Arte Inc. has scholarships

NEW HAVEN — Arte Inc. is accepting applications for its annual scholarship awards for Latino students and peoples of any age interested in pursuing the arts. The deadline is Jan. 29.
Scholarships, which range are $400-$700, are awarded in visual and performing arts, and may be used for classes, workshops, lessons, supplies, tuition assistance and other purposes the awards committee deems appropriate.
Among requirements are that applicants be of Hispanic or Latino descent and state residents for at least one year.
For a list of guidelines and applications, which also are available in Spanish, contact Arte at 203-787-2783. Applications must be sent to Arte Inc., 19 Grand Ave., New Haven, 06513.
There will be a reception for honorees at a time and date to be determined, which scholarship recipients are required to attend.

New Haven resident recognized for "outstanding artistic contributions"

New Haven resident Morgen Bromell ’10 was one of 14 Miss Porter’s School students recognized by the Connecticut Scholastic Art Awards program for their outstanding artistic contributions, the school said in a statement.

Morgen, shown, received a silver key award for painting. The silver key is awarded to works worthy of recognition on the regional level, the statement said. Miss Porter's School is in Farmington.
Students who enter the competition are "already a select group, as they must be chosen by an art teacher at their school," the school's statement said.

Each art teacher may select up to four students to enter the competition. Seniors may choose to submit Art Portfolios, which consist of eight entries. Accepted portfolios are called gold portfolios, and are submitted to the National Scholastic Art Competition. Student artwork is judged by professional artists and university art faculty, who select winners of the gold portfolio, gold and silver keys and honorable mention in each of 17 media categories.
Awards will be presented at a ceremony on Jan. 31, and an exhibit of artwork by Scholastic Art Awards winners will be on display at the Silpe Gallery at Hartford Art School in West Hartford until Feb. 5.

The Connecticut Scholastic Art Awards program is an affiliate of The Alliance for Young Artists and Writers, and is sponsored by the Connecticut Art Education Association.

Located in the center of Farmington, Conn., Porter’s is a college preparatory boarding and day school for girls in grades nine through 12. It was founded in 1843.

For more information visit www.porters.org.

There's still time

To see the January art exhibit

WOODBRIDGE - The Woodbridge Town Library art exhibit for January features Gregory Karas.

The show, displayed in the library meeting room, is dubbed "Local Color: Studio & Plein Aire Paintings."

Oraganizers said Karas, a Connecticut native, paints in several mediums, including oil, acrylic and pastels to depict landscapes and wildlife scenes.

Karas formally trained at Paier College of Art, graduating in 1983, organizers said.

He is a board member of the Valley Arts Council, and is a member of both the CT Plein Aire Painters Society and the Easton Arts Council. He lives with his family in Ansonia.

The exhibit is free and open to the public. All are welcome to visit, organizers said.

This might be your cup of tea

NEW HAVEN - The February selection for the Elm Street Book Group at the New Haven Public Library is "Three Cups of Tea," by Greg Mortenson.

The book is his account of his mission to promote peace by building schools in Pakistan, organizers said.

The discussion group will meet 6 to 7 p.m. Feb. 17, at 133 Elm St.

Copies of "Three Cups of Tea" are now available for checkout.

In a press release, organizers said these words were taken from the cover: "In 1993 Greg Mortenson drifted into an impoverished Pakistan village in the Karakoram mountains after a failed attempt to climb K2. Moved by the inhabitants' kindness, he promised to return and build a school. Three Cups of Tea is the story of that promise and its extraordinary outcome. Over the next decade Mortenson built not just one but 55 schools--especially for girls--in the forbidding terrain that gave birth to the Taliban. His story is at once a riveting adventure and a testament to the power of the humanitarian spirit."

For more information, visit http://www.threecupsoftea.com/.

The Elm Street Book Group meets the third Wednesday of each month at the library, and new participants are always welcome. There is no charge, and free parking is available. Readers who register in advance will receive a coupon to pick up a free coffee or tea for the discussion, compliments of Blue State Coffee on Wall St.

Details at http://www.3cups.eventbrite.com/ or call 203-946-8835.

National Organization of Italian American Women to honor three

NEW HAVEN — The National Organization of Italian American Women will honor three women: Lynn R. Fusco, president of the Fusco Corp.; Antoinette Iadarola, president of Lauralton Hall and Dr. Mary E. Tinetti, director of Yale Program on Aging, Yale School of Medicine.
The women will be recognized at an Epiphany celebration 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Jan. 31, featuring brunch and a silent auction, at the New Haven Lawn Club.
Tickets are $50. Sponsorships are available. For more details, contact Jo-Ann D’Addio at 203-645-6045 or jdaddio@hotmail.com.

Prenatal program offered

The Nurturing Families Network, a program by the Visiting Nurse Association of South Central Connecticut, will offer a free prenatal program beginning Feb. 6 at the Ora Mason Branch Library, 260 Benham Hill Road, West Haven
Organizers say the program will offer an experience to learn about your child’s development in their earliest stages. It will run from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Saturdays through April 10.
For more information, call Ashley Lowe, Nurturing Families Network parenting group coordinator at 203-859-6060 or e-mail alowe@vnascc.org
The Nurturing Families Network receives major funding from by The Children’s Trust Fund and the support of individuals and corporations.
The Visiting Nurse Association of South Central Connecticut is at 1 Long Wharf Drive, New Haven and at http://www.vnascc.org/

Illustration is courteay of Nurturing Families Network

Yoga for seniors

NEW HAVEN — Free yoga classes are being held at the following senior centers:
- Atwater Senior Center, 26 Atwater St., 9:30-10:30 a.m. Tuesdays.
- East Shore Senior Center, 411 Townsend Ave., 9-10 a.m. Wednesdays.
- Dixwell Senior Center, 255 Goffe St., 9-10 a.m. Thursdays.
For more details, call Debby Kahan at 203-387-2820.

Now showing: Greater New Haven Peace Council double feature

NEW HAVEN — The Greater New Haven Peace Council will sponsor a double feature film showing from 1 to 5 p.m. Saturday at the New Haven Free Public Library, 133 Elm St.
The film "Rethink Afghanistan" questions the current military policy there, and will be followed by a commentary and discussion with Afghan vet, Christopher Grohs, organizers said. The film "Billboard from Bethlehem" deals with how both Palestinians and Israelis can work together in harmony, as illustrated by their joint production of a billboard, organizers said.
Light refreshments will be provided at the event. For more information, call Henry at 203-389-9547, or e-mail grnhpeacecouncil@sbcglobal.net.

Nonprofit outlook for 2010

Series is free but registration is required

NEW HAVEN - The New Haven Public Library is the site for an event dubbed a "January Subway Supper Seminar" during which regional nonprofits and community organizations are invited to hear a 2010 Funding Forecast for Greater New Haven.
The event will run 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. Jan. 21 at the library at 133 Elm St.
Organizers said representatives from Casey Family Services, the Community Foundation for Greater New Haven, United Way for Greater New Haven, NewAlliance Foundation, Webster Bank, and the city of New Haven will be there hand for the discussion, organizers said in a statement.
The seminars bring regional nonprofit professionals and board members together on a monthly basis to network and gather expertise from a variety of talented presenters, the statement said, It is funded by a grant from the Frederick A. DeLuca Foundation and Subway Restaurants.
Previous seminars have examined social media, board development, professional writing skills, management issues, PSAs and video marketing, and other issues, the statement said. Nonprofit staff and board members are invited to gather at 4:30 p.m. for sandwiches, to be followed by a brief overview from each representative about funding priorities and grant cycles in the coming year, concluding with a general Q & A until about 6:30 p.m., the statement said.
The series of seminars is free and free parking is available. Space is limited and registration is required in advance at www.funding2010.eventbrite.com.
For more information call the library at 203-946-7431.

Is there a poem in you waiting to come out?

Or maybe you have already written one or many poems. If, so it might be fun to submit it to the library's poetry contest.



The 2nd Annual New Haven Free Public Library Poetry Contest is accepting entries and there are prizes waiting to be won!


City residents are invited to submit poetry inspired by the theme “New Haven + puzzle,” which may be explored as a personal, civic or geographic subject, organizers said in a statement.


Contest guidelines are:

• One poem per person


• New Haven residents only


• Poems must be submitted in 12 point type, double spaced, on one side of 8 ½ x ll page max


• Entry must include separate page with poet’s name, address, age category of child, teen (ages 13-17) and adult, phone number and/or email
  Submission deadline is March 15

Submissions can be dropped off at any New Haven Free Public Library branch or e-mailed to nhfplevents@gmail.com


the 2010 NHFPL Poetry Contest judges include librarians Bill Armstrong and Sunnie Sette; New Haven Cultural Affairs Director Barbara Lamb; poet Claire Zoghb; cultural historian Frank Mitchell; Shola Cole, Greater New Haven Arts Council; Alderwoman Rachel Shapiro, and Jean Webb, International Festival of Arts and Ideas.


Judges will select one winning poem in each age category.


Finalists and winners will be invited to read the poem at a reception sponsored by Starbucks at 2 p.m. April 17, at the Main Library, 133 Elm St.


The Patrons of The New Haven Free Public Library will present a cash prize of $100 to each winner and selected poems will be published in The New Haven Register and displayed at the Main Library.


For more information, please call the library at 203-946-8835 or visit www.cityofnewhaven.com/library.





In the photo: Librarians Sunnie Sette and Bill Armstrong

Chesa Boudin at the New Haven library

NEW HAVEN - The public is invited to meet Chesa Boudin, author of "Gringo: a coming of age in Latin America," from 6 to 7 p.m. Jan. 14 at New Haven Public Library, 133 Elm St.

Boudin, shown below, the adopted son of controversial former student activist Bill Ayers, has written a travel book that helps to explain the leftward tilt of Latin American politics, organizers said in a statement.

Russell Banks has called Gringo "an extraordinary debut," the statement said.

The event is free and free parking is available. For more information visit http://www.gringo.eventbrite.com/ or call the library at 203- 946-8835.

Does your old cell phone need a new home?

HAMDEN — Cell Phones for Soldiers, and Eileen Denny are calling on all Americans to support the men and women in uniform by donating unused cell phones.
Cell Phones for Soldiers hopes to collect more than 50,000 cell phones this year to help keep troops connected with their families.
Local residents can support the collection drive by donating phones at Denny Chiropractic and Acupuncture, 2842 Old Dixwell Ave.
Cell Phones for Soldiers was founded by teenagers Robbie and Brittany Bergquist of Norwell, Mass.. The registered 501c3 non-profit organization has raised almost $1 million in donations and distributed more than 500,000 prepaid calling cards to soldiers serving overseas, according to a statement.
The donated phones are sent to ReCellular, which pays Cell Phones for Soldiers for each phone, enough to provide an hour of talk time to soldiers abroad, the statement said.
About half of the phones ReCellular processes are reconditioned and resold to wholesale companies in over 40 countries around the world, the statement said. Phones and components that cannot be refurbished are dismantled and recycled to reclaim materials, including: gold, silver and platinum from circuit boards, copper wiring from phone chargers, nickel, iron, cadmium and lead from battery packs, plastic from phone cases and accessories
For more information, visit www.cellphonesforsoldiers.com.

Are you brave enough?

No wetsuits are allowed

WEST HAVEN — Organizers are seeking hearty souls to brave the frigid waters of Long Island Sound for the city’s 10th annual Icy Plunge for the Cure, which benefits breast cancer research.
Presented by the city’s Breast Cancer Awareness Committee, the event is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. Jan. 16 on the beach just east of the Savin Rock Conference Center on Rock Street.
Registration in the conference center starts at 8 a.m., when participants must submit their completed registration forms.
The first 100 registered plungers will receive official "plungewear," and the top fundraiser will receive a prize.
Participants will gather on the sand near the conference center and then wait for a signal to dash into the Sound. No wetsuits are allowed.
Over the last decade, the plunge and Walk for a Cure, the committee’s other fundraiser, have collected more than $350,000 for their cause, said committee member Beth A. Sabo, who also is the city’s public works commissioner. Last year’s plunge raised about $42,000.
About 200 people participated in the plunge last year, and organizers anticipate another good turnout this year.
Once again, several city, police and fire departments are forming teams and issuing challenges to one another to help raise the stakes — and more money.
Sponsored by Texas Roadhouse and Country Portables, the plunge is a celebration of survivors and a remembrance of those loved ones who died of the disease, Sabo said.
State Attorney General Richard Blumenthal has accepted Mayor John M. Picard’s challenge to take the plunge.
Registration forms are available in the Department of Public Works, 355 Main St., and the Police Department, 200 Sawmill Road, and by calling Charlene Morgal at 203-937-3586 or Sgt. Susan See at 203-937-3914. Businesses interested in sponsoring the plunge also can call Morgal or See.
In the past, proceeds have gone to the Hospital of Saint Raphael’s Father Michael J. McGivney Center for Cancer Care and its Looking Forward program, Y-ME of Connecticut in Branford and the Yale-New Haven Breast Center.
To make a donation, send checks to West Haven Breast Cancer Awareness, Department of Public Works, City Hall, 355 Main St., West Haven 06516.

YNHH receives Chest Pain Center accreditation

NEW HAVEN - The Society of Chest Pain Centers, a non-profit international society dedicated to improving patient care for heart attack victims, has given Yale-New Haven Hospital 3-year accreditation as a Chest Pain Center with PCI, or percutaneous coronary intervention, the hospital said in a statement.

YNHH is the first and only hospital in Connecticut to received Cycle III accreditation, the highest designation given by the SCPC, the statement said.

The "rigorous accreditation process examined the hospital and its policies, processes and performance measures for diagnosing and treating patients with acute coronary syndrome," the statement said.

"Heart disease is the number one cause of death worldwide," Mariane Carna, RN, executive director of the Yale-New Haven Heart and Vascular Center, said in the statement. "The life of a patient who is having a heart attack is affected by different people in different places, from the onset of the patient's symptoms, the actions of emergency medical services, to where the patient is treated, how blood is restored to the heart, the observation unit, treatment, cardiac rehabilitation and discharge."

In the photo, l to r, Brian Triplett, CEO, Society of Chest Pain Centers; Dr. Henry Cabin, medical director, YNHH heart and vascular center and chief of cardiovascular medicine; Dr. Gail D'Onofrio, chief of YNHH emergency medicine; Mariane Carna, executive director, YNHH heart and vascular center and Richard D'Aquila, executive vice president and COO, YNHH.

An accredited Chest Pain Center is generally thought to provide better care, better prognosis, better quality of life, faster treatment and decreased length of stay in the hospital, according to the Society of Chest Pain Centers, the statement said.

The centers help ensure patients get treatment they need during early stages of a heart attack. The goal is to reduce the time from the patient's arrival at the emergency department to treatment, to avoid as much heart damage as possible, the statement said.

Also, "accredited Chest Pain Centers better integrate the emergency department with the local emergency medical system, continually improve processes and procedures, ensure the competency and training of Chest Pain Center staff and support community outreach programs that educate the public to promptly seek medical care if they display symptoms of a possible heart attack," it said.

YNHH experts stress that quick action is the most important factor if a patient has symptoms such as chest discomfort, discomfort in other areas of the upper body: arms, back, neck, jaw, or stomach, shortness of breath, dizziness, light-headedness or fainting, heartburn, nausea or vomiting, sweating or unexplained weakness or fatigue, the statement said. Women might have different symptoms, including a sense of impending doom, discomfort between the shoulder blades or clammy skin, it said.

VITA to help with tax prep

NEW HAVEN —New Life Corporation and the Coalition for Working Families Tuesday announced the 2010 Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Campaign, which provides income tax preparation services for low/moderate income working individuals and families.
The program, which works through the federal Earned Income Tax Credit Program, in 2009 served 2,560 working families and returned more than $5 million to filers in federal refunds and earned income tax credits, New Life said in a statement.
The program assists working individual/family households that earn less than $49,000 a year with are assisted in accessing federal income credits while filing their income tax returns at no cost to them.
"We want to get the word out early to inform the public about this program. No one should be paying to obtain a service they can access free by a volunteer workforce that has been trained and certified by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS)" New Life Executive Director Ariel Martinez said in the statement. "In the dire state of economic crisis which we find ourselves, many families are in grave need of any assistance they may access to improve their individual and family financial situation. Our goal this year is to assist over 3,000 filers."
Tax prep help will be available: 6 - 8:30 p.m., Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Saturdays, at Truman School 114 Truman St. and Columbus Family Academy 255 Blatchley St., both in New Haven; 6 to 8:30 p.m. Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Saturdays at West Haven Community House 227 Elm St., West Haven. Also, 6 to 8:30 p.m. Mondays and Thursdays at Whalley Avenue Center 302 Whalley Ave., also New Haven
The Annie E. Casey Foundation, The Community Foundation of Greater New Haven, NewAlliance Foundation, Internal Revenue Service, Yale-New Haven Hospital and United Illuminating are funding the 2010 program.
For more information call 203-777-1319.

Gynecological cancer talk at Yale

NEW HAVEN - Smilow Cancer Hospital at Yale-New Haven and Yale Cancer Center will present a free health talk, "Understanding Gynecological Cancers" at 6 p.m. January 13 in Yale-New Haven Hospital's East Pavilion cafeteria.

Dr. Peter Schwartz will be the speaker.

According to his bio on Yale's Web site, Schwartz was the first director of the Division of Gynecologic Oncology at Yale University "which he established in 1979 and he was responsible for creating the Fellowship Training Program in 1980." It also says his "research has included the identification of estrogen and progestin receptors in ovarian cancer, which led to the first clinical trial using anti–estrogens for management of women with advanced or recurrent ovarian cancer."

He established the Yale Early Detection Program for Ovarian Cancer in 1990 and has been very active in developing therapies for the clinical management of uncommon forms of uterine cancer, the Web site says.

For more on Schwartz, click here

Call (203) 688-2000 to make reservations and for directions to park in the Air Rights Garage.

New Haven woman joins Journey Home

A New Haven advocate for the homeless and a guidance counselor at Cheshire Academy are among the four new members of the board of directors for Journey Home, a Hartford-based nonprofit organization that is spearheading implementation of the Capitol Region’s 10-Year Plan to End Homelessness.

Francesca Martin, shown in photo, of New Haven, is associate director of the Corporation for Supportive Housing in New Haven, which is a nonprofit organization working to create supportive housing as a solution to long term homelessness, Journey Home said in a statement.

Prior to joining the national nonprofit intermediary in 2000, she was director of the Supportive Housing Program at The Consultation Center/Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine and held multiple positions at Community Mental Health Affiliates in New Britain, the statement said. Martin is a member of the American Sociological Association, a board member of the Connecticut Housing Coalition, and a grant reviewer for United Way of Greater New Haven. She earned a bachelor's degree on anthropology from Brown University, her master's degree in Marriage and Family Therapy from Southern Connecticut State University, and her doctorate in Public and Urban Policy from New School University in New York, the statement said.

Bishop Tyrone Carlton Black of New Britain is bishop/overseer of the general assembly of Ebenezer Holy Temple, Inc. in Hartford, and is director of guidance and college counseling at Cheshire Academy. Prior to his elevation to the high holy office in 2002, he served as pastor of Carter Memorial Temple, EHT, Inc., the statement said. He was ordained as a minister in 1994. Black has founded multiple choirs, serves on the board of directors of P.L.A.C.E. (Partnerships in Learning and Creative Exploration, Inc.). At Cheshire he also coaches track and teaches college English to postgraduate students. He earned his bachelor's degree in English from Westminster College in Pennsylvania and his master's degree education from the University of New Haven.

Other new board members are: Diane W. Whitney of Windsor, an attorney at Pullman & Comley, LLC. Prior to joining the firm in 2003, she worked at LeBoeuf Lamb Greene & MacRae and was an assistant attorney general in Connecticut from 1988-92. Whitney is past president of the University of Connecticut Law School Foundation Board, chairman of the Greater Hartford Legal Aid Board, and is involved with numerous other organizations. Craig L. Sylvester of West Hartford is a partner at the Hartford-based firm of Reid and Riege, P.C. where he is the managing partner. Sylvester is a member of the Attorneys for Family-Held Enterprises, a national association of attorneys representing family businesses. He serves as on the board of directors of Riverfront Recapture, Inc. and the Connecticut Housing Investment Fund, is a former president of The Foundation for West Hartford Public Schools and is a former Chair of the West Hartford Housing Authority.

Based in Hartford, but serving a 29-town region, Journey Home’s mission is foster a caring community that ensures a home for all. Journey Home gives life to this mission through encouraging collaboration, facilitating innovation and advocating for justice, its statement said. For more information, visit http://www.journeyhomect.org/.

Fete for a former district manager

NEW HAVEN - A retirement party for police Lt. Steve Shea, former district manager in the Whalley Avenue/Edgewood/Beaver Hills district, will be held from 5 to 9 p.m. Friday, January 8, at Leon’s Restaurant, 501 Long Wharf Drive. The donation is $25 and includes a buffet, with a cash bar. For tickets, call Officer Cary Broderick 203-804-2670 or Petisia Adger 203-687-0548 by Jan. 6