United Way's Open Your Heart to a Senior Helps Thousands Live Better

 


Longtime educator Paul Kasunich serves as professor at Gwynedd Mercy University, where he teaches doctoral and masters students in the School of Education. Alongside his professional commitment to education, Paul Kasunich makes it a point to volunteer in his community frequently. He currently supports the Open Your Heart to a Senior initiative in Pennsylvania.
United Way helps senior citizens feel safe and independent through its Open Your Heart to a Senior program. This initiative focuses on the 35,000 seniors who live by themselves in Allegheny County. Many of the area’s older residents dearly wish to remain in their own homes, but sometimes need a helping hand.

Open Your Heart to a Senior pairs local seniors with trained volunteers. These devoted individuals help out around the house, provide transportation, and make sure their older friends are connected to appropriate community resources.

Program volunteers provide an average 30,000 hours of service each year, helping them reach nearly 4,000 seniors. Their efforts have proven successful, as most participating senior citizens report feeling safer in their homes.

How to Bake Salmon in the Oven

 



Dr. Paul Kasunich is a professor at Gwynedd Mercy University School of Education in Philadelphia, where he provides doctoral and master’s level instruction in the Educational Leadership program. Outside of his professional life, Dr. Paul Kasunich enjoys learning new cooking techniques.

One of the most simple and delicious ways to prepare salmon is by roasting it in the oven. Even in its simplicity, however, baking the salmon requires a degree of finesse and understanding in order to get the fish just right. Below are techniques from thekitchn.com and tablespoon.com.

The first thing to do is preheat the oven to 400 degrees, then line a 9” x 13” baking pan with aluminum foil. Next, coat the foil with some melted butter to keep the fish from sticking to the pan. After that, rinse the salmon fillets under cool water, pat them dry with a paper towel, and then sprinkle salt and pepper according to taste.

If the salmon is frozen, it’s important to thaw out the fish before baking. If not, the outside will likely get overcooked in trying to get the middle of the fillet to the correct temperature. Either set the salmon out to thaw the night before, place it in a bath of cool water, or defrost it in the microwave before putting it in the oven.

The typical baking time is 4 to 6 minutes for every half-inch of thickness. That means a one-inch thick fillet should take around 8 to 12 minutes. When the salmon flakes beneath the fork and has an opaque look to it, that’s when it is finished and ready to eat.

Learning Through Games in K-12 Classrooms

Paul Kasunich is an experienced educator and administrator serving Gwynedd Mercy University as a professor in the school of education. When he is not teaching doctoral and master’s-level classes and advising doctoral students, Paul Kasunich enjoys staying up-to-date on the influence of new technologies on K-12 education.

In recent years, advances in technology have greatly shaped the direction of K-12 learning. Game-based learning is one of the best examples of technological advances in the classroom. Game-based learning takes many forms, ranging from Sussex Elementary School’s First in Math computer game to the use of World of Warcraft in language arts courses. Quest Atlantis, a broadly used game-based learning tool, allows children to explore virtual educational spaces and complete missions while learning about science.

The effect of game-based learning can be seen outside the realm of K-12 learning, as well. The United States military has continued to embrace games and simulations as an effective teaching tool, while the University of Chicago has developed the mobile online learning environment Our Playground, which students use to design data collection projects.