WALLINGFORD FAMILY YMCA CAMP ULBRICH/ CAMP GAYLORD OFFERS YOUNGSTERS AN ABUNDANCE OF NEW EXPERIENCES AND SKILLS—AND PEACE OF MIND FOR PARENTS THIS SUMMERFor both parents and kids, it’s never too early to start thinking about plans for the summer. Parents want to be sure their children are safe, supervised, and engaged in activities that keep their kids’ minds and bodies active after school lets out for the summer. Youngsters look forward to the free time, and simply want to have fun and learn something new. YMCAs have been serving communities for more than 150 years, and the Wallingford Family YMCA Camp Ulbrich and Camp Gaylord are a perfect option for parents who are looking for a safe and fun place for their kids to build healthy mind, body and spirit this summer.
“Children are our greatest treasures and greatest responsibility,” said Danielle Bradley, Acting Executive Director. “Camp Ulbrich and Camp Gaylord help kids grow positively meet healthy role models and learn good values—all while having fun. We not only provide memories that last a lifetime, but we also assure parents that their kids are in good hands during the summer.”
Day camp for youth—the most popular program offered by YMCAs—provides youngsters with a unique opportunity to connect with their peers and their community. At the Wallingford Family YMCA day camps, our campers enjoy a broad range of age-appropriate programs, events and activities. This year, at Camp Gaylord, on the campus of Gaylord Hospital, we will be offering children the opportunity to explore the great outdoors with hiking, orienteering, nature walks and learn about different species of birds, trees and insects. Both Camp Ulbrich and Camp Gaylord campers also will have the opportunity to participate in weekly Friday night camp overnights at MountainRidge.
YMCA day camps provide a wealth of opportunity for kids to get active through play which helps kids learn healthy habits while having fun. “The need is as strong today as ever before,” said Tracy Flynn, Family/Teen Coordinator for the Wallingford Family YMCA. “Being more physical through play helps children better manage stress, succeed in school, build energy and, most of all, learn skills that encourage a lifetime of activity.”
Visit www.wallingfordymca.org or call Tracy Flynn at 269-4497 to learn more about the Wallingford Family YMCA day camps for youth and teens. Early Bird registration- March 1st to April 15th.
Meriden Art Council Awards
This year, the Meriden Arts Council will acknowledge three established artists for their contributions to Meriden and the artistic world by awarding them recognition as Artist of the Year. Artists will have excelled in or made other notable contributions to one or more of the arts. Candidates will be considered in four areas: literary, performing, visual and specialized, a category that can include culinary arts, education, and patronage and other support of the arts. Any member of the community may nominate a candidate for an arts award by completing a nomination form. Nomination forms are available at www.meridenartscouncil.org. Nominations must be postmarked by 04/13/07. For info call 639-2856.
DEP FAMILY FISHING CLASS COMES TO NEW HAVEN
The Department of Environmental Protection's (DEP), Connecticut Aquatic Resources Education (CARE) program, is coming to New Haven just in time for opening day of fishing season.
The program developed in 1986 by the DEP Bureau of Fisheries has introduced thousands of novice anglers throughout the state to the quiet pleasures and the exciting thrills of freshwater fishing. Classes cover many diverse topics including how and where fish live, fishing laws and regulations, fish identification, fishing tackle and techniques, how to cast, sportsmanship, safety, and how to fillet and cook your catch.
The 2 day program will take place on April 3 and 10 from 6:30pm -8:30pm at the West Rock Nature Center, Wintergreen Avenue. Students will be taken on a fishing trip to a local fishing hole on April 20 from 12:30 – 3:00pm to practice their newly acquired fishing skills.
The fishing program is conducted by certified DEP CARE instructors. The classes are free of charge and open to everyone over 7 years old. Students under 12 years of age must be accompanied by an adult. All required equipment will be provided
Pre-registration is required. For registration or more information call (203) 946-8016.
The Yalesville Volunteer Fire Department will be having an Easter Plant Sale at the Firehouse at:
143 Hope Hill Road, Yalesville.
Friday April 6 from 12-6PM
Saturday April 7 from 8AM-6PM
Sunday April 8 from 8AM-12PM
Wallingford Community Film Festival
The congregation of the First United Methodist Church (FUMC) in Wallingford is pleased to announce the Community Film Festival. We are offering free movies and refreshments and an opportunity for open discussion after the show. The Community Film Festival will begin on Friday, February 2, 2007 at 6pm with the showing of Millions at the FUMC Old Rock Hill Road, Wallingford. This showing will include free pizza, popcorn, and drinks.
Movies will be shown every other Monday evening at 7pm. Those movies which are particularly family oriented will be shown Fridays at 6pm with free pizza for all.
The Community Film Festival is an opportunity to gather and enjoy thought provoking, inspiring, socially relevant and entertaining films, free of charge. Unlike in a movie theater, we then have an opportunity to savor its message and discuss the film. The Film Festival is for the greater Wallingford community, not just our congregation-all are welcome and encouraged to come.
The film series will continue throughout the year (with various short breaks) and the films will be presented in a sequence of thematic blocks-based on the Methodist Social Principles. These thematic blocks include: The Natural World, The Nurturing Community, The Social Community, The Economic Community, The Political Community, and The World Community. These broad themes allow for an endless array of films including documentaries, short films, animation, drama, international, and even some well-chosen television sitcom episodes. Suggestions are always welcome!
Resuming on Monday April 9th we will begin a series on The Economic and World Community beginning with a screening of The Corporation (2004) and including A Civil Action (1998) with John Travolta, and Walmart:The High Cost of Low Price (2005) for example.
If you need transportation, please contact the office at (203) 269-9100 to make arrangements. Our address is 941 Old Rock Hill Road, Wallingford. Our web page is www.gbgm-umc.org/fumc-wallingford.
Javier Salabarria
CHORALE CONNECTICUT AUCTION
Chorale Connecticut will hold its 6th annual auction on Saturday, April 14th, at the new location of Nest Egg Auction House, 3 Research Parkway in Meriden. Preview of items will take place from 5:30 to 6:30 PM. Featured items will include sports and theater tickets, “get-away” vacation weekends, jewelry, gift certificates, original arts and crafts, attic finds and services such as massage, windows, handyman, etc., food delicacies, Dorothy’s “Famous Bread” and much more! Admission is free and light food and wine will be available. For more information, call (203)237-5684.
AMERICAN RED CROSS OFFERS TRAINING COURSES
The South Central Connecticut Chapter of the American Red Cross is currently accepting registrations for upcoming Health & Safety courses.
The American Red Cross Community First Aid and Safety courses are designed to help responders feel more confident in their ability to act appropriately in the event of an emergency. The program includes information on topics such as First Aid, CPR, and preventing disease transmission. The program is comprised of courses for adult, child, and infant care.
All training courses will be held at the Wallingford/Meriden Branch office of the American Red Cross located at 144 South Main Street, Wallingford, CT 06492.
Details for each course are listed below: Please pre pay by calling (203) 265-6721 or register on-line at www.arcsct.org.
Standard First Aid with CPR - Adult, Child and Infant - to be held on April 11 & 12, 2007, from 5:30pm - 10:00pm (both nights). Learn to overcome any reluctance to act in emergency situations and to recognize and care for life-threatening respiratory or cardiac emergencies in adults, children and infants. Provide the lay responder with the knowledge and skills necessary in an emergency to help sustain life and to minimize pain and the consequences of injury or sudden illness until professional medical help arrives. Two certifications include CPR - Adult, Child & Infant valid one year and Standard First Aid valid three years. When class is held in two sessions, attendance is required at both sessions to receive certification. No prerequisites. 9 HOURS
Connecticut Child Care - to be held April 21, 2007 from 9:00am – 5:00pm.This course instructs adults in how to administer first aid and CPR – Child & Infant, how to prevent accidents and injuries, how to recognize communicable diseases, child abuse, Lyme disease and how to respond to such situations. The State of Connecticut approves this course for licensed home day care providers. Also appropriate for parents of young children, nursery school teachers and camp counselors. Two certifications include CPR – Child & Infant valid one year and CONNECTICUT CHILD CARE valid three years. No prerequisites. 8 HOURS
Grants Awarded for New Hubbard Park Playground
The Meriden YMCA and the Hubbard Park Playground Committee (who work as volunteers under the Y) are pleased to announce that several grants have been received to build the new barrier-free playground at Hubbard Park. These grants include $5,000 from BJ’s Charitable Foundation, $10,000 from The Maximilian E. & Marion O. Hoffman Foundation, Inc., $14,000 from The Meriden Foundation, $12,000 from the James H. Napier Foundation, and $20,000 from the CUNO Foundation. In addition, donations from the Probus Club, Dr. Nicholas Perricone, and others, and $20,000 from the City of Meriden have raised the committee’s total to $83,000. These funds together with contributions to Noah’s Ark of Hope, Inc. (which the foundation has pledged toward the project) will allow Meriden to have a beautiful, new barrier-free all accessible playground for children of all abilities to play on. Groundbreaking is scheduled for late spring/early summer 2007. For more information about the new playground email Dawn Nierenburg-Reynolds (Hubbard Park Playground Committee Chairperson) at hubbardparkplayground@peoplespressnews.com.
About the Hubbard Park Playground Committee
Mayor Mark Benigni appointed the Hubbard Park Playground Committee in June 2004. Working as volunteers under the Meriden YMCA, the committee’s mission is to build a barrier-free playground for children of all abilities to play side by side. The Hubbard Park Playground Committee and Noah’s Ark of Hope, Inc. are working together to make the dream of a new Hubbard Park Barrier-Free Playground come true.
Passover Services
Mark your calendar for Passover, the eight day holiday beginning Monday night, April 2nd which commemorates the story of the Exodus, when the Children of Israel broke free from their bondage as Pharaoh’s slaves in Egypt. At Temple B’nai Abraham at 127 East Main Street in Meriden, the service for the first born will be held Monday, April 2nd at 7:00 a.m. The sale of Chametz is scheduled for 10:00 a.m. (Forms are available by calling 235-2581.) Passover services will held at 9:30 a.m. on April 3rd, 4th, 9th, and 10th. The Yizkor service will be on April 10th at 10:30 a.m. For more information, please call (203) 235-2581.
About Temple B’nai Abraham
Temple B'nai Abraham is a Conservative synagogue which provides religious, educational and social programming for all age groups in a warm, extended family atmosphere. Shabbat services are egalitarian, and feature congregational singing. All are welcome.
Macaroons, Prayers, and Pajamas at Temple B’nai Abraham
A special interactive children’s service featuring stories, prayers, and macaroons for Passover will be held at Temple B’nai Abraham (127 E. Main Street in Meriden) on Friday, April 6th at 6:00p.m, for children ages 4 to 8 and their siblings. Children are welcome to come in their favorite pajamas, and bring their special blanket and stuffed animal. Early evening services for adults and children follow at 6:30 p.m. For more information call Linda Caplan at (203) 235-2581.
About Temple B’nai Abraham
Temple B'nai Abraham is a Conservative synagogue which provides religious, educational and social programming for all age groups in a warm, extended family atmosphere. Shabbat services are egalitarian, and feature congregational singing. All are welcome.
Rookie Investors Gain Statewide Award
Wallingford residents Joe and Christine Laskowski of CJL Properties recently received the “Rookies of the Year” award from CTREIA. The couple received the award at the annual meeting on December 12, 2006 at Villa Capri.
“We were living in a two family and looking for a way to build equity and lifestyle,” says Joe Laskowski. “We started attending the CTREIA meetings, attended a few boot camps and then applied what we learned.” Within six months, the Laskowskis acquired a six-family property, a 17-unit apartment building and a building lot.
“What Joe and Christine did in six months often takes investors years to accomplish,” says Linda Baumgarten, CTREIA co-founder. “The key thing was that they got the information and then used it right away. The education only works when applied and we’re proud to be part of their success,” she says.
The CT REIA is an organization that provides education, networking, and training as well as access to deals, mortgages and contractors through its association. The association meets regularly on the third Monday of each month with special meetings in between. For more information and to pre-register visit www.ctreia.com or call 860.561.8821.
Author of “Journey From the Land of No, a Girlhood Caught in Revolutionary Iran”to lecture at University of New Haven
Roya Hakakian, writer, journalist, poet, filmmaker, and author of “Journey From the Land of No, a Girlhood Caught in Revolutionary Iran” will lecture at the University of New Haven, where she is the Spring 2007 Bartels Fellow.
Thursday, April 12, 2007
11:30 a.m. – 12:45 p.m.
Dodds Hall Auditorium
Free and open to the public. For more information, please call Joanne Roy, (203) 932.7271
University of New Haven to Sponsor 3rd Annual Holocaust Remembrance Event
The University of New Haven is sponsoring its third annual Holocaust Remembrance Event with keynote speaker Leon Chameides, a respected Hartford area cardiologist who is a Holocaust survivor himself.
Thursday, April 12, 2007
3:00 p.m.
Marvin K. Peterson Library on the UNH campus
The event is free and open to the public. For more information, please call (203) 932-7095.
“What children need is not more good talk about Fathers, but more good talks with Fathers"
By the National Fatherhood Initiative
The Central Connecticut Divorce Education Center (Meriden Men's Center)
Connecticut Civil Rights Council
Divorced Men's Association of ConnecticutAmerican Coalition for Fathers and Children (Connecticut Chapter) John DiBiase Jr. 17 Newton Street # 2 Meriden,CT. 06450-4414 Phone: 203-630-1338 DMAC 860-643-8516 Cell: 203 -379 -7772 e:mail: jdibiasejr@aol.com Dadshelpline@aol.com
LOOKING FOR A FEW GOOD MOMS
Ever wish it was just easier to get together with other moms and their kids for a little reprieve from the monotony. Well I do!! That’s why I’m looking for other moms to join my group.
It’s my pleasure to establish a new group called Mothers and Children or MAC for short. It is my intention is to design this group with mothers wants and needs in mind. Where as moms we can get together to socialize and incorporate time to regenerate us as well as the kids. Although we will have playgroups, activities and outings for children. I hope to initiate things like Mom’s Night Out, Babysitting Co-Ops, Family Days, Crafts Clubs or anything else that our other mom’s might like. For information www.mothersandchildrengroup.com or Jennifer @ 203-238-7810
New England Wild Flower Society
FREE Orientation and Lecture—Why Study Native Plants? On Monday, April 16, 7 pm at Yale Peabody Museum, New Haven, CT. An Orientation to the Education Programs of New England Wild Flower Society is FREE. Preregistration is requested at registrar@newfs.org or 508-877-7630 x 3303 but not required. Join Education Director
Greg Lowenberg for an illustrated talk that will include some fascinating stories told by
native plants, a description of the Society’s efforts to conserve our native flora, and a discussion of why it is important to “learn the wildflowers.” A certificate of native plant studies will be described.
FREE Conservation Training - Conservation Volunteers Needed - The Conservation Department of New England Wild Flower Society seeks volunteers to join the Society’s award-winning conservation programs including invasive plant mapping, and other critical field projects throughout New England. An important focus is the early detection and response to new invasions. No previous experience is necessary. Comprehensive free training is provided for those able to make a commitment. Volunteers are especially needed in Connecticut. On April 22nd the training for (IPANE) the Invasive Plants of
New England volunteers begins in Middletown, CT. Please apply to Ted Elliman at telliman@newfs.org. Make a difference! For more information visit www.newenglandWILD.org or phone 508-877-7630 x 3203 to speak with the conservation department.
Travel Opportunity--Take an exciting day trip, and don’t miss “ART GOES WILD”
Garden in the Woods, New England Wild Flower Society’s 45-acre living museum, native plant nursery, and museum store open on April 14 for the 75th anniversary season. See 1,500 native plant species including 200 rare and endangered species through the seasons. Don’t miss a minute of the glorious unfolding of spring in a native plant paradise. April blooming beauties trailing arbutus, cardamine, trout lilies, willows, violets, snow trillium, marsh marigolds and many more. Have the very first choice of 600 unusual native species and cultivars for sale in the nursery. Don’t with the Anniversary exhibition, a nature-based art installation by W. Gary Smith included with admission
May 19-October 31: ART GOES WILD: Innovation with Native Plants. 180 Hemenway Road, Framingham, MA. (508) 877-7630, www.newenglandWILD.org NEW SPRING AND SUMMER HOURS: Open daily, April 14-August 31; 9 a.m.- 7 p.m.; Last admission one hour before closing. Admission: $7, Seniors: $5, Children and Young Adults (6-18 yrs): $3, Members and Children under 6: Free. Tours weekdays at 10, Saturdays and Sundays at 2, no reservations required. Group tours and special cart tour reservations at bdrexler@newenglandWILD.org. Museum Store, plant nursery and special events. All proceeds and memberships support conservation. Open Rain or Shine. www.newenglandWILD.org.
Nasami Farm, New England Wild Flower Society’s native nursery at 128 North Street, Whately, MA, 413-397-9922 is just 2 miles from I 91, easily accessible to many Connecticut plant lovers. It opens for weekends on April 20, Friday-Sunday 9-5 with 600 native plant species available this year, and free demos on Sundays at 1 in May and June. Meet the new Nursery Business Manager, Ron Wik, at the May 5 Open House.
Selected additional 2007 Offerings in Connecticut . See www.newenglandWILD.org for a complete list.
Wildflowers of New England--core course intensive held at Yale Peabody Museum, New Haven, CT, Mondays April 23 and 30 6:30 p.m.--9 p.m. and Saturdays April 28, May 5 10:30 a.m.--1 p.m. Instructor: Bryan Connolly, Botanist. Preregistration required at registrar@newfs.org. $120 members, $150 non-members
Begin your study of our region’s wild plants and learn how to identify New England’s diverse flora, with both classroom and field instruction. We will cover family characteristics, names, growth patterns, habitats, and pollination mechanisms of native wildflowers. This course may be applied to a certificate of native plant studies.
Horticultural Techniques held at Marsh Botanic Garden, New Haven, CT Saturdays May 12, 19, June 2 8:30 a.m.--1:30 p.m. Instructor: Eric Larsen, Manager of Marsh Botanic Gardens, Yale University. Preregistration required at registrar@newfs.org. $165 members, $195 non-members
This three-session course will discuss how to properly select and plant native plants and demonstrate how to choose the right plant for the right place. Students will practice proper techniques in transplanting, and correct methods of preparing soil, mulching, watering, and pruning will be explained.
Mount Higby field trip held in Middletown,Ct, Saturday, May 12, 9 a.m.--2 p.m. Instructor: Eleanor "Sam" Saulys, avid outdoor explorer this century and last. Preregistration required at registrar@newenglandWILD.org. $28 members, $32 non-members
At its talus base, cold spouts support northern species at their southernmost range, while the ridgeline supports southern species. View unusual ferns, violets, clematis, vernal wetlands, and typical southern New England spring ephemerals. The ascent is steep though not strenuous; mid-high boots are recommended.
Horse Island Thimble Islands, CT, Saturday, June 2 12:45 p.m.--3:15 p.m. Instructor: Lauren Brown, coauthor of The Vegetation of the Thimble Islands. Preregistration required at registrar@newfs.org. $33 members, $38 non-members includes ferry ticket.
Join botanist Lauren Brown on a short excursion to the Thimble Islands off the Connecticut coast. Access to the islands is quite limited; this class has permission to visit and island owned by Yale University's Peabody Museum. The Thimbles are an usual ecosystem with an interesting mix of coastal and early succession vegetation, with the feel of coastal Maine. Cosponsored with the Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History.
The Central Connecticut Civic Youth Orchestra, CCCYO, is Growing
"We are very gratified with the growth we have sustained for this season," said Mrs. Veronica Germain, Music Director and Conductor of the CCCYO. "We have some very talented young musicians in the group and we hope that word-of-mouth will bring us 20 or even 30 more next season!" The Central Connecticut Civic Youth Orchestra is auditioning for next season. The CCCYO is scheduling auditions for its 2007-2008 season that starts in September. "We especially need low strings - cellos, double basses and violas, as well as oboes, that would be so nice.... but all young classical musicians are welcome! Young musicians with at least two years of experience on his/her instrument do best in auditions." said Mrs. Germain.
"The group has grown from seven members in October to nineteen as of last week. With the area music stores, schools and community music teachers cooperating, sending us students, we are filling in nicely", said Katrina Axelrod of the Meriden ArtsTrust, the orchestra's Administrator. The group is growing in numbers and in financial supporters as well.
Mrs. Axelrod announces that the following area businesses that have donated to the CCCYO's Scholarship Fund:
Ms. Jennifer Cosensa, owner and operator of Jennifer's House of Hair on Broad Street in Meriden donated a full year's tuition to the Scholarship Fund.
Mr. Jim Moran of Moran's TV and Appliance on West Main Street in Meriden donated a full year's tuition to the Scholarship Fund.
Mrs. Axelrod also wishes to thank Mr. Harland Christoffersson of Audubon Strings, LLC, in New Haven, for his assistance- he is offering a 10% discount to CCCYO musicians at his store. "We are very grateful to Ms. Cosensa, Mr. Moran and Mr. Christoffersson, said Mrs. Axelrod. "The Orchestra will be able to fund all or part of the tuition for young musicians in need and our string players will get a break on their supply and instrument needs. We are just so grateful to these generous people. String players need to maintain their instruments, and Audubon Strings, LLC has made a commitment to help the string community."
"It is very admirable to help young musicians, who tend to need supplies very often. It is nice to know that he is so willing to help the string community," said Mrs. Germain, herself a violinist.
Mrs Axelrod said, "We have pledged that no successful auditioner will be turned away for the family's inability to pay; Jennifer Cosensa, Jim Moran and Harland Christoffersson have made this possible for us this coming year. We are so grateful to them."
"As we charge tuition by the family, not the musician, so it is hard to tell how many musicians these Scholarship gifts will cover. If siblings are involved, it could be a bunch, not just two! We'll help it stretch as far as we can," said Mrs. Axlerod.
The CCCYO's $125 tuition is charged per family, not per musician, because the Orchestra's organizers all strongly encourage family musicianship. Parents have burdens on them when they want to have their children play musical instruments- the instrument cost or rental, the cost of private lessons- the CCCYO understands this and wants to encourage families with more than one musical child to participate. "If we have to fund raise, so be it, we feel strongly about helping in the Community", said Mrs. Axelrod.
If you would like to help young classical musicians in the area, the CCCYO would like to hear from you. Please e-mail to meridenartstrust@yahoo.com and inquire.
You can support the work of the CCCYO by attending their first performance on May 17 at the Opening afternoon of the All-Meriden Student Arts Exhibit at the Augusta Curtis Cultural Center, from 4:30 to 6:30. The Exhibit itself will last longer into the evening.
The CCCYO has its own Open House and Concert on Sunday, May 20th from 2-4 at the Augusta Curtis Cultural Center.
"The first hour, from 2-3 is the time to come in, ask questions, sign up for an audition or just meet the members. The 3-4 hour is the concert. " said Mrs. Germain.
"And let's state something else, for the record," said Mrs. Germain, "The Augusta Curtis Cultural Center is our home away from home, it is our rehearsal space and our concert space and we are just so grateful that they are there for us and for the entire community, I hope that the ACCC gets great public support during it's first Annual Appeal."Meriden ArtsTrust
“Bringing the Arts to the Area’s Youth, Bringing the Area’s Youth to the Arts”The Meriden ArtsTrust (MAT) is an arts ‘incubator’ program, designed to encourage the formation of community arts groups that benefit young people.
Arts projects do not just ‘happen’. They must be dreamed, worked, reworked and then realized. The Meriden ArtsTrust helps arts groups stand with a clear vision of the work involved and with the joy of creating an area resource for young artists of every talent. Through administrative volunteers, the Meriden ArtsTrust provides real world, real-time assistance. MAT organizes people and material resources to assist new groups; attaining stability in their organization. The first large-scale project of the MAT is celebrating its first birthday!
The Central Connecticut Civic Youth Orchestra (CCCYO), under the seasoned Musical Directorship of Meriden-native Mrs. Veronica Germain, provides 20 young musicians, grades six-12, with an orchestra for the towns and cities of Berlin, Cheshire, Durham, Madison, Meriden, Middlefield, Middletown, Southington and Wallingford.
Young people growing into and loving the Arts by doing them.
Background:Last April, three music teachers came to the Meriden ArtsTrust and spoke of the problem of elementary schoolers deciding to stop playing their musical instruments because their schools no longer have any programming for them in the middle schools. Middle and high school violinists and other string players who started in elementary school have nowhere to play in some school systems. The systems can’t afford it! Often as not, this leads to the student giving up his or her music entirely.
“Without a civic orchestra, these students currently have no orchestral musical experience, nothing practice for!”
“But”, the teachers said, “ a civic youth orchestra for this region would be a unique resource filling a great need”.
A year later, the CCCYO, 20 members strong, is currently rehearsing for its concert on May 17th, the afternoon opening of the All-Meriden School Art Exhibit at the Augusta Curtis Cultural Center, and for their own Open House and Concert on Sunday, May 20th at the Augusta Curtis Cultural Center, from 2-4 pm. The 2-3 hour is the Open House and the 3-4 hour is the concert.
Two Community Leaders
Our thanks go to Ms. Jennifer Cosenza of Jennifer’s House of Hair, 437 Broad Street, in Meriden and Mr. Jim Moran of Moran’s Television Sales and Service 664 West Main Street in Meriden, who each donated an entire year of Scholarship for Civic Orchestra students.
Their gifts of $125 will help the MAT and CCCYO keep the promise of never turning away a successfully-auditioning student. And, as our tuition is per family (not per student) Jennifer and Jim’s gifts may very well help two families of musicians.
What MAT does today:
We work cooperatively with teachers and all Arts organizations and love to work on joint programming. We are members of and work with the Meriden Arts Council, The Augusta Curtis Cultural Center, and The Greater Meriden Chamber of Commerce. We heartily encourage you to join and support these wonderful agencies. We do something different from all of them. While they are running programs, we help the people running the programs.
Just like those three teachers did, call or write an e-mail to us for strategies, networking, links to web sites for teachers and those interested in more in-depth arts and cultural information. Our e-mail is meridenartstrust@yahoo.com
Q: Why Bother Supporting Programs for Young People?A: Because it is on their (sometime tiny) shoulders that rests the future of the arts in our country.
Young people need the Arts in their lives. Modern American society has taught the Arts a terrible lesson in budgetary priorities, but, luckily, many projects don’t cost that much money. The Meriden ArtsTrust runs on a shoestring; it has to. So can many groups, if they are savvy, committed and willing to do a lot of the homework it will take to be in the arts business year after year. Arts Projects must support themselves. This means learning how to make and manage a budget, how to work with the art form wisely, to learn to make data bases, keep records, get an 501-(c)-(3) tax-exemption or locate other people who will help do those things.
Here we have our answer to the question “Why Bother? A: Because you really ‘have to’ in order to have a solid on-going program.
Come on, Bottom line this for me– Does the Meriden Arts Trust Want Money?
Oh, sure. But what we really need are people who give us money with the love of the arts and the feeling that money well-spent on the arts goes a long way to supplementing educations, filling young lives with beauty and opening up whole new worlds of writing/journalism/literature/poetry, dance, music, movies, and all of the shared experiences that culture brings to all of us.
Please join the Meriden ArtsTrust as a member.
Memberships start at $35 a year for the newsletter; “Tomorrow’s Arts”, with news and commentary, student-artist profiles and the humor section with award-winning Justin “PIC” Piccirillo. “Tomorrow’s Arts” will be mailed to you two times a year as our ‘thank you’. You will also receive a copy of "So Noted" the CCCYO's newsletter, so you will see ‘the good’ your assistance has done for our young artists.
Should you wish to volunteer your time to our programming network, we would be delighted to speak with and welcome you. These are just the first steps of this worthwhile project; what an exciting road we will travel together!
We work cooperatively with all arts organizations and welcome their participation. MAT advocates for the arts, for young people’s participation in the arts and believes in the revitalizing power that arts organizations and their services bring to communities.
The Meriden ArtsTrust believes that just as children have a right to education; to literacy and numeracy, they have a right to creativity.
Sponsorship is available for both the Central Connecticut Civic Youth Orchestra and the Meriden ArtsTrust. Newsletters, mailings, event sponsorship, our web site, as well other opportunities are available to companies and individuals who wish to have another corporate presence in our nine-town service area.
What a positive way for you and your company to engage the public.
For further information, please visit meridenartstrust@yahoo.com or call during office hours Monday-Friday between 10:00am and 3:00pm (203 235-7445). Thanks for your help! Katrina S. Axelrod, Administrator.
Kathy Barta of MidState Selected to Serve
Kathy Barta, RN, Clinical Educator, MidState Medical Center, Meriden, CT recently received a letter from Mary Fran Tracy (AACN president), congratulating and welcoming her to a position at an AACN national level. Kathy was selected to serve on the "PCCN Practice Exam Committee."
PCCN Certification (Progressive Care Certified Nurse) is an AACN specialty certification for nurses who provide care for acutely ill patients in such areas as: stepdown units, telemetry units and emergency rooms.
Item Writers on the PCCN Practice Exam Committee develop exam questions for the PCCN certification exam item bank and research problem items during the item analysis.
Author Bill McKibben, DNC Chairman Howard Dean, endorse new Ct. River guide
Greenfield, MA, April 1, 2007. The Connecticut River Watershed Council has released
The Connecticut River Boating Guide, Source to Sea. This is the Council’s third edition of the Guide, and its first update in over 20 years. Amply referenced and with new photographs of landmarks along the Connecticut, the book features reach-by-reach maps produced with GPS technology. Author and environmentalist Bill McKibben notes, “The reclamation of the Connecticut as a lovely, living river is one of the great conservation stories of our time—and now we have the perfect guide to seeing it in all its glory.”
The reference is constructed to assist a full spectrum of river boaters: from those heading out on the water for a day, to people planning a paddle adventure from the Quebec border to the shoals of Long Island Sound. Howard Dean, former Vermont governor and now Chairman of the Democratic National Committee had this to say about the 224-page Guide’s 3rd Edition, “When my kids and I canoed the length of the Connecticut River in the 90’s, we used the Boating Guide. It was wonderful then, and this edition is even better!”
The Boating Guide includes written histories, directions, and mile-by-mile descriptions to make traveling along the 410 mile Connecticut simple. Guide writers, John and Wendy Sinton and Elizabeth Farnsworth, explore the four-state waterway in 28 “reaches”—logical segments that can be experienced one at a time, or in a series. From camping, to parking, to toilets, picnic areas and supplies, there are details for kayakers, canoeists, and boaters--including phone numbers, topographical descriptions, and important “put-in” and “take-out” info.
“We think this is a wonderful tool for boaters—and anyone else interested in our great Connecticut River,” says Connecticut River Watershed Council Executive Director Chelsea Gwyther, “And we timed its release to the beginning of a new season on the river.” The Connecticut River Boating Guide, Source to Sea, published by Falcon Guides and Globe Pequot Press, is available for $19.95 in local bookstores or directly from the Connecticut River Watershed Council at www.ctriver.org.
St. Stanislaus Announces June Festival Dates
The 33rd Annual St. Stanislaus June Festival will be held on the parish grounds at 82 Akron Street in Meriden starting on Thursday, May 31st from 5:30 PM – 9:30 PM, Friday, June 1st from 6:00 PM – 10:00 PM and culminating on Saturday, June 2nd Noon – 10:00 PM.
A parish tradition since 1974, the June Festival features, polka music, Polish & American cuisine, bouncers and games of chance.
This years June Festival Raffle features a 2007 Hyundai Sonata, a 42” Panasonic Plasma Screen TV as well as four other great prizes. Tickets are $3.00 each and are on sale now, call the church rectory at 203-235-6341 for ticket information.
Paintings by Local Artist on Display at Masonic Healthcare Center in Wallingford
Masonic Healthcare Center has been featuring the work of local artists for the past several months, displaying it in a main hallway of the Center for the enjoyment of visitors, residents, patients, and employees.
Through April 11, the original oil paintings of Hazel Lundbech, a New Haven resident who was born and raised in London, England, are being featured at the Center. Her paintings include several pastoral landscapes and seascapes depicting locations along the Connecticut shoreline, such as Meigs Point at Hammonasset, The End of Summer in Guilford, and Stony Creek at Dawn.
Mrs. Lundbech loved to draw as a young child. She hoped for an education and career in the arts, but World War II forced a change in plans and she joined the Women’s Royal Naval Service (WRNS), often referred to as the “Wrens.” After raising a family, emigrating to the United States, and working until retirement, she finally fulfilled her lifelong dream and began taking classes in oil painting. Mrs. Lundbech has won awards for her work and sold some of her paintings. She says she takes “joy in the beauty of things, great and small,” and hopes that her paintings capture that joy. She is a volunteer at Masonic Healthcare Center, where she teaches an oil painting class to long-term care residents, many of whom have always wanted to try their hand at painting and are now doing so with her encouragement.
Mrs. Lundbech’s paintings will be on display at Masonic Healthcare Center through April 11. The community is invited to stop by any day between the hours of 8 a.m. and 7 p.m. to view the exhibit and leave written comments about the paintings. Most of the artwork will also be available for purchase.
For additional information, call Rosemarie Preneta at 203-679-5980.
The Wallingford Family YMCA is offering CPR classes in April ! Learn to Save a Life!
April 7 Infant /Child CPR 10AM-3PM
April 12 CPR/FPR/AED recertification class 4PM (must hold a current certification to take this class)
Fee for community is $30 a class. Call 203 269 4497 to register
DID YOU KNOW?
Now is the time to prepare for summer fun in the water. Whether you go to the beach, a lake, a water park, or a pool, get ready now by learning to swim and learning basic water safety skills. If you already know how to swim a little, why not learn more, or join a swim team, practice your water rescue skills, or train to become a lifeguard?
Consider these statistics from the Center for Disease Control:
6 people drown in US pools every day
In ethnic communities drowning rates are nearly triple the national average (CDC 2003)
Children under 5 and adolescents between 15-24 have the highest drowning rates
Alcohol is often a contributing factor
Childhood drownings occur most often in residential swimming pools.
Annually an estimated 5,000 children ages 14 and under are hospitalized due to a near drowning. 20% suffer severe neurological disabilities
So… what can you do? What should you do? If you have a swimming pool or a hot tub at your home, do you know what kind of rescue equipment you should have on hand? Are you ready? Not sure? Check with your local YMCA, American Red Cross or your local pool store.
A number of opportunities are coming to the Wallingford area. Take advantage of them! With the support of the Wallingford –Meriden United Way, April 16-20 is Learn to Swim Week at the Wallingford Family YMCA. For $5, children ages 4- 7th grade can come and learn basic swimming and water safety skills. Classes are half an hour long Monday – Friday and are taught by trained instructors and assisted by volunteers, mostly from the Wallingford YMCA Dolphin Swim team. Register in person or by mail. Registration forms have been sent home with all Wallingford public school children Kindergarten- 7th grade. There is space for 150 children so register early! Registration forms are also available at the Wallingford Family YMCA.
On Saturday, April 14, join the fun of Healthy Kids Day at the Wallingford Family YMCA. This national, annual event showcases ways to keep our kids healthy while having fun. It runs from 10AM-2PM and all activities are free. There will be water safety information and games for parents and children. Sign our Water Safety Pledge! In the afternoon, there will be opportunities for everyone to actually practice water rescue skills under the guidance of the YMCA’s certified lifeguards. Children may try on PFD’s (life jackets) and even go in the water with one on! (Bring your swim suits!)
Watch for more activities during National Water Safety Week this June.
Adults, missed out on the opportunity to learn to swim when you were younger? Why not start now? Adult beginner, intermediate and advanced swim lessons are available at the Wallingford Family YMCA. There’s no age limit- so come on in – the water’s warm! Call for more information- 203 269 4497
The Wallingford Family YMCA offers spring swim lessons in a 7 week format beginning April 22. Lessons for parents and tots aged 6 month and older are offered as well as lessons for preschool and school age children. Registration will begin in early April. Everyone is welcome; you do not need to be a member or live in Wallingford to take swim lessons at the Wallingford FamilyYMCA.
Last summer, Connecticut had too many drownings- do your part to make sure you or someone you care about learns to swim and knows what to do in a water emergency.
Pam VanderWeele
Aquatic Director
Wallingford Family YMCA
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