Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Community Campaign Begins Tonight!


After an incredible weekend with the Harvest House, it's time to turn our attention to the Annual Community Fund Raising Campaign, which is the heart and soul of the United Way mission. Activities such as Harvest House and Back to School Clothes for Kids are incredible examples of the community coming together to meet identified needs, but we can't lose sight of the financial need involved in providing those services.

Tonight marks the formal start to this year's Community Fund Raising Campaign, and we have the ideal setting to begin the venture. Griffin Hospital is celebrating their 100th year of service to the Valley this year, and they are hosting the Kickoff at the new Center for Cancer Care in Derby. The program starts at 5:30 PM and the community is invited, but reservations for this free event are needed. Just visit our website and fill out the form!

Monday, September 28, 2009


What an incredible weekend! In case you missed the earlier stories, our Corporate Volunteer Council invited the community to help them build a house made of non-perishable food items, Harvest House III, this past weekend, and the response was fantastic. Rather than a long blog, the best way to see this incredible project is to look at the pictures and videos on our website.

Today, the most important part of the project will take place when the house is taken apart and the food is distributed to food banks throughout the Valley area to help alleviate the growing shortage of food in the Valley area. We'll have more pictures and a full story later today.

And just another quick reminder that the Annual Community Campaign Kickoff is Wednesday at Griffin's Center for Cancer care in Derby. You can make your reservation on our website.

Friday, September 25, 2009

Harvest House III


If you really want to see a community coming together to meet a need, you need to stop by the Riverwalk in Shelton on Saturday to witness Harvest House III. The need for food in the Valley has risen dramatically in the last year, and our food banks have been stressed to the limits to meet the demand. Earlier this year, we had stories about Griffin Hospital's incredible food donation marking their 100th birthday and the annual postal workers food drives. As amazing as those were, the Harvest House is a spectacle that is hard to match.

As I write this, a tent is being erected on the Riverwalk which will be followed later this afternoon by the plywood walls of our new "house" erected under the tent by a bunch of volunteer "handymen". By tomorrow morning at 9:00 am all will be ready for the 100s of volunteers who will descend on the house to complete the construction of the house with tons of nonperishable food items. You literally have to see this to believe it!


Saturday's event has received a real boost from a collaborative effort with the Echo Hose Ambulance Service which is celebrating their 60th anniversary with a Family Fund Day and concert by the Highland Rovers from 2:00 - 6:00 pm. right next to the Harvest House on the Riverwalk



On Sunday (Pray for good weather!) the house will be on public display and on Monday, all the food will be carted away to area food banks and the walls will be taken down and stored for another day.



This event is put on by our incredible Corporate Volunteer Council and involves hundreds of volunteers. It is also made possible by the sponsorships that provide the funding to make this work. We have a complete list of all the sponsors and CVC members that you can find here



We'll have plenty of pictures and maybe even some video on the website as early as tonight when we start by showing you what HealthNet is doing today. So come back to the website regularly to follow the weekend's events.

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Awards, Awards & More Awards!


Though people do not expect honors for the work that they do, it's always special when you are recognized for rising above ordinary performance to a level that others recognize as above and beyond the call of duty. And this week we received news that a Board member and a staff member at Valley United Way have been selected for special honors. And on top of that, last night I attended a dinner in Southbury where one of our best supporters also received special recognition.

I doubt that anyone will be surprised to see that Pat Tarasovic has been chosen as a "Woman Making a Difference in the Valley" by the The Valley Women's Health Initiative. Pat's work with the Volunteer Center, the Youth Leaership Program, the Corporate Volunteer Council and the High School Volunteer Council signifies her deep rooted passion for improving lives in the Valley, and the award couldn't be more fitting.

And just yesterday, we also received the great news that Board member Dave Grant has been chosen for not one, but two special awards. Dave will be receiving The Valley Philanthropy Council Distinguished Volunteer of the Year Award and The Association of Fundraising Professionals Award for Outstanding Volunteer Fundraiser. Dave chaired last year's Annual Community Campaign and is currently serving as President of the Derby/Shelton Rotary Club - He's the first to do that twice! Dave is going to have to find time on his busy schedule to accept the two awards; and if you know Dave, that will not be easy.

On top of that, last night I had the great pleasure to join many of my United Way colleagues from around the state at a reception in Southbury where St. Mary's Hospital presented Webster Bank with their Champions Award. It was quite an evening, and it's very obvious that "The Webster Way" is much more than a business slogan for the people who work at Webster Bank. They have a special commitment to the communities where they live and work to make them better places, and St. Mary's award was symbolic of the great respect that all of us have for Webster Bank's commitment to their communities. As always Jim Smith could not have been more gracious in accepting the award on behalf of all the Webster employees and the heritage that has been a hallmark of the bank since its inception in Waterbury during the Great Depression.

So this is a week to celebrate a dedicated staff member, a committed community volunteer and and a generous and caring corporate leader. We are all better

Wednesday, September 2, 2009

DERBY, SEYMOUR AND SHELTON SCHOOLS KICK-OFF 2009 CAMPAIGN SEASON

As the summer winds down, campaign season gears up for the Valley United Way with Derby, Seymour and Shelton schools busy conducting their employee campaigns.

In Seymour, Superintendant of Schools, MaryAnne Mascolo, spoke of the importance of the United Way in the community and the difference pledges make to their agencies. She also noted that the agencies provide necessary programs to enhance the behavioral health of all students.

In Shelton, MC Lorraine Rosner, former advisor to the High School Volunteer Council, gave a plug for United Way followed by the new school representatives Sandie Zuraw and Kathy Riddle. Kathy stated that the 2009 Shelton campaign would be dedicated to the late, great Ed Morocco who was the campaign chairman in Shelton for the last decade! Superintendant Freeman Burr concluded by urging all faculty and staff to participate in the United Way campaign.

And finally in Derby, Dr. Steve Tracy, superintendant of schools, spoke of the importance United Way has in the community and asked his entire staff to pledge $1 per week over the year to enhance programs supported by United Way.

This school year sees the Derby and Seymour school systems with representatives in most school buildings to assist with pledge collection and distributing information on other events sponsored by United Way. We would like to thank Nancy Maleri, Betsy Seabury, Cathy Pomeroy, Kelly Foley, Donna Pysz and Kathy Brown from the Derby schools as well as Sue Duke, Darlene O’Callaghan, Alison Cunningham, Lucille McGinn, Pat Sabatini, Judy Laudati, Roxanne Lindgren and Karen Wilczewski from Seymour for their assistance! We greatly appreciate the time and effort they dedicate to their respective campaigns.