Yes, Virginia, There is a Santa…

Sikorsky's Finance Division employees brightened many Christmases with their generous donation!

Difficult economic times have not diminished the generosity of our business community. Thanks to the employees at many Valley businesses, more than 300 disadvantaged Valley residents will receive food and gifts this holiday season through the Corporate Volunteer Council’s Holiday Adoption Program. Each year, the CVC solicits area charitable agencies to identify families and individuals in need of assistance. While the “wish lists” were especially long this year, we are happy to say Santa will be fulfilling all of them – thanks to employees at the following companies:



Fletcher Thompson and Prudential employees shared their holiday spirit!

Prudential Financial employees adopted 15 families through Parent Child Resource Center (PCRC) and provided them with holiday gifts. Additional PCRC families received toys and presents from employees at Hamworthy Peabody, Pereira Engineering, NEC, Webster Bank, Holiday Inn Express Suites and Health Net. Health Net also provided holiday meals to two senior citizens identified by the Agency on Aging. Fletcher Thompson hosted their adopted family at a party on their premises. They also ran a holiday food drive for Spooner House.

Sue Alyward & Sylvia Hay of HealthNet have a trunk full of joy to deliver!

Employees from Lincoln Tech, Electri-Cable Assemblies and TD Bank each provided holiday gifts for families identified through the American Red Cross – Valley Chapter. PerkinElmer employees bought presents for four families identified through St. Vincent De Paul Society. Pitney Bowes adopted two families through the American Red Cross and two through Catholic Charities, Ansonia. Their employees also fulfilled an “Angel Tree” for disadvantaged children identified through the Valley YMCA and made toy donations to TEAM’s Toys for Tots program.

Walter Binck & Joe Alexander could be on Santa's sleigh after doing gift deliveries for Hamworthy Peabody.

TEAM’s Toys for Tots program also received toy donations from Citibank, People’s United Bank, HSBC, Greater Valley Chamber of Commerce, and Basement Systems. In addition, 35 Sikorsky Aircraft employees volunteered their time to help TEAM set up their toy store. Members of Sikorsky’s Finance Division also donated more than $2,400 to the Valley United Way to provide food, gift cards and other assistance to numerous Valley residents.

Wendy Wentworth of Greenwich Workshop & Sandie Bailie are all smiles after touring St. Vincent Depaul Shop

Iroquois Gas Transmission provided $25 gift cards to the men living at the Valley YMCA. They also sent holiday flowers to 88 seniors enrolled in TEAM’s Meals on Wheels program. In addition, the company gave $500 in gift cards to PCRC families and donated $400 each to Spooner House and St. Vincent De Paul Society to purchase food for their food banks. Greenwich Workshop also provided assistance to St. Vincent De Paul’s food bank through a $2,000 cash donation. Professional Travel provided turkeys to Spooner House and holiday food drives were conducted by Ned Miller Associates and Enterprise Rent-A-Car. Enterprise also teamed up with Warner Financial on a winter coat drive to benefit My Sister’s Place in Ansonia. Finally, David M. Grant Caterers, in the true tradition of caring will provide holiday meals to people in need.

Cindy Rinaldi & Bob Hunt of Webster are full of holiday surprises.

Bob VanEgghen of PerkinElmer is busy gift wrapping for the holidays

The CVC wishes to thank everyone who came together in the LIVE UNITED spirit this holiday season. Yes, Virginia, the Valley is a very special place!!

Youth Leadership Program Selected as "Community Champion"

Youth Leadership members are pictured at this year's Postal Carriers Food drive - one of their annual volunteer activites.

The Valley Substance Abuse Action Council has selected Valley United Way's Youth Leadership Program as one of four recipients of its "Community Champions" Awards. The Awards are for Valley citizens and groups who have “taken action and effected change to help prevent substance abuse in the Valley community.” The will be presented at the annual Valley Community Champions Breakfast and Award Recognition Event on January 7th, at 7:45 a.m., at John J. Sullivan’s Restaurant in Ansonia.

The others being honored this year are Seymour Police Officer Joe DeFelice; the Comcast production team of: Elizabeth Kennard, Ken Fay, Ron Karkut, Mike Fay, Jerry Kosturko; community resident Wendy Baldino; and Pitney Bowes Vice President - Strategic Business Transformation, William F. Bubbico.

Now in its 19th year, the primary objective of the Program is to develop teens into future community leaders. They learn about community needs in the Valley and the importance of nonprofit agencies and the role volunteerism plays in addressing those needs. They then put their skills to use through a variety of volunteer opportunities and activities that they plan and execute themselves.

High School Volunteer Council Welcomes Oxford High School

Council members in action singing Christmas Carols at local nursing homes.

The High School Volunteer Council launched the 2008 - 2009 school year in November and is not taking off in their volunteer efforts. A kickoff breakfast was held at Valley United Way on November 3rd. Each month the meeting will be hosted by a Valley High School.

The mission of the High School Volunteer Council is to collectively work on community service projects that will meet the needs of the Valley.

The Goals are to provide the opportunity for high school students to interact with students from different Valley schools and to learn and practice leadership skills. Developing a wider knowledge of community needs is paramount.

Each year the Council implements at least one major volunteer project with a positive impact to the Valley as a whole.

The High School Volunteer Council is a unique model program which was created in November of 1995.

VUW Marketing Assistant Wins Honor

John Ready, Marketing & Communications Assistant at Valley United Way will be presented with the Distinction in Writing award from Western Connecticut State University. The Distinction in Writing is awarded to a student who demonstrates high quality, exceptional or publishable work across several genres. Students who meet this criteria, receive a certificate signed by the Department of Writing, Linguistics and Creative Process certifying their distinction and will have his or her name inscribed on a plaque in the department’s office.

John started his work with United Way while finishing his last academic semester at Western Connecticut State University in the fall of 2008. He was a member of the second graduating class to receive a Bachelors Degree in professional writing within the state of Connecticut. He graduated with honors and earned a Bachelors of Arts in Professional Writing with a concentration in Public Relations. In addition to being a consistent Dean’s List recipient, John was also one many students who co-founded the Western Connecticut Writers Club.

In his years at WCSU, John has been published over 50 times, writes freelance for Danbury Hospital’s Medical Town Meeting series and will continue his work at Valley United Way through his graduate school term at New York University.

John is currently a New York University grad student pursuing a M.S. degree in Public Relations and Corporate Communication. He is working with Valley United Way under a grant from the Raymond P. Lavietes Foundation designed to assist United way with its marketing and communications efforts. John is involved with a wide variety of efforts at United Way including developing its new blog and Facebook presence.

What happens when the governor calls 2-1-1?

2-1-1 call specialist Laura got a surprise when she took her first call of the day on December 16th. What seemed like a normal call requesting information on energy assistance turned out to be part of a morning radio show chat with Governor M. Jodi Rell. WPLR morning show host “Chaz” was in the midst of an interview with the Governor about the energy assistance resources available to Connecticut residents. When the Governor mentioned that residents can call United Way 2-1-1 for information on energy assistance, “Chaz” thought he would give it a try. He said he wanted to find out if he would be connected to a live person when he called 2-1-1.

The WPLR morning personality decided to call 2-1-1 anonymously and make a request for information about energy assistance. He made up a story about his elderly father, who had no income, needing help paying for heating oil. He did not identify that the call was being broadcast live nor that the Governor was listening in. Laura asked questions to determine financial status and eligibility and made a referral to CEAP (Connecticut Energy Assistance Program). When Laura asked how the caller had heard about 2-1-1 that is when “Chaz” identified himself and fessed up that the call was live on the air and that the Governor was listening in.

Governor Rell quickly praised Laura, for her professionalism and for the wonderful job that she did providing the information. Rell also praised 2-1-1 for the great service it provides to state residents. The Governor went on to emphasize that 2-1-1 is a free service that is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

UWC President and CEO, Richard Porth praised Laura and the staff of UWC for “Maintaining a reputation for providing consistently high level professional and courteous service to the people who come to us for help.”

The United Way of Connecticut’s mission is to help meet the needs of Connecticut residents by providing information, education and connection to services. UWC furthers its mission by providing 24/7 toll free call center access to health and human services information through 2-1-1; specialized services in child care, child development and disabilities, and HUSKY health insurance; and by collaborating with local United Ways and Connecticut state agencies and elected officials. For more information about United Way of Connecticut, visit www.ctunitedway.org.

A Conversation with Robert Hunt, Branch Manager Webster Bank, Bridgeport Avenue Shelton Branch

Tell us about Webster Bank.
With $17.5 billion in assets, Webster Financial Corp., parent company to Webster Bank, provides business and consumer banking, mortgage, financial planning, trust and investment services through 181 banking offices, including 9 branches in the Valley. Webster Bank owns the asset-based lending firm Webster Business Credit Corporation, the insurance premium finance company Budget Installment Corp., Center Capital Corporation, an equipment finance company headquartered in Farmington, Conn., and provides health savings account trustee and administrative services through HSA Bank, a division of Webster Bank.

How long has Webster Bank been a member of the Corporate Volunteer Council and why is it important to your company?
Webster has been a member of the CVC for more than 10 years. The United Way is Webster’s primary philanthropy because it is an efficient, donor-friendly way to support a broad safety net of human services. Webster raises more than $1 million annually for the United Way through its employee campaign and its employees also volunteer significant amounts of time to the United Way Day of Caring, United Way boards and allocation committees. For the last seven years, Webster Bank has also provided the Valley United Way with grant money for a "Loaned Executive" during campaign season. The Loaned Executive is usually a business person borrowed from a local company on a short-term, part-time basis to assist with various campaign fundraising activities.

What are some of the CVC programs that your employees support?
The Webster branch on Bridgeport Avenue in Shelton spearheads its CVC events. It holds clothing and food drives annually. Employee and customer response to its last clothing drive in September was so overwhelming — customers were asking when it would happen again —that the branch has decided to hold two clothing drives next year.

As a CVC representative, how do you communicate CVC activities to your employees and drive volunteerism?
One of the five tenets of The Webster Way, which define our values as a company, is to give of ourselves in the communities we serve. As a result, our employees embrace volunteerism, giving more than 70,000 hours of volunteer service every year. Working from this foundation, it’s not difficult to get significant participation from employees after simply announcing the dates of our annual events.

Sikorsky Combines Employee Engagement with Giving

Recently, CVC member Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation found a creative way to engage employees, build teamwork, and help the community – all at the same time. Sikorsky Finance employees attending the Finance Education Program at the Waterview Inn in Monroe not only learned about various current topics that effect their jobs and their company, but they were also given a chance to raise food for Spooner House’s Food Pantry.

The two-day training event, organized by the Finance C.A.R.E. team to promote engagement of Finance employees, included a team-building activity where groups of 5 competed against one another in various games of skill to win points and earn up to $250 in prize money. What the groups did not know was that the prize money was to be used to purchase food for Spooner House. At the end of the competition, all teams were transported by bus to BJ’s Wholesale Club in Derby and given a shopping list. Their final challenge was to buy as many food items on the list as possible with their winnings. In total, the company provided more than $4,000 in food to Spooner House.

"It was a very successful event," said Sikorsky CVC rep Marie Figueroa. "Everyone had fun and felt really good about what they had done."

The Naugatuck Valley Community Corporate Cup is Ready for 2009

It's time to get healthy - and there's no better way to do it than by participating in this years Community Corporate Cup! A Valley tradition since 1991, it's a great way to improve your healthy life style and have a great time along the way. The event is open to area employee groups. This year's event has been enhanced with the introduction of a Wiffle Ball tournament and the explansion of the Y2K Walk to now include a full 5K Road Race. For more information and registration forms for the individual events, visit the Corporate Cup Page.

Groups can participate in as few or as many events as they choose. Since the overall winner is decided by total points accumulated throughout the series, it's beneficial to eneter every event. We have special incentive pricing available for full registrations. Click here for information and the on-line form.

Events will include: billiards, bowling, darts, golf, healthy teambuilding, horseshoes, orienteering, 5k run/walk and a willfle ball tournament.

B-I-N-G-O! Spectrum Plastics Employees Play for United Way

Laurel Anderson gave plenty of examples of InfoLine's statewide services.

Walk through Spectrum Plastics Group’s facility during the next couple weeks and you might hear someone yell “BINGO!” That’s because employees are in the midst of a company-wide BINGO tournament as part of their annual United Way Giving Campaign. Employees can purchase BINGO cards for $2 apiece; then two numbers are drawn daily until a winner is determined. Two games are played and winners receive either a paid PTO (personal time off) day or 50% of the total dollar amount collected from game cards. The remaining 50% is donated to the Valley United Way. The company kicked off its campaign with staff meetings on November 21, and employees can make campaign pledges through December 12. Planning committee members Sue Testone, Carol Semanchik, Dave Kelly and Edmund Meyer report that pledges are already coming in and employees are buying up game cards.

In addition to the BINGO games, Spectrum also runs a raffle to encourage employees to donate through the convenience of payroll deductions. Everyone who makes a pledge during the campaign receives a raffle ticket to win a PTO day or a gift card in the amount of $50 or $75. First time givers and those who increase their donation by $26 from last year receive additional raffle tickets. Plus, the company is offering a second raffle for a $100 gift card if they achieve a collective goal of $3,500 in employee pledges and a second PTO day if they reach their stretch target of $5,000. Spectrum also provides a corporate match based on employee donations.

Spectrum Plastics Group, a long time supporter of the Valley United Way, manufactures injection molding services and offers a full range of services to customers from prototyping through production. Their 66,000 square foot state-of-the art molding facility in Ansonia employs approximately 65 Valley residents.

Youth Leaders Seeking Grant Proposals

The Valley United Way Youth Leadership Program is beginning there annual Community Youth Venture Grants, awarded to organizations in the Valley area. The Youth Leaders have decided to focus their allocations in the following five areas:

*Drug and Alcohol Abuse
*Mental/Physical Health
*Domestic Violence
*Stress and Anxiety
*Self-Help
-Gambling
-Suicide
-Bullying
-Family counseling

The Youth Leadership Venture Grant Program is targeted at assisting organizations that either have or are planning on implementing programs/services that focus on the above identified areas. If an organization is seeking funds for an existing program/service, such funding should be requested for expansion or enhancement of the program/service. In order to assure as broad an impact as possible, individual funding requests should not exceed $1,000.

Agencies interested in applying for the Community Youth Leadership Venture Grant must complete the online grant proposal form (Click here for the form). All grant proposals must be submitted by Monday, January 9, 2009. Follow-up interviews will begin the third week of January.

Since 1990, when the program first began distributing grants, Valley United Way’s Youth Leadership members have distributed over $46,000 in funding to the community for new and innovative programs.

For more information on the Youth Leadership Program call Patricia Tarasovic at 203.926-9478 or email patricia.tarasovic@valleyunitedway.org.

The Youth Leadership Program is made possible through the generous support of the Raymond P. Lavietes Foundation which provides core funding.

Barnum Financial - MetLife Foundation

Joe LoPresti (R) made Dave Grant Mike Marcinek and Jack Walsh smile when he arrived for a campaign cabinet meeting with a $10,000 check from the MetLife Foundation.

When Joe LoPresti of the Barnum Financial Group, An Office of MetLife showed up for the latest campaign cabinet meeting he brought along some great news for campaign in the form of a giant check. The $10,000 check from the MetLife Foundation will be used to support the campaign funding provided for services for older adults, youth development and hunger in the Valley area.

Dave Grant, Campaign Chair, expressed his thanks for the generous support and the impact it will have on the community. He said, "In these difficult financial times, donations such as this are more important that ever. We appreciate and value the time and financial support that the Barnum Group and MetLife provide in the Valley area". Joe LoPresti is a member of the Board of Directors at United Way and Agency Director at Barnum Financial.

Barnum Financial Group, an office of MetLife and the #1 MetLife office, is a comprehensive financial services firm headquartered in Shelton dedicated to helping their clients improve their long-term financial success and, reduce debt in order to pursue their lifetime financial goals and dreams. They offer a full line of insurance products as well as diverse financial experience, including college funding, retirement, estate planning, special needs children, business strategies to employee benefits. They pride themselves in the dedication and personalized service they provide their clients.

Christmas Comes Early!

United Way agencies gathered to get the presents off their holiday wish lists….computers! Valley United Way and distributed to the Boys & Girls Club, SONCCA, the YMCA, TEAM Inc., and the Birmingham Group.

Thanks to Alan Tolmach these old computers were refurbished and ready for use by the various agencies. Matt Liacos from the Boys & Girls club was happy to receive such a great donation. Servicing over 250 kids each day the club only has seven working computers. "The economy is tough right now. We buy parts and try and fix computers we have and there are three broken right now." says Liacos. The club will use the computers to upgrade the lab for student use and put one in the 6 & 7 year old game room.

SONCCA was delighted to receive computers and printers for their agency. Arlene Swatson and Jessica Cantor explained that the computers would be used for the before and after school program. This would be a great help especially for middle school students who are required to do homework on the computer. Right now the agency doesn’t have a computer lab at all and thanks to this generous donation they are able to provide their kids with computers. The computers will also help out the kindergarteners with educational learning games. Arlene says, "Homework first, games second."

Sue Reilly was very appreciative of the assistance and grateful for the opportunity to receive so many computers. The computers will go to upgrade within the association and to use one for administrative purposes at the new creative play pre-school and day care on Howard Avenue in Ansonia, coordinated with the Boys & Girls Club. As Sue loaded up her car with computers to take back to the YMCA she exclaimed, "It’s like Christmas came early!"

Click here to watch the video. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z7NZ6QcdnKo&feature=channel_page

Electri-Cable Assemblies Playmakers Team LIVES UNITED and Impacts the Valley Community

Electri-Cable Assemblies (ECA) of Shelton is making a noticeable impact in the Valley community. Their corporate teambuilding and fundraising events are planned by the Playmakers – A team of five dedicated employees who continue to make a difference. The Playmakers philosophy is to motivate, elaborate and celebrate while sharing ideas to foster a great workplace environment. “We all work hard and we all play hard,” said Cheryl Patrick, HR Manager and 2008 Captain of the Playmakers. “The Playmakers have the responsibility of hosting many fun events, most of which are done on site.”

One of the biggest events executed by ECA and the Playmakers this year was their Thanksgiving Food Drive. The Playmakers Team raffled off tickets for full and half vacation days as well as office Starbucks cards. These cards are used to accrue points based on innovative decisions, actions of leadership and many other productive ideas, which can later be used to purchase items from a company catalogue. The Playmakers raised over $400, which was enough to provide food and turkeys for 10 families in connection with the Spooner House; a Valley United Way funded agency. “This was a very fun event where employees could even reward each other with their purchased Starbucks Cards,” Cheryl said. “It’s easy to coordinate these events when you have a team creating them. Because our team changes every year we have had some great new fundraising ideas.”

ECA’s Playmakers Team is also looking towards Christmas to make further community contributions. After the successful food drive, Playmaker, Christine Sorrentino, contacted Patricia Tarasovic, Director of the Volunteer Action Center at Valley United Way, to search for a family in need during the Christmas holiday. Pat provided ECA with a family to sponsor and a detailed list of merchandise they required. The Playmakers went to work and printed out color pictures of toys and merchandise with price ranges, laminated the photos and attached them to Christmas tree ornaments. ECA employees are currently encouraged to select an ornament from the tree, purchase that item and bring it into the office, unwrapped, for donation.

Although Electri-Cable Assemblies has been in business for over 30 years, the company has been under new leadership for almost two. The Playmakers Team was formed in January of 2007, after ECA was purchased in October by two former employees and a third partner. The team changes members each year and includes 4-5 employees from different positions. Based on EAC’s involvement, there is no shortage of creativity in this year’s group.

Some past fundraising events planned by the Playmakers include a Halloween scavenger hunt, Cinco de Mayo festivities, American Cancer Society contributions, raffles and other food drives. While there are no specific events planned quarterly, fundraisers and teambuilding events usually occur every other month at ECA. Electri-Cable Assemblies continues to raise the bar on how companies can LIVE UNITED in the Valley.

Big Brother Big Sisters Magic Match

Colleen and Hannah, although not by blood, are sisters by heart thanks to the Big Brothers/Big Sisters Program. Colleen has no children of her own and wanted to be able to keep up with today’s youth. Fourteen year old Hannah joined in the program once her siblings had grown up and moved away. She wanted someone to be close with, to do fun things with, and to have someone to talk to. The two were able to have a very strong bond, and both being from Derby added to their relationship.

Hannah and Colleen go on many exciting adventures together. They have gone to the Barnum Museum, Mystic Aquarium, mini-golf, the movies, out to dinner, and Chuck E Cheese. Other days the two just get together at Colleen’s house to relax and talk. Hannah helps her with chores, attends family events with Colleen, and talks to her on the phone every Tuesday night. The two sisters agree that they have a give and take relationship. They are able to confide in each other, talk about issues, and share a sense of humor, filling their lives with laughter.

Colleen strongly urges anyone with a little free time in their life to join the program and become a big sister. It gives you the opportunity to stay in touch with today’s youth and to reach out and help a child. Hannah is a fun loving girl who bakes, draws, and is interested in science and weather. She too urges other kids to get involved. She really enjoys the bond that she and Colleen share and recommends everyone without siblings or someone they feel close with to get a big brother or sister.

Click here to see their video. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KraMdgbCmt0&eurl=http://valleyunitedway.com/Faces/Sisters.htm

A New Start As A Volunteer - A Transition that Changed a Life

Alma CalderonVolunteering at the Commodore Hull Thanksgiving Day 5K Road Race

Growing up in Mexico City, Mexico, Alma Calderon was raised to develop a compassion for others and value education. She completed her college studies with a Bachelors of Engineering in Biological Pharmaceutical Chemicals and soon found herself employed by Unilever Mexico, a global manufacturer of food, home care and personal products.

Since 1997 Alma has collaborated in research and development innovation. Unilever provided her with several opportunities to travel to Argentina, Brazil, Thailand, Egypt and London to research and develop new formulations in personal care and lead projects for Latin America. On many occasions, an opportunity would open to collaborate closely with the American team. Alma politely tried to decline, fearful of certain stereotypes. Despite her international experience Alma was afraid the American people would treat her differently because of her nationality and underdeveloped English speaking skills. Upon her return from Egypt, Alma was notified of Unilever’s decision, provided with a tourist visa and Unilever North America work visa. She was then sent to Unilever’s global Technology Center in Trumbull, Connecticut to develop a regional project for Latin America.

Alma arrived at her hotel in Shelton, CT during the winter months, two days before her project began to do some sightseeing. This was, in fact, her first time seeing snow and in trying to photograph some of the conditions she slipped and broke her camera. Not knowing what else to do she took a cab to the Trumbull Mall in search of a replacement. When the cab did not return she was left stranded until a “beautiful stranger”, as Alma refers to him, offered to help. Eric, now Alma’s husband, offered to bring her back to her hotel. After accepting the conditions to notify the hotel that he will be driving her, Alma accepted his help. Alma and Eric kept in touch throughout her business trip, as well as Alma’s mother, who never left the two alone.

Eventually Alma and her mother returned to Mexico with Eric’s promise to marry her someday. Alma’s mother was not too happy with the idea but never thought it was a serious statement. Coincidently, not much time went by before Eric and Alma married in Mexico and were living in Cuernavaca. Alma learned of another projected under development back in Unilever North America and decided to take it and live in Connecticut. She had to wait one year to obtain her green card and go through all the proper residency procedures.

It was in that time that Alma wanted to make some changes and keep herself busy in her time off. She began attending Sacred Heart University and various public libraries English programs to improve her language skills and actively searched for other ways to become more fluent. Alma came across Valley United Way on the internet through Volunteer Solutions (https://volunteer.united-e-way.org/uwvalley/volunteer/). After speaking with C.O.O. Jack Walsh, Alma agreed to write feature stories on people that would be known as “Faces of United Way”. Not only did she become more comprehensive in her studies but she was also performing a great service to the Valley community by volunteering her time and effort.

After obtaining her full citizenship Alma began work at Unilever again and also started to further continue her education. “I’ve had 10 years experience in the research and development field,” Alma said. “I asked myself, ‘Is this what I really want, to continue with chemistry on the innovation side? What more can I do with my international experience in the personal care business?’ I thought it would be best to bridge the R&D side with business so I started taking classes for my executive MBA at the University of New Haven.” Continuing Alma said, “It’s challenging, but with my husband’s love, enthusiasm and unconditional support everything is easier.”

“I am blessed with my husband, family and in-laws. Thank you to Valley United Way for giving me the opportunity to give back to the community that I now consider mine. Even though I was afraid to come to America and afraid of the differences in nationalities, there was one thing in common – the need for help.”

Valley Council Recognizes CVC as "Program of the Year"

CVC co-chairs Dottie Cacchillo and Bill Bubbico with

Pat Tarasovic at the Valley Council breakfast

The Corporate Volunteer Council has received a major award from the Valley Council for Health & Human Services. The Council which is a collaborative group of the Valley's nonprofit agencies has named the CVC as it 2008 Agency/program of the Year. The Agency/Program of the Year Awardrecognizes a nonprofit agency whose employees and volunteers have made a significant and lasting contribution to the health and well being of Lower Naugatuck Valley residents. This year’s award was presented to the Corporate Volunteer Council of the Valley United Way. Since 1995, the Corporate Volunteer Council has had an enormous impact on the lives of Valley residents through its Weeks of Caring, Back to School Clothes for Kids campaign, and numerous additional volunteer efforts to benefit the community.

This is the second time that the CVC has won a major Valley award. In 2002, The greater Valley Chamber of Commerce presented the Council with its prestigious Silver Award.