An affiliate of
 
 
Your Neighbors, Inc.
     Bright Beginnings...
                 ...Where Friends Meet
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Board Members
 
Randy Wilson
President
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.
 
 Jeff Gornick
Vice-President
Jeff, a Vice President of M. Griffith, has spent more than 25 years helping clients address their financial concerns and developing sound strategies by focusing on each individual’s specific needs. With extensive experience throughout major shifts in the markets, he has dedicated his career to delivering the personalized investment planning services his clients deserve. Jeff began his career as a Financial Advisor with Invest at Albany Savings Bank in 1983. He joined M. Griffith, Inc., in 1985, and in 1993 he received his Certified Financial Planner™ designation. Jeff also has his Life Insurance license and is a Registered Investment Advisor, allowing him to offer the full range of investment and financial planning. Jeff has always believed in giving back to his community and helping those in need. He has spent several years with the New Hartford Rotary Club, acting as President and Treasurer, and received the Paul Harris Designation from his fellow Rotarians as acknowledgement of his many years of service to the community. He has served on the board of the Neighborhood Center of Utica for several years, including time as President and Vice President. He enjoys being the Master of Ceremonies for their annual Holiday Auction. Away from the office, Jeff spends time with his wife, Cathy. They have three sons and two daughters, and have been blessed with four granddaughters. Jeff enjoys traveling, curling at the Utica Curling Club, and playing golf.
 
Michele Kohl
Treasurer
TBD.
 
Kacie Kalil
Secretary
A recent graduate of the Syracuse University College of Law, Kacie is an attorney at Michael N. Kalil, Esq., LLC, with her father and grandfather. Prior to entering law school, she graduated from St. Lawrence University in Canton, New York, with a degree in Biology. Returning to the Utica area, she began working as an assistant dance instructor at Mary Lourdes Academy of Dance. Kacie is looking forward to being active in the local community, and volunteering at Your Neighbors, Inc.
 
Carole Grove
Food Coordinator
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 a very active member of YNI) owned and operated the Bagel Grove in Utica, NY, until transferring it to their son and daughter-in-law.
 
Betty Abel-Jellencich
Betty is a realtor in Clinton with a Designation of Seniors Real Estate Specialist. She is an Elder at First Presbyterian Church and serves on the Worship and Membership, Fellowship Teams. She developed a service of friendly visitation and telephone reassurance and partnered with Carole Grove to add a frozen meal component. This program became Your Neighbors, Inc. Betty volunteers at the Oneida County Historical Society, Hope House and several other charities. Her hobbies are cooking & baking, reading and quilting.
 
James Cook
Jim is a graduate of Utica College with a degree in Business Administration. He retired last May after 41 years as a Property/Casualty Adjuster with Crawford & Co. Insurance Adjusters. Jim is a member of the First Baptist Church in New Hartford where he serves as the current Moderator and Capital lmprovement Treasurer and Chairperson of the Board of Trustees. In addition to his Your Neighbors, Inc., role, he serves as Secretary and President Elect of the New Hartford Rotary Club and Board Member of New Hartford Citizens Band.
 
Patsy Glista
Patsy comes to the Board as a commissioned Associate in Ministry in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and is presently called part time through the Upstate NY Synod. Patsy served as the liaison to the Lutheran Disaster Response Leadership Team and is retired from the American Red Cross where she served as Executive Director. She holds a Bachelor’s of Social Work degree from Northern Michigan University, a certificate in Geriatric Pastoral Care from Luther Seminary and a Certificate in Management from Utica College.
 
Jackie Howard
Jackie enjoys living and working at Grass Roots Natural Beef Farm, where she and her husband care for chickens, goats, ducks, and Hereford cows. She retired from Faxton-St. Luke’s Healthcare as the supervising pharmacist, yet remains a committee member of the Faxton-St. Luke’s Healthcare Investigational Review Board. Jackie is a member of the Three Steeples United Church in Paris and spends some of her time as part of the local band, LegUp. She looks forward to contributing to the Your Neighbors Board.
 
Jennie
Mazza Jones
Jennie currently supervises the social work department for Home Care Services within the Mohawk Valley Health System. The population she works with spans from birth to death with medical issues both chronic and acute, and have varying ranges of support networks from supportive family and friends to virtual isolation. The people she sees are usually at a low point in their lives and she does her best to work within the constraints of the system and community to do what what can be done to help them. Your Neighbors, Inc., has played an integral part in the lives of her patients. Jennie also has her own private practice in Clinton, NY, where she specializes in providing counseling services to young children utilizing a Play Therapy approach. She has been a mental health provider since 2008, and has found that Play Therapy is the most effective and developmentally appropriate approach to providing counseling to young children. In her practice, Jennie works closely with children and their caregivers to help them identify and overcome the barriers to their success. It is extremely rewarding work, and Jennie believes she is helping to make our society better by helping its children find success.
 
Meredith Reid
Meredith's heart and background have always been in the culinary arts. She's been in this area for 26 years, and has had the good fortune to have raised three kids here, mostly working from home. She does catering work, and has developed a line of all-natural flavored nuts (‘A Nut Job Flavored Nuts’ by All You Knead Baking & Catering, LLC). Meredith became involved with Your Neighbors, Inc., through New Hartford Presbyterian Church. She appreciates the opportunity to work with YNI, because it makes such a difference in bettering people’s lives.
 
Roger Williams
First brought on-Board as YNI's Treasurer, Roger continues to serve on the Board and resides in Whitesboro with his wife Pat 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 have also traveled to the Holy Land on a Biblical Storytelling Pilgrimage.
 
To Contact Us or Make A Contribution
Your Neighbors, Inc.
108 Utica Road
Clinton, NY 13323
(315) 235-7149
croth@lutherancare.org