Valley United Way valleyunitedway.org

Thanksgiving traditions

2010-11-23T15:49:00.000-05:00

Today is one of my favorite days of the year, and the official kickoff to the holiday season for me. There are two great events that I participate in every year two days before Thanksgiving - The Derby/Shelton Rotary Club football luncheon and the Boys & Girls Club's Keystone Club dinner for Shelton seniors.

The Rotary club luncheon is a tradition that dates back decades and was preceded by many other similar community events. basically, the Rotary Club invites the coaches, senior members of the the football and cheerleading squads, school administrators and mayors to lunch to celebrate the importance of the thanksgiving Day game. This year the luncheon took on special meaning as Shelton is hosting what is being advertised as the 100th game - that's a story for another day. They have invited anyone who ever played in the game to come on the field at halftime on Thursday to be recognized. At the start of the game, the two oldest living players from both schools who played in the game - Fran Saldamarco of Derby and Jim Braccnaro of Shelton - will toss the coin.

What makes the Rotary event so special is that each team brings back a former player to talk about their experiences. This year Rotary member Jon Wetmore was the speaker for Shelton and Dan Shea was the speaker for Derby, and they both did an excellent and very motivational job. I'm sure their stories will appear on the Rotary website.

The end of the day is just as exciting as the keystone Club members conduct a very special inter-generational event for the members of the Shelton Senior Center. The cook and serve a Thanksgiving dinner complete with turkey and all the trimmings for the seniors. The Keystone Club has won numerous national awards for their work, but I think that this dinner is one of the best things that they do. I've been fortunate to have attended for about 20 years now, but the tradition goes back much longer than that.

Besides serving the dinner, they also provide the entertainment and conduct a special drawing for a variety of special raffle prizes. It's also the first day of they year for Christmas carols as the seniors condut a great sing-a-long.

What a great way to start the holiday season! My only regret is that it means two big meals on the same day. Oh well, I'll just have to jog a little longer for the next couple of days.

Thank you Derby/Shelton Rotary and the Keystone Club for giving us examples of what we have to be thankful for at this special time of the year.

For more information about Valley United Way, visit our website at www.valleyunitedway.org.

Commodore Hull Thanksgiving Day 5K Road Race - more than a race

2010-11-23T09:59:00.000-05:00

Nine years ago, a group of us got together and planned for a new Thanksgiving Day event that would celebrate the cities of Derby and Shelton and one of the greatest naval heroes in U.S. history, Commodore Isaac Hull. Hull was born in Derby and also lived in Shelton. Our concept was a race through the downtowns of the two cities that would draw 150-200 runners for an early morning 5K race that would give people plenty of time to run, but still be able to get to the traditional Thanksgiving Day football games or back home in plenty of time for family reunions and turkeys.

That first year, we drew over 300 runners and quickly realized that what we were actually doing was starting a new Valley tradition that celebrates our rich history and also gave us an opportunity to raise some funds for a worthy local organization. We decided that would be the Boys & Girls Club which is just down the street from the starting line and an organization with great needs. I think we were hoping that the race might grow to attract 500 runners and we might be able to raise a couple of thousand dollars a year. We have done that and much more. For the third straight year, the race is sold out and we have expanded the number of runners to 650. We have tried to expand our limits responsibly as we want to ensure that we maintain the quality of the race and the experience of the runners. We would love to accommodate everyone that wants to run but within the limits of the resources (volunteers, sponsors, facilites) that we have available to us.

We have raised over $70,000 for the Boys & Girls Club during the first eight years, and should have a nice amount to add to that this year. We have also celebrated the accomplishments of Isaac Hull and brought thousands of people back into our historic and reviving downtowns.We also take the time to honor someone from the two cities who has a positive impact in the two communities as the official starter for the race. This year, it is retired Shelton school principal Frank Skoronski.This year, the Young Emerging Professionals group at the Greater Valley Chamber of Commerce have joined the fun by adding a food drive to the event.

The race is only possible because we have great volunteers, the support of both our city governments, great sponsors and enthusiastic runners - 32 of which have run every race. So, if you're not busy on Thanksgiving morning and want to see the joy shared by over 650 people running like maniacs through the streets of Shelton and Derby, stop by and cheer the runners on.

You can find all the details on the race website.

For more information about Valley United Way, visit our website at www.valleyunitedway.org.

Back to School

2010-11-22T10:36:00.000-05:00

Friday morning was a bit like being suspended in time for me, and that time was more than 20 years ago. Prior to coming to Valley United Way, I was a teacher for many years (I'm not saying how long!). A decade of that time was spent as the boys basketball coach at Shelton High School, and for six years I was a teacher in the Shelton school system - and two of those years were spent at the Shelton Intermediate School teaching history. Friday morning I was back, but in a much more modern building as part of the Junior Achievement business education program.

Though the building may be newer, the classroom and the students were much the same as I left them years ago. In preparing for the class, I was pleased that the first lesson that I was to teach was related to immigration and its impact on the history of the U.S. I had taught that in the past, so I was comfortable with the subject. Within a couple of minutes, I had surveyed the class, and found that we had about a dozen different ethnic groups represented in the class of just over 20 students. They were more than willing to share their own families' unique experiences in coming to America, and I was more than happy to share the story of my grandfather's emigration to Connecticut from a small townland in County Limerick, Ireland more than a century ago.

We had a second session on the importance of agriculture, and being in a city with active and innovative farms made that an easy topic for discussion as well.

A third session centering on the California Gold Rush showed the value of natural resources and the creation of boom towns that resulted from the rush for gold. The students were quick to discern the growth of business that results from a sudden migration of people into an area whether it be for gold or other factors. That translated into a discussion of the "boom" that has taken place in Shelton particularly along the Rt. 8 corridor.

In no time at all, the class was over. I scrambled back to my JA materials to make sure that we had covered the "curriculum" for the day. We had! I was very pleased and impressed with the students that I had in my class. They were a bright and outgoing group who actively participated and had a great background knowledge of the material that we were covering.

I think it was a nice break from the regular classroom schedule for them and a great opportunity to learn about the world of business at the same time. I enjoyed myself, and I hope they did as well.

For more information about Valley United Way, visit our website at www.valleyunitedway.org.

An Easier Way to Manage Volunteering

2010-11-17T09:57:00.000-05:00

One of the great assets and strengths of the Valley community has always been its spirit of volunteerism. If you take a look around the Valley on any given day, you will see volunteers doing everything from cooking for the homeless to cleaning our rivers and manning our emergency services. Its a Valley characteristic that has served the community well over time.It's also something that Valley United Way believes in very strongly as shown by our commitment to having a Volunteer Center in the Valley.You can find a lot of information about the Volunteer Center and the great work being done on our website, but I want to take time today to discuss our "on-line" Volunteer Center - Volunteer Solutions.

We recognized a long time ago that a barrier for people who want to volunteer is finding out just what opportunities are available. At the same time, it has always been a challenge for groups who need volunteers to get the word out to the community about their needs. Our Volunteer Solutions website meets the needs of both groups - and does it at efficiently and free!

If you are looking to volunteer, all you have to do is go to the website (https://volunteer.truist.com/uwvalley/volunteer/). You can easily browse through listings of opportunities or of agencies looking for volunteers. You can also do a search by just about any criteria that you choose to find something that meets your time and talent. If you register, you can even customize the site so that it brings up your preferences when you log-in, or you can even have it periodically (As often as you choose) send you notices about opportunities that interest you.

If you are an agency that is looking for volunteers, you go to a different part of the website (https://volunteer.truist.com/uwvalley/agency/) to register. Once you register, you will fill in information about your group and then list your opportunities for potential volunteers to see. You can also create a wish list of items that your agency would like donated. If you are looking for Board members, you can also list those opportunities. If you have an event coming up, yuo can also post that on the calendar. It's possible to set up multiple people to administer your group's listing, and the group has full control over that once approved to use the system.

We are able to offer this great service thanks to a grant from the Raymond P. Lavietes Foundation.Ray was one of the best volunteers the Valley has ever seen, and we are grateful that his legacy includes the promotion of volunteerism in the Valley.

For more information about Valley United Way, visit our website at www.valleyunitedway.org.

Health Net Phasing Out

2010-11-12T09:13:00.000-05:00

This morning's newspapers are full of stories about the impending layoffs of employees at Health Net of the Northeast here in Shelton, and it is a sad day for those employees and for the entire Valley community to see so many people losing their jobs and the Valley losing one of its best corportate citizens. They have certainly been great friends and supporters of Valley United Way during their time in the Valley, and we truly value that relationship.

One of the articles mentioned the state Labor Department's Rapid Response Team which it said will be responding to the employees with their outreach services detailing services such as unemployment and job training. Valley United Way participates in the Rapid Response Team, and we have been going to Health Net on a monthly basis throughout 2010 speaking to groups of employees who have already lost their jobs. We have another session coming up next week. My good friend Bill Purcell also attends the sessions and brings the backing of the Greater Valley Chamber of Commerce to the effort.

As the articles have stated, Health Net is providing severance packages for the employees and in-house resources for things like preparing resumes and beginning a job search. They have taken the extra step of inviting the Labor Department to bring their services directly to the employees as well. The Labor Department brings in a variety of speakers who do a great job of thorougly explaining how unemployment works, how to apply and how to best use the services. They also explain what job training programs are available and how to access those programs. At a difficult time for the employees, the Labor Department eases the stress and uncertainty that all employees face when going through a job loss.

Ever since the tragic Latex Foam fire, we have been invited to participate in the Rapid Response team to talk about the wide range of services offered by non-profits in the community. We obviously focus on using the resources of 2-1-1 as the first place to go to learn about what is available in any community in the state.

It's challenging and rewarding at the same time to be speaking before employees that have been supporters of so many causes in the Valley including United Way. However, I think that they find it comforting to know that a wide variety of services are available, and that the community is interested in their well being.

We have done this many, many times during the last decade, and it is never easy. However, one of the messages that we always try to convey is hope for the future. The very building where Health Net is located gives proof of that. One of the first kickoffs for a United Way campaign when I became executive director of Valley United Way was held in the same building. It was a bittersweet day. Richardson-Vicks, another great company and outstanding corporate citizen, hosted the kickoff that day only hours after news broke that they would be leaving town and everyone would be losing their job. It was a gloomy day. Ironically, that was the only time that we have had a special guest speaker at our kickoff event. He was a tv and radio personality who went by the name of "Mr. Positive". His message about staying positive was soothing that day, and it is now as well.

Over time, Health Net moved into the building and brought with it new jobs and new hope. We are staying positive that the same thing will eventually happen this time.

For now, our thoughts and best wishes are with all the employees. We wish them the best in their job hunt and urge them to stay positive knowing that the community supports their efforts.

For more information about Valley United Way, visit our website at www.valleyunitedway.org.

Valley Philanthropy Council's "Art of Giving"

2010-11-08T11:07:00.001-05:00

When the Valley Philantropy Council holds its annual "Art of Giving" art show beginning this weekend at the Greater Valley Chamber of Commerce, it will have special meaning to all of us at Valley United Way. To start with, our Board Chair Mike Marcinek will be presented with the Distinguished Leader of the Year award for all that he has done for area nonprofits. Mike needs no additional acknowledgment here as his record of community involvement is second to none and a model of what good corporate leadership in our community is all about.

At the same time, I was thinking about United Way's role on the Council. Of course we are a member, but it goes way beyond that. When Jane Snaider served as the Director of Resource Development here at United Way, she came up with the idea of starting a group for professionals in the Valley involved with fund raising withing Valley nonprofits. The group began meeting, and over time evolved into the Valley Philanthropy Council.

Laurel Vicidomino now represents us at the meetings,but I want to acknowledge the role that Jane played in creating this Valley asset. Jane is still in the Valley and works with Barnum Financial Group here in Shelton.

For more information about Valley United Way, visit our website at www.valleyunitedway.org.

United Way legacy is its volunteer leadership

2010-11-01T12:54:00.000-04:00

The last few weeks have not left me with much time to update this blog because there have been so many good things going on at Valley United Way. We are in the midst of the Annual Community Campaign, and we have had some incredible campaigns this year with some unbelievable creativity. If you have been following our website, you would have seen executives dressed up as outlaws, corporate work spaces turned into golf courses and breakfast and dessert being served up to employees. We want to thank Iroquois Gas Transmission, BIC, and Blum Shapiro for some of those efforts. We also want to thank Larry Janesky for his generous incentive to the employees at Basement Systems as part of their campaign. And finally, we want to welcome Hubbell to the fold as they are running their first campaign for Valley United Way in their new Shelton location. Keep watching for campaign updates on the web.

Our Corporate Volunteer Council was presented with Birmingham group Health Services' "Corporate Good Neighbor Award", and our High School Council Volunteer Council held its first meeting of the year. Youth Leadership members elected their officers for the year, and they are getting ready for their annual allocations process. Nineteen agencies have also submitted applications for Special Needs Grants from Valley United Way which will be awarded in December.

However, what I wanted to really talk about today is the legacy left by the men and women who have headed the Valley United Way since its inception in 1968 when the United Funds and Community Chests in the Valley Came together as one regional organization. We finally got around to developing a listing of all those people who served as presidents, board chairs and campaign chairs down through the years and have posted them on our website. It's quite a listing, and I would urge you to take a look. You can find it at http://www.valleyunitedway.org/board.html.

We have been very fortunate to have had so many outstanding volunteers who gave so much of themselves for the benefit of the community. They were drawn from all walks of life in the Valley and serve as models for others to follow.

As I said at the beginning, it has been a very busy month at Valley United Way, but we owe a debt of gratitude not only to those who work so hard today, but to all those who came before to make Valley United Way the organization that it is today.

For more information about Valley United Way, visit our website at www.valleyunitedway.org.

Working with the Ansonia Schools

2010-10-08T10:53:00.000-04:00

Wednesday night I had the pleasure of attending a meeting of the Ansonia Board of Education. Prior to the start of the business part of the meeting, the Board had a short, three part ceremony. During the first part, Mead School's enthusiastic principal Terri Goldson, recognized the achievements of students who had achieved outstanding scores in the CT Mastery Tests as their proud parents snapped dozens of pictures of shy, but very proud students who represent all that is great in the Ansonia School system.

During the second part of the ceremony, they recognized four outstanding teachers in the system for the outstanding results achieved by students under their tutelage as Board Chairman John Lawler commended them for their dedication and service to the children of Ansonia.

And then they used the third part of the program to recognize three community groups for their support of the schools including Valley United Way. I believe that he Certificate of Appreciation in our case was mainly for the recent success of the Back to School Clothes for Kids program at Mead School, but it got me thinking about several of the ways that we interact with the schools and students in Ansonia - and there are many. To start with tow of our Board members have special ties to the schools. Carol Merlone is the Superintendent of Schools in Ansonia, and she is also serving as the Education Chairman of this year's Community Fund-raising Campaign. Bill Nimons is a board member at United Way, and he is also a member of the Board of Education.

Valley United Way also serves as the community partner for Ansonia's Discovery early childhood effort as well as for the regional effort in which Ansonia is also engaged. Ansonia High School is also an active member of our High School Volunteer Council. And finally, down through the years many Ansonia High School students and Ansonia residents attending other area high schools have been members of our Youth Leadership Program.

All in all, we have had a lengthy and mutually rewarding relationship with the Ansonia school system and I think it is a good example of how working together helps to make for a better school system and a better community for all of us. Thank you Ansonia Schools!

For more information about Valley United Way, visit our website at www.valleyunitedway.org.

Give - and Give Away

2010-10-05T12:40:00.000-04:00

It's the busiest and most exciting time of year at Valley United Way as we are in the midst of the annual Community Fundraising campaign as you can see from the posters of some of those doing campaigns above. We will be out talking to people all over the Valley soliciting their support for the annual campaign. We'll have lots of stories and pictures and an occassional video on the campaign seciton of our website.

At the same time, we are also giving some of the money away. Our normal allocation process takes place in the spring, but at this time of year, we have a small grants program that we have called our Special Needs Program, and we began taking applications today through our on-line system. The total pool of money is approximately $45,000 this year, and the funds are from donors who specifically earmarked their funds for a special area such as the elderly, youth and recreation, substance abuse, child care, etc. These are dollars allocated separately from and in addition to the regular spring allocation process. The funds can be used to meet special needs of an agency beyond their normal budget. One grant of $10,000 to Valley Regional Adult Education to help boost high school graduation rates has already been made.

We made this a formal grant program starting in 2003 when the pool of funds was $13,000. It has grown quite a bit since then, and during the last two years we had grants of approximately $50,000 and $47,000 respectively.

For more information about the campaign and the grant program, visit our website.

For more information about Valley United Way, visit our website at http://www.valleyunitedway.org/.

Valley United Way loses a great friend

2010-09-28T14:29:00.000-04:00

I had planned to get caught up with some notes about last week's string of events today, but I just read the news of the passing of Ed Brickett yesterday. Ed lived a full and active life and was a community leader in everything that he did - including his years with United Way. He found time to chair an annual campaign in 1978 and then served as Board President in 1982. He was active in so many communtiy activites that I couldn't begin to recite all of them. Suffice it to say that after he returned from serving in the U.S. Army during the Korean Conflict, he was a leader in civic, government, religious and social organizations throughout the Valley.

The term "gentleman banker" surely was coined because of people like Ed Brickett. He was a success and a leader in anything that he undertook. He will be sorely missed by everyone who ever came into contact with him.

For more information about Valley United Way, visit our website at www.valleyunitedway.org.

A Great End to the Week

2010-09-17T12:05:00.001-04:00

Greater Valley Chamber of Commerce Breakfast Club

On Monday, I wrote about a great start to the week with Nick Tarasovic's completion of the Tri-Challenge, and we're ending the week on a high note as well. This morning the Greater Valley Chamber of Commerce hosted one of their regular Breakfast Club sessions with Jay Holm, President of Iroquois Pipeline Operating Company, as the guest speaker. The Chamber did it's always outstanding job of presenting Anniversary Breakfast Club Salutes to DiMatteo Group, Brownson Country Club and Advanced Decisions for their significant anniversaries in business before Jay took the floor.

Jay's presentation was especially relevant in light of the recent pipeline explosion in California. I think Jay did an exceptional job in setting everyone at ease as he explained all of the safety procedures built into the Iroquois operations. He also laid out a very strong case for natural gas as the "bridge" green energy solution as the country moves forward in solving our country's energy issues. He also gave a great view of the company's business growth and its business philosophy including their commitment to the community. Jay and Iroquois have won just about every award that Valley United Way has to give. If you look through our website, you will see Iroquois Gas and its employees mentioned in every area of the site. Certainly, their campaigns are the very best, but when you look closer, you will also see their involvement with all of the hands-on projects that we take on. So, I want to thank Jay and everyone at Iroquois for Jay's kind comments this morning - and for their years of demonstrating what corporate citizenship really looks like!!

By the way, if you want to see the video that Jay alluded to, click here.

Leadership Greater Valley

We also started a new year for Leadership Greater Valley last night. We have 19 people enrolled this year, and we're looking forward to another fantastic year. last night's session was on leadership. Next week we will be taking the Valley Heritage History Tour of the Valley, and I am looking forward to getting to know each of our participants during the course of the tour.

A feel good story for the week

And finally, we had another one of those feel good stories that we don't often have a chance to talk about. For as long as I have been here, we have had a quiet, but effective program that allows businesses and individuals to donate items to non-profit agencies that might have a need for them. We have the nonprofits linked electronically, so that we can alert them when something becomes available.

We recently had one of those lucky occasions when a need and a donation coincided. I had a call from a family looking for a wheelchair. A family members health had deteriorated and now needed to move to a wheelchair for mobility. I had to tell the caller that we did not have one available, but I would keep the name in case something came up. Incredibly, about 15 minutes later, Kathy Barrios from Freedom Disability in Shelton called to say that they had a few items including a wheelchair that were looking to donate! A quick call back to the family looking for the chair, and we soon had a match.

What makes the story even better is that the family that received the wheelchair now wants to donate a tricycle for the disabled designed for someone with paralysis from the knees down. We're working to find a match for that as we speak.

For more information about Valley United Way, visit our website at http://www.valleyunitedway.org/.

Over 40 years of leadership

2010-09-15T12:36:00.000-04:00

From 1968 to 2010!

Last night, United Way hosted a reception for members of the Commodore Hull Society, Valley United Way's leadership giving group. During the course of a very pleasant evening, we had the opportunity to take the unique picture that you see above representing the leadership of Valley United Way's Community Fund Raising Campaign from 1968 to 2010.

Starting right in the center of the front row, you see Virginia Costigan who has been a very, very active volunteer in the Valley for decades. Back in 1968 when Valley United Way was formed from its predecessor groups in Ansonia, Derby/Shelton and Seymour/Oxford, her husband Jack became the first person to ever chair a Valley-wide United Way campaign. Jack worked for the old Derby Savings Bank and was involved in just about every aspect of life in the Valley. Before his untimely death, he won just about every community award there was in the Valley including our own Charles H. Flynn Humanitarian award in 1994.

Everyone else in the picture also chaired at least one United Way campaign. In the front row you have Fred Ortoli (2009) and Ken Schaible (1980) and in the back you have Mike Marcinek (2004, 2005, 2006 & 2007!), Dr. Sal Graziano (1998), Joe Pagliaro, Jr. (2010) and Dave Grant (2008). Joe's father, Joe Pagliaro, Sr. was campaign chair in 1999. Fred and Ken were also Flynn Humanitarian Award winners, and Mike is currently Chairman of the Board. They are all still involved with United Way to this day, and are all still members of the Commodore Hull Society

I think their attendance along with the other members of the Commodore Hull Society who could make the reception signifies the strength of Valley United Way. Giving and caring are part of the very fabric of life in the Valley, and the members of the Commodore Hull Society demonstrate that every day of the year through giving of their time, talents and treasures to make the Valley a better place.

On Monday, I wrote about the start of a great week with Nick Tarasovic's great story, and last night's reception made Tuesday pretty special as well! Thank you to all of our Commodore Hull Society members and also to La Scogliera Restaurant for their hospitality and great food.

For more information about Valley United Way, visit our website at www.valleyunitedway.org.

A great start to the week

2010-09-13T09:12:00.000-04:00

It's always good when you get to the office on a Monday morning, and find good news waiting for you. That's exactly what happened today when I got to the office and found an e-mail from Nick Tarasovic in my in-box. I had been searching the Internet in vain last night to find the results from yesterday's triathlon in Sandusky, Ohio. My computer locked up before I could open his e-mail, so I had to wait while I re-booted the machine. It was worth the wait as Nick's simple e-mail simply said "Done 15:30" which was almost all that I needed to know. Basically, he was saying that he had completed the event in about 15 hours and 30 minutes.What it didn't say was how he felt after such a great accomplishment.

Shortly thereafter, the phone rang, and it was Nick. He sounded great - and he was feeling great, a bit sore maybe, but great. And well he should be. He has been in training for just about a year, but yesterday he put it all together and swam 2.4 miles, rode a bike for 112 miles and ran 26.2 more miles. Think about that!! You start in the morning at the crack of dawn, swim, bike and run all day and finish in the darkness. Any one of the individual events would be an accomplishment of its own, but doing all three on the same day - priceless!

I'm sure that we'll have more on our website in the coming days, but for now let's all have a big round of applause for Nick Tarasovic!

For more information about Valley United Way, visit our website at www.valleyunitedway.org.

Congratulations & Good luck

2010-09-08T09:12:00.000-04:00

Congratulations
Last night I attended a Valley Community Foundation reception where they signed a historic agreement with the Community Foundation for Greater New Haven culminating years of discussion and negotiation that brought them to last night's agreement - and it's a winner for everyone involved. Under the new 7 year agreement the Valley Community Foundation effectively gains control of the decision making process for grants made from the funds left to the Community Foundation for Greater New Haven by the Gates brothers, Frank and Ross, years ago. This is truly historic as the Gates Fund was a major step forward for the Community Foundation for Greater New Haven when it was established, and it is a major step forward for the Valley Community Foundation today. Coupled with the success that they have already achieved in their early history, this agreement guarantees that the Valley Community Foundation will be a permanent part of the Valley's philanthropic landscape and that benefits everyone in the Valley community.

I want to congratulate everyone involved in reaching the agreement, but there are too many to mention here. I do want to single out my Derby High classmate and Valley Community Foundation President Jamie Cohen and his counterpart at the Community Foundation for Greater New Haven, Will Ginsburg, for their leadership in moving the agreement along to yesterday's signing. It is obvious that their friendship and mutual respect for each other coupled with their vision for the success of both organizations played a major role in reaching the agreement. The agreement goes well beyond the Gates Fund in creating a strong and mutually beneficial working arrangement between the organizations; but for today at least, I think the main story is the Gates Fund.

Good Luck

If you have been following his story on our website, you know that this is the big weekend for Nick Tarasovic and the Tri-Challenge. During the course of his training, Nick has traveled over 4,750 miles through all kinds of weather from polar cold to tropical heat and humidity. That includes running more than the distance from New York to Florida, biking from here to Los Angeles and swimming across the state of Connecticut. I'm tired even thinking about it!

It all culminates this Sunday in Sandusky, Ohio where Nick will have to swim 2.4 miles, ride a bike for 112 miles and run 26.2 more miles in the Revolution3 Cedar Point Triathlon! All I can say is good luck on Sunday and congratulations for what he has already achieved. To date, we have pledges of $11,695.81 made on behalf of Nick as part of the challenge. We'll have a full story on the website next week.

For more information about Valley United Way, visit our website at www.valleyunitedway.org.

Energy Audit - A Useful Tool

2010-09-01T09:02:00.000-04:00

In earlier blogs, I talked about the cost savings associated with switching electrical providers and the fact that I have been saving about $20 - $30 on my bill since I switched about 18 months ago. As I had mentioned, Valley United Way is now urging people to take advantage of those cost savings and providing them with a quick and easy way to do so using a Shelton based electrical supplier - DiscountPower, Inc. This will also lead to a donation being made to Valley United Way based on the electrical usage of those enrolling in the program. The details can be found by clicking here.

Today, I'm writing about one of the other benefits of making the switch with DiscountPower. Once you enroll in the program, you are entitled to have a free energy audit done by another Valley based company - Seymour's Dr. Energy Saver. I called and booked my appointment a couple of weeks ago. About a week before my appointment, I was surprised to receive a packet in the mail. It included information about and pictures of the two technicians who would be coming to do my inspection. It also included a book about energy savings and the different methods that could be involved. It was a big help to have those things in hand before the audit.

Since my house is a bit older, and my oil bills are very high, I was expecting the worst and preparing for estimates for all kinds of work that could cost me more than they would be worth to do. Instead, I had an audit that was thorough and professional in every way and resulted in a recommendation not for a full range of measures to be taken, but rather for one that would return the greatest cost savings for the dollars that would need to be expended. It also included information about rebates and tax credits that could help to offset the costs.

I'm now mulling over my options, but I am very pleased to say that the audit was a worthwhile effort and was conducted professionally in every way. I think that anyone who signs up for the DiscountPower option for their electrical supplier should also take advantage of this great deal on the energy audit with Dr. Energy Saver to save even more on their heating and electrical costs.

For more information about Valley United Way, visit our website at www.valleyunitedway.org.

Monday Musings

2010-08-30T09:44:00.000-04:00

Last week's Back to School Clothes for Kids project and the food drive hosted by R.S. Scinto and Prudential Annuities made for an extremely busy and productive week. I capped the week on the weekend by running in two road races in Shelton - the Wesley Heights 5K Road Race and the Sunset Run for the Warriors 10K.

Now I'm sitting here looking at the weeks ahead and the official beginning of our Community Campaign on September 22. There are several things between now and then starting with a reminder of a way to save money and benefit United Way at the same time.

Several weeks ago, I wrote about program that we are doing with Shelton based DiscountPower and the state's program that allows people to select their electrical power supplier. I'm happy to say that we have almost 30 people who have already signed up to lower their bill and help make a small donation to United Way at the same time. I also switched and my bill already shows DiscountPower as my new supplier. As I mentioned previously, I've been saving $20-$30 a month for a while now, and DiscountPower's rates were lower than what I was already paying. On top of that, tomorrow Dr. EnergySaver is coming to my house to do a full energy audit that comes free if you switch to Discount Power.They have already sent me some informative materials to prepare, and I am looking forward to their visit.

It also dawned on me this morning as I was contemplating my weekend running that Nick Tarasovic is approaching the end of his Tri-Challenge. In less than two weeks, he will be attempting to swim 2.4 miles, ride a bike for 112 miles and run 26.2 more miles - all in one day - and I thought running two races in a weekend was tough!!

On September 14, we have the thank you reception of members of the Commodore Hull Society. We had hoped to be able to show an oil portrait of the Commodore that dates back to the early 1800's - even before his famous victory over the British on Old Ironsides. Unfortunately, something has come up, and the portrait will not be available, but we will tell the story and more importantly take the time to thank our largest donors for their support.

Week of Caring is going to involve the renovation of Umbrella's shelter for victims of domestic violence, and companies are already lining up to participate. This is the third time down through the years that we have done the shelter, and it's always a rewarding experience for everyone involved. That will be held the week of September 20-24.

And finally, it's time to make your reservation for the Kickoff on September 22 at the new Derby Middle School. Invitations are now in the mail, but the quickest and easiest way to make your reservation is to simply do it on-line. Click here to go directly to the page.

There's a lot going on in addition to everything mentioned already, but it's also time to pause and wish everyone a Happy Labor Day.

For more information about Valley United Way, visit our website at www.valleyunitedway.org.

Busy day with food and clothes

2010-08-26T10:20:00.000-04:00

Every day seems to be getting busier as we head to the unofficial end of summer - the beginning of the new school year. That seems to be especially true this week as we have just completed presentations for our United Way campaign with teachers in Shelton and Seymour and will be doing the Derby teacher's Friday morning. Today, we are also visiting with schools, but this will be an event for students and parents - our annual Back to School Clothes for Kids Project!

This is an absolutely amazing effort that our Corporate Volunteer Council began as schools closed for the summer back in June. On our rotating basis, Ansonia was chosen for this year's project and we were given profiles of needy students with information not only on their clothes sizes, but also about their favorite colors, sports, music, etc. For the last couple of months our CVC partners have been shopping for their kids, and today it all comes together with a reception for the kids where they will be getting their new outfits along with a heavy dose of encouragement for a great new school year. As a former teacher myself, I appreciate just how important the first couple of weeks are to student success. Our Back to School project helps to make sure kids attend school and are in the right frame of mind to learn. Please visit our website later today for pictures, stories and video from today's event.

Also on tap today is the second week of the Towers Food Drive sponsored by R.D. Scinto and Prudential Annuities in the "Circle" at the Corporate Drive complex. It's a tough time of year for the food banks, and this drive will really help the Spooner House replenish their dwindling supplies. There's a short video on our website.

For more information about Valley United Way, visit our website at www.valleyunitedway.org.

Early Commodore Hull Picture Emerges

2010-08-23T12:56:00.003-04:00

Commodore Isaac Hull

Last week I mentioned a "New" old portrait of one of America's greatest naval heroes, Commodore Issac Hull, for whom our leadership giving society is named. As you can see from the picture above, the portrait looks fantastic even though it predates Hull's great victory over the British during the War of 1812. For more details about the portrait and its owner, Cindy Cross, click here.

What has me excited about this is the timing. We will be hosting a thank you reception for our Commodore Hull Society members on September 14, which is a very special occasion for us to thank our donors. It is now even more special because Cindy Cross has agreed to bring the portrait to the reception for everyone to see. As we inch closer and closer to the 200th anniversary of Commodore Hull's greatest triumph, it is especially fitting to be able to have a formal viewing of this visual reminder of the Commodore's great contributions to U.S. naval history. I hope that as many members of the Commodore Hull Society as possible will be able to join us for this historic evening.

For more information about Valley United Way, visit our website at www.valleyunitedway.org.

Commodore Isaac Hull Society reception set

2010-08-16T13:35:00.001-04:00

It's a very busy time of year at United Way as we prepare for the upcoming campaign and our Corporate Volunteer Council is working on the Back to School Clothes for Kids Reception next week and the Week of Caring project next month. But today I want to pause and offer a special thanks to the members of our Commodore Isaac Hull Society who represent the largest givers to Valley United Way.

When we established our leadership giving group many years ago, we wanted a name that would signify the importance of the Society to the entire community. After doing some research, Vincent Palacino, who was our Director of Resource Development, suggested naming it after Commodore Hull Vince was not from the Valley, but his research had left him with the strong impression that not only was Commodore Hull one of the greatest naval heroes in U.S. history, but he also was born in Derby and grew up in both Derby and what is now the City of Shelton. If you don't know about Commodore Hull's role in U.S. history, perhaps you know the story of "Old Ironsides", the U.S.S. Constitution, which is still on public display to this day in Boston, and is the oldest commissioned ship in the U.S. Navy. Hull was in charge of Old Ironsides on that fateful day when it defeated the British ship Guerriere in a stunning victory for the young U.S. Navy during the War of 1812. The victory brought credibility to the U.S. Navy and great honor to the entire country. You can learn more about Commodore Hull here.

Commodore Hull was indeed a great hero for the entire country, and we are proud to have our leadership givers associated with such an outstanding figure in Valley history. Our donors make a little bit of history of their own through their involvement with the Commodore Hull Society. Their donations make a major difference in the quality of life in our community as they support so many worthy programs and organizations funded through the United Way campaign. They are also role models for all those who want to be involved in the community in a leadership role. For the first time in years, we are going to pause and thank them directly with a small "thank you" reception. Hopefully, many will be able to attend, but I wanted to take this time to let them know how much their support is appreciated.

As a small footnote to the story of Commodore Hull, I think many people know that I am also involved with a great road race that is held every Thanksgiving along the streets of Shelton and Derby. The Commodore Hull Thanksgiving Day 5K Road Race has been celebrating the achievements since 2002, and will have its ninth race this Thanksgiving. I was recently contacted by a woman who stumbled upon the race website and was thrilled to see his name and story celebrated through the race. What was really interesting is that she told me that she has an oil portrait of Hull done around 1800. It has been in her family for generations. This Saturday, she is bringing the portrait to the Derby Historical Society. I am looking forward to a glimpse of this early portrait of one of the Valley and the country's greatest naval heroes.

For more information about Valley United Way, visit our website at http://www.valleyunitedway.org/.

Save Money - Support United Way at the Same Time!

2010-08-05T14:02:00.000-04:00

We have added a tremendous new service to the United Way website that I would strongly urge everyone to use immediately! Many people are either not aware of Connecticut's efforts to allow people to select the generator for their electricity - and save a great deal of money at the same time - but we are now making it easier on both accounts! At United Way, we are very supportive of efforts to support Family Financial Stability, and saving on your electric bill is a quick and easy way to do so!

We recently reached an agreement with DiscountPower, Inc., a new Shelton based company, to help facilitate consumer use of their service - and to support Valley United Way at the same time. If you visit our website, you will find all the information and a link to a page where you can enroll and begin to save money by switching your supplier to DiscountPower. You'll save quite a bit depending on your actual usage. The more you use, the more you save.

I am tremendously excited about this new program because of my own experiences. Like many others, when the state first announced that you could switch your provider, I procrastinated figuring that it wasn't worth the effort and that it would be too difficult and confusing. After a couple of months, I finally sat down at the computer and decided that I should at least learn more. Within a matter of minutes I found all the information that I needed and realized that I needed to sign up immediately. I quickly located my electric bill and very rapidly enrolled. The process could not have been simpler, and within two months, my bill reflected the new energy supplier on the generation part of the bill along with the new, lower rate that I was paying. In my case, it has ranged from a low of $20 a month to a high of just over $30, though I expect that my next bill is going to be much higher because of the recent heat!

That made it very easy for me to support this new program when we had the opportunity, and I have already switched over. What does it mean for United Way? Actually, it's not a lot - at least in any one installment. Based on my previous use, United Way will get about $1.50 - $3 a month, but they will get something every month as long as I continue to use DirectPower. That $2 - $3 comes as a donation from DirectPower, not out of the savings that I am getting from switching providers. It's a win-win situation all the way around.

On top of the discount, I also signed up for the free home energy audit, and later this month I will be having that done. I'll write about that later, but I was pleased to know that another local business, Dr. EnergySaver will be doing the audit.

For more information about Valley United Way, visit our website at www.valleyunitedway.org.

A Fun Side to United Way

2010-07-28T10:16:00.000-04:00

With all the recent heat, I thought today would be a good day to take a break from the more serious side of United Way to talk about some of the "lighter" news. As you can see from the graphic above, United Ways all over New England are participating in Six Flags New England's two United Way Fun Days, and the first is coming up this Saturday, July 31. Six flags is allowing United Way supporters to buy specially discounted tickets for the day through an on-line ordering process. The deal includes all day admission to Six Flags New England and Hurricane Harbor Water Park, free parking and an "All You Can Eat" buffet. The total value of the package is $77.00, but the special United Way price for the day is $40.00. We have a link on our website, or you can simply click here to go directly to the site. A portion of the ticket price will go back to United Way. The deadline for tickets for this Saturday is today, so you'll need to rush!

If you like baseball, our good friends at BIC and the Bridgeport Bluefish have a deal for you as well.As part of their annual campaign for United Way, BIC are having a special night at Harbor Yard on Tuesday, August 3. The Bluefish will be playing the York Revolution, and you get get a ticket for $10 which includes a special Kids Eat Free event for kids age 12 and under. Simply click here, and enter "Bic" as the password to purchase your tickets. A portion of the ticket price will go back to United Way.

So go out and have some fun, and at the same time, you will be benefiting United Way.

For more information about Valley United Way, visit our website at www.valleyunitedway.org.

Leadership Greater Valley Accepting Applications

2010-07-22T10:32:00.000-04:00

One of the great things that we are involved with at Valley United Way is community leadership. Earlier this year we had several stories about our own Youth Leadership program, but it's that time of year when we switch gears and talk about Leadership Greater Valley - a unique leadership program conducted jointly by Valley United Way, the Valley Council for Health & Human Services and the Greater Valley Chamber of Commerce. Now in its 15th year, this program is uniquely by and for the Valley, and produces outstanding new leaders for the Valley every year.

Class of 2009

The program has really evolved. Originally, it was a program of United Way and the Valley Council. It's focus was a bit more narrow in promoting diversity in volunteer leadership positions throghout the Valley and much of the training focused on board skills. United Way wrote and administered grants that supported the the program. There was a consensus that the long term success of the program would need to include greater involvement by the business community. And then Bill Purcell arrived at the Chamber in our "All America" year of 2000. One of Bill's goals was to develop a leadership program at the Chamber. The connections were obvious, and the program was renamed Leadership Greater Valley with the three partners working together to carry on the program. The Chamber now provides the administrative support to coordinate the efforts of our volunteer committee.

What makes this program so unique is the blending of personal skills and knowledge of the community that is interwoven throughout the eight week program. This year's program includes eight sessions with the topics ranging from qualitites of leadership to the history of the Valley. Along the way, the participants have the opportunity to meet and mingle with leaders from every walk of life in the Valley. At the end of the program, they bring their new skills and contacts back to their business life - and also their community life as our Volunteer Center Director Pat Tarasovic works with them to find a placement in a volunteer leadership postition in the Valley. Two former participants are currently my "bosses" as members of Valley United Way's Board of Directors - Adrienne Cabral and Eileen Lopez-Cordone.

Leadership Greater Valley now has its own "alumni" association linking all past members of the program. They now have their own Facbook site which you can find by clicking here.

I personally try to get to as many of the sessions as possible. Not only to take pictures of the sessions, but also because I find that I learn something new at just about every session. I would highly recommend this program to anyone looking to develop their personal leadership skills and to learn more about the great community where we live and work.

Nancie Gray has put together this year's application, and you can get it by clicking here.

For more information about Valley United Way, visit our website at www.valleyunitedway.org.

Nick is in the home stretch

2010-07-21T12:27:00.000-04:00

Take a minute to think just how far Nick Tarasovic has gone while training for the Revolutiion3 Cedar Point iron man event to be held in Septmeber. When Nick sends me his weekly reports to update our website, I seldom stop to contemplate what they are adding up to. Through Sunday, Nick has accumulated 3,722 miles of motion on land and in the water. That means he's already done the equivalent of a trip across country to Los Angeles - and he's now well on his way back. I get tired just thinking of the hours that have gone into it so far - and how much more is still to come before it's over!

With the Tour deFrance currently reaching a conclusion, I think many people are getting a greater appreciation for the difficulty involved, but I also think it gives one a better understanding of just how difficult Nick's quest is. He is training to do 112 miles on a bike in one day, but he is also going to run a marathon and swim 2.4 miles the same day!!

I do a bit of running myself (OK, maybe running would be overstating my speed!), and I can appreciate the tenacity that Nick has in getting out there almost every single day. There are lots of days where I just don't feel like running - so I don't. When Nick feels that way, he just puts the thoughts out of his mind and gets going. I think he has many motivations, but the funds that he is raising for United Way, the Y, the Umbrella and TEAM, Inc. certainly looms large as attested to by the more than $6,500 that has been pledged already.

I need to get in a plug for another aspect of Nick's training as part of his training regimen will include swimming in the The First Ever Housy One-Miler Swim to raise money for GRIFFIN HOSPITAL DEVELOPMENT FUND INC. on August 22. If you want to motivate Nick for that and contribute to the new Brest Wellness Center, click here.

Keep up the good work Nick!!

For more information about Valley United Way, visit our website at www.valleyunitedway.org.

Electronic Valley put Valley on the World Wide Web

2010-07-15T09:22:00.001-04:00

Back in the early '90's the Valley was suffering a bit of an identity crisis due to the sudden demise of the local daily newspaper, The Evening Sentinel, and the only local radio station, WADS. Love them or hate them, everyone read the Sentinel and listened to WADS to keep up with the latest news in their hometown.The lack of a local daily and radio station was identified as a real community issue by the Healthy Valley 2000 project which was gearing up at that time. Healthy Valley was concerned with the quality of life of the community and saw the lack of truly local mass media as a detriment to the community.

There was quite a buzz about the same time being created by this new media - the World Wide Web - but not many had access to it. Here at Valley United Way we were very intrigued by the possibilities to better serve our constituents and had been experimenting with the forerunners of the Internet in the form of Compuserve and an emerging AOL among other services, but they were slow and cumbersome to use as well as being expensive.

Then one day, I happened to notice that a local business man, John Joy of Oxford, was working with the Internet and offering community groups the opportunity to post information on his website for Oxford about services that might be available to residents. A quick call and suddenly United Way was up on his site and providing 25 word descriptions of the agencies that we funded.

As Healthy Valley was working on the media issue in the Valley, it became apparent that there was a real opportunity here to move the Valley forward through the use of new technologies. We couldn't afford to start a newspaper or a radio station, but we could afford to venture into the new electronic media. A committee was formed and quickly determined that we would opt for the full blown Internet rather than the competing BBS services that some communities were starting. That decision proved to be the correct one, and we recruited the artists at the Greenwich Workshop in Shelton to help with the design of that first page and the icons linking us to the information that we thought people would want to know about the Valley.

We created websites for all of the Valley towns and many of its nonprofits.We also created pages highlighting categories of interest that we thought cut across all of the towns. Interestingly, the site was not called the Electronic Valley. Originally, the site address was www.LNVvalley.org. If you enter that URL, it still works. The LNV stood for Lower Naugatuck Valley, but we soon found that people confused the L with an i and many had trouble finding the site. So we made it easier - but longer - with www.electronicvalley.org. (The invalley.org still works as well!)

This was entirely a volunteer project made possible by our technical guru John Joy whose computer expertise made the difficult seem easy. He did all of the back end work and hosted the site - he still does for the Electronic Valley data. Others helped with the content and creation of pages. Grants from local foundations allowed us to purchase computers which were given to local organizations such as libraries, nursing homes and other public groups that agreed to take the computers and allow the public in to use them. We provided software and classes for those who wanted to learn how to create content and put it on the Electronic Valley.

In very short order, the Valley had a very robust and informative web portal. Originally, all the pages had addressess such as Valley United Way's - www.lnvalley.org/vuw. Each city was www.lnavalley.org/cityname. Over time, we envisioned that groups would eventually get their own sites and we would simply link to them. United Way is now valleyunitedway.org, but we never forget that it was the Electronic Valley that allowed us the opportunity to get our feet wet and learn how to use this new media. At one point, United Way of America named our website the best in the country for United way's our size or smaller. Connecticut Magazine named the Electronic Valley one of the 50 best websites in Connecticut!

The Electronic Valley continues to thrive, and I was prompted to write this because they will be holding their annual meeting in the Lavietes Room at Valley United Way on August16 at 6:00 PM. They will conduct the normal business that you would expect in electing their board and officers, but they are also looking for a new generation of volunteers interested in helping to further develop the Valley's oldest and most comprehensive website. If you are interested, stop by. In the meantime, they have listed some volunteer opportunities on United Way's own unique web tool for volunteers - Volunteer Opportunities. Click here to take a look.

For more information about Valley United Way, visit our website at www.valleyunitedway.org.

Allocations Committee Did Great Work!

2010-07-08T10:59:00.000-04:00

I always tell people that it is very difficult to give money away, and they usually laugh. The reality is that it is difficult to give money away so that it can make a real difference in the community. Here at Valley United Way, we rely on the wisdom of the community in giving away money. Specifically, our Allocations Committee under the able leadership of Chairman Peter Galla is composed of volunteers drawn from all walks of life in the community. The one thing that they have in common is their love for the community and desire to see it always improve.

This year, we had twenty-eight volunteers who responded to our call for help. Some like Rich Bshara and Brian Sexton have been doing this for over twenty years while Anna Davidi, Tracy Hussey, Bill Maloney, and Joe Sedlock were the "rookies" in this year's process. The process actually began in April when area agencies began the preparation of their requests for funding. this is now an on-line system eliminating an enormous amount of paperwork. Agencies are required to submit quite a bit of financial and programmatic data justifying their requests for funding.

In early May, the volunteers came in for a brief orientation and to receive their assignments. They worked in teams to review the information submitted by the agencies. Over the course of the next month they also had the opportunity to visit with the agencies to get a first hand look at the programs that the agencies run. This really helps to put a face on all the numbers that the agencies have submitted previously. After meeting with the agencies and reviewing the submitted applications, the volunteer submitted their own evaluations and their recommendations for funding.

At that point, the volunteers came back to meet in three panels to review and refine their recommendations. At that point, they did not know exactly how much money would be available for allocations and were making their recommendations strictly based on their evaluations. They then worked on their panels to bring their numbers in line with the number that United Way's finance committee would make available to them. A week later, the panel heads go together one last time to bring the panel recommendations in synch with the final number from the Finance Committee. They did an outstanding job, and a week later the numbers were presented to United Way's Board of Directors for action.

The Board of Directors has a great deal of respect for both the Allocations and Finance Committees and it is ultimately up to them to approve, reject or modify the recommendations. This year they adopted the recommendations as presented to them.

I want to thank everyone who served this year. It is not easy making the tough funding decisions made much tougher by the current economic uncertainty, but they did an outstanding job. They were fair and open minded and did their best to insure that the dollars invested in the agencies returns the greatest possible benefit to the community - and to the donors who make this all possible.

I want to personally thank everyone who helped this year. You can find the complete listing of all the volunteers and the allocations that they made this year at http://www.valleyunitedway.org/2010/allocations.htm.

For more information about Valley United Way, visit our website at www.valleyunitedway.org.

Busy week brings Corporate Cup

2010-06-14T11:50:00.000-04:00

Last week was probably the busiest week that we have ever had with the Community Corporate Cup since it first started nineteen years ago. From the Run/Walk event on Wednesday to the Wiffleball and Bocce on Saturday, the weather was a constant, but not insurmountable challenge. The spirit and sportsmanship shown by all of the competitiors throughout was extraordinary.

We held our breath all day Wednesday hoping that the rain would hold off, but by the time the race started it was cold, windy and rainy. Many of our walkers and a couple of runners decided to stay dray and at-home, but 90 Corporate Cup participants joined over100 others running in the Valley YMCA 5K Sunset Race for a dash through Ansonia's Hilltop. Michael Zascicinghs of TEAM, Inc. was the first Corporate Cup participant across the line, but I think that it is safe to say that everyone who finished felt like a winner under the conditions. I ran in my first race in two years, and was quite pleased to win the 60 and over division. We had the CEO's from BIC (Mario Cuevas) and PerkinElmer (Dusty Tenney) in the race as well, and they both posted impressive times as did Bill Purcell, head of the Greater Valley Chamber of Commerce who zipped around the course with a 7:33 pace. The food after the race was outstanding, and it is one of the few races that I ever remember having pasta after the race. On such a deary night, it was just the thing to warm everyone up.

Saturday turned out a bit better weather wise though some light showers towards the end of the day threatened the conclusion of both Bocce and Wiffleball. It was quite a day as we had to lay out our six "ballparks" in time for the 9:00 am start. We would really like to thank Thaddeus Kurkowski of CDW-G for showing up early and lending a hand. TK competed in the Wiffleball tournament later in the morning. I also want to thank Bob Van Egghen for his help as our unofficial official during the Bocce tournament with his precise measurements! And it goes without saying that Chris Phipps and Sue Reilly of the Y did a great job in putting all the pieces together.

Both events turned out to be full of surprises and great comebacks. In Bocce, we were down to three teams competing following the suspension of the tournament due to darkness on May 25. It looked like it was going to be a quick exit for Kevin Dunn and Nora Espinel of BIC as they fell behind early in their losers bracket final with PerkinElmer. However, they managed to pick up four straight points in one round and go on to take that game before topping Mike Figueroa and Matt McKenney in two straight well played games to win the title.

The Wiffleball tournament was just as exciting as PerkinElmer came back from a crushing 7-6 loss to United Illuminating to rally through the losers bracket and top Griffin Hospital's 3 Amigos two straight for the title. Their one loss came in the bottom of the last inning when United Illuminating rallied from a 6-3 deficit with a walk-off grand slam homer to send PerkinElmer on their run through the losers bracket to the final. Ironically, one of Griffin's wins included Ryan Pereiras' walk-off grand slam with two outs in the bottom of the last inning for a 4-1 win that kept them alive in the winners bracket. PerkinElmer disposed of Griffin 3-0 in their first game, and had them 3-0 when Griffin staged an amazing 8 run rally to take an 8-3 lead. PerkinElmer was down to their last strike and trailing by 8-4 when they ran off eight straight runs to take a 12-8 lead. Griffin rallied for two runs in their last at bat, but it wasn't enough to keep PerkinElmer from winning their second straight Wiffleball tournament.

So now the competition is over, but we don't have a winner as yet. BIC stands precariously atop the standings with a 2.5 point lead. However, the Healthy Team results have yet to be added in, and it is always a high scoring event. Those results will not be announced until June 22 at the awards reception. Until then, I think we will just let the suspense build! We'll have a full story and all the results on June 22.

For more information about Valley United Way, visit our website at www.valleyunitedway.org.

Being Good and Doing Good!

2010-06-09T08:16:00.000-04:00

PerkinElmer at the 2009 race

When the Community Corporate Cup Run/Walk is held tonight, PerkinElmer's team will not only be working on their own health and well being, but also supporting the health of the enitre community. They are in the thick of the hunt for a fourth straight Community Corporate Cup title, and they have over 60 employees either running or walking in tonight's event making them the largest single group involved. What really makes them different than any other group this year is that they will also be generating funds for Griffin Hospital's Breast Wellness Center. PerkinElmer will be donating $20 for every employee that will be walking and $30 for every employee who will be running. Just doing some very quick math, it appears that they will raise approximately $1,600 for the Center. On top of that, some of the runners are soliciting individual pledges in support of their efforts.

The Community Corporate Cup is an incredible event that brings together local businesses in the pursuit of a healthier life style, community spirit and company morale through a varitey of competitive athletics centered on the Healthy Team competition. One of the great developments has been the incredibly good sportsmanship shown by all of the competitiors. PerkinElmer's effort tonight adds a whole new dimension to ways to do good while also being good to yourself, and we congratulate them on both.

We wish them well along with all of the other runners and walkers who will be involved tonight. Let's hope that the rain holds off. By the way, we are still looking for volunteers to help with the race tonight. If you are interested, give Sue Reilly a call at the Y - 203 736-1435.

For more information about Valley United Way, visit our website at www.valleyunitedway.org.

VSAAC Turns Twenty

2010-06-02T11:41:00.000-04:00

This morning I attended the Valley Substance Abuse Action Council's 20th Anniversary Celebration - and it doesn't seem possible that it is twenty years since its founding. United Way played a major role in the start of VSAAC as a result of a Government Breakfast hosted by United Way back in 1990. The name of our speaker that day escapes me, but he was the state commissioner in charges of the state's substance abuse programs at the time.He came to the breakfast at the old Rapp's Restaurant (now John J. Sullivan's) in Ansonia to talk about a new state effort aimed at prevention rather than treatment.

The state had just instituted funding for 13 programs based on a very successful model called RYSAP in Bridgeport. The concept was to form Regional Action Councils (RACs) which would be coalitions of community leaders with heavy youth involvement in an effort to deal with substance abuse issues. The Valley was not one of the 13 areas for which funding had been implemented. However, his speech struck a cord with those in the room that day, and shortly thereafter we formed a coalition of those interested int he problem to see if the concept would work here in the Valley.

Within a few weeks, our committee held a full day community retreat at the United Illuminating in Shelton involving nearly 100 people including mayors, state legislators, superintendents of schools, principals, teachers, police and many, many students. There was a sense of urgency and commitment in the room that day that drew the attention of the state. Though money had been allocated for the 13 other communities in the state, not much had been accomplished in many of them. The state was so impressed by what had already taken place in the Valley and the cooperation that was so evident in the room, that they went back and found the money to allow the Valley to create its own RAC - now known as VSAAC.

For the first few months, it was actually based in our office in the Ansonia Copper and Brass building in Ansonia and we served as host and fiduciary for them until they got their own 501 c 3 nonprofit status. They eventually moved to St. Joseph's in Shelton thanks to the support of Father Robert Weiss who served as Chairman of the Board. Years later, they came under the umbrella of the Birmingham Group where they continue to flourish today.

I don't have time or space to name all of the wonderful people who were involved with starting VSAAC and ensuring its future - maybe another day. For now - Happy 20th Birthday.

For more information about Valley United Way, visit our website at www.valleyunitedway.org.

Business Showcase Brings Back Old Friends

2010-05-26T13:21:00.000-04:00

I stopped in this morning at the Business Showcase presented by area Chambers of Commerce including our own Greater Valley Chamber under the very able leadership of my friend Bill Purcell. The keynote speaker was Charles Monagan, editor of Connecticut Magazine. He did a great job of talking about the great quality of life and history that we have here in Connecticut. Even in these difficult economic times, Connecticut is a special place, and he gave many great examples.

Bill mentioned that this is his tenth year in the Valley, and he talked about all the places that he has had a chance to visit within the state of Connecticut since he first arrived. I know people who have lived in Connecticut their whole lives (including myself) who have not seen as many state attractions as Bill.

As I wandered the hall looking at the exhibits, I ran across John Voket. John worked for a variety of local newspapers in the Valley before moving on to become editor of the Newtown Bee. He also works for WPLR radio where he produces the award winning public affairs program For the People. John has featured many stories about the Valley in the past, and we ended up doing a quick interview highlighting some of the interactions between the business and nonprofit communities and how important each is to the other. That interview may be heard some time in the future. It was great seeing John again and especially ironic that just last night at the bocce tournament, his name came up in conversation and I noted that I hadn't seen John in a while.

I want to congratulate the Chambers for another successful Showcase once again proving the value of networking and for giving me the opportunity to renew acquaintances with an old friend.

For more information about Valley United Way, visit our website at www.valleyunitedway.org.

All America City - 10 years ago this year

2010-05-13T11:08:00.000-04:00

It's hard to believe that we are approaching the tenth anniversary of the Valley's winning the coveted All America City award from the National Civic League. A very diverse group of Valley citizens traveled to Louisville, Kentucky as one of 30 communities large and small from all over the country who had been selected as finalists to compete for one of ten awards. Valley United Way was one of the groups involved in putting this together along with the Greater Valley Chamber of Commerce and the Valley Council for Health & Human Services and its Healthy Valley 2000 Project among others.

According to the National Civic League, the "All-America City Award is America's original and most prestigious community recognition award". The first awards were made in 1949, and more than 500 communities have been recognized for their outstanding work in overcoming local challenges. Nationally syndicated columnist Neil Pierce who was a judge in 2000 said in his column following the event that he had been pleased to have had the opportunity to see what was "cutting-edge" in communities across the country dealing with issues of local importance and went on to single out the Naugatuck River Valley for its collabortive work.

The award was the culmination of the work of many groups in the Valley, but I'd like to single out Healthy Valley 2000 for some special recognition. That project is now simply called Healthy Valley, and it has been scaled back quite a bit. However back in the mid '90's it was a robust "virtual" organization with members drawn from all walks of life in the community. It involved people who had an interest in enhancing the quality of life of the Valley. It's original website with a description of all its programs can still be found by clicking http://valleycouncil.org/healthy/. Bill Powanda of Griffin Hospital was a driving force behind Healthy Valley, and he was the one who first suggested that the Valley go after the All America City award. In 1999, we were selected as a finalist and had a wonderful time in Philadelphis, but were crushed when we did not become one of the selected ten.

However a review of our performance from the Ntional Civic League gave us an understanding of just how close we had come and after getting over the initial disappointment, we decided to apply again. On the application, you have to tell the story of your community and its accomplishments and how it meets its challenges. Being a finalist one year does not mean anything for your next application, but we had a great story to tell, and we were selected as finalists agin in 2000!

From there, everything became a blur as we had to assemble the delegation, recruit sponsors, make travel arrangement and then take Louisville by storm to tell the amazing story of one of the most resilient local communities in the United States. The key part of the process would be a 10 minute stage presentation before the panel of nationally recognized experts who served as judges. Luckily, we had Liz Kennard and Gary Scarpa producing our presentation, and it was extraordinary. Though our rehersals had left something to be desired, it all came together when the delegation marched into the hall chanting, "We are the Valley, the mighty, mighty Valley" as suggested by delegate Diane Stroman. The presentation which highlighted our unique history and our approach to solving community problems went off without a hitch, and so did the question and answer session that followed. All 30 delegations made similar presentations in an effort to support their cause.

Later that night, there was a Civic Action Fair where each delegation had a booth which also highlighted each communities uniqueness. To say that our booth was spectacular would be an understatement. We were mobbed all night telling the story of the Valley and passing out samples of items produced here in the Valley. What made the night even more special was a presentation on the main stage by the Ansonia High School Gospel Choir. Students from the Youth Connection had already shown the musical talents of Valley students during the formal presentation earlier in the day. However, the Choir was a show stopper. Their high energy performance literally stopped people in their tracks throughout the hall.

Sitting around waiting for the final night's session was nerve wracking, but there was both excitement and confidence in the delegation as we streamed back into the main hall along with the 29 other delegations to await the final verdict. It had all the excitement of a national presidential convention as the room rocked to loud music and a multi-media display from the week's activities. The tension rose as the selection of the 10 winners was announced until we finally heard the Valley announced as one of the ten winners. It was both a feeling of exhiliration and relief knowing that all the hard work had paid off and that the rest of America would now know and confirm what a special place the Valley is.

It was almost ironic that when we strted the Healthy Valley Project in 1994, we had called it Healthy Valley 2000, and in 2000 the effort had culminated in an All America City Award! That was one of my proudest moments in my years at United Way as we were an important contributer and partner in the achivement. It was - and is - something that everyone in the Valley can continue to be proud of. It's also a reminder of the good things that can happen when we work together to solve our problems.

Our All America City website still exists. Though some of the links are now broken and some of the videos no longer work (there was no YouTube in 2000!!), you can still visit the site http://electronicvalley.org/allamerica/ and relive one of the great moments in Valley history.

For more information about Valley United Way, visit our website at http://www.valleyunitedway.org/.

Food Drive Comes to You!

2010-05-07T10:28:00.000-04:00

Saturday is the day for one of the biggest single day food drives in the entire country as the National Association of Letter Carriers conducts its annual Stamp Out Hunger food drive. This has got to be one of the easiest ways ever to help alleviate hunger in our community as this is the food drive that comes to you! Thanks to the letter carriers, you don't even have to leave your house to participate. Simply leave your non-perishable (no glass please) food item next to your mailbox, and the letter carriers will handle the rest. They will pick it up and then make a special delivery to food banks throughout the Valley to immediately get that food into the distribution pipeline.

Here at Valley United Way, we are proud to have been partners with our local letter carriers from the very first year of this innovative effort. We are especially pleased that our Youth Leadership Program members have been active volunteers in helping with the food collection at various sites where the letter carriers drop the food including the Spooner House which is also the Valley Food Bank.

So take a minute and look around the house today and plan to make your donation of food right at your own residence. It will make an immediate difference here in the Valley.

For more information about Valley United Way, visit our website at www.valleyunitedway.org.

Annual Meeting & Awards Dinner is Coming Soon

2010-04-16T13:28:00.001-04:00

The 42nd Annual Meeting & Awards Dinner is just around the corner (April 27), and we have a number of people that we need to thank for helping us to get everything in place for a great night to celebrate another year of serving the community. Let me start by acknowledging Prudential Annuities for serving as the main sponsor for this year's event. Prudential needs no introduction, but we are very pleased to have them step forward to serve as the main sponsor for the dinner. They are a very close neighbor here in the Towers complex in Shelton, and we are pleased that they have chosen to support this landmark community event.

They are joined by a number of other area businesses who are Table Sponsors. They include Fletcher Thompson, Gexpro, Iroquois Gas Transmission Systems, Naugatuck Savings Bank, Real Estate Two, BIC, Newtown Savings Bank, Blakeman Consturction and Pitney Bowes.We are extremely grateful for all their support.

One of the highlights of the dinner will be the distribution of our 2009 Annual Report. There is a lot of time and effort that goes into the report, and we were very fortunate to have the support of the W.E. Bassett Company in putting this year's report together. They allowed John DeGant to provide his design and graphical expertise in handling the layout for this year's report, and we think that you will be very pleased when you get your copy.

I also want to thank Newman & Company's Kellie Newman who designed the invitation to the dinner. If you didn't receive one in the mail, you can click here to get the on-line version and make your reservation.

Lastly, I also want to thank our good friends at Fletcher Thompson, Eric Monks and Tim McGee who Laurel has kept quite busy putting together signs, table cards and many other graphics that you will see at the dinner.

Everything is now in place and we look forward to an evening where we celebrate the achievements of the past year and honor those who have contributed to our successes.

For more information about Valley United Way, visit our website at www.valleyunitedway.org.

Valley United Way and Social Media

2010-03-26T11:49:00.000-04:00

Anyone who follows Valley United Way knows that we have been leaders in the use of electronic media to spread the word about everything that we do. In the "pre-Internet age", we were one of the United Ways experimenting with what passed for electronic media at the time - Compuserve. We then became the first United Way in Connecticut and one of the first in the country to actually have a website, and when United Way of America gave awards for such things, our web site was named best in the country for United Ways our size or smaller. Our original website with its 25 word descriptions of the agencies we funded became the forerunner of the Valley's community website - The Electronic Valley.

Long before the term social media became the rage, we were working with the Valley Council for Health & Human Services to foster better communications through electronic media by promoting the use of e-mail, mailing lists and electronic groups. There was no Facebook, MySpace or Twitter back then. In fact there was no Google or Yahoo, but we did have e-Groups, and the Valley Council was one of the first to use such a tool. All of those tools helped to create a very tightly integrated social service network here in the Valley that is remarkable in its ability to cooperate, share information and ideas and collaborate where appropriate. It has been especially helpful in being able to swiftly respond to community needs when called upon such as the tragic Latex Foam fire.

Keeping up with the rapid advances in technology is always a challenge, but for a small United Way, we continue to respond to that challenge - and opportunity to better serve our supporters and the general community. Along with the United Way in Hartford, we helped pioneer the concept of an on-line volunteer matching system (Volunteer Solutions) whereby our Volunteer Center is always open. We now do all of our allocations and special needs grants through an on-line process called e-Cimpact making our process virtually paperless for agencies and volunteers. Some of our campaigns are also paperless where companies choose to use our electronic campaign software instead of the traditional paper pledge card.

In addition to following all the latest information on our website which has now grown to over 35,000 files, you can also subscribe to one of our electronic newsletters, follow us on Twitter, watch us on YouTube, become a fan or friend on Facebook, or even subscribe to have this blog sent to you immediately.

Our goal is to build a strong relationship with our supporters by providing information and service whenever, wherever, and however it is wanted. We hope that you find it helpful.

For more information about Valley United Way, visit our website at www.valleyunitedway.org.

Monday morning ramblings - traffic, early childhood & leadership

2010-03-22T12:35:00.000-04:00

Monday morning - and the start of another week. For me, the day started with gridlock in the center of Derby because of traffic problems caused by backups on Route 8 and an accident on Elizabeth Street that created a monumental traffic jam. Luckily, I was on my way to a meeting of the Valley Early Childhood Task Force which was being held at the Parent Child Resource Center next to the Parking Garage.One person took 45 minutes to get from the area of St. Michael's Church to the meeting!

It was worth the hassle as the Committee reviewed the impressive work that it has done in the last couple of years to advance the cause of early childhood education in the Valley. The task force was one of the first committees of the Valley Council for Health & Human Services, but it really took on a much larger role in supporting early childhood education issues when the Graustein Memorial Fund started doing Discovery grants to individual cities. Originally Ansonia and Shelton received grants and then Derby joined the fold. When the Fund also offered regional Discovery grants, the Valley was well positioned because the Task Force was already a regional group and the individual cities are part of it. On top of that, Seymour was part of the Task Force even though Seymour was not eligible for a city grant. However, they did become part of the Regional Discovery grant.

The partnership between the individual towns and the the regional collaborative has been mutually beneficial to all. Training has been provided for early childhood providers, a bridge has been built between those providers and the school systems to ensure a smooth transition to kindergarten and home care childhood providers and institutional day care providers have a greater appreciation for each others role in working with our pre-school population. Parent training has also been provided, resources guides developed and a website is now in place as well - PreschoolTools.org. Earlier this month they coordinated the Read Across America program in area schools and in April they will host the Fourth Annual Play and Learn Fair at Warsaw Park.

United Way is pleased not only to have served as the fiduciary agent, but also as a funder and partner in this effort.

When I finally got to the office, I picked up the Connecticut Post to find a great article about one of our recent Special Needs Grants and the difference it is making in the lives of people served by the Parent Child Resource Center. You can read the full article here. It's a great story, but also a sad commentary on the difficult situations that many people in the Valley find themselves in at the moment.

Another uplifting story took place on Saturday with our new Leadership Greater Valley Alumni Group. The Leadership Program has been around for more than a decade, but the Leadership Alumni Group met just recently to establish themselves, and they wasted little time in making a difference. On Saturday, a number of the graduates made their way to the Spooner House where they made lunch for the residents and found time to socialize with them. One of the highlights was Greater Valley Chamber President (and a man of many, many taletns!) Bill Purcell playing the piano for everyone.

All in all, for a Monday that started in gridlock, it is turning out to be filled with a lot of good news. Let's hope the rest of the week continues the same way!

For more information about Valley United Way, visit our website at www.valleyunitedway.org.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

2010-03-17T11:12:00.003-04:00

Happy St. Patrick's Day

“If you're lucky enough to be Irish, then you're lucky enough.”

I couldn't let this day go by without wishing all of our friends and supporters a very Happy St. Patrick's Day. Being of Irish descent myself (and even having Irish citizenship), I am very proud of my heritage as every person should be of theirs. As everyone knows, I'm addicted to just about everything Irish but today is the one day when everyone puts up with me and even joins in the celebration of the venerable Saint from the Ould Sod.

The celebration is actually quite different here than it is in Ireland where the day has traditionally centered on the Church's celebration of the Patron Saint of Ireland and the public holiday. Here in the U.S. it has evolved into a celebration of all things Irish and their remarkable achievements in all aspects of life in America.Though not a public holiday, everyone joins in the fun of a one day a year celebration of Ireland.

So whether you are wearing green today and dining on corned beef and cabbage or not, I want to wish you a very Happy St. Patrick's Day.

May the road rise to meet you
May the wind be always at your back
The sun shine warm upon your face
The rains fall soft upon your fields
And until we meet again,
May God hold you in the hollow of his hand.

For more information about Valley United Way, visit our website at www.valleyunitedway.org.

What's in a name?

2010-03-15T11:34:00.002-04:00

So, what's the value of a brand name? In the case of United Way, it's over 4 billion dollars! A recent Cone Nonprofit Power Brand 100 Report listed United Way of America (now United Way Worldwide) as the #3 Power Brand with an overall brand value of $4,516,900,000. United Way was also ranked #2 in revenue ranking and number 3 in Brand Image Rank.

Who ranked ahead of United Way? YMCA of the USA is ranked number 1 with a brand value of $6.393,600,000 while the Salvation Army was second at $4,702,900,000. Other groups in the top 10 included American Red cross, Gooodwill Industries, Catholic Charities, Habitat for Humanity, American Cancer Society, The Arc of the United States and Boys & Girls Club of America. Besides being #1 in Brand Value Rank, YMCA was also tops in Revenue Rank. The American Cancer Society was number 1 in Brand Image Rank. United Way and the Salvation Army were the only groups ranked in the top 3 in all three categories.

Those numbers pale next to the value of the world's number one brand name - Coca-Cola - which Business Week valued at $67 billion, but they make for some interesting discussions as to the value of nonprofits as perceived by the public. However, United Way's brand would land it in the top 100 world wide brands if you could use the Cone valuation on the business Week lists.

According to the Cone report, "Brands were valued based on five years of consolidated financial data and a nationally representative consumer perception survey, among several other metrics."

Here at Valley United Way, we are proud to be a member of the United Way family. However what's really important to us is how people in the Valley area perceive us and the value that we bring to the community here. We benefit from the association with United Way's all across the country and the recognition that United Way brings in the area of philanthropy and service to the community. Though we don't have an NFL franchise, we can't help but gain from the exposure that the ads during every NFL game bring. Ultimately however, we are judged by the good that we do in the Valley, and that's just fine with us.

For more information about Valley United Way, visit our website at www.valleyunitedway.org.

Special Needs Grants have a big impact

2010-03-08T11:59:00.000-05:00

If you read our website today, you will see a story about the Special Needs Grants just announced by Valley United Way's Board of Directors. Fourteen agencies will share in over $33,000 in new grants in addition to an earlier grant of more than $12,000 to Valley Regional Adult Education through a special fund set up by Sikrosky Aircraft to foster improving high school graduation rates.

The Special Needs Grants program was set up as a result of the growth of donor designated funds going to specific areas of need rather than to individual agencies or into the general allocations pool. Originally, there were eight different areas defined, but that number has now grown to fifteen because of choices made through different campaigns. The amount of funds available varies widely from year to year and program area to program area. The total has grown from approximately $13,000 in 2003 to over $47,000 this year.

The Special Needs grant program is run separately from Unite Way's regular allocation process, but volunteers are still the key to the process. The applications are made on-line, and then our Allocations Committee under the able leadership of Chairman Peter Galla reviews all of the applications before making recommendations to the Board. This year the applications were more than double the dollars available for distribution, making the review process a difficult one for the committee members.

In the end, their recommendations and the Board decisions will have a wide impact across the Valley. The Red Cross will use their $600 grant to meet basic needs for those in need while the Boys & Girls Club will be using a grant of over $2,000 for their drama club. The Valley Parish Nurse Program will use $2,200 to provide child seat restraints. The Valley YMCA will use their money on a playground for their new day care program. At the opposite end of the age spectrum, the VNA of South Central CT will be using their $4,000 grant to help seniors with chronic medical conditions manage their health issues.

Since 2003, we have allocated over $200,000 to 36 different agencies that provide direct services here in the Valley area. Though the individual grants may have been smaller in nature, the cumulative effect has been enormous.

For more information about Valley United Way, visit our website at www.valleyunitedway.org.

Corporate Cup is under way

2010-03-02T13:57:00.000-05:00

The 2010 Community Corporate Cup got off to a running start with the pre-testing at the Center for Cancer Care at Griffin Hospital and this morning's Healthy Breakfast. Each Healthy Team reported to the Cardiac Rehab Center to have their test which was changed a bit this year with the inclusion of the Rockport Walking Test replacing the previous step-test for cardiac health. Each of the teams has now been assigned a base line score from the testing and will be out to earn points over the course of the next three months. There is a short video from the testing here.

Today's Healthy Breakfast was sold out - or filled to capacity as all 40 available seats were taken for a refreshing breakfast that featured "smoothies". Chef Greg prepared the meal in front of the crowd and provided recipes for everyone in attendance.

The next Health Meal will be Dinner on April 1. You can learn more and register here.

The first team event with a scoring opportunity is coming up on March 13 with the Bowling Tournament to be held at Valley Bowl in Derby. Click here for information and registration.

For more information about Valley United Way, visit our website at www.valleyunitedway.org.

Corporate Cup Reception tonight at Griffin - Canceled!!

2010-02-16T10:01:00.001-05:00

Due to the snow, this event has been canceled.

The 2010 edition of the Community Corporate Cup sponsored by Griffin Hospital and put on by Valley United Way, Valley YMCA and the Greater Valley Chamber of Commerce begins with a Kickoff Reception tonight at the Center for Cancer Care at Griffin Hospital. It's fitting that while the world's attention is focused on the Winter Olympics in Vancouver, we are starting our local version of a corporate mini-olympic style event. In our case, the emphasis is on improving health through a series of fun and healthy events requiring varying degrees of athletic ability.Tonight's event is informational in nature with the presentation of all the materials and information that participants will need to get involved this year.

Perkin Elmer is the three-time defending champion, but they should have plenty of competition this year with several other former winners in the field, and some new participants ready to enter the field.

The actual competition begins next week with the Healthy Team Pre-testing and will end with an Awards Reception in June. Along the way corporations will compete for titles in individual events while racking up points for the overall Cup title. Participation is the key to victory in the Corporate Cup, though winning individual events never hurts.

You can follow the Corporate Cup on its own website throughout the competition. there will be stories, plenty of pictures, some video and the latest standings to help keep you motivated.

For more information about Valley United Way, visit our website at www.valleyunitedway.org.

Men Who Cook - and those who pretend to cook

2010-02-12T09:47:00.001-05:00

3rd Annual "Men Who Cook" Fundraiser

It's getting close! TEAM, Inc.'s wildly successful "Men Who Cook" fundraiser has been scheduled for Saturday, March 27, 2010 at Warsaw Park, Pulaski Highway, Ansonia, CT. from 6:00 to 10:00 P.M. And for the third straight year, I am one of the "chefs" - and I use the term very lightly in my case.

This is one of those "can't miss" events held in the Valley every year. In fact, it has become so popular that you really do need to plan to buy your ticket soon or you will not be able to go! I'm not sure of the exact number, but I think there are about 50 chefs ranging from those who make a living from their culinary work to those who have a real passion for cooking. And then there is a third category - pretenders. I'm not proud to say that I fall into the last category. It's almost sad to admit that someone once told a banquet audience that my culinary expertise was limited to showing him how to make a banquet out of a bag of potato chips and a bottle of coke!!

When Diane Stroman first asked me to participate in year one, I said yes with great trepidation. How would I pull this off? Take out from Roseland or Duchess was a thought, but definitely not allowed. Admit defeat and bow out - not an option! With so many talented chefs in the mix, maybe no one would notice whatever I did - not likely.

Luckily, I ran into Charlie Nolan, owner of the deli in the building where United Way is located and several others in the area. We got talking, and it turned out that Charlie was also going to be a chef. By the time our conversation was completed, my problem was solved. Charlie and I were going to be partners in the event - well sort of. In truth Charlie was and is the brains of the operation. He is an excellent chef, and he is allowing me to hang around and be his assistant. Even that was a bit of a challenge. However, I not only survived the first year's event, but even managed to fool some people into thinking I knew what I was doing. Charlie is the consummate pro. His recipes were delicious, and we were besieged with hungry patrons. It was a a big success, and Charlie deserves all the credit.

We're all set for this year's event, and you can look for another tasty dish. I don't want to cast any aspersions, but as you walk around the room, I think you might find some other well known figures who fit in my same category - pretenders! But it's all for a great cause, and it's a terrific night of food and fun.

Ticket Donation $50.00. For further information or to purchase tickets or provide sponsorships please call 203-736-5420 ext. 221. Of course, I have a supply of tickets as well, and you can reach me at 203-926-9478 or email jack.walsh@valleyunitedway.org.

For more information about Valley United Way, visit our website at www.valleyunitedway.org.

Silver Screen Soiree-POSTPONED

2010-02-11T10:58:00.003-05:00

Unfortunately, our premier event “Silver Screen Soiree” needs to be postponed at this time. We are looking for a date in mid May and we will be sure to inform you of it as soon as it is confirmed! This gives you more time to watch the REAL Academy Awards Ceremony and get ideas for costumes as well as whom to nominate from your offices! Get ready to have some fun!

How much should one give??

2010-02-08T17:12:00.000-05:00

If you had the opportunity to catch CBS Sunday Morning this week, you might have caught an interesting discussion about philanthropy. There was a story of a family who sold their large home, moved into a smaller home and used the profits that they made from their downsizing to support a number of charities. The move was sparked by the daughter inthe family who felt a need to really get involved in a meaningful way.

Brian Gallagher, President of United Way Worldwide was on the program speaking about people's giving. His feeling was that people should give until it makes them feel good, which is something that I have said many times when addressing potential donors. At one time, there was a guideline called "Fair Share" which was widely promoted by United Way, but has disappeared from the lexicon in recent years. One definition was that a person should give the equivalent of one hours pay per month for the year.

CBS then turned from "Give until it makes you feel good" and "Give your fair share" to "Give until it hurts." The thought being that the true spirit of giving should involve sacrifice much as the family above gave up their large house for a much smaller one in the name of charity. Peter Singer, author of "The Life You Can Save", agreed that giving should have an element of sacrifice and everyone noted that people who have the least are often more charitable than those who have the most. They used a store clerk as an example. The woman annually donates 10% of what she makes to charity.

Many have pointed out that 10% being given by a person in the financial situation of the store clerk is probably making much more of a sacrifice than someone making a million dollars a year even though she gave much less in actual dollars. In addition to his book, Singer has a unique website: thelifeyoucansave.com.According tot he website, "If everyone who can afford to contribute to reducing extreme poverty were to give a modest proportion of their income to effective organizations fighting extreme poverty, the problem could be solved. It wouldn’t take a huge sacrifice."

One thing that makes the site unique is its "donation calculator". You can find it at: http://www.thelifeyoucansave.com/pledge/pledge_calc.php?curr_country=171&lang=EN. There is also a separate pledge page with suggested guidelines: http://www.thelifeyoucansave.com/pledge/pledge.php?curr_country=171. It's an interesting concept, what do you think?

For more information about Valley United Way, visit our website at www.valleyunitedway.org.

2010-02-05T12:17:00.001-05:00

SAVE THE DATE!!

Valley United Way’s Annual Meeting will be held on Tuesday, April 27, 2010, at The Inn at Villa Bianca, 312 Roosevelt Drive, Seymour, CT.
5:15pm Registration and Social followed by Dinner and meeting at 5:45.

Cost is $45.00 per person.

The 2010-2011 Campaign Chair as well as the Charles H. Flynn Humanitarian Award winner will be introduced. The Flynn Award is the oldest and most prestigious award for community service. In addition, the distribution of the 2009-2010 Community Campaign awards will be made.

Hope you can join us for this great event!

Corporate Cup is coming soon

2010-01-29T11:44:00.000-05:00

Plans are almost complete for the 2010 version of the Griffin Hospital Community Corporate Cup website, and there are several changes in store as there are every year. The signature event in this partnership among the Valley United Way, Valley YMCA and the Greater Valley Chamber of Commerce continues to be the Healthy Team competition, and we are happy to report that all of the pre and post-testing will be done at Griffin's Center for Cance Care in Derby. There may be some slight change in the testing, but full details will be available on the website shortly. On a healthy note, we will be including Griffin's Health Empowerment Series of lectures as a new feature of the Corporate Cup.

Billiards will not be part of the series this year because we no longer have a facility in the Valley big enough to accommodate the number of participants that we have attraced. Instead, we will be adding "Backyard Bocce" which has been requested for several years now.

The calendar of events has also been changed a bit, and the tentative schedule has been posted, but there may be some further changes before all the details are finalized.

One thing that will not be changing is the price. The Griffin Hospital Community Corporate Cup will continue to be an incredible bargain - particularly for full registrations. Companies may register for individual events but the full registration price of $450 can't be beat when you consider that it includes every single event. Companies may also take advantage of special pricing of $325 for a second team in every event. Participation in the Healthy Team alone would justify the cost!

We'll have complete information available on the website shortly, but we are already accepting registrations for the Kickoff Reception at Griffin Hospital on February 16.

For more information about Valley United Way, visit our website at www.valleyunitedway.org.

VALLEY UNITED WAY'S 'SILVER SCREEN SOIREE'

2010-01-22T15:40:00.005-05:00

Who would you nominate? Do you have a friend or colleague you think could be awarded BEST ACTOR/ACTRESS in the Valley United Way’s Silver Screen Soiree??? It is our version of the Academy Awards to be held on Wednesday, February 24th at a location to be announced in the RD Scinto complex. Other nominations can be made for Best Director, Best Music, Best Picture, Best Visual Effects and Best Makeup. Here is an example of how you can nominate someone:

BEST ACTOR: Bob Jones should be awarded BEST ACTOR for making believe he is doing his work at his desk, when really he is playing video games at his computer.

Of course, it can be a serious nomination also…. Prizes will be awarded for Best Costume in addition to the above listed awards. All nominations will be reviewed that evening by our ‘judges’ and the top 3 candidates in each category will be introduced. Final winners will be chosen by an audience vote.

SAVE THE DATE, tell your friends and plan to join us for a fun evening out in the Scinto Towers complex February 24th, to support the Valley United Way. Beer/wine and food will be included. Other details will be forthcoming.

Haiti Disaster

2010-01-15T11:12:00.000-05:00

The catastrophic earthquake in Haiti this week has left an indelible impression of the devastation that it has caused in the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. The world wide response has been impressive, but also difficult to manage as rescue experts from around the world have mobilized to alleviate the suffering caused by the quake. The response ranges from the large scale effort being mounted by the U.S. government down to small church and civic groups looking to do anything that they can to help.

Former President Bill Clinton is the special UN Envoy to Haiti and he and George Bush have been tasked by President Obama with heading up the private philanthropic efforts within the U.S. The response has been overwhelming, but many people are struggling with finding the best way to help. For most people, that is not going to be a hands-on response, but rather a financial one in the form of a donation to the relief and recovery efforts. The question is how to do this.

Many, many organizations are accepting donations for this effort. As a local United Way, we raise a lot of money to support local initiatives, and we have the ability to accept donations earmarked for things such as relief in Haiti. However, there are other groups that are much better equipped to have an immediate impact on the crisis. We have listed three of them on our website, but there are many others. In the case of United Way, our parent organization United Way Worldwide is accepting donations and mobilizing their partners in the Caribbean area to make a difference in the recovery effort. The Red Cross has probably the most established record in disaster relief. We have even posted a link to a site that tells you how to use your cell phone to make an immediate donation by text to a variety of known efforts, and I would urge you to use the one that best fits your thoughts to help make a difference.

Yesterday, at our Derby/Shelton Rotary meeting, our club voted to make a $500 donation through our Rotary International Foundation. A separate collection among our members present resulted in more than $600 in additional donations, and we will have a second collection next week.It was just one example of people looking to help and finding the right vehicle to make it happen.

Please look at the options available to you and think how you might help. Even a $5.00 donation will make a big difference. I saw one reporter pointing out that the Haitian clinic where he was reporting didn't have any aspirin, and that a $5.00 donation would make a world of difference in getting a supply of aspirin for the clinic!

For more information about Valley United Way, visit our website at www.valleyunitedway.org.

Small Grants Can Make a Big Difference

2010-01-07T09:18:00.000-05:00

Valley United Way currently has two small grants programs that will be awarding granrts during the first quarter of 2010. The first is the Spencial Needs Grants Program, and the second is the Youth Leadership Grants Program. Let me start by describing the smaller, but older program - the Youth Leadership Grants Program.

The Youth Leadership Grants Program was started way back in 1990 when the Youth Leadership Program was started. As part of the training for the students, we wanted to show them the importance of funding programs in the community, but also to impress on them the responsibility that goes with giving away money - and just how difficult it is to do so! The students first conduct their own needs assessment to determine the issues that they deem important to their peers. This becomes the focus for their grant making. They have currently posted their guidelines along with an on-line application form, and any group which has a program related to their priority areas may apply by January 22.

Once the applications are received, the students will then review the applications and may even visit with the applicants before they spend a weekend at Camp Jewell (Where they started their program last year!) reviewing the applications as a group and making their final funding decisions. Invariably, they will be asked for much more money than the $2,000 they have to give out. They will then have to make the hard decisions of choosing from many worth while programs for the dollars that they have available. Though it will be difficult, we have found that they have always done an excellent job. In fact, they do such a good job, that we ask two of them to serve on United Way's own Allocations Committee later in the year when United Way does its own allocations.

The Special Needs Grants Program is a result of the growth of desingated donor giving over the last several year. Some of our donors choose to direct their giving into speccific needs areas such as elder, homeless, hunger or youth issues among others. Those dollars are not part of the regular undesignated allocations pool and they must be used only for the areas designated by the donors. As a result, we created the Special Needs Grants Program several years ago separate fromthe regular Allocations Process.

Under the Special Needs Grants Program, agencies may apply for funding for items not covered through their normal budgets. Funds can be used to cover special emergencies, or new and emerging issues and programs. The dollars vary widely by issue, but many times they are enough to fill these special needs identifited by agencies within pargameters established by donors.

The application process for this program is done entirely on-line through our eCimpact web based software. Agencies have until January 22 to submit their applications which will then be reviewed by the Allocations Committee. They will then make their recommendations to the full Board of Directors for a final decision. We have approximately $35,000 available for this program this year.

You can watch for the funding decisions some time in March.

For more information about Valley United Way, visit our website at www.valleyunitedway.org.

A THANK YOU TO OUR AGENCIES

2010-01-05T14:24:00.003-05:00

As the New Year begins and the chill in the air continues, many of our United Way campaigns are wrapping up; including our partner agency campaigns. I would like to take this opportunity to thank them for the services they offer to our community including; Helping Youth to Succeed, Strengthening Families and Helping People in Crisis. This year, with numbers staggering for various forms of assistance needed, each agency is taking action by providing support to our Annual Community Campaign. Their staffs skills and talents measurably improve the lives of people in our community. Thank you to the following agencies and their Campaign Coordinators for completing their campaigns for the 2009-2010 year and to Carol Kirby of the American Red Cross for chairing this division:
American Red Cross-Carol Kirby
Birmingham Group Health Services-Joyce Macauda
Boy Scouts-Kevin Bishop
Boys & Girls Club-Jack Ribas & Anne Wheeler
Catholic Charities-Diane D’Amato
Derby Day Care-Gladys Lazurek
Girl Scouts of CT-Jennifer Smith-Turner
Julia Day Nursery & Kindergarten-Sharon Kelly
Parent Child Resource Center-Sue Vogt
SONCCA-Arlene Swatson
TEAM-Sue Westine
Valley YMCA-Suzanne Reilly
Visiting Nurses Association-Andrew Eaves

SoupBowlTickets.com Comes to life!

2010-01-05T12:19:00.003-05:00

Several times last year, I wrote about some incredible efforts in the Valley to deal with the issue of hunger including Griffin Hospital's amazing donation, United Way's Corporate Volunteer Council's building of Harvest House, the Letter Carriers food drive and the Scouts food drive. I also mentioned that several of the Valley's nonprofits were working together to make a suggestion from Jim Guarrera of Carey and Guarrerra Real Estate a reality in the fight against hunger.

Jim had come up with the idea of using surplus and unused tickets to sporting, cultural and other events as a vehicle for raising additional funds to purchase food. That idea has now come to life in the form of SoupBowlTickets.com, a website where people can purchase tickets to events or donate tickets that they will not be using. It will take some time for this to develop, but please take a minute to bookmark the site and visit it often to see our progress.

We also want to thank the Valley Association of Realtors who helped spearhead this effort with a $1,000 donation to get the project started.

You can visit the site at http://www.SoupBowlTickets.com.

For more information about Valley United Way, visit our website at www.valleyunitedway.org.

Merry Christmas from us to you!

2009-12-24T07:51:00.000-05:00

The United Way office is closed today as we prepare to celebrate the Christmas holidays with our families and we wish the same for all of our friends and supporters. We have several stories of what the real spirit of Christmas is on our web site showing the outpouring of community spirit that has filled our offices with excitement and joy for the last several weeks. We have stories about the incredible work of Energizer, the Corporate Volunteer Council, the Youth Leadership Program and the High School Volunteer Council. Pat Tarasovic has been incredibly busy in helping to coordinate these efforts, but I think she would agree that it has been a rewarding and inspiring experience.

The economy may be improving, but it certainly is still extremely difficult for many people. Thanks to all of the groups above, the holiday season will be considerably brighter this year. And it's not just because of the material gifts that have been provided, but rather the sense of community that all these projects generate. People in the Valley genuinely do care about their neighbors and given the opportunity are more than willing to help those less fortunate. Just take a look at the pictures on our website, and you will notice that everyone is smiling - and they are either working for someone else or donating to someone else! I can tell you that the smiles on the faces of those who benefitted were just as big!

I'm always amazed at how willing people are to respond to the needs of others in the Valley, and I have one smaller story to relate which illustrates the point. I received a call last Friday afternoon from a gentleman who had a very simple, but very complex request. He had a relative who was involved in an accident a year ago and had been rendered a quadraplegic. His medical needs are being taken care of but his freedom of movement has been severly limited, This man spoke of a family tradition of a Christmas party, and they really wanted to get the injured relative out of his home to attend the party. It was seeminly a small request, but terribly important to the injured man and his entire family.

Transportation to and from the event was the problem because of the need for a specially equipped van for the move. The man had located someone who could help with the transportation to the destination, but could not do the return leg because of the time of day. They had tried everything, but had hit a wall and called United Way as a last resort. I told the man that I didn't know what we could do, but I would try and get back to him as soon as possible. One of the great things that we have in the Valley is the Valley Council for Health & Human Services which is composed of just about the entire health and human service community in the Valley. Years ago, we linked them all by e-mail for quicker communication. I sent out an e-mail explaining the situation and asking for help and advice, not expecting to find an immediate solution. To my pleasant surprise, we got replies from four area groups offering their help, and several other e-mails offering encouragement even if they could not help.

I immediately called the man and gave him the good news. Though helping get someone to a family Christmas party may not seem like a major achievement, in this case it was something very special and means a very special event for a family just seeking a few hours of sharing and family celebration. This is one of those special moments when my job at United Way feels very satisfying!

It's been an incredible couple of weeks at United Way, and we want to thank everyone who has helped to make this holiday season so special. From all of us here at Valley United Way to all of you, we wish you a very Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and a very Happy New Year.

For more information about Valley United Way, visit our website at www.valleyunitedway.org.

Students Learn By Doing

2009-12-15T12:56:00.001-05:00

Friday, we had a story about members of our Youth Leadership Program and the High School Volunteer Council and their involvement in a couple of holiday projects. It serves as a great reminder that the next generation of community leaders is ready and willing to take their place when asked.

It also reminded me of two other recent examples of young people here in the Valley giving back to the community that in turn has supported them so well. Throughout the year, we have written about the problems surrounding hunger here in the Valley. One group that has been doing something about that for many years is the Housatonic Council of the Boy Scouts of America. Once again this year, they spent the first two Saturdays in November conducting their annual "Scouting for Food" drive. On the first Saturday, they delivered empty bags to area homes explaining that they would be collecting food the next weekend and urging people to put non-perishable items in the bags for the drive. The following Saturday, they went back and picked up the bags which were then distributed through the Valley's food bank system. It was a great way for the Scouts to not only learn about a pressing issue in our community, but to have a positive impact on it.

A couple of weeks later, I had the great pleasure of visiting Shelton's Senior Center on the Tuesday before Thanksgiving for a very traditional turkey dinner with the seniors. What makes this annual event so special is that the meal is put on by the Keystone Club of the Lower Naugatuck Valley Boys & Girls Club. With little fanfare, they have been doing this event for a couple of decades. Not only do they serve the seniors, but they provide entertainment and a raffle full of great prizes for the seniors. It's a great evening for everyone, and I'm not sure if it's the seniors or the kids who leave with bigger smiles on their faces.

These are all great examples of the value being delivered by many of the youth groups supported by Valley United Way and our generous donors. We all know that these services provide kids with great places to go and stay active. What these programs also show is that the kids are learning an awful lot about themselves, the community and the value of giving back. I congratulate all of them for a lesson well learned!

For more information about Valley United Way, visit our website at www.valleyunitedway.org.

Valley United Way Youth Groups Share Holiday Spirit with Community Members

2009-12-11T15:16:00.010-05:00

Valley United Way Youth Leaders were once again called to action, only this time as Christmas elves to lend a holiday hand in Santa’s visit. Santa Clause, Chris Kringle, yes the big man in red, stopped into Shelton’s corporate park on December 10^th in support of a local 3^rd annual Toys for Tots fundraiser.

Bob Scinto and his daughter Katie asked for some assistance from Valley United Way in preparing for Santa’s arrival and sharing the holiday spirit. The Youth Leaders, playing the role of elves, helped bake cookies, sing to the children and families and lent a keen eye in taking family photos with Mr. Clause along with expert photographer and Valley United Way Campaign Chair Fred Ortoli.

Santa came into town from 3-7pm, where he posed in family pictures with the children and families of corporate park tenants and employees. Santa was also able to collect all the toys that were brought in for less fortunate children – about 500 toys to be exact. Luckily Santa brought a really big bag and will deliver the presents to TEAM, making sure all the Valley’s children can have a Merry Christmas.

For the 10^th consecutive year, members of the Valley United Way High School Volunteer Council went on a Christmas caroling campaign. Singing for at least an hour in a half, members visited the senior citizen residents of Crosby and Wesley Village of Shelton.

After caroling, the students of the High School Volunteer Council left gifts and board games for the residents under the communal Christmas trees. Students from Emmett O’Brien Technical School demonstrated their tech-talent by making paper origami ornaments for the residents.

This was also the 5^th year students of the Valley United Way High School Volunteer Council hosted a group luncheon at the Italian Pavilion in Derby to celebrate their Christmas coordination.

MORE HAIR SALONS JOIN ‘HAIR TO CUT HUNGER!’

2009-12-09T11:43:00.011-05:00

Valley United Way in conjunction with many Valley Hair Salons continue to assist the community during this holiday season by collecting non-perishables for our neighbors in need. The drive is now 9 salons strong. Anna Durante owner of Capelli Salon and Sue Thomas owner of Susan Thomas Salon, both of Derby, are the latest additions. The Capelli Salon is also offering some incentives to her clients. With any wash/cut/blow-dry Anna will donate $2 of the service to Valley United Way as well as place the clients name into a raffle for a $50 gift basket of hair supplies. She also wants to continue her food drive into the New Year knowing that the need in the Valley doesn’t end with the Christmas holidays.

These hair stylists join the following salons in collecting non-perishables for St. Vincent dePaul of Derby and The Spooner House of Shelton:

*Panache Hair Design: 504 Bridgeport Avenue, Shelton 203.925.1990
*67 West Hair Designers: 39 New Haven Avenue, Seymour 203.888.2949
*Scissors-Hair by Penny: 48 Bridge Street, Ansonia 203.732.2556
*New Day Hair & Skin Salon: 500 Howe Avenue, Shelton 203.924.1673
*Maria’s Hair Gallery: 2 Division Street, Derby 203.734.4247
*Kut Rite: 63 New Haven Road, Seymour 203.888.4071
*Barber on Main: 328 East Main Street, Ansonia 203.732.0500
*Capelli Hair Salon: 131 Main Street, Derby 203.732.1977
*Susan Thomas Salon: Imperial Plaza, 676 New Haven Avenue, Derby 203.735.0927

Our sincere thanks go out to everyone involved. All Valley residents are welcome to bring non perishables to any of the participating salons.

HAIR TO CUT HUNGER continues……

2009-12-03T09:43:00.012-05:00

As December descends upon us, Valley United Way and 7 valley hair salons will continue their gallant efforts in collecting food for the needy. Their Thanksgiving donations to Spooner House in Shelton and St. Vincent dePaul in Derby were great and they expect the collection to be even better for Christmas! Diana Cirillo and Jeni Mastrony of Panache Hair Design-Shelton, Josie Campolattano of 67 West Hair Designers-Seymour, Penny Marganski of Scissors-Hair by Penny-Ansonia, Jennifer Kimen of New Day Hair & Skin Salon-Shelton, Maria Anderson of Maria’s Hair Gallery-Derby, Lisa Raymond-Kut Rite-Seymour and Ron Sisbarro of Barber on Main-Ansonia and their staffs, are raising awareness on how important it is in these difficult economic times to help our friends and neighbors improve our quality of life.

Other hair salons are welcome to join HAIR TO CUT HUNGER by calling Laurel Vicidomino at Valley United Way-203.926.9478 or by emailing laurel.vicidomino@valleyunitedway.org. All valley residents are welcome to bring non perishables to any of the participating salons.

Temperature Goes Down – Needs Go Up

2009-11-24T09:50:00.007-05:00

As fall transitions into winter, United Way braces for a spike in requests for assistance. The cold weather brings a lot more than just snow. This time of year, not only those who are less fortunate, but also everyday people begin to struggle paying their bills.

Heating/Utility bills dramatically increase to combat the cold. In some cases it’s a catch-22 for people who are struggling. For example they can’t afford to pay additional bills but excessively dropping the temperature in a home to conserve can result in the freezing of pipes, which will only incur even more expenses. Combine this scenario with a Connecticut unemployment rate that is floating around 10 percent and you have yourself a serious problem. Often times people do not know where to turn, who to call or what to do.

By dialing 2-1-1, a toll-free info line, callers can reach knowledgeable, multi-lingual staff with questions on health and human services information, specializes services in child care, child development and disabilities and HUSKY health insurance. All 2-1-1 services are confidential. Representatives are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. In addition to being able to answer questions over the phone, 2-1-1 information is available online at www.211.org.

2-1-1 handled 6,754 calls that produced 9,782 requests for services from Valley United Way towns of Ansonia, Derby, Seymour, Shelton and Oxford. Here is the report of all 2-1-1 service requests in 2009.

Biggest service request increases:

Heat/Utilities +751

Public Assistance Programs +168

Food +104

Health Support Services +74

INTERESTING FACTS:

2009-11-20T10:06:00.009-05:00

In the past 2.5 years since leaving the teaching profession, I've had the opportunity to interview many people as to their views on donating to different causes. To my surprise, the number one reason why the people I have interviewed do not donate is because they were never asked!!!! So I would like to take this opportunity in my blog to ASK for donations to the Valley United Way, which will be distributed among 24 health and human service agencies.

The second reason why people have not donated was because they felt that $1, $2 or even $5 per week (on payroll deduction) would not be enough money to make a difference! This was a shock to me and I would like to show you the great services these dollar amounts can provide for our community. Please read on:

$1 per week over a year ($52) can provide:
-one night in Spooner House (shelter, food & services)
-toothbrushes for all children at Derby Day Care to practice good health habits
-a box of crayons or markers for 25 children
-one hotel night for a disaster victim

$2 per week over a year ($104)can provide:
-4 counseling sessions for a victim of abuse
-a Therapeutic Horseback Riding Adventure for a day
-shoes and a change of clothing for the victim of a fire
-a one year membership to the Boys and Girls Club for a needy child

$5 per week over a year ($260) can provide:
-5 nights of food, shelter and services at Spooner House
-10 hours of community education dealing with such issues as body safety, bullying and sex assault
-‘Special Programs’ for children at daycare facilities
-26 days of lodging for a homeless person

$10 per week over a year ($520)can provide:
-school clothes for 5 children
-40 hours of childcare
-an abused child with three months of therapy
-a Big Brother, Big Sister match for a year

I hope my blog provides you with information about Valley United Way that you can share with others. For details on additional programs and services we provide, please visit our website at: www.valleyunitedway.org.

Nick T.’s Tri Challenge Update

2009-11-20T09:41:00.006-05:00

Earlier this month we talked about Nick Tarasovic’s training for the Revolution3 Triathlon Race at Cedar Point, which will take place in Sandusky, Ohio on September 12, 2010. Nick will be raising money throughout his training that will exclusively benefit Valley United Way based on his accumulated miles, which will be posted on our website.

You can select to a variety of pledge levels. Here’s how it’s broken down:

Competitor - $0.01 per mile

Contender - $0.02 per mile

Elite - $0.03 per mile

Champion - $0.04 per mile

World Class - $0.05

Olympian - $0.06 and above per mile

Things to note about your donations:

All your funds go directly to Valley United Way.

All races expenses and fundraising costs are paid by Nick T.

Pay monthly or at race date 9/5/10.

You can designate what agency you want funds to go to.

Website will update weekly mile totals. Any miles over 6000 are optional for donor’s pledge.

Nick has logged in 553.5 miles so far and expects to log between 4,000 and 6,000 total miles by September 2010.

Commodore Hull Thanksgiving Day 5K Road Race - a new tradition

2009-11-18T13:06:00.000-05:00

Several years ago after running in the Labor Day road race in New Haven, I ran across a Derby childhood neighbor, Glenn Gaetano, who also ran in the race and who had just moved back to the Valley. During the course of our conversation, the subject of a road race in the Valley came up, and we both thought it would be a great idea to think about a new event for the Valley.Several months later, we sat down along with Glenn's friend Tom Wilson of the Wilson Agency at his office in Shelton and did some brainstorming. Out of that meeting came the idea for a new community event to be held on Thanksgiving morning that would highlight the history of the Valley and celebrate the rebirth of the downtown areas of Shelton and Derby through a 5K road race which is now in its eighth year and is known as the Commodore Hull Thanksgiving Day 5K Road Race.

For those who don't know, Commodore Isaac Hull is one of the greatest naval heroes in U.S. history. He was in command of the U.S.S. Constitution during the War of 1812 when she earned the nickname "Old Ironsides" with a spectacular victory over the British ship, Guerriere. Since Hull was born in derby and lived in both Shelton and Derby, a race through the streets of his two native towns would be a perfect way to keep his name alive in our Valley. Of course the Rt. 8 bridge over the Housatonic River also bears his name, but this would be an interactive connection with this great hero.

What we wanted was not just a race, but a community event. Along the way, we hoped to raise some money for a worthwhile charity, and we chose the Boys & Girls Club for its close proximity to the starting line at the Farmers Market on Canal Street. Securing Grece & Haines as our major sponsor - and they still are today - guaranteed that the race would go on and be successful. We hoped to get about 150 runners and to get the race off in time for people to get to the morning high school football games. To our surprise we got over 300 runners in the first year, and a new tradition was born.

Now in its eighth year, the race has been a major success. In fact, it is a sell out! We have wonderful sponsors and volunteers (We can always use a few more - especially on race day!), but we have limited resources and have determined that our capacity to run a quality event is 625 runners. This year, we sold out all the spots by November 3. We would love to accommodate everyone who wants to run - and there were hundreds more this year - but we are more concerned with quality than quantity, and 625 is about all that we can handle.

The event starts and ends on Canal Street near the Farmers Market and winds along Howe Avenue, across Bridge Street to Derby, along Main Street to Elizabeth Street to the Derby Public Library and then reverses course back to Canal Street. It 's a great site to see such activity on the streets, and we invite everyone out to cheer on the runners.

One last thing - in addition to turning into a great community event, it has become a successful fund raiser as well with approximately $50,000 raised for the Boys & Girls Club. That's a tribute to all our sponsors, an incredibly dedicated group of volunteers and our runners. To learn more about the race click here.

For more information about Valley United Way, visit our website at www.valleyunitedway.org.

Do You Know What to Bring to a Food Drive?

2009-11-13T10:37:00.008-05:00

Thanksgiving is unmistakably the busiest time of the year in food pantries. Food drives are frequently held in an effort to meet the ever-increasing need for assistance. The trick to these food drives is donating items that can be used. Do you know what to bring?

The biggest phrase you may hear around food drives is non perishables. Simply put, non perishables are food items that have a very long shelf life and won’t spoil immediately. Here are some good examples: ready to eat vegetables, bottled water, protein bars, cereals, pastas and noodles, crackers, rice, peanut butter and baby food in addition to various food spices and seasonings. Also remember that you can’t go wrong with canned, jarred and pickled foods like: canned veggies, soups and tuna fish.

Other items you might want to consider are a variety of hygiene products. These can include but are not limited to: toilet paper, razors and shaving cream, toothbrushes and toothpaste, soap, deodorant and nail clippers. While food this time of year is very important, these basic products can easily be forgotten.

As a rule of thumb you should check with a coordinator of a local food drive to see if there are any particular items of interest they are seeking. Are they looking for turkeys and actual groceries because they have refrigerated trucks or are they just collecting canned products? Bringing the wrong products can be a waste and can be avoided with a simple phone call.

As always you can contact our Valley agencies with food pantries for details.

Father McKenna St. Vincent de Paul Society - (203) 734-7577

Spooner House - www.act-spooner.org

IN 2008, YOUR DOLLARS HAVE PROVIDED THE FOLLOWING SERVICES:

2009-11-13T10:23:00.004-05:00

• Certification of over 3500 individuals in CPR, first aid and water safety?
• Canteen and volunteer support to 85 blood drives?
• Food, shelter and support services to 4291 Valley individuals and families?
• 102 homebound senior citizens with nutritious diet-approved meals?
• 3035 Valley youth with recreational, educational, physical and social development programs?
• 1658 Valley girls with life skills programs?
• 5280 Valley school aged students with education on body safety, sexual harassment, bullying, and sexual assault and date rape drugs?
• 102 children who have experienced abuse, neglect or abandonment with a safe home?
• Confidential crisis and counseling services, a 24 hour crisis hotline and support groups for victims of domestic violence?
• Quality, safe childcare in nurturing environments to over 600 children?
• High quality legal services to 195 individuals unable to obtain legal representation due to limited income, disability or discrimination?
• Compassionate, excellent home healthcare services?

As you can see, your dollars made a huge difference in our community. Please continue to give what you can to help our community in need. THANKS!!!!

Children & Poverty in the Valley - followup

2009-11-10T11:34:00.000-05:00

It was a very interesting session last night as TEAM, Inc. and the Valley Council for Health & Human Services brought together the community to discussion children & poverty. Close to 100 people showed up and participated. the Valley Independent has the full story including some video here.

For more information about Valley United Way, visit our website at www.valleyunitedway.org.

Children & Poverty in the Valley

2009-11-09T10:43:00.000-05:00

The Valley Council for Health & Human Services and TEAM, Inc. are hosting a special community conversation on children and poverty in the Valley. Elaine Zimmerman, Executive Director of the CT Commission on Children will be on hand to inform the community to what extent there is an issue in the Valley and to create a dialogue on how to deal with it.

The session will be held at John J. Sullivan's in Ansonia from 5:00 pm to 7:30 PM. Call 203-736-5420 ext. 1202 if you are interested in participating. Reservations are required as there will be a dinner served. Child care will also be provided.

For more information about Valley United Way, visit our website at www.valleyunitedway.org.

Art & Philanthropy Joined Together

2009-11-09T10:37:00.000-05:00

The Valley Philanthropy Council held its second annual Art of Giving show yesterday at the Greater Valley Chamber of Commerce, and it was a major success. The Council, which was first started by Jane Snaider, former Director of Resource Development at Valley United Way, is a collaborative effort of eleven
Valley organizations including Valley United Way. The Council partnered with the Valley Arts Council on this project which created a juried art show with artists submitting pieces under the theme of the Art of Giving. The art work will be on display at the Chamber throughout the month.The two Councils will share in the proceeds of any sales made of the art work with the artists receiving the bulk of the sales for their works.

Our own Dave Grant was presented with the Philanthropic Leader of the Year Award at the event, the first of several awards for him this month! You can find full coverage of the event including a video on the Valley Independent Sentinel.

For more information about Valley United Way, visit our website at www.valleyunitedway.org.

HAIR TO CUT HUNGER

2009-11-06T10:57:00.006-05:00

A food drive for Valley United Way to assist the Spooner House of Shelton and St. Vincent dePaul of Derby is the brainchild of hair designers Diana Cirillo and Josie Campolattano. Diana is co-owner of Panache Hair Design, Shelton with her sister Jeni Mastrony and Josie is the owner of 67 West Hair Designers, Seymour. Both understand that the need for food in the Valley is great and want to do whatever they can to help. They have also enlisted some of their colleagues. Ron Sisbarro of Barber on Main-Ansonia; Maria Anderson of Maria’s Hair Gallery-Derby; Jennifer Kimen of New Day Hair & Skin Salon-Shelton; Lisa Raymond of Kut Rite-Seymour; and Penny Marganski of Scissors-Hair by Penny LLC-Ansonia, have all banded together with Diana and Josie to collect nonperishable’s through Thanksgiving and then once again for the Christmas holiday. Not only are these salons collecting food, “We are raising awareness on how important it is in these difficult economic times to help our friends and neighbors improve their quality of life,” states Diana Cirillo.

Diana, Josie and friends welcome other hair salons to join HAIR TO CUT HUNGER by calling Laurel Vicidomino at Valley United Way 203.926.9478 or by emailing laurel.vicidomino@valleyunitedway.org. All Valley residents are welcome to bring their non perishables to any of the participating salons at the addresses below:

Panache Hair Design, 504 Bridgeport Ave., Shelton

67 West Hair Designers, 39 New Haven Ave., Seymour

Barber on Main, 328 East Main Street, Ansonia

Maria’s Hair Gallery, 2 Division Street, Derby

New Day Hair & Skin Salon, 500 Howe Ave., Shelton

Kut Rite, 63 New Haven Road, Seymour

Scissors-Hair by Penny LLC, 48 Bridge Street, Ansonia

Finding new ways to help provide more food

2009-11-06T10:27:00.000-05:00

Last night at the Gold Seal Awards Dinner, Jim Guarrera of Carey & Guarrera received one of the prestigious awards for his dedicated community service. Jim has been involved with many Valley organizations down through the years, but in recent years has been heavily involved with the St. Vincent DePaul Society which became United Way's newest partner agency earlier this year. Jim has seen a explosive growth in the need for food for clients that has been duplicated across the Valley with every agency that provides food for those in need.

Earlier this year, Jim came up with a great idea to prevent waste, do a bit of "recycling" and help alleviate hunger all at the same time. Because of St. Vincent DePaul's past involvement with our Corporate Volunteer Council's Harvest House projects, he knew that Valley United Way has a very strong interest in hunger in the Valley. In addition to Harvest House, we have also been working with the Postal Workers on the annual food drive that they do in the spring. He also knew that United Way has been a leader in the use of electronic technologies that might come into play on his project. Jim apprached Pat Tarasovic and myself with his idea to raise more funds not only for St. Vincent DePaul, but for all the agencies that have food pantries.

Jim's idea is fairly simple, but requires some work to implement. He noted that there are many people throughout the area who purchase tickets for sporting and cultural events and never use them. He asked, "Why don't we ask those people to donate unused tickets to be sold at their face value and the proceeds used to buy more food"? He even had a catchy name for the project - soupbowltickets.com. It sounded practical for us, so we sat down and started to work on the concept. A website will be developed where the story of the need can be told and the donated tickets can be sold.

The first step was to get a grip on the need and to examine just what is being accomplished and how. We convened a meeting of the providers, and they have helped compile data on what they are currently doing and the gap for unfilled needs.

At that point, a remarkable thing happened. Griffin Hospital approached United Way for help in implementing a very ambitious gift that they wanted to make in the form of a full trailer truck of new food for the community! We temporarily shifted gears from Jim's concept to coordinating Grffin's amazing gift. You can read the story of that remarkable gift by clicking here.

That was quickly followed by the Postal Wrokers drive and then our Corporate Volunteer Council's Harvest House project. (Full story & video - http://www.valleyunitedway.org/VAC/weekofcaring/2009/news.htm).
Those were all incredible success stories, but not enough to keep up with the increasing demand. St. Vincent DePaul has already run out of food!

Last night, Jim spurred us all back to action during his touching acceptance speech. He publicly announced our intent to make soupbowltickets.com a reality. On top of that, he announced that the Valley Board of Realtors is making a doantion of $1,000 to help get the project up and running. We're not there yet, but we'll let you know when we are ready.

In the meantime, if you are interested in the project, please contact us. Let us know what you think of the project and maybe even your willingness to get involved!

For more information about Valley United Way, visit our website at www.valleyunitedway.org.

Just how far can Nick Tarasovic go for Valley United Way?

2009-11-02T13:41:00.000-05:00

Last week we were dealing with Farmers who had a unique Facebook challenge for Valley United Way, and this week we are moving on to athletes - well at least one athlete! I've known Nick Tarasovic ever since Pat Tarasovic came to work at United Way years ago. In Nick's case, I came to know of his love of sports and his high level of athletic ability. We even managed to get together for some basketball down through the years though the Senior Games. If you know Nick, he's pretty tall, and that always comes in handy when playing basketball. I'm not so sure that it is a great advantage when you are running, swimming or biking which is now Nick's big challenge - and ours.

Nick has been a runner forever, but in the last couple of years he has added the biking and swimming and completed his first mini-triathlon earlier this year after having run in several marathons down through the years. I don't think I need to say much about the dedication and determination that it takes for a marathon; but when you throw in biking and swimming events on top of it, it takes on a whole new life of its own. Evidently it works for Nick as he has taken off about forty pounds and is also taking seconds off all his times for the various events as well.

He has set a goal to run in the IronDistance Triathlon at Plymouth Rock next September and has already begun a training regimen. All he will have to do is swim 2.4 miles, ride a bike for 112 miles and run 26.2 more miles!! Now this is where you can participate by motivating Nick and helping United Way at the same time. We're following Nick's progress on our website and encouraging people to support his grueling schedule by pledging pennies per mile throughout his journey to the finish line next year. (You'd be surprised how pennies can add up when you train as much as Nick does!) It's simple to do by using the form on the page. During the course of the year, we'll be posting information and stories - and maybe some of your comments as we try to keep Nick motivated - not that he needs too much if you know Nick!

Nick gets plenty of motivation from his personal coach - granddaughter Grace Rose!

For more information about Valley United Way, visit our website at http://www.valleyunitedway.org/.

CAMPAIGN, CAMPAIGN, CAMPAIGN

2009-10-30T10:53:00.004-04:00

BLUMSHAPIRO kicks off their campaign with an ice cream social.

Our campaign season continues….Throughout September and into October, presentations were made at Ansonia schools, Webster Bank, BIC, Yankee Gas, California Closets, RD Scinto, Fletcher Thompson, HealthNet, BlumShapiro, Bank of America and ATT! And there are still many more to come. What better way to spread the word about the many great things Valley United Way does?

You may ask…

WHAT IS A CAMPAIGN PRESENTATION?
It is a 10 minute session, informing people of:
• What Valley United Way does for the community and their 24 Health and Human Service agencies
• How United Way agencies can assist you and your coworker’s families and friends
• Many volunteer opportunities available

CAN YOU HELP US BY HOSTING A CAMPAIGN PRESENTATION AT YOUR PLACE OF EMPLOYMENT?
We would love to talk to you about it, please email laurel.vicidomino@valleyunitedway.org for further information.

WE NEED YOUR HELP!

Jones Family Farms in the lead!!

2009-10-29T09:20:00.000-04:00

It's only been a week since the "Farmers Facebook Challenge" was announced and Jones Family Farms and Bishops Orchard began the dash to 5,000 new fans by Thanksgiving with the real winners being Valley United Way, the Working Lands Allianceand the Guilford Community Fund as the farms will be donating up to a total of $5,000 to the three groups based on the results of the campaign.

How are we doing?

During the past week, we've been posting, blogging, Twittering, Facebooking and e-mailing to get out the word of the challenge, and it seems to be working. Using the statistics provided by our good friends at the Valley Independent Sentinel, we've calculated that 3,288 new fans have been added to the two farms friends lists. We're excited that Jones Family farms is in the lead with 2,351 to Bishops 937 new fans!!

Check out the comments on the Fans page

One of the great things that comes out of this is not only the new fans added, but the wonderful comments being made on the pages. Just take a look at pictures and comments on the Jones Page, and you will get a feel for just how important farms still are in all our lives.

So, thanks to the farms and for all the new fans out there. Through our combined use of social networking,we really are a connected group!

Tri-Challenge Coming This Week

We're also working with a familiar face on another challenge that we hope to have on the United Way website this week. Just a hint - this one involves sports.

For more information about Valley United Way, visit our website at www.valleyunitedway.org.

"EXTREME HOME MAKE OVER” Valley Style!

2009-10-23T16:05:00.005-04:00

A legally blind Mother of three witnessed a miracle at the hands of so many Valley residents. After a home improvement went drastically wrong, she was left with a house that literally had a hole in the roof allowing all the winter snow and freezing rain to enter her home which cause mold to overtake her entire home.
Compassionate Community Services, Inc. had been helping Laura meet her everyday needs by providing food for the family etc. Kim Chernecky, Executive Director of CCS had nominated Laura’s house for the ABC Extreme Home Makeover show but she was not selected.
I remember like it was yesterday, Doris Burdo, a SHELTON resident called Valley United Way’s Volunteer Center to say that she was interested in Volunteering. After a nice conversation with Doris, she said that her husband was a contractor and he was very interested in doing a little volunteering as well.
Being aware as I was about Laura’s need for a new roof, I asked if he would be willing to go and take a look at her house. Frank Burdo, I’ll call him “Saint Frank”, said sure he would go and take a look at it. Frank immediately saw the enormous urgent need and set up another time for he and his brother to go back over to the house and build something that would al least stop the rain, snow and elements from entering her house. It worked! I remember Frank saying to me that her house was in catastrophic condition and that she needed a new roof. It was also very apparent that the mold was out of control and the smell had penetrated her entire home to the point that it was unhealthy for Laura and her three children to remain living there.
Just at the same time a few neighbors stopped bye to see if they could help and Laura told them to call me because as Valley United Way’s Volunteer Director my role was to assist non profit agencies if they had a need for Volunteers … I met Kim Chernecky and the need for Volunteers to help was quite clear from the start.
We rapidly spiraled into a speed that was like none that I had ever seen before! The next thing that happened was a meeting at VUW for everyone who was interested in volunteering. The CORE group of Laura’s Volunteers emerged…we had begun the task that would take nearly 10 months to complete from beginning to end… (More to come on Monday with more pictures…. )

NEVER DOUBT THAT A SMALL GROUP OF THOUGHTFUL COMMITTED CITIZENS CAN CHANGE THE WORLD; INDEED, IT IS THE ONLY THINK THAT EVER HAS.

For more information about Valley United Way, visit our website at www.valleyunitedway.org.

From Rachel's Challenge to Farmers' Challenge

2009-10-23T10:17:00.004-04:00

We recently blogged about a very special and serious challenge centered on preventing violence in schools called Rachel's Challenge. Today, we have another "Challenge", but this one is much lighter in tone. Our good friends over at the Jones Family Farms are involved in a challenge with some other good farmers - the people at Bishop's Orchards in Guilford. Their challenge involves growing, but this time its not plants and vegetables - it's donors and Facebook users!

For every fan that joins their respective Facebook pages between 8:00am Thursday October 22nd and 8:00am on Friday November 27th (day after Thanksgiving) the two farms have dedicated themselves to donate $1 each (up to a maximum of 5000 fans total between the two farms) to charities of their choosing. The friendly battle doesn’t end there however. The second place owner will travel to the winning farm and put in a good honest days work during the Christmas season.

Valley United Way is fortunate enough to be the recipient of Jones Family Farms generosity while the Guilford Community Fund will benefit from the Bishops Farm donation. The Working Land's Alliance will benefit from donations from both farms.

Here in the Valley, The Jones Family Farms are part of the social and economic fabric of the community. It's pumpkin time at the farm right now, and this weekend they have their special UNICEF Children's Festival going on. Children are encouraged to show up in costume and participate in a variety of special activities at Pumpkinseed Hill. My personal favorite time to visit is Christmas for the annual purchase of a real Christmas tree. I know that artificial trees are gaining in popularity, but there's nothing like your own fresh cut tree from the Jones Family farm. At other times of the year, its strawberries and blueberries that draw attention. And of course we don't want to forget the new winery (Not really so new, but in comparison to the farm's long history, it's still new!) and the food and cooking classes. The farm has truly become a year round destination!

Getting back to the challenge - We're also big believers in using technology and social media to keep people informed of what goes on at United Way and to invite their feedback. We have been a pioneer among United Ways dating back to being the first United Way in the state of Connecticut to have a website. We use Twitter, YouTube, Facebook and this blog in addition to the website, so when our farmer friends called, we were ready to respond.

The greatest thing about this challenge is that it is a win-win situation for everyone involved. Hopefully thousands of people will learn more about two great farms and three great nonprofit organizations. Not only will there be learning opportunities, but some real and "virtual" friendships will be made that hopeful will last a lifetime. And lest I forget, the donations will be very helpful during a period when the economy is stressing the resources of our nonprofits to the limit.

So let me close by thanking our friends at Jones Family Farms and Bishops Orchards for this innovative challenge, and we want you to go to the Jones Family Farms Facebook site right now and sign up to be a Fan - you'll be happy that you did!

And watch for another unique new challenge coming up next week at Valley United Way!!

IT'S CAMPAIGN SEASON!!!

2009-10-23T09:09:00.004-04:00

EVEN AT VALLEY UNITED WAY!

In late August and early September, Jack Walsh and myself made numerous United Way presentations, some of which included the Shelton, Seymour and Derby School systems as well as Griffin Hospital and Basement Systems of Seymour.

We have already received very successful campaign results from the Shelton school system who is up 85% from last year, the Seymour school system who is up 22%, Griffin Hospital who is up 20% as well as Basement Systems whose employees took a 'surprise $100 bonus each' from their CEO, Larry Janesky and combined it with additional personnel funds to increase their campaign almost 900%!!! WOW!!

These fantastic results could not be possible without the help of school Superintendants, CEO's and Campaign Coordinators at each location. We would like to thank the following people for their time, effort and dedication to Valley United Way in helping to make our community an even better place to live.

Shelton School System: Freeman Burr, Kathy Riddle, Sandie Zuraw.
Seymour School System: MaryAnne Mascolo, Christine Syriac, April Judd, Karen Wilczewski, Judy Laudati, Roxanne Lindgren, Lucille McGinn, Pat Sabatini, Alison Cunningham, Darlene O'Callaghan and Sue Duke.
Griffin Hospital: Patrick Charmel and Steve Mordecai
Basement Systems: Larry Janesky and Julie Morelli

A heartfelt thank you to all of you! More campaign info and results to come.....

Rachel's Challenge a success at Derby High School

2009-10-20T20:45:00.002-04:00

In addition to the regular allocations process, Valley United way generally offers a special round of funding for special needs grants that match the intent of donors who have designated certain areas of special interest. Though the grants tend to be much smaller then regular allocations, they can still make a major difference in a community. A good example is the grant made to the Derby Youth Services Bureau earlier this year.

Director John Saccu requested funding for help "keeping kids safe and on track". We would like to assume that schools are inherently safe places, but this week's tragedy at UCONN brings home the reality that there can be problems.

John wanted to create a series of real life situations through interactive theatre and improvisational role-laying by teens. Last Friday, the program came to life at Derby High School in the form of Rachels' Challenge. Rather than giving our own report, you can read about the program through students in the Journalism Class who wrote their story for the Valley Indepependent sentinel. Click here to read their account of "emotionally-charged silence".

New edition of the VUW e-newsletter posted today

2009-10-20T12:09:00.001-04:00

'Click here to read the latest edition of Valley United Way's e-newsletter.'

Bill Nimons is now Platinum!

2009-10-19T12:40:00.002-04:00

In an earlier blog, I congratulated Dave Grant and Pat Tarasovic for the community awards that they were receiving, and as if to prove that things happen in threes - I have another Valley United Way volunteer to congratulate. Board Member Bill Nimons has just been announced as this year's winner of the Greater Valley Chamber of Commerce's highest award for community service - The Platinum Award.

The award criteria speaks for itself. It is for someone who has been recognized with the Chamber's Gold Seal Award at least 10 years ago, and still remains active in the Community. Bill received his Gold Seal Award in 1990, but you would think it was just yesterday with his incredible and ongoing record of involvement. Bill was Chair of the Annual Community Fund Raising campaign back in 1986 and served as President of the Board in 1991. He is back on the Board now and is the Treasurer. You can read more about him by visiting the story about his 2006 Charles H. Flynn Humanitarian Award.

Bill will receive his award along with the Gold and Silver Award recipients at the Gold Seal Awards dinner in November. You can make reservations by visiting the Greater Valley Chamber of Commerce website.

Third grade reading and prison!

2009-10-05T10:41:00.002-04:00

This morning, the Valley Council for Health & Human Services' Early Childhood Task Force held an interesting breakfast with Elaine Zimmerman, Executive Director of the Connecticut Commission on Children as the speaker. She was there to discuss child poverty in Connecticut and the fact that 35,000 Connecticut children will fall into poverty during the current recession. She presented an overwhelming body of evidence including statistics showing the terrible costs of this problem.

One bit of information that jumped out at me was an assertion that third grade reading scores are being used to forecast future needs for prison capacity! On the surface that may seem surprising; but when you think of the long term impact that a lack of reading skills can have on someone's life, it is not as surprising as it may seem. She further made the link to pre-school education programs and the beneficial effects of ensuring that all children arrive at kindergarten with the basic skills needed to succeed.

She pointedly remarked that the Valley's efforts in this area are outstanding and that the level of cooperation that she has seen throughout the area is remarkable. What she didn't realize was that she indirectly played a role in helping to facilitate that collaboration years ago.

Just about fifteen years ago, she spoke in that same room at a Valley United Way government breakfast - and she spoke about early childhood and children back then as well. The group in the room included not only government leaders, but also the nonprofit health and human services agencies. The year before, a similar breakfast focused on substance abuse and resulted in the formation of the Valley Substance Abuse Action Council. This time Elaine's message was overshadowed by a proposed state plan to regionalize the delivery of services that would have had a devastating effect on the delivery of service to Valley constituents.

The group in attendance banded together and got the state to change the proposal to keep the Valley together and ensure that the Valley delivery system would remain intact. What also happened is that group realized the potential for working together and decided to form the Valley Council for Health & Human Services which has continued to meet monthly ever since to foster cooperation and collaboration among Valley nonprofits.

It was only fitting to have Elaine back today in light of the fact that the very first committee formed by the Valley Council was a youth committee which has evolved into the current Early Childhood Task Force!

Let me close with one very positive statistic that Elaine gave which shows why the work of the Task Force is so important. She noted that the return on every dollar invested in early childhood is 16 dollars. That's an amazing statistic, and one that we in the Valley should be very proud of.

Thank you for a great start

2009-10-01T09:01:00.003-04:00

I want to take a moment this morning to thank everyone involved with last night's Community Fund Raising Campaign Kickoff held at the Center for Cancer Care at Griffin Hospital. Patrick Charmel and everyone at Griffin Hospital could not have been more accommodating in sponsoring the event. Their own leadership in supporting the community and United Way is extraordinary and we are all very fortunate to have such a great community hospital serving our needs. The full story with lots of pictures can be found on our website.

The attendance was great even though it was an unseasonably chilly night for the end of September. That was more than made up by the warmth and friendship of everyone in attendance. The food was great as always, but the friendships were even better. We couldn't have a better Campaign Chair then Fred Ortoli. Fred is the perfect example of a community leader as you could tell from not only his own background, but also his remarks during the program.

Mike Marcinek, who has chaired four of these campaigns, did a great job as master of ceremonies in keeping the program moving and informative. The audience was responsive throughout the evening, and I hope that everyone enjoyed themselves and that we are all now prepared for the work ahead in making this year's campaign as successful as possible.

Watch for regular updates throughout the campaign.

Community Campaign Begins Tonight!

2009-09-29T13:27:00.003-04:00

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!

2009-09-28T09:58:00.002-04:00

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.

Harvest House III

2009-09-25T11:32:00.003-04:00

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.

Awards, Awards & More Awards!

2009-09-15T09:27:00.002-04:00

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

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

2009-09-02T12:47:00.000-04:00

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.

Back to School - new beginnings

2009-08-24T09:32:00.002-04:00

This is a very busy and exciting week at United Way as it is also for children and teachers around the Valley. While the first day of school for students is staggered between this week and next, all of the teachers will be back this week. It's an exciting time for all of them, and also for us as we will be getting an early start on this year's Community Campaign with meetings with teachers in Seymour, Derby and Shelton this week.

Those three schools traditionally run their United Way campaigns with their welcoming and in-service training programs for the teachers. It's a very upbeat time, and Laurel and myself really enjoy making presentations to the teachers as we are both former teachers in Valley school systems ourselves so it gives us a chance to renew old friendships at the same time that we do the campaigns.

Teachers in the Valley have always been generous supporters of United Way and I think that they see the value of services provided to community nonprofits to their students on almost a daily basis.

Our relationship with the schools has been a very strong one, and we will have another remarkable example of this on Thursday when our Volunteer Center's Corporate Volunteer Council holds their annual Back-to-School Clothes-for-Kids party at Irving School in Derby. The Council adopts a Valley school every year and clothes needy children for the start of the new school year. They rotate among the Valley towns, and this year they are back in Derby which was the site of the very first program in 1996. This year they are working with both Irving and Bradley Schools and over 200 children will receive clothing at the reception at Irving School on Thursday. We'll have plenty of coverage on our website later in the week, but this is one of the great "feel good" days of the entire year as you will see with the coverage this week.

We have plenty of other involvements with the schools ranging from our role with the Discovery early education programs to the High School Volunteer Council. During the last school year, I had the pleasure to serve on Shelton's Early Childhood Development Steering Committee and Derby's C.I.A.C. Athletic Review Committee. At Valley United Way, we believe very strongly in the work of the educational system in the Valley and appreciate the opportunity to assist where we can.

Just as the schools are beginning a new year, this is also the start of a new United Way Community Campaign, and we are pleased that we share in each others work and opportunities to make the Valley a better place to live and work.

Shelton Early Childhood Development

Steering Committee

2-1-1, a United Way partnership with the State of Connecticut

2009-08-17T09:29:00.002-04:00

The other day, I had my first tour of the 2-1-1 call center at United Way of Connecticut in Rocky Hill, and it was very impressive. We've written before about the incredible services offered by 2-1-1 and their most recent statistics are on our website. The numbers somehow seem even more impressive after visiting the call center and seeing just how efficient the operation is.

Connecticut was the first state in the country to adopt 2-1-1 statewide as a 24 hour a day, 365 day-a-year information and referral service. When I first started at Valley United Way, there were several regional call centers located throughout the state. Several years ago, it was determined that a consolidated call center would better service the state and the one center in Rocky Hill was established. It is a very high tech operation very similar to call centers operated by many commercial businesses.

The center's staff operates three shifts a day, and they are highly qualified with a minimum of a bachelor's degree and one year of equivalent service. In addition to those who handle the calls, additional staff members manage the database with its listing of thousands of services available throughout the state. On top of that, it requires a very skilled IT staff to keep the computer and phone systems working efficiently.

In addition to the generic services offered by 2-1-1, there are additional specialized services such as 2-1-1 Childcare, Child Development Infoline, HUSKY Infoline and Care 4 Kids. They handle over 450,000 calls per year, including the ability to handle multi-lingual calls.

They also maintain a very useful website and a second website called the 2-1-1 Navigator that allows people to quickly determine their eligibility for 24 state and federal programs related to health, food, child care and much more.

Connecticut's 2-1-1 is the national model for a successful information and referral service and is a unique partnership between the State of Connecticut and local United Ways that benefits all the residents of the state. After visiting the call center, i have a much greater appreciation for just how complex a job that it is - and how well it is being handled.

A Senior Moment

2009-08-12T12:48:00.002-04:00

Last week I had the good fortune to participate in the 2009 Senior Games in California. Modeled after the traditional Olympics, the event drew more than 10,000 "athletes" from all across America. Competitors aged 50 and above competed in 27 different sports ranging from Archery to Track and Field. Within each of the sports, divisions are held in five year age increments. Most of the events were held on the campus at Stanford University with Humana, one of the county's largest health insurers, as the main sponsor. Other events were held throughout the San Francisco Bay area. The Stanford campus is spectacular and its athletic facilities are world class. It's easy to see why they have annually have the number one rated NCAA Division I athletic program once you have seen the facilities.

My particular sport is basketball, and I was the boys basketball coach at Shelton High School for 10 years before coming to United Way. There were about 30 teams in our division from all across the country who qualified a year earlier by finishing first or second in their state competition. In my case, we were the representatives from Connecticut though we actually won the state tournaments in Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Vermont and New Jersey as well as Connecticut last year and could have represented any one of them.

As the graying of America becomes a major issue facing our country, events such as the Senior Games showcase another side of the aging issue. With most of the country currently fixated on the debate over health care, most of the attention is centered on the health costs of getting older. One way to help control those costs is to foster healthy life styles, and that is the great story of the Senior Games. The 10,000 competitors ranged in age from 50 to a 100 year old who was registered for tennis and bowling! What they all had in common was a desire to be fit and to compete. And from what I saw, they are succeeding. And the message that they are sending is that we need to encourage more people to maintain an active, healthy life style for as long as possible. Not everyone is going to win a gold medal at the Senior Games, but you never know if you don't try.

Getting back to the basketball, we did not win our age group. We won six games and lost three with all three of the losses coming down to the very last possession of the game. One of our wins was also at the buzzer in overtime. We played teams from New York, Nevada, Texas, Delaware, Illinois and Hawaii. Though I am disappointed that we didn't win the, we were more than competitive. I never expected to still be playing basketball at my age, but after seeing teams competing in an 80+ category maybe I've still got some years left after all!

Themed CVC Dress Down Days support 2009 Back to School Clothes for Kids!

2009-08-04T13:07:00.005-04:00

When Maria DeMaio, CVC member and Senior Accounting Manager for Fletcher-Thompson, Inc. was thinking about how to raise money to adopt children for the Back to School Clothes for Kids she asked her Special Event Committee to come up with some ideas.

Patti Deer, FT committee member, came up with the idea to set aside three Fridays and do something different on each one. The first Friday was “hat day” the next was “shorts day” and the third Friday was “tacky tourist day”! Everybody was really happy to pay $2.00 for the opportunity and support the kids and wear some fun stuff.

This picture is a group who dressed up for the “”tacky tourist day”! I think you can see they had some real fun!

Fletcher-Thompson has adopted two children and will be at Irving School on August 27th at 2pm to meet their adopted children. They will get to see first hand the kids open the box and see everything that was personally bought for them!

As Maria said, “It was a fun way to raise money for the Back to School Kids.”
Please share how your company is participating in the 2009 Back to School Clothes for Kids Program and send along a picture! Share your idea! You might inspire another company to do the same project and copy it (best form of flattery) or put their on spin on it.

Just think about that Thursday August 27th when the Irving School gym will be filled with laughter and smiles from 212 ecstatic children. They never would have all of these special things for school if it wasn’t for you!

I look forward to hearing from you….patricia.tarasovic@valleyunitedway.org

Interesting Week

2009-07-30T08:53:00.002-04:00

Inez D'Allessio celebrated her 99th birthday with us last year - see more below

This has been an interesting week full of good news tempered with some sad news, and we have many new stories on our website about 2-1-1 usage, John DeGray's acceptance of the Cornerstone Division of Campaign, a new series of videos about our Youth Leaders and the ongoing work of our three interns.

At the same time, I had the opportunity to attend two events this week that couldn't help but make you feel good about the Valley. The first was the move of a business to Shelton and the second was a play by some young children in Ansonia.

On Tuesday, Freedom Disability, hosted a tour of their new location on Forest Parkway along with a luncheon. Freedom Disability is involved with some very important work. They assist people in getting through the process of acquiring Social Security Disability. The company recently moved their headquarters to Shelton and changed their name from SSC Disability to Freedom Disability. They currently have 75 employees in Shelton and have plans to expand to over 200 in the next couple of years.

They moved into a building that was formerly occupied by Hasler, Inc. which moved to Milford about two years ago. Hasler was a great corporate citizen, and we have really missed them since they moved. However, we are thrilled that the building is now occupied by a terrific new business that is doing good work for people in need, and we wish them the best in their new headquarters.

On a side note, I was also thrilled to see the owner of the company, Alan Flaumenhaft. In my earlier life as a teacher and the boys basketball coach at Shelton High School I had run across Alan as a member of the basketball team at Amity - a fierce rival for us at the time. Alan was a very good player and quite a competitor, and it's no surprise to see that he has been successful in business as well.

Thursday night I was invited to attend a cute production of Alice in Wonderland at the Tinney Center in Ansonia. Naomi Wallace does a fantastic job with the summer camp held at the Center, and the children had worked for weeks in putting together their version of the Lewis Carroll classic. This was a very upbeat version that featured all of the main characters, but also included a four year old scene stealer who goes by the "stage name" of Little Ron-Ron. This little ball of fire did an impersonation of Michael Jackson's dancing that had to be seen to be believed - including the glove.

All of the characters were great. I don't think any of them were more than 10 or 11 years old (except for John Reynolds as one of the deck of cards!), but you could see that they were really enjoying themselves and the audience left with smiles on their faces - including me.

This program received grant support from the Community Foundations (Valley and New Haven) Neighborhood Grants program. I have served on the committee since the program started, and it was great to be able to see the value in person. I want to congratulate Naomi and everyone who works so diligently with her at the Tinney Center for all they do with the children at the Center and the Foundations for making their funding available for such a great program.

On a sad note, Inez D'Allessio passed away this week just short of her 100th birthday. Inez was a graduate (valedictorian) of Derby High School Class of 1927. In the last couple of years, our paths crossed several times. the first time came at a Thanksgiving dinner for senior citizens when I happened to be speaking and mentioned another member of the Class of 1927, Myron Horbal, who had attended the Rotary meeting that day. Inez's sister, Estelle, immediately introduced me to Inez, and she was amazingly spry and sharp. At the time she was investing in Microsoft because she knew that they were coming out with the XBox!

Last year Derby was holding a ground breaking for their new Middle School, and someone called me and asked about the school system's history and possible connections for the ground breaking. They invited Myron and Inez to the groundbreaking, and they both made remarks - it was quite moving.

At our campaign kickoff last year at BIC, Inez and Estelle were in attendance. When Dave Grant heard that Inez had just turned 99, he quickly came up with a birthday cake and candles and our audience serenaded Inez with their own rendition of Happy Birthday. It was a very special moment, and I'm glad that Dave was so quick with the improvisation.

As always, there's a little side note. When I was a freshman at Derby High School, I had my first encounter with one of the D'Alessio sisters. Theresa D'Alessio was my Latin teacher. It turns out that she was also a graduate of Derby High School and valedictorian of her class - and Estelle was valedictorian of her Derby High class as well.

2-1-1 Calls refelect economy

2009-07-28T09:47:00.002-04:00

2-1-1 the statewide information and referral service for the State of Connecticut has just come out with statistics for the period from July 1, 2008 to June 30, 2009 and they are very reflective of what's happening with the local and state economy. Nearly 10,000 calls were made from the Valley during the year, and the number one service request by a wide margin was for information about utilities and heat. At the start of last year's heating season, fuel prices had sky rocketed, and there was real concern that some would not make it through the winter. Fortunately, fuel prices moderated and more state and federal assistance was made available.

Closely connected to the economy were calls for information about housing and shelter, public and financial assistance and food. One that most people don't necessarily think of but came up as the second most requested service in the Valley is outpatient mental health care. When you think about it, that is really not that surprising with the current economic situation. We are fortunate in the Valley to have a number of quality counseling services that can be of help.

During the last few months, we saw a dramatic increase in FEMA funding coming into the area that will have some impact on these problems, and we also saw major food drives by Griffin Hospital and the letter carriers which have helped to alleviate food problems. However, there are still many needs out there int he community, and 2-1-1 serves as a starting point for those in need to connect with the resources available for providing help.

2-1-1 is an incredible service, and Connecticut is the national model for the system. It is the first state to provide the service on a 24 hour a day, 365 day a year basis. There is currently a push to make the system nationwide, and Congress is currently deciding on the legislation to create the system. More information is available at http://211us.org/. We are fortunate in Connecticut that we already have the system in place - just ask the 10,000 people from the Valley who used the service during the past year!

Leadership Greater Valley - A Unique Community Program

2009-07-24T08:42:00.004-04:00

2008 participants pause while on the Valley Heritage Driving Tour during the History session.

One of the great community programs that Valley United Way is involved in is the Leadership Greater Valley Program which is a joint effort with the Greater Valley Chamber of Commerce and the Valley Council for Health & Human Services. Back in the mid '90's we recognized a need to create volunteer leadership opportunities and a diverse pool of new volunteers to meet the needs of the community.

Valley United Way wrote an initial grant in collaboration with the Council that created the original Leadership Program (called L.E.A.D. at the time). Very soon after, our first class was recruited and over the course of a couple of months given background training on leadership skills, nonprofit volunteer management, and the nonprofit community in the Valley. At the end of the training the graduates were placed in leadership positions including board positions with a variety of Council members.

The program took on a new name and look when Bill Purcell came to the Valley to head the Greater Valley Chamber of Commerce. When we first met, he told me that one of his goals was to start a leadership program at the Chamber. I was thrilled to hear that, as we were seeking greater corporate involvement with the existing leadership program. A new and improved Leadership Greater Valley Program resulted from the collaboration. The Chamber has taken on the day-to-day coordination of the program which is still guided by a collaborative committee drawn from United Way, the Chamber and the Valley Council. It is a unique partnership, and the community is the real winner.

We have just announced that we are taking applications for the Class of 2009 with the program slated to begin on September 17. That first session is one of my favorites as it is "The History of the Valley" and we will be taking the 15 participants on the Valley Heritage Driving Tour where they learn the incredible history of the Valley and get to know each other as they meet for the first time.

In subsequent weeks, we have programs on leadership skills, ethics, diversity and inclusion, government, economic development, health and human services, and life an leisure. Participants get a thorough working knowledge of the community and the chance to meet and interact with some of the most prominent leaders in the Valley. It's an extraordinary opportunity to develop new skills and build a network of Valley leaders at the same time.

What makes this program so unique is that at the end of the program, we ask people to put their skills to use for the benefit of the community by taking on a volunteer leadership position. Pat Tarasovic, our Volunteer Center Director, works with the participants to find them a volunteer position with a Valley nonprofit or possibly a local government board, commission or committee. We currently have three graduates of the program on our Board of Directors at Valley United Way, and the background that they received through the program has been a great asset for our entire board.

You can find all the information about the program by clicking here.

Electronic Newsletters Save Money, Speed Communications

2009-07-17T09:02:00.002-04:00

At Valley United Way, we always strive to keep the community informed on a timely basis about what is going on at United Way. The most timely and cost efficient way of doing that is with our website (valleyunitedway.org) which is updated constantly. It contains all the latest information as well as tons of pictures and videos. We're proud that back in the mid 1990's, we were the first United Way in Connecticut - and one of the first in the entire country- to see that the Internet was going to be much more than a fad, but a real tool.

At the same time, we have maintained a traditional printed newsletter that is mailed to the community periodically. We don't do that as often as we did in the past because of the time and expense involved - and also because the news in it may be weeks or months old in some cases. However, we also recognize the impact and value of a printed newsletter and the fact that many in the community have not fully embraced electronic media. For those reasons, we will continue to publish the hard copy, but probably only twice a year.

We have been doing electronic newsletters for several years now, but during the past year we have been able to use a great new service to manage the production and dissemination of the newsletter using the Constant Contact Service. Constant Contact has made this service available to us free of charge, and it has dramatically improved our efforts at no additional costs. This is an "opt-in" service where users choose to subscribe to the newsletter rather than having it "spammed" to them. By managing our mailing lists, Constant Contact sifts out out-of-date addresses and allows users to manage the newsletters that they receive. They also maintain our newsletter archives, so that users can go back and read earlier newsletters at their leisure.

If you are not already subscribed to our electronic newsletter, click here to access the on-line sign up form. You simply enter your e-mail address and hit GO to be sent to the registration page where you can customize your choices. We currently have a general newsletter and one for the Corporate Cup, but may add others in the future. You can subscribe or unsubscribe at any time.

We are also heavily involved in other electronic communication efforts. If you visit our website, you can find links to our Twitter account for instantaneous news from us, our YouTube channel for all the latest videos from Valley United Way, and yes even our Facebook page. We firmly believe that the more that you know about us, the more that you will understand the true value of Valley United Way. We try to make it as easy as possible, and we value your feedback on how we are doing. This blog offers a great opportunity to comment on those efforts, but e-mails are always welcome as well.

Gifts in Kind Program Truly is a Gift

2009-07-08T08:29:00.004-04:00

One of the under-utilized services provided by Valley United Way is our Gifts in Kind Program which combines the power of a large international source of product donations with a local, personal touch for the benefit of area nonprofits. Valley United Way is the local sponsor of Gifts in Kind International. Gifts In Kind describes itself as "the largest charity in the world that focuses on new product donations from corporations. We, in turn, provide these new products to 150,000 community charities in America and throughout the world. Gifts In Kind partners with thousands of companies, including nearly half of the Fortune 100 consumer and retail product corporations. IBM, Mattel, Gap, Avon, Office Depot, HP, Adobe, Bed Bath & Beyond, Dell, Nike, RadioShack, Hanesbrands, and Talbots. Many more leading corporations make their in-kind donations through Gifts In Kind International."

Because we are the local sponsor of the program, any Valley nonprofit organization can receive products through this program. Much of the software that we use here at Valley United Way has come through the Gifts in Kind program as well as another that I will describe later. Agencies who want to take advantage of the program should simply visit the Gifts in Kind website to see what is available. If they find something that they need, they can contact us and we can provide them with our local ID which will allow them to obtain their needed products. There is usually a small handling fee, but it is minimal in comparison to the value of the donated products. You can view a sample catalog of products by clicking here.

We have also been successful in developing our own local version of the program using our network of Valley nonprofits linked to the Valley Council for Health & Human Services. We often get calls from people and companies looking to donate surplus products. Though we do not have the ability to warehouse such items, we can see if there is an agency that has a need and match them with the donor to complete a match. Furniture and computer equipment have been popular items, but we've had some unusual items including an 800 pound safe that were donated through this program.

I should also point out that our Volunteer Solutions website offers agencies an opportunity to post a wish list of items that they need and also for donors to list items that they are looking to donate. We'll post more about that in another blog.

Finally, I want to point out another tremendous source of computer software products for nonprofits to access. TechSoup.org has been around for years, and is simply unbeatable for software donations. We have the latest Microsoft Office products on all our machines at United Way because we were able to purchase the licenses through TechSoup. The license fees cost us only $20 per computer! I am also on the board of directors at the Derby Neck Library, and when the new computer center in the building addition was opened, we saved thousands of dollars using the Microsoft program. At that time, it was available through Gifts in Kind, but is now administered by Tech Soup.

At any time, Gifts in Kind is an incredible resource for the nonprofit community. During difficult economic times like we are in now, it is a necessity that should not be overlooked.

UPDATE: Ironically, five minutes after this blog was posted, a Shelton woman called to donate an electric stove as she had purchased a new one, and didn't want the old one to go waste because it is still in good condition. We'll update you if we get a new home for the stove!

Giving Away Money Is Never Easy!

2009-07-06T14:39:00.002-04:00

Every year when we start a new Youth Leadership Group, I tell them that at the end of the program they will be giving money away through an allocation process, and that giving away money is not easy! On first thought it would seem that giving money away would be very easy, but on further examination you quickly realize the responsibility that goes along with giving away money - particularly when it's not yours!

Consider that one of the greatest philanthropist's of all time, Andrew Carnegie, set a goal of giving away all his money before he died - and he was not able to succeed. Why? It's really quite simple. When you give money away, you want to make sure that you are doing it responsibly and using the money wisely. Carnegie and the staff that he hired to help him were very careful in examining all the requests that came to him before making actual funding decisions. Most of their decisions turned out to be correct, and we even see one example right here in our Valley with the Derby Neck Library which is one of the many libraries receiving funding from Carnegie.

That same attention to detail comes into play here at Valley United Way with our annual funding process just completed. The full list of allocations made can be found on our website, but I want to take a minute to thank our volunteers who took on the task of analyzing the requests for funding that we received this year. The process actually began in April when agencies submitted their requests. For the second year in a row, we have utilized a paperless process. Agencies completed the entire application on line, and then our volunteers came together to get their assignments. We had twenty-eight volunteers under the able leadership of Peter Galla this year. They were split into panels for health, social services and youth with each volunteer reviewing two agencies along with a partner.

All of the "paperwork" was on-line for the volunteers, but the real key for each was a face to face meeting with the agencies. This gives the volunteers an opportunity to ask questions about programs and financial information and to get a real feel for the services delivered by the agencies. It's also "show time" for the agencies as they can highlight the value of their services and give the volunteers a tour of their agencies. One year, the Girl Scouts brought along some of the Scouts to make their case. It was very effective as the girls ended up in the United Way video that year!

Once the evaluations are completed, the volunteers come together to compare notes and make funding decisions. That's when reality sets in, and it becomes obvious that there is not enough money available to fund everything being recommended. The volunteers then have to really sharpen their pencils and make the numbers work. This is the hardest part of the job as the volunteers recognize that every cut means fewer services will be available and that they need to balance all of the areas of need. It's not an easy task, but it is one that they do with fairness and compassion.

Their recommendations are then presented to the Board of Directors who make the final decisions. When times are tough and funding is tight, it takes the wisdom of Solomon to make the difficult choices that need to be made, but I want to thank all of our volunteers and the Board of Directors for their work this year.

Now that they are done, maybe we can send them to Hartford to help the governor and our legislators!!

Perkin Elmer Wins Again!

2009-06-24T14:28:00.002-04:00

Perkin Elmer is the 2009 Griffin Hospital Community Corporate Champion, but that's getting to be old news at Perkin Elmer as this is their third straight win and allows them to become the fourth team to retire a Corporate Cup with three wins. It was a very impressive performance this year as the dominated the series by winning five of the nine events and never finishing lower than fifth in any one of them. The complete story is on the Corporate Cup web page including a video interview with the winners and the complete final standings.

At one point in the interview, I asked Bob VanEgghen about the keys to Perkin Elmer's domination the last three years, and he immediately spoke about their persistence. Off camera, Geraint Phillips jokingly noted that the real key is the fact that he came to the Shelton facility three years ago, and Perkin Elmer has won every year since! That's no idle boast as Geraint competed in several events and is one of the great Healthy Team success stories this year. On top of that, his wife Kate was the first female across the finish line in the 5K Road Race.

This year's Cup event included the addition of a 5K run and Wiffle Ball as a new event. We welcomed BIC Corporation and Barnum Financial Group as new competitors. Griffin Hospital celebrated its 100th birthday and opened the new Cancer Center and their Cardiac Rehab Center for Healthy Team testing. As I mentioned last night, the sportsmanship displayed by everyone this year was extraordianary and contributed to the enjoyment of all.

Our real hope is that everyone who participated benefitted from the experience. We'll need to add up the weight lost, cholesterol scores improved and blood pressure results that have dropped, but just discussing the event with participants shows that they have benefitted from their involvement.

I want to thank our name sponsor, Griffin Hospital, for the incredible job that they do in promoting wellness in our community. Most people think of hospitals as just a place to treat the sick. Griffin Hospital goes way beyond that in trying to keep us all well.

I also wnat to thank our other partners the Valley YMCA and the Greater Valley Chamber of Commerce. It's a partnership that we really value and which works excpetionally well.

I also want to thank our hosts for all of this year's events. Without their support, there could not be a Corporate Cup.

And finally, I want to thank everyone who participated. It was exciting to see so many people enjoying themselves while contributing their own health.

See you next year!!

The old and the new this week in the Valley

2009-06-22T09:00:00.003-04:00

This is a very big week in the Valley as we will be celebrating a 100th Birthday and also the birth of a new venture in communications. By now, most of you are probably aware from several other stories that we have featured on our website and this blog that Griffin Hospital is 100 years old this year - and they are celebrating with a big community birthday party on Saturday. But prior to that - on Tuesday at 4:30 to be precise, we are going to see the launch of the The Valley Independent Sentinel - the Valley's own on-line newsletter!

Having been born at Griffin Hospital - though not 100 years ago! - I have a special interest and pride in the achievements of our local hospital. They have accomplished a lot and positively impacted thousands upon thousands of lives here in the Valley. We are fortunate to have a community hospital in our midst that is ready, willing and able to meet our health needs. The past year has seen the hospital advance dramatically with the opening of the Cancer Center and the new Imaging & Diagnostics Center.

Saturday's event runs from 11 A.M. to 3 P.M. and includes tours, family fun, kids activities and much more. They are also looking for stories and pictures from people who have used the hospital. Bring along those old baby pictures!

On Tuesday, the Valley will give birth to its own on-line newspaper when the Valley Independent Sentinel prints - no publishes - its first edition. For those still mourning the death of the old Evening Sentinel, this new electronic version promises to be chuck full of the latest news - but only from the Valley. This unique venture is actually a nonprofit sponsored by the Online Journalism Project, Inc. and funded with through grants from the Valley Community Foundation with a major grant from the John S. & James L. Knight Foundation.

We are fortunate in the Valley to be served by regional daily newspapers as well as local weekly newspapers, and the Valley Independent Sentinel will be a welcome addition to the flow of information in the Valley. Years ago when we started The Electronic Valley, the Valley's on-line website participants were bemoaning the loss of the Evening Sentinel and radio station WADS. The costs of starting a printed daily newspaper or a new radio station were prohibitive and the technology was already advancing electronically, so The Electronic Valley was launched and has provided the Valley with an Internet presence ever since. It was never designed to be a newspaper, but rather a constantly changing resource of information for and about the Valley. The Valley Independent Sentinel injects a new form of electronic journalism that offers incredible potential. Now, how about an Internet Radio Station - or a daily podcast of Valley news??

Stop by Ansonia City Hall tomorrow at 4:00 P.M. to be part of the launch or simply log on to read the firs edition!

Corporate Volunteer Council and Volunteer Center Upcoming Events

2009-06-19T13:42:00.005-04:00

Welcome to my first blog post! I am excited to be able to share what is happening in the Valley United Way's Volunteer Center is this innovative new way. Visit regularly to keep up-to-date on the great things VUW volunteers are doing in our community.

For those of you who may not know about the Volunteer Center, we serve the Valley by bringing caring people together to meet community need. Working with employees from Valley businesses that participate on the Corporate Volunteer Council, and with students from local high schools that make up our High School Volunteer Council and Youth Leadership Group, we coordinate a variety of volunteer efforts that improve lives in our community. For more information, visit the Volunteer Center page on http://www.valleyunitedway.org/.

Exciting things are in the works by our Corporate Volunteer Council --
On July 16, we will kick off our first Volunteer Recruitment Social Event from 5:00 to 7:00 PM at Basement Systems in Seymour. We welcome all CVC companies -- and all other Valley businesses who are interested in joining the Corporate Volunteer Council. Contact Dan Fitzgerald of Basement Systems at danf@basementsystems.com for more information.

The CVC has chosen Irving and Bradley elementary schools in Derby to be the recipients of this year's Back to School Clothes for Kids program. Student profile sheets will be available beginning June 29. Contact Carol Anzidei at carol.anzidei@valleyunitedway.org to participate in the program.

We are proud to announce plans for Harvest House III -- a house of donated food to be built on Shelton's Riverwalk from September 24 - 28th. Food collected for Harvest House will be distributed to the Valley hungry by seven different food banks and charitable agencies.

More information about all of these events will be posted shortly. Be sure to check the Valley United Way's website -- and my blog -- on a regular basis!

I want to hear from you! How is your company, school or civic group supporting VUW volunteer efforts? Share your comments, ideas, and best practices with other groups by posting them or emailing me.

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it is the only thing that ever has" - Margaret Mead

A HUGE THANK YOU!

2009-06-18T14:07:00.006-04:00

Each day I look at the pictures on our website, www.valleyunitedway.org
I chuckle! What a great night! But it would not have been possible without the help of some very special people.

First, our sponsors: Bob Scinto, for allowing us the use of the beautifully renovated Il Palio Restaurant; Ed, Rakesh & Ray from Cork & Keg for providing the beer and wine and Charlie Sullivan of John J. Sullivan's Restaurant for providing the tequila sunrises and Harvey Wall bangers for the evening.

Also, to Cindi Robinson-general manager,Jeff Urban-executive chef and Sue-our talented bartender of Il Palio, for their excellent food and service. And of course, Bill Piaciatelli, our wonderful DJ who had people dancing to the 70's for hours. In addition, thanks to our volunteers, Joyce Saltes, Liz Egan, John Ready, Allison Wilson, Adrienne Cabral, Melissa Pucci and Patricia Tarasovic who helped with registration, photography and raffle tickets sales. They were just the BEST!!!

Our silent auction donators: Bob Scinto & his daughter Katie for the Bluefish box seats, Mike Quoka of Oxford Paint and Hardware for the Ducane Gas Grill, Bob Grier Photography for the Cleveland golf putter, Linda Holmes-Hannon of Homewood Suites for the overnight stay and Charlie Nolan of Soundview Food Service for the gift certificate toward a catered event.

Our raffle prize donators: John J. Sullivans, Center Stage, Panache Hair Design, Yankee Clipper, B & L Men's Store, Brookside Inn, Latex Foam, Maria's Hair Gallery, Melissa Pucci, PJ's and Company, River Restaurant, Simply Body Walmart and Townline Storage for their gift certificates!

Oh and I can't forget, a million thanks to all of you who attended our 70's night! With the funds we raised, we will be assisting those in need to improve their quality of life. Have a great weekend!

"Live United" - More than a slogan at Valley United Way

2009-06-18T10:47:00.002-04:00

For more than a year now, we have been promoting the value of "Living United" and featured many stories of people and groups from around the Valley who make this a better community through individual and group initiatives. There are many ways to share "time, talent and treasure" and at United Way we like to promote and recognize those efforts.

At the same time, we also Live United ourselves with staff members and our volunteer leaders being involved in a wide variety of community activities not associated with United Way. One of those connections is one that Pat Tarasovic and I have with Rotary. We are both members and Past Presidents of the Derby/Shelton Rotary Club. Dave Grant, Vice Chair of United Way's Board of Directors is also a member and Past President of the Club.

Last night the Club held its annual installation dinner at which it celebrated the extraordinary accomplishments of the Club during the past year's tenure of President Linda Holmes-Hannon. The Club has done some amazing things in the last year and its record in giving back to the community is exceptional. At the same time, Dave was installed as the new President of the Derby/Shelton Rotary Club. In the long history of the Club - It was founded in 1927 - no one has ever come back to serve a second term, and now Dave will be the first! The motto of Rotary is "Service Above Self" and you might say that Dave takes it to the extreme as he was even seen serving food in the buffet line!

Pat and I were pleasently surprised to receive some special honors from the Club as well. Linda presented Pat with a Paul Harris Fellow award for her outstanding contributions to the Club over the years, and I was given the Rotarian of the Year Award. I think we were both very honored and humbled to receive special recognition for things that we consider to be ordinary.

When I arrived home after the event, I had an e-mail from the Housatonic Council of the Boy Scouts of America announcing their Good Scout Award. It was no surprise to learn that they are presenting the award to Fletcher Thompson, Inc. for all they do for Scouting. Fletcher Thompson is also a great supporter of United Way, and Mike Marcinek is our current Board Chair and a four time Campaign Chairman. In the years since they moved to the Valley, they have become a leading corporate citizen and an example for others to follow.

As I said earlier, Live United is more than a slogan here at United Way, and every once in a while it's good to pause and think about how we can all make a difference by "Living United" in our own way.

CPTV - United Ways Focus on Volunteerism

2009-06-16T08:41:00.002-04:00

Valley United Way is very pleased to be taking part in a new initiative, The Power ofGiving: Stories of Volunteerism, currently being presented by Connecticut Public Television. Valley United Way has long been a leader in promoting volunteerism in the Valley and established its own Volunteer Center in the early '90's. It was also one of the first United Ways in the entire country to adopt the Volunteer Solutions on-line tool as a means of making it easy for volunteers to find opportunities in the community.

CPTV had a major success in 2008 when they conducted a "volunteer-a-thon" instead of a pledge drive as part of their Connecting Our Communities initiative. They partnered with United way 2-1-1 to assist with the numerous calls received. This year, they are expanding on those efforts with "The Power of Giving: Stories of Volunteerism" effort. They were working with United Way of Connecticut when Rick Porth head of United Way of Connecticut called me seeking my input as I am currently serving as Chair of the CPO Council of United Ways in the state. I was enthused about the prospect, and Rick invited me to a meeting with CPTV representatives. However, I couldn't make the meting, and that was a good thing as I sent Pat Tarasovic, our Volunteer Center Director instead. Pat is our resident expert on volunteerism and the perfect person for the CPTV people to speak to meet. That meeting went extremely well and we bought in as a local United Way.

Last week CPTV representatives came to our state CPO meeting to discuss the partnersip which was endorsed unanimously by the CPO Council. On a side note - Nancy Bauer, who was one of the CPTV representatives driving the project on their end is an Oxford resident and a former student on mine from my earlier years as a teacher at St. Michael School in Derby - though we won't say how long ago that was!

The full story is on our website, but we are fully supportive of this effort and our own continuing efforts to encourage volunteerism by making it easier for both potential volunteers and agencies needign their services to make a match.

Supplemental FEMA Funding Helps in Valley

2009-06-15T09:08:00.003-04:00

FEMA funding provides dollars to communities all across the country to meet basic needs such as emergency shelter and food. Here in the Valley annual FEMA funding has been available for more than 25 years. The funding formula is based on unemployment figures in the area and varies from year to year. Valley United Way serves as the local coordinator for the program bringing together local providers to work on an equitable distribution of dollars that is then passed on for regional funding decisions in New Haven and Bridgeport.

This past year has been a remarkable one as funding to the Valley through the annual allocation reached a record breaking $96,446. You can see how the dollars were distributed on our website.

Needless to say, the additional funding could not have come at a better time as agencies are also reporting record demand for services.

We recently received notice that the the American Recovery and Reinvestment ACT includes additional funding for the Emergency Food and Shelter Program, and the Valley is eligible for an additional $44,000 in funding. Agencies were invited to submit applications for the funds, and we held a local meeting to discuss the best use of the funds in light of the current situation in the Valley. Recommendations have been made for the effective distribution to cover the expenses for additional shelter, food and some limited rent & mortgage assistance. The actual funding decisions are being made by the regional coordinating councils which are facilitated by the United Ways in New Haven and Bridgeport. We will post the decisions on the United Way website as soon as they are finalized.

I want to thank the providers of emergency services in the Valley for their cooperation and coordination in making sure that the dollars available are put to the best possible use. The agencies do a great job in working together for the benefit of everyone in the community in need, and they should be commended for their efforts not only for what they do at their own agencies, but also for working so well with other agencies.

OH WHAT A NIGHT!

2009-06-12T09:35:00.006-04:00

Well, it wasn't late December back in '63 but it sure was mid-June in the 70's! Community members dressed in their 'finest' were out to display their leisure suits, bell bottoms, headbands, platform shoes, 70's wigs, etc....FABULOUS!!!

From the wonderful 70's themed foods sponsored by Il Palio, to the great wines sponsored by Cork & Keg of Shelton, Tequila Sunrises and Harvey Wall Bangers sponsored by John J Sullivan's of Ansonia, to the groovy music of Bill Piaciatelli our DJ, the night was one to remember.

Special thanks to the group from Fletcher-Thompson, Inc. who definitely took the group prize for 70's garb! Then of course there was our own Chamber President, Bill Purcell in his white leisure suit, red sequins shirt and brown wig, as well as Diane Stroman, TEAM's Executive Director who looked like a million bucks in her spaghetti strapped dress, dark glasses and great wig! Fletcher-Thompson's CFO Mike Marcinek and Bill Purcell competed for a while for the John Travolta prize doing splits on the dance floor. Wonder how their legs feel today?? Valley United Way's Volunteer Director Pat Tarasovic and our Marketing/Communications Assistant John Ready also were adorned with great wigs and outfits! Check out our website www.valleyunitedway.org over the next day or so to experience all of the excitement!

Besides having a great night of fun and entertainment, we raised funds to help needy members of our community! That's what it is all about.

OH WHAT A NIGHT TO REMEMBER.....Thanks to everyone who attended and helped out!

TONIGHT IS THE NIGHT!

2009-06-11T11:14:00.001-04:00

Is your leisure suit ready?? Have you practiced your hustle and BUMP moves in those platform shoes? The 70’s party is ready to go!
Hope to see you tonight at Il Palio, 5 Corporate Drive in Shelton from 5-8pm. Beer, wine, 70’s themed drinks/food, dancing and a raffle/silent auction. Bring your friends and co-workers. $35 if you pre-register today or $40 at the door. It will be a great evening and I promise you will see some WONDERFUL outfits! Maybe even a dance contest??? Join us! www.valleyunitedway.com
Groovy……………………