He got 5 to 7 for robbing a Dairy Queen.
Of course that’s a (little) joke. Here’s the article from Saturday’s Journal News. Like myself, Damian’s best feature is his wife.
Jeanne Marie
For 20 years, St. Patrick’s has helped people find jobs | lohud.com | The Journal News
At St. Patrick’s, I chatted with a guy from the state Labor Department who said community-based job search programs are real, important anchors for people.
“When people come to see me, they’re blown away, devastated,” he said. “When they come here to a comfortable environment, it’s like a ray of hope.”
I also bumped into Damian Gagnon of Croton-on-Hudson, who came to the meeting because he heard it was EARN’s 20th birthday, and he wanted to say thanks. He had come to meetings after he lost his job following 9/11.
“It was a real tough time in my life; I was 51, two kids in college,” said Gagnon, who is now a corporate compliance and social responsibility officer for a diamond company. “EARN meant so much to me. I didn’t get a job through them, but they gave me a lot of ideas and kept me focused.”
You don’t have to be a Christian, or even a believer, to show up at an EARN meeting. But the meeting opened with a prayer. “Place your hands on us and guide our steps and keep us focused …”
And here’s Damian, doing his imitation of a Cuban tobacco plantation mogul.
Damian, uhh, are we still invited over for the Easter egg hunt?
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