Month: February 2014

Mayor Finch at Roosevelt School for ‘Words on Wheels’ poetry contest rally

WHAT:              On Wednesday, February 19, Mayor Bill Finch will join Roosevelt School students and teachers in a poetry rally to promote the fourth annual “Words on Wheels” poetry contest in conjunction with Greater Bridgeport Transit.

Roosevelt teacher Ron Rapice started Words on Wheels in 2011 as a way to foster an interest in poetry as an art form and a means of expression. Students in grades K-12 can submit original pieces of poetry, of which about 75 will be displayed in Greater Bridgeport Transit buses – hence the name “Words on Wheels.”

 

Last year, more than 700 pieces of original poetry were entered in the contest and the selections were posted in GBT buses during April, May and June. The selected poets were honored by the Board of Education, and were invited to a City Council meeting where they received citations from Mayor Finch and the City Council for their work.  Funding for the project is provided by General Electric and the Bridgeport Public Education Fund.

Mayor Bill Finch will join Rapice and students at Roosevelt School on Wednesday, Feb. 19 at 10:30 a.m. for a rally to encourage student participation in the contest.

 

The deadline for entries is March 10, and must be submitted via email in a Word document to Ron Rapice at rrapice@bridgeportedu.net. Guidelines are as follows: poems must be the original work of the student with a 10-line maximum; all forms of poetry are accepted with emphasis on verse as opposed to acrostic style.  Topic and subject matter are completely up to the student, and all students will be invited to read their works at the annual Poetry Slam in April.

 

 

WHERE:       Roosevelt School, 160 Iranistan Ave., Bridgeport, CT

 

WHEN:         10:30 a.m., Wednesday, February 19

Demonstration of Smocking at Fairfield Public Library Woods Branch

[Fairfield, CT, February 12, 2014] February is National Smocking month and The Fairfield

Public Library is hosting the Thimbleberry Chapter of Smocking Arts Guild of America for a

demonstration on Sunday, February 23. The demonstration will take place from 2:30 to 3:30 pm

on the main floor of Fairfield Woods Branch Library, 1147 Fairfield Woods Road.

If you are interested in smocking, heirloom sewing and fine needle arts this is the demonstration

you don’t want to miss. Smocking is a centuries-old form of needlework consisting of surface

embroidery stitches worked over gathered fabric. Smocking fundamentally is the manipulation

of fabric using needle and thread. In its simplest form, smocking is decorative needlework

stitched over pleats to embellish the item. However this does not define its limitlessness.

The Thimbleberry Chapter of Smocking Arts Guild’s purpose is to preserve and foster the

art of smocking and related needlework for future generations through education, service,

communication and quality workmanship.

Advanced registration is required due to the limited space. All programs at the Fairfield Public

Library are free of charge. For more information and to register for this event call 203-256-

3160, or visit us on the web www.fairfieldpubliclibrary.org . Follow the Fairfield Public Library

on Twitter: www.twitter.com/fairfieldpublib and Facebook: www.facebook.com/fairfieldlibrary.

Mission: “The Fairfield Public Library, our community’s gateway to the world of

information and discovery, inspires the lifelong love of reading and learning. It offers

free access to varied collections, stimulating programs, leading-edge technology, and a

responsive staff in a welcoming environment.”

Fairfield Chamber of Commerce 2014 Economic Outlook Breakfast

The Fairfield Chamber of Commerce and People’s United Bank is hosting a 2014

Economic Outlook Breakfast at the Delamar Hotel in Southport on February 20th

The guest speaker will be Mr. John S. Traynor, Senior Vice President and Chief Investment

Officer of People’s United Bank. Attendees will hear about the state of the current economy,

what the expectations and trends may be for the year ahead, and why.

“We are very excited to have John as a keynote speaker for our Business Before Hours breakfast

event, as there still may be some concerns about the health of our economy as we begin a new

year”, says Beverly A. Balaz, Executive Director of the Fairfield Chamber of Commerce.

Mr. John Traynor joined People’s United Bank in 2011 as a Senior Vice President and Chief

Investment Officer. John directs the overall investment process and has ultimate responsibility

for the work of the various Investment Committees. He also serves as the Chief spokesman

for the People’s United Wealth Management Group and provides investment outlooks through

regular strategy briefings.

To attend, please RSVP and reserve your ticket for this very informative speaker series event

by calling the Fairfield Chamber of Commerce office: 203-255-1011 or register online at:

www.FairfieldCTChamber.com. Refreshments and a continental breakfast will be served …

Tickets are $35/per person – open to the public.

For more information on this breakfast event, please call Mary Beth Claflin at the chamber office

at 203-255-1011.

GOVERNOR MALLOY LAYS OUT HIS PLAN TO END VETERANS’ HOMELESSNESS BY 2015

 

(HARTFORD, CT) – Governor Dannel P. Malloy, joined by Lt. Governor Nancy Wyman, veterans, veterans’ advocates and local, state and federal officials, today laid out several of his proposals aimed at combatting veterans’ homelessness and unemployment in Connecticut. The initiatives, which Governor Malloy introduced last week, focus specifically on working with public and private sector partners to end veterans’ homeless by 2015 by assisting veterans with employment and increasing residential opportunities for homeless veterans or those at risk of becoming homeless.

 

“We know that homelessness and unemployment are intrinsically linked and part of a terrible downward spiral that captures too many people, especially veterans,” said Governor Malloy. “President Obama set a realistic deadline to end veterans’ homelessness in the United States – a goal we are fully committed to and capable of achieving. By working together with our public and private sector partners and investing in giving Connecticut’s veterans access to steady employment and safe housing, we will move our state significantly closer toward ensuring that every veteran can get back on their feet, back under a roof, and back to work.”

 

In his State of the State address last Thursday, Governor Malloy outlined several legislative initiatives that re-affirm Connecticut’s commitment to ending veterans’ homelessness by 2015. The Governor’s proposals include:

 

·         Planning for the Future and Enhancing Residential Options for Veterans at Department of Veterans’ Affairs in Rocky Hill – this initiative will set aside $500,000 to support a review of existing state facilities to determine how they can be put to their best use for veterans, with a deadline of October 2014. An additional $1.4 million to match a federal grant that will finance code improvements at the campus’ facilities;

·         Veterans’ Employment Opportunity Pilot – $600,000 for grants to area housing agencies for employment specialists and job developers to actively seek opportunities for veterans to reenter the workforce;

·         Security Deposit Guarantees for Veterans – $50,000 to increase availability of security deposit assistance for homeless veterans;

·         Victory Gardens affordable housing development – $289,109 for supportive services for 74 units of housing dedicated to at-risk veterans and their families in Newington.

 

According to the most recent Point in Time count, there are an estimated 4,500 homeless people in Connecticut, of which approximately 11 percent are homeless veterans in temporary housing or living on the streets. In 2012, an estimated 1,000 veterans in Connecticut spent at least one night homeless.

 

“I strongly believe the state must do everything in its power to help these brave men and women have a roof over their head and access to employment opportunities,” said Lt. Governor Wyman.  “It is our obligation to honor the sacrifice they made by supporting them and their families – and these proposals will do just that.”

 

In 2009, President Obama and U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Secretary Eric Shinseki announced a national goal of ending homelessness among veterans by 2015. President Obama asked partners and supporters nationwide to embrace this pledge in order to build on the progress the VA has made by increasing programs and funding to help veterans who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless. Since the announcement, the number of homeless veterans in the U.S. has dropped by 17.2 percent. In fiscal 2013, VA will dedicate $1.4 billion to specialized homeless programs and $4.4 billion to health care for veterans who are homeless.

 

“For the last several months, the Connecticut Heroes Project has been engaged with the Governor’s Office in a discussion around our shared mission to end veteran homelessness,” said Greg Behrman, founder and director of the CT Heroes Project. “In his State of the State address, Governor Malloy announced a series of robust, smart, and targeted proposals to end veteran homelessness by 2015. These proposals are perfectly in line with the needs of veterans experiencing homelessness in our state today, and we are very excited to work with the Governor and the legislature to implement them in the coming months.”

 

Governor Malloy highlighted one initiative in his budget proposal, a Veterans’ Opportunity Pilot, which provides $600,000 for grants to area housing agencies to hire job placement specialists trained to understand the employment challenges and advantages unique to veterans. The specialists will work with veterans to actively seek opportunities for veterans to reenter the workforce. The pilot program will also designate a statewide coordinator from the Department of Labor (DOL) to manage the complex network of employment services for veterans. The Governor will also increase the availability of the state’s security deposit assistance program by adding funding to the program and prioritizing homeless veterans – a move that could help around 100 veterans get over the first hurdle of finding a home.

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