, graduated from Syracuse University in 1990 with a masters degree in Adult Education, from Utica College in 1984 with a bachelors degree in Occupational Therapy, and from Herkimer County Community College with an associates degree in Occupational Therapy Assistant. She has been a member of the Occupational Therapy faculty at Utica College for 19 years and is enthusiastic about being an educator and an Occupational Therapist. Paula resides in Yorkville with her husband, Charlie.

Dennis is an Investment Adviser Representative with Commonwealth Financial Network, the largest privately-owned independent broker/dealer in the United States. As a Certified Financial Planner, Dennis has extensive knowledge of the financial planning process, risk management, investments, tax planning and management, retirement and employee benefits, and estate planning. His many accomplishments include earning his Certificate in Retirement Planning from The Wharton School of Finance at the University of Pennsylvania and a bachelor's degree in finance with concentration in accounting from the State University of New York, studying Modern Portfolio Theory at the Harvard Faculty Club in Massachusetts, and writing numerous articles for many local media sources (the Observer-Dispatch, CNY Medical Journal, Rome Sentinel, and The Evening Telegram) on a wide variety of financial planning topics. The most important part of Dennis' life is his family. He married his high school sweetheart, Jennifer, and has two beautiful children, Allie and Jake. The Coughlin family resides in Whitesboro, New York.

Our newest YNI Board Member, Kathy is the Director of Rehabilitation at the Central Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired. She began with the Association in 1999, serving as Coordinator of Community Employment Services before advancing to serve as Manager of Case Services and Low Vision, and then moving on to her current position, which she has held since 2009. She resides in Oriskany with her husband Tad and two daughters.

Eileen LoGalbo retired from Sitrin Health Care Center and St. Thomas Church. She previously served on committees for Out Reach and Human Development, and was a volunteer coordinator for the Johnathans, which eventually was incorporated into Your Neighbors, Inc. She is a past YNI board member who served two terms. Eileen resides in Clinton with her husband Phil and canine, Chivas.

Sheri Molanare is a dance instructor, choreographer, and Competition Director at Mary Lourdes Academy of Dance in New Hartford, and is currently volunteering as Secretary for YNI. She is a graduate of MVCC with a degree in Recreation Leadership. Sheri is active in the community and a past teacher of dance/fitness at MVCC, YWCA, local churches, nursery schools, and the Girl Scouts of America. She is a PTA member at Myles Elementary School, and was chair of the Spring 2010 Book Fair. In December of 2010, Sheri created and coordinated the Butterfly Ball, a fundraiser for Lift Up Foundation which helps families battling pediatric cancer. Sheri is committed to assisting the Your Neighbors Board in its fundraising efforts.

Returning to the Your Neighbors, Inc., Board of Directors after a long absence, Gary comes to us with extensive experience in geriatric issues. After leaving the USAF where he attained the rank of Captain, Gary was employed as a Social Worker at the Masonic Care Community before accepting the position of Psychiatric Social Worker and then Program Manager with the Mohawk Valley Psychiatric Center where he stayed until his retirement in 2011. In addition to his involvement with YNI, Gary is currently active in AARP, the Mohawk Valley Alzheimers Association, New York State Office for Aging, and St. Paul's Church in Whitesboro. Married for 25 years to his wife, Gretchen, he has three children and four grandchildren.

On-Board as YNI's Treasurer, Roger resides in Whitesboro with his wife Pat and lives close to his son, daughter-in-law, and granddaughter. He retired recently from the Purchasing department of LutheranCare after nearly 30 years, 25 as the department head and then part-time. He is a Commissioned Lay Pastor serving the Lord at Waterbury Memorial Presbyterian Church in Oriskany, and uses ventriloquism as a part of his ministry with his little friend "Jake". He has twice served as President of The St. David's (Welsh) Society of Utica, and he and his wife have visited Wales three times. They recently also traveled to the Holy Land on a Biblical Storytelling Pilgrimage.