Gateway president honored

Named an inspiring woman of 'achievement and distinction'

NEW HAVEN - Gateway Community College President Dr. Dorsey L. Kendrick recently was honored by Junior Achievement of Southwest New England and the Girl Scouts of Connecticut for her contributions to growth in the state and as a role model and inspiring leader, Gateway said in a statement.

Kendrick was one of four individuals inducted into JA’s New Haven Business Hall of Fame, the statement said. The Business Hall of Fame was established by JA to honor individuals who have significantly contributed to the growth and development of enterprise in Connecticut, it said.

JA said in the statement that by honoring the Hall of Fame laureates it “aims to present the best in business as worthy role models to Connecticut youth.” JA is the world’s largest organization dedicated to educating students about workforce readiness, entrepreneurship and financial literacy through experiential, hands-on programs.

Also, Kendrick is one of 10 inspiring women business and community leaders in the greater New Haven area honored at the Girl Scouts of Connecticut's Women of Achievement Breakfast.

According to the Girl Scouts, the honorees were “women of achievement and distinction who inspire us all with their courage, confidence, and character.” The Girl Scouts of Connecticut works with committed adults to help girls in grades K-12 develop strong values, social conscience and conviction about their own potential and self-worth.

Kendrick, selected last fall as one of the “100 Most Influential Blacks in Connecticut” by the Connecticut State Conference of NAACP Branches, was raised in Jackson, Tenn., and was one of three students in 1967 to integrate Union University, where she later earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration, the statement said. She also holds a master’s degree in business management from Cardinal Stritch University, a Ph.D. in philosophy in higher education administration from Walden University, and she is a graduate of the Institute of Education Management at Harvard University.

A New Haven resident, Kendrick was the first African-American woman to hold the position of associate dean and dean of the School of Business at Milwaukee Area Technical College, the statement said. She went on to become the highest-ranking African-American woman in Wisconsin’s system of higher education as executive vice president of Milwaukee Area Technical College.

ADL to honor Yale-New Haven Hospital president

The Connecticut Region of the Anti-Defamation League will honor Marna P. Borgstrom, president and CEO of Yale-New Haven Hospital and the Yale New Haven Health System at ADL’s annual Greater New Haven Torch of Liberty Award Dinner May 27.

Borgstrom will be honored for her leadership and "outstanding contributions to the community and her commitment to civil rights," the ADL said in a statement.

“Marna has been an extraordinary leader in New Haven and throughout the state of Connecticut,” Doug Skalka, ADL’s New Haven chairman, said in the statement. “Her commitment to the ideals of ADL to build bridges of understanding between communities and to combat bigotry and hatred in all forms is clear. We are delighted to recognize her leadership at this year’s Torch of Liberty dinner.”

Borgstrom, shown, said, “I am truly honored to be recognized by such an important organization as the Anti-Defamation League.”

“I have great respect for the work of ADL, which provides critically important education in our community and offers hope to those who experience many forms of discrimination. On behalf of the nearly 8,000 Yale-New Haven Hospital employees and those throughout the Yale New Haven Health System, I am delighted to participate in this important event," she said, also in the statement.
For more information about the dinner, including information about reservations and sponsorships, call Victor Levitt, Development Director, at (203) 288-6500, extension 304.

Meeting for prospective foster parents

NEW HAVEN — The Boys and Girls Village Foster Care Department will hold an open house for people interested in becoming foster parents from 5 to 8 p.m. Thursday in the downstairs program room at the New Haven Public Library at 133 Elm St.

Go fly a kite

Literally. And there are prizes being offered.

NEW HAVEN — The city Department of Parks, Recreation and Trees will hold a kite flying day featuring Joseph “Sky King” Perron performing his three kite act from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at Lighthouse Point Park.
Participants are encouraged to pack a lunch, bring a kite, and their family and friends to the event. There will be a contest for the most creative kites and more.
For a $10 registration fee, participants can enter a kite in a contest for a chance to win prizes. To register or for more information call 203-946-8027.

The annual NAACP Health Expo is coming Saturday

NEW HAVEN — The 19th Annual NAACP Health Expo will be held from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Saturday at the New Haven Field House, 480 Sherman Ave.
The event, sponsored by the Greater New Haven Branch of the NAACP, will include free screening services for asthma, blood pressure, cholesterol, diabetes, dental health, kidney diseases, HIV/AIDS. Sickle Cell anemia, vision and hearing, Also, bone marrow and organ donor registration, body profile analysis, CPR training, mammogram screening, and teen pregnancy prevention information. Those who are insured are asked to bring the card and to call for an appointment at 203- 688-4563.
The event also will include live entertainment, mobile health care vans and more than 100 health information booths. For more information, call 203- 688-2219 or visit www.naacpnewhaven.org.

Exclusive party: Must be 100 or older

WOODBRIDGE — The Agency on Aging of South Central Connecticut will hold its 24th annual Centenarians Luncheon 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. May 5 at the Jewish Community Center of Greater New Haven, 360 Amity Road.

The event is in honor of Celebrate Older Americans Month.

Everyone 100 years or older (or turning 100 this year) is invited. The event is free to centenarians and an escort. There is a small fee for additional family members.
Neysa Stallmann Guerino, executive director of the Agency on Aging of South Central Connecticut said in a startement, “Our luncheon is just one way we will celebrate the remarkable achievements and contributions older Americans have given us. At our celebration last year 25 centenarians attended from 13 towns throughout South Central Connecticut. Our oldest guest in 2009 was celebrating her 110th year."

To register a centenarian, call Janiss at the Agency on Aging at 203-785-8533 or email jfowler@aoapartnerships.com.

A conversation about Sudan

NEW HAVEN - A Student Anti-Genocide Coalition will present "The Future of Sudan: Brokering Peace and Determining US Involvement" at 3 p.m. April 23 at William Harkness Hall, Room 208. 100 Wall St.
The event will include a "Conversation with John Prendergast," who is co-founder of the Enough Project and Lea Brilmayer, who is the Howard M. Holzmann Professor of International Law at Yale Law School, organizers said.
Prendergast also was a special advisor to the State Department, and directed African Affairs at the National Security Council.
The discussion will focus on an end to violence in Darfur, the Sudanese elections, and efforts to create peace in Sudan, organizer said.
The vent is co-sponsored by the Schell Center for International Human Rights, Amnesty International, YASA, Social Justice Network, and the Yale Law School Africa Law and Policy Association.

Mishkan Israel rabbi to receive award

NEW HAVEN — Rabbi Herbert Brockman, of Congregation Mishkan Israel in Hamden, will be honored at the annual Reverend Howard Nash Breakfast. Brockman will receive the Community Leadership Award. The event will be held 8-9:30 a.m. May 6 at the New Haven Lawn Club. The breakfast was created in support of The Network for Community Engagement, formerly known as the Dialogue Project. The Dialogue Project was a collaborative effort between Community Mediation, Inc. and Interfaith Cooperative Ministries to address issues of racial inequity in the community. The annual award was established to honor community leadership in the area of dialogue.
The award is named in memory of Nash of St. Bernadette’s Roman Catholic Church. He was a founder of The Network for Community Engagement and a former president of Interfaith Cooperative Ministries.
Brockman is being recognized for his work to foster communication among various area groups to promote social justice and to bring greater understanding and respect of each other’s beliefs, challenges and concerns. Brockman is a professor at Yale Divinity School and serves on the boards of ICM and the Hartford Seminary.
Community Mediation of New Haven offers mediation and facilitation services as well as training in all areas of conflict management.
The cost is $54 with $4 dedicated to the Neighbor-to-Neighbor Lifeline and $40 to support the work of Community Mediation. Make checks payable to Community Mediation.
For more information, go to www.community-mediation.org. or contact Kathy Benoit, office manager, or Chet Brodnicki, interim executive director, at Community Mediation at 203-782-3500.

Saint Raphael Foundation raffle coming up

The Saint Raphael Foundation this year is offering $48,000 in Visa Gift Cards for its annual raffle, organizers said.
The cards are prepaid cards that can be used anywhere debit cards are accepted, organizers said in a statement.
A total of 1,500 raffle tickets are available at a cost of $125 each, entitling the ticket holder and one guest to attend a cocktail party and drawing from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. June 2 at Anthony’s Ocean View, New Haven.

Raffle tickets can be purchased up until the date and time of the raffle by calling the Saint Raphael Foundation at 203-789-3242, visiting www.srhs.org/raffle or emailing caringbygiving@srfinc.org.

The first prize is a $25,000 Visa Gift Card, second prize is a $10,000 card and third prize is a $5,000 card. Fourth- and fifth-prize cards are worth $2,500 each and the remaining three prizes are worth $1,000 each, the statement said. This year’s raffle is sponsored by Morrison Healthcare Food Services.

“We’re very excited about this year’s prizes,” said Barbara De Natale of Woodbridge, chairman of the event, in the statement. “With the economy still struggling to get out of this recession, we thought we would offer all cash prizes this year, or at least the next best thing!”

The Saint Raphael Foundation Raffle and Auction cocktail party on June 2 will feature a variety of hot and cold hors d’oeuvres, an open bar, live and silent auctions and additional chances to win thousands of dollars in cash in a supplemental raffle drawing, the statement said.

The Saint Raphael Foundation works to "sustain and strengthen the ability of the Hospital of Saint Raphael to care for patients as the Sisters of Charity of Saint Elizabeth promised when they established the Hospital of Saint Raphael in 1907: “To care for all in need, with respect, dignity, justice and excellence; regardless of race, creed or color, and regardless of ability to pay,'" the statement said.

In photo: Raffle committee members include, l to r, Lucy Sirico, executive director of the Saint Raphael Foundation; Barbara De Natale, chairman; Lorraine Cronin, Ellen Aversa and Sunny Jean Luciani.

Celebration of Early Childhood

NEW HAVEN - Children recently took part in activities at New Haven City Hall, at the "Celebration of Early Childhood," where 50 early care providers set up booths for the children to explore and for their parents to pick up important information. The event was a culmination to the national "Week of the Young Child."

Other activities took place throughout the week at various locations, organizers said.

“This week has been a huge success” Sandra Malmquist, director of the Connecticut Children’s Museum and member of the New Haven Early Childhood Council, said in a statement. “We had great participation at our organized events and we distributed 3,400 copies of the bi-lingual book, Read to Me/Vamos a leer, to families in the city through a unique New Haven literacy campaign we called ‘The Little Read.’
"Reading events and activities occurred in early childhood classrooms, family childcare homes, libraries and health clinics. Children, families and our community have been inspired to read to children.”

Malmquist said in the statement that, "the New Haven Early Childhood Council would be developing a full report on all of the activities that occurred throughout this hugely successful week."


Photo by Ann Pratt, CT Early Childhood Alliance.

A Walk in the Country

Step out the the Friends of the Woodbridge Library

WOODBRIDGE - Eleanor Berger, the author of the recently published book “Stepping Out: A Tenderfoot’s Guide to the Principles, Practices, and Pleasures of Countryside Walking,” will stroll into the Woodbridge Library for a talk at 7 p.m. April 26.
The event is part of the Friends of the Woodbridge Library annual meeting. The library is at 10 Newton Road. The event is free and open to the public.
Berger's book is "based on her experiences walking more than 1,000 miles of pathways, mostly in Great Britain, over the past decade," library organizers said in a statement.
“Stepping Out” is "packed with personal essays to assure, amuse and inspire both the rookie and the well-traveled walker," the statement said.
It is "highly entertaining book of travel tales" describing what a "long walk over country trails is like and, for those who decided to give it a try, provides a resource brimming with useful advice."

Berger, a long-time resident of Plattsburgh, N.Y., is a well-traveled writer, with more than three decades of professional experience writing personal commentaries, stories and essays, which have appeared in magazines, newspapers, and anthologies, and have aired on regional public radio stations in the Northeast, the statement said.

The Friends' support of the library includes activities for all ages, from pre-school story times to Cancer Project cooking classes to statewide museum passes, the statement said. Annual contributions from the Friends provide for books, audio books, programs, and equipment that would otherwise not be funded, the statement said. Their used bookstore is open on Tuesdays and Saturdays, and they offer a fall Purves Memorial Lecture, as well as their April Annual Meeting. Membership in the Friends of the Woodbridge Library is open to all interested people, organizations, and businesses.

Copies of Berger’s book will be available for purchase and signing the evening of the event. They may also be purchased through Amazon.com.

Rabbi will be Scholar-in-Residence

Rabbi Jonathan Porath will be welcomed as Scholar-in-Residence to the Jewish community of Greater New Haven from April 26-28.
His visit is sponsored by the Department of Jewish Education of the Jewish Federation of Greater New Haven, federation officials said in a statement.
All programs are free and open to the community.

Porath served on the faculty of the Wexner Heritage Foundation for many years and recently completed 15 of service on the senior staff of the Russian Department of the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, commuting from Jerusalem to St. Petersburg and other cities in the Russian interior more than 175 times since 1964, the statement said. He is the author of “Jews In Russia: The Last Four Centuries.”

The schedule is:
On Monday, April 26, Porath’s will address “All of Jewish History from Abraham to the Present Day in One Hour” at noon April 26 at Congregation Beth Shalom Rodfe Zedek, 55 East Kings Highway, Chester. Participants are encouraged to bring a brown bag lunch for the talk.
Also, att 2:30 p.m., that day, Porath will address “Nurturing Our Jewish Hearts and Our Jewish Souls” at Evergreen Woods, 88 Notch Hill Rd, North Branford. At 7:30 p.m., he will tell of his experiences in the Former Soviet Union at his talk entitled, “The Greatest Partnership: A Century of the JDC (the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee) and the Jews of America Helping the Jews of the World” at Temple Beth Tikvah, 196 Durham Road, Madison.
On Tuesday, April 27, his subject will be “Instilling Jewish Values or How to Be a Mensch,” at 10:30 a.m. at Congregation B’nai Jacob, 75 Rimmon Road, Woodbridge. At noon that day, he will present “All of Jewish History from Abraham to the Present Day in One Hour” at a brown bag lunch gathering at Ezra Academy, 75 Rimmon Road, Woodbridge. At 7:30 p.m, he will discuss “175 Trips to the Jews of Russia” with Rabbi Michael Farbman of Temple Emanuel, at the Jewish Community Center, 360 Amity Road, Woodbridge.
On April 28, at 11 a.m., Porath will present “All of Jewish History from Abraham to the Present Day in One Hour” at Tower One/Tower East, 18 Tower Lane, New Haven. At 1 p.m. he will speak about “Helping Others and Helping Ourselves: Principles of Practical Tzedakah in New Haven” at a brown-bag lunch at the JCC. At 7:30 p.m., Porath will discuss “Expanding Our Jewish Horizons or How to Be More Jewish in Cheshire” at Temple Beth David, 3 Main Street, Cheshire. This program is co-sponsored by Kol Ami and MAKOM Hebrew High School.
Porath is an 18th-generation rabbi in his family. He received his bachelor’s degree from Brandeis University, his master’s from Columbia University, and his rabbinic ordination from the Jewish Theological Seminary of America. He has served as a Hillel Rabbi and as the rabbi of Temple Beth O’r in Clark, N.J., before moving to Israel with his family in 1984.
For more information, call Ruth Gross at 203 387-2424 x310 or email Rich Walter, director of the Department of Jewish Education, at rwalter@jewishnewhaven.org

St. Andrew the Apostle Society to hold Festa

NEW HAVEN - The St. Andrew the Apostle Society will kick off its 110th Italian Festa Celebration with its anniversary awards dinner at Anthony’s Oceanview May 2.

The society this year will honor Michael Castellano and Theresa (Maiorano) Incarnato, both shown.

Ticket price is $45 and includes open bar.

Cocktails and hors d’oeuvres will begin to be served at noon. A full course dinner of Surf & Turf will be served at 1 p.m., followed by desserts and coffee.
Entertainment will be provided by Vocalist Richard DiPalma and by celebrity dancer Eric Turcio and partner.

The event is open to the public and tickets may be purchased by contacting Theresa Argento at 203-469-0217.

For more, visit: http://www.ssaanewhaven.com/

Editor's note: The information in this post was provided by the St. Andrew the Apostle Society.

A Howling Good Time

Atka the Wolf returns to Peabody

NEW HAVEN - The Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History will welcome back Atka, an arctic wolf who lives at the Wolf Conservation Center in South Salem, N.Y., on April 24.

Visitors will meet Atka and learn many interesting facts about wolves during two identical presentations at 1 and 2 p.m.

Founded in 1999, the Wolf Conservation Center promotes the conservation of the often misunderstood species by teaching about wolves, their relationship to the environment, and our role in their protection. Visitors meeting Atka in

Editor's Note: The information in this post was wholly provided by the Peabody. Photo by J. Henry Fair

Over in the Hill

NEW HAVEN — The New Haven Hill Section’s fifth annual reunion dinner begins at 6 p.m. June 3 at Anthony’s Ocean View, 450 Lighthouse Road.
The cost is $42 and includes open bar, tax and gratuity.
More than 300 people attended last year’s reunion. Organizers ask guests to supply a list of people who want to sit together. Maximum per table is 10.
To reserve seating, send a check payable to “Hill Reunion,” with seating preference, to Nick DeMatties, 140 Captain Thomas Blvd., No. 409, West Haven 06516. For more information, call DeMatties at 203-932-1528 or e-mail demattiesn@comcast.net. RSVP by May 15.

Author Anna Quindlen part of Read to Grow 'intimate evening'

NEW HAVEN — Read to Grow will hold "an intimate evening" with Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and bestselling author Anna Quindlen from 5:30 to 7 p.m. April 26 at Long Wharf Theatre Stage II.
Following wine and hors d’oeuvres, Read to Grow founder and board Chairwoman Roxanne Coady will interview Quindlen, author of a new novel, "Every Last One."
In the book, Quindlen presents a portrait of a mother, a father, and a family, and the explosive, disastrous consequences of what seem like normal, everyday actions, organizers said.
Single tickets to the event are $50. Premium tickets, which include a signed first edition of "Every Last One," are $70.
Seating is limited. Call Read to Grow at 203-488-6800 to reserve a seat or for more information. Proceeds will benefit the programs of Read to Grow, a Branford-based nonprofit literacy organization that works to build literacy for all Connecticut children beginning at birth.

Editor's note: The information in this post was provided by Read to Grow. Photo is by Maria Krovatin.

Poet Don Barkin to read at Woodbridge Library

WOODBRIDGE - April is National Poetry Month and local author Don Barkin will read from his new book of poetry "That Dark Lake," at 7 p.m. April 21 at the Woodbridge Library.
His first full-length poetry collection "That Dark Lake," contains terror and despair but also underlying faith and hope, as in the work of a poet often echoed in the collection: Robert Frost. library organizers said in a statement.
"Like Frost's, Don's verse has a fierce formality that connects it to the very tradition with which its fresh and modern voice does battle. There is enormous honesty and an unrelenting refusal to provide easy answers in these poems. Don will share selections from this memorable new work," the statement said.
Barkin also has published poems in Poetry, The Virginia Quarterly Review, Prairie Schooner, The North American Review and other magazines. He also published poetry chapbooks with Finishing Line Press and Will Hall Books, the statement said.
Barkin has taught writing at Yale and Wesleyan universities and now teaches English at Amity Regional High School in Woodbridge, the statement said.
Barkin was educated at Harvard and Cambridge universities. He lives in New Haven with his wife and daughter.
Books will be available for purchase and signing the evening of the event. The event is free and open to the public and all are welcome to join, the statement said.

For more information, call 203-389-3433, stop by the library Circulation Desk, or e-mail to pvalsecchi@ci.woodbridge.ct.us.

Editor's note: the information in the post was provided by the Woodbridge Library.

Irish Easter Rising commemorated Sunday

NEW HAVEN — There will be a Mass for peace and a flag raising at 9 a.m. Sunday on the Green.
The 20th annual event will commemorate the 94th anniversary of the Easter Rising in Ireland. After the Mass, there will be a ceremony to honor the participants in the 1916 Rising and the 1981 hunger strikers.
Local honorees are remembered in a roll call and the original “Proclamation of Freedom” will be read. The honorees are: Cornilius “Connie: Fitzgerald, 1902-1997; Patrick Guckian, 1903-1975; James Kavanagh, 1907-1993; John J. Keefe Sr., 1904-1989; Nora McKenna, 1905-1996; Frank Mooney, 1897-1957; William Mooney, 1888-1974; Gerald J. Murray, 1901-1989; Patrick Joseph Reardon, 1899-1973; and William Thomas, 1902-1980.
The service is dedicated to Patrick J. Reardon and family.
For more information, call Joseph Lynch 203-215-4163. Police and fire department Emerald Societies, as well as state and local political officials may attend.
In case of rain, activities will be held in the basement of St. Mary’s Church, 5 Hillhouse Ave.
Following the ceremony, there will be a breakfast buffet fundraiser at The Playwright Restaurant, 1232 Whitney Ave., Hamden. This is a benefit for the New Haven St. Patrick’s Day parade. For more information and reservations, contact Maura McKeown at 203-889-708. Tickets are $10 in advance or $13 at the door.

Peace Train

NEW HAVEN — The following events will be held by the Greater New Haven Peace Council.
- A vigil will be held 4-5 p.m. Friday in front of U.S. Rep. Rosa L. DeLauro’s office at 59Elm St., to protest U.S. continued involvement and increased funding of the wars.
- On May 2, in honor of the International Day of Action for a Nuclear Free World, there will be a peace festival near Times Square in New York City.
Parallel events will be held in many European and Asian nations.
Demonstrators in New York will march across Midtown Manhattan to the United Nations, where a rally and festival will be held.
The Peace Council has arranged for the “Bruce Martin Memorial Peace Train.” Tickets are $25 for adults, $13 for participants 18 and younger. The train will leave Union Station at 10:55 a.m. and return at 6:07 p.m.
To reserve, register at www.stepfour.com/peacetrain before April 27 or send a check to The Greater New Haven Peace Council, P.O. Box 3105, New Haven 06515-0205.
For more information, call Henry Lowendorf at 203-389-9547 or e-mail grnhpeacecouncil@sbcglobal.net.

Weather-related aid sought

HARTFORD — Gov. M. Jodi Rell has expanded her request for a Presidential Major Disaster Declaration to provide financial assistance to individual homeowners and businesses in five counties: Fairfield, Middlesex, New Haven, New London and Windham, according to a statement.
The two types of federal financial assistance available after a disaster are Public Assistance, which is aid to state and local governments for damages and costs such as police and firefighter overtime incurred while dealing with a disaster, and Individual Assistance, which is aid to individual homeowners to help cover uninsured losses, the statement said.
Rell Friday has asked President Barack Obama to declare a major disaster in Fairfield and New London counties. An initial survey found public sector losses in those two counties of at least $11 million, the statement said.
Rell Monday asked Obama to declare residents of Fairfield, Middlesex, New Haven, New London and Windham counties eligible for IA, and to make U.S. Small Business Administration loans available to employers in those counties, the statement said. Rell also asked Obama to add Middlesex, New Haven and Windham counties to the major disaster declaration and to Middlesex County to the list of counties eligible for PA, the statement said.

Editor's note: The information in this post was provided by the govenror's office

Brownies with Cookies

Brownie Troop Delivers Cookies to Saint Raphael’s Hamden Cancer Center

Hamden Brownie Troup No. 60869 has donated more than 50 boxes of Girl Scout cookies to patients and staff at the Hospital of Saint Raphael’s Father Michael J. McGivney Cancer Center - Hamden Campus, according to a hospital spokeswoman.
The cookies were collected as part of the troop’s annual Gift of Caring effort to promote community service and were delivered to the Cancer Center on March 26.

The Brownies wanted to help children in the hospital but discovered that dietary restrictions prevented most cookie gifts, said Troop Leader Shannon McKeon. Saint Raphael’s Hamden Cancer Center, however, welcomed the cookie donation to provide snacks to patients and family members.

The Father Michael J. McGivney Cancer Center - Hamden Campus, at 2080 Whitney Ave., is a 12,585-square-foot, state-of-the-art facility that is conveniently located for patients in the Hamden-North Haven-Cheshire area and points north and east. The Hospital of Saint Raphael opened the facility in May 2009.

In photo, l to r, Hamden Brownie Troup No. 60869 members Morgan Dubay, Samantha Gilbert, Olivia Sangiovanni and Alexis Sangiovanni with Angela Halloran-Venegas, administrative supervisor at the Father Michael J. McGivney Cancer Center - Hamden Campus.
Editor's note: this information was wholly provided by the Hospital of St. Raphael

Jazz Under the Stars at John C. Daniels School

NEW HAVEN — The John C. Daniels School Benefit Concert, “Jazz Under the Stars” will begin at 7 p.m. April 12 in the school’s courtyard.
The concert will feature the Yale Jazz Ensemble under the direction of Thomas C. Duffy. It is sponsored by Local 35, the union representing servicing and maintenance work at Yale. Guests are invited to bring a blanket or cushion.
All proceeds from this benefit will purchase high quality new instruments for school’s band students. The instruments will provide the opportunity for more advance playing and go with the students as they matriculate at high school and beyond, school officials said.
The Yale Jazz Ensemble, a 17-piece big band, will treat guests to a special performance as they perform a wide variety of music, from the music of standard swing bands to the newest, most progressive jazz compositions, organizers said. The ensemble has performed both in the United States and internationally at such noted venues as New York’s Village Vanguard and Iridium Jazz Club, and London’s Ronnie Scott’s. The YJE has played with or opened for the Mingus Big Band, the Mel Lewis Jazz Orchestra, the Toshiko Akiyoshi/Lew Tabackin Big Band, the World Saxophone Quartet, Jane Ira Bloom, Jimmy Owens, and Branford Marsalis.
Duffy is the director of bands at Yale University and adjunct professor in the Yale School of Music. Duffy will lead the YJE and will invite selected Daniels students to perform with the ensemble.
A commitment to community motivated Local 35 to sponsor the benefit concert. According to Robert Proto, president of Local 35, “Our organization is proud to support the mission of John C. Daniels School. Helping provide resources to advance their music program is a great way for our members to contribute back to our community.”
Suggested donation is $5 for adults, children are free.
To reserve tickets, call John Miller at 203-623-8691 or by email PTO-Daniels@new-haven.k12.ct.us

Editor's note: The information in this post was wholly provided by John C. Daniels School.

Freddie Fixer Parade needs a boost

NEW HAVEN - The Freddie Fixer Parade Organization is still seeking donations and volunteers for this year's 47th annual parade, officials said.
Anyone interested in becoming a parade marshal or a division leader is asked to call 203-558-0066.

Parade organizers said donations can be made by credit or debit cards At: www.FreddieFixerParade.org.

The parade kicks off at 1 p.m. May 16 from the corner of Dixwell Avenue and Morse Streets in Hamden and travel to Dixwell and Webster Street in New Haven.

Diaper Duty

NEW HAVEN - The New Haven County Bar Association is sponsoring diaper drives to benefit The Diaper Bank, a non-profit organization that provides free diapers to low-income families in New Haven, Bridgeport and Hartford.
NHCBA member firms last year collected more than 53,000 diapers or the cash equivalent and donated them to The Diaper Bank, the association said in a statement.
The Diaper Bank has since 2004 distributed more than 5 million free diapers to families in need, the statement said.
The bank distributes more than 200,000 diapers a month to 60-pplus agencies in Greater New Haven, Hartford and Bridgeport.
Having an inadequate supply of diapers puts families with young children at risk for health and other complications, the statement said.
Previously, many families had to choose between paying rent and buying a sufficient number of diapers for their children, the statement said.
The NHCBA began helping The Diaper Bank in 2007 after Steve Rosenberg, current co-chair of the NHCBA Public Service Committee, read about the organization on the Internet.
As the father of young children, he relates personally to The Diaper Bank’s mission: “I know first-hand how necessary and expensive diapers are, and how quickly the costs add up. For me, spending a lot of money on diapers is an annoyance. For a low-income family, it can be a real burden,” he said in the statement.
NHCBA Public Service Committee members agreed and with the help of Diaper Bank president and founder, Joanne Goldblum and board member, Quinnipiac law professor John Thomas, the Public Service Committee rolled out its first "Law Firm Partner of the Month" program in 2007.
Each month, a different law firm or law office holds a diaper drive to benefit The Diaper Bank. Member firms collect diapers, wipes and related accessories, as well as money.
At the end of the month, the participating law firm gathers everything and brings it to The Diaper Bank warehouse in West Haven, the statement said.
Some of law firms that have participated in collections are: Berchem, Moses & Devlin; Brenner, Saltzman & Wallman; Buckley & Wynne; Garcia & Milas; Littler Mendelson; Neubert, Pepe & Monteith; New Haven Legal Assistance Association; Nuzzo & Roberts; the Quinnipiac University School of Law Student Bar Association; Susman, Duffy & Segaloff; Wiggin & Dana; and the Yale-New Haven Hospital Legal Department, the statement said.

What animals can teach us

April is Prevention of Animal Abuse Month and the Greater New Haven Cat Project will presents “Let’s Ask the Animals,” a event in which participants can learn to explore how humans are like pigs, chickens, cows and sheep, organizers said.
The event, from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. April 19, will be held at the New Haven Public Library, 133 Elm St., and a film produced by The Association for the Study of Animal Behavior will be shown. The program is suggested for children ages 7-10 and their parents, organizers said.
This film shows “how animals use their senses, learn from experience, and need companionship and exercise, just like humans,” organizers said in a statement.
The interactive program is “designed to promote appreciation and respect for animals by learning and talking about what we have in common with them.
It’s a wonderful way for parents to share their appreciation of animals with their growing children,” the statement said.

Each child receives a rubber bracelet and a coloring book, organizers said.


More information is available at www.asktheanimals.eventbrite.com or by calling 203-946-8835.

Goodwill Achiever

Shayleen Miranda of New Haven will receive a Goodwill Achiever of the Year award at the Annual Goodwill Awards Luncheon April 20.
The Goodwill Achiever Award honors individuals with disabilities or other special needs who, while not yet having attained a competitive job in the community, have shown great progress and accomplishment in overcoming barriers to employment while working toward their career goals.
Miranda, shown in photo, has been diagnosed with a brain injury. Prior to joining Goodwill, she did not engage in many meaningful community activities during the day, spending most of her time watching television at home with her 5-year-old daughter. She needed assistance with basic living skills, meal preparation and personal care. Miranda’s first language is Spanish and due to her brain injury, her ability to speak English has been diminished.
She is now participating in Goodwill’s ABI/Residential program.
A staff member travels to her home five days a week to provide independent living skills training, companion and pre-vocational services. Miranda has been working on home maintenance, appropriate dress, hygiene and cooking skills.
She has also made great strides in the community, obtaining a volunteer role at a community food pantry in New Haven. She currently goes there four days a week, for up to five hours at a time, packing bags, stuffing envelopes and performing light cleaning duties. In order to improve her employability, Miranda is enrolled in adult education classes and is re-learning English.
In a very short time, Miranda has made significant improvements. She is an active participant in her daughter’s life, volunteers her time to the local community and is working to better herself through education.
The supervisor at the food pantry where she volunteers said, “Shayleen is a fast learner and a hard worker. She is dedicated and enjoys preparing food bags to give to the community. She enjoys delivering these items as it makes her feel proud to give back. Shayleen takes her work seriously and she always tries very hard. She is a pleasure to have around.”
Goodwill Industries of Western Connecticut is a non-profit organization that provides employment and support services to people with disabilities and other barriers to employment.
Through programs that offer people the opportunity to develop the life-changing skills they need to obtain and keep a job, Goodwill helps the individuals it serves gain hope, dignity and financial independence.

Editor's note: The information in this blog was wholly supplied by Goodwill Industries of Western Connecticut

Look who's teaching now

NEW HAVEN — Celebrities, politicians and business leaders, including Mayor John DeStefano Jr. and talk show host Maury Povich will teach public school classes during Teach For America Week, from April 5-16.
Teacher For America Week has taken place annually since 1997 and will take place in 30 regions across the country this year. The event draws community leaders into classrooms taught by Teach For America corps members to give lessons based on their life experiences in business, politics and elsewhere.
Povich will visit Barnum School in Bridgeport at 9:15 a.m. Wednesday. DeStefano will visit Truman School in New Haven at 11 a.m. April 13. Lincoln Financial Group Vice President Laura Dambier will visit Moylan School in Hartford at 9 a.m. April 15.
Teach For America’s network includes 7,300 corps members teaching in 35 regions and a national force of 17,000 alumni at the forefront of efforts to end educational inequity.
This year in Connecticut, nearly 160 Teach For America corps members are reaching approximately 9,000 students in underserved schools.

All that jazz

NEW HAVEN – Yale University Bands and the Yale Law School will present “Legal Jazz: The Third Annual Stan Wheeler Memorial Jazz Concert” at 7 p.m. April 16 in Levinson Auditorium, Yale Law School, 127 Wall St.
The concert will feature the Yale Jazz Ensemble, Thomas C. Duffy, music director, and the Reunion Jazz Ensemble.
Admission is free and no tickets are required. Call (203) 432-4113 for more information.
Reunion is a group of Yale Jazz Ensemble alumni who, along with late Yale Law School professor and trumpeter Stanton Wheeler, founded the YJE in the 1970s. Wheeler continued to play with the Yale Jazz Ensemble until his death in 2007. This is the 3 rd annual concert dedicated to his memory. Reunion members include well-known jazz artists Brad Dechter (alto sax), Paul Lieberman (tenor sax), Tim Moran (bari sax), Steve Perrett (trumpet), Tony Lombardozzi (guitar), Jeff Fuller (bass), Paul Sullivan (piano) and Jesse Hameen II (drums).

YJE portion of the program will feature (Meet) the Flintstones (Hoyt Curtin/William Hanna/Joseph Barbera), Hoedown (Oliver Nelson), The Razor’s Edge (Dave Holland), and a special arrangement of Bjork’s Venus as a Boy, arranged by Assistant to the Director and bassist Samuel Adams, featuring Bret Hembd, piano.

The Yale Jazz Ensemble is a 17-piece big band that performs a wide variety of music, from Yale’s Benny Goodman archive to the newest and most progressive jazz compositions. The Ensemble has performed extensively in the United States and internationally at such noted venues as New York’s Village Vanguard and Iridium jazz clubs, and London’s Ronnie Scott’s. The YJE has performed with or opened for The Mel Lewis Jazz Orchestra, the Toshiko Akiyoshi/Lew Tabackin Big Band, the World Saxophone Quartet, Jane Ira Bloom, Jimmy Owens, and Branford Marsalis.

Editor's note: The information in this blog was wholly provided by Yale University Bands

Super Short Films to be Screened

Work by residents of Greater New Haven will be included when three “super short” films are screened by the MiTown Film Group from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. April 10 at the Buttonwood Tree Performing Arts & Cultural Center, 605 Main St., Middletown.
The group will present three films that are shorter than five minutes each and input from the public is encouraged, organizers said. This event is free and open to the public.
The three pieces were planned and produced over an 18-month period, organizers said. The “emphasis of the project was to highlight arts and culture in Middletown by choosing locations that represented its rich diversity: Russell Library, Green Street Arts Center, and The Buttonwood Tree,” the group said in a statement.
MiTown Film Group, which has members from Hamden, North Haven, Bethany, Madison and Middletown, among other communities, is a “no-budget, Connecticut based consortium seeking to learn more about the film production process by examining and putting into practice as many professional production points as” possible, and it plans and directs as a group, the statement said.
For more information, e-mail Liz Cipollina at aaronjess@aol.com.