Middletown Works Expands With New Community Partnerships

Submitted Rebecca Lemanski.
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Did you know that nearly half of Middletown’s families are headed by single parents? And that one third of these families are living at or below the Federal Poverty Level, on an annual income of $24,600 for a family of four? Middletown Works (MW), an initiative spearheaded by the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston, wants to change this. We understand that for children to grow up healthy and resilient, parents need a family-sustaining career and support to reach their full potential. We also know that we cannot solve this problem alone or by working in silos.

MW seeks to mobilize the Middletown community on behalf of these vulnerable children and adults. As we move into Year 2, MW continues to intentionally engage individuals and organizations to move the needle on creating a more equitable community, where all families can be economically secure and thriving.

We are pleased to announce that MW’s Leadership Team, currently led by The Connection, Inc. and Middlesex United Way, is expanding to include Monica Perez of the Connecticut Center for Advanced Technology (CCAT). Mrs. Perez, Workforce Program Specialist for CCAT, facilitates the Better Skills Better Jobs program; a job quality grant for the Hartford region. We are looking forward to having Mrs. Perez lend her knowledge of workforce development and the manufacturing sector to MW.

We are also excited to announce that Clifton Watson, PhD., Director of the Jewett Center for Community Engagement at Wesleyan University, will be serving as a Community Advisor to MW. Community Advisors are individuals from key institutions who play a critical role in shaping strategic priorities, lending critical thinking skills and long-term visioning for collective impact initiatives.

Lastly, we are happy to announce two additional partnerships, one with Southern Connecticut State University’s graduate social work program and the second with UCONN’s School of Social Work’s graduate program. These crucial partnerships will allow MW to not only expand its influence and capacity but will also serve as a fertile learning ground for aspiring social workers going into community organizing, social work administration and policy advocacy careers.

To learn about how you can get involved in making Middletown work for all of its citizens, contact Rebecca Lemanski, MSW, Director of Middletown Works at 860-975-5405 or email Rebecca.Lemanski@MiddletownWorks.org