The Liberty Bank Foundation has awarded a $5,000 grant to Oddfellows Playhouse to support its Neighborhood Troupes and Arts Explorers programs. This highly regarded program provides free, weekly, after-school interdisciplinary arts classes for at-risk young people, in grades 1-8, in the area. The goal of the Troupes program (grades 1-5) is to use theater and related arts to help these youngsters grow up to be more successful adults by building essential life skills such as creativity, confidence, communication, empathy and discipline. The Arts Explorers program (Grades 7-8) provides students with mentorship and instruction from professional artists for an entire school year, where they learn new artistic skills, and also financial responsibility. “The Liberty Bank Foundation has been a tremendous partner for many years in this program. We are grateful for their consistent and continued partnership to bring high quality theater programs and experiences to our community’s youth,” said Elizabeth Bobrick, Chair of Oddfellows’ Board of Directors. Since its inception in 1997, the Liberty Bank Foundation has provided almost $6 million in grants to nonprofit organizations within Liberty Bank’s market area. The foundation seeks to improve the quality of life for people of low or moderate income by investing in the areas of preventative programming for children and families, affordable housing, and non-profit capacity building. In addition, the foundation is providing support to address basic human needs during these difficult economic times. Along with its grantmaking, the foundation strives to foster the convening and collaboration of nonprofits, funders, business, and government to address community issues.
The Liberty Bank Foundation has awarded $5,000 to Opportunity Knocks, to support its social and emotional health programming, specifically its home-based parenting education and skill development.
Opportunity Knocks is a community collaborative of parents, health and education providers and community agencies that addresses childhood obesity, lack of routine dental care, and poor social and emotional health — behaviors that could lead to preschool expulsion or impact a child’s future school performance and lifetime achievement. The vision of Opportunity Knocks is that children enter kindergarten physically and emotionally healthy and ready to succeed.
As an ongoing prevention program started in 2004, preschool teachers report remarkable positive changes in the behavior of the children whose parents were able to access the home-based services offered through Opportunity Knocks, provided by parent educators. Teachers cite improved parenting skills and a greater sense of relief and confidence that parents feel with the intense support from the program.
The Liberty Bank Foundation award will help parents continue to access these important in-home services at a stage when prevention is possible. The Opportunity Knocks in-home parenting education services are available to families before issues escalate to the level of Department of Child and Family Services involvement. Parent educators are an essential resource to early childhood education programs since they support classroom management and provide services to families beyond the classroom.
(Photo by John Giammatteo)
(Left to right): Cyndi Perry, parent educator; two-year-old Max Veselas, held by his grandmother, Pam Austin, who participates in the program; Willard McRae, Liberty Bank Foundation board member; Betty Sugarman-Weintraub, senior program officer, Liberty Bank Foundation; Cristina Cardona, parent educator; Monica Belyea, program planner, Opportunity Knocks
CANCER CENTER TO HOST PRESENTATION
ON COLON HEALTH
The Middlesex Hospital Cancer Center will host an information session on colon health; and prevention and early detection of colon cancer on Thursday, March 25, from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. in the atrium of the Cancer Center at 536 Saybrook Road in Middletown. The event is free and open to the public.
The event will feature a panel of experts, including gastroenterologist, Mario Ricci, M.D.; radiation oncologist, Anwar Khan, M.D.; surgeon, Jonathan Blancaflor, M.D.; medical oncologist, Michael Farrell, M.D.; Cancer Center Medical Director, Andrea Malon, M.D.; and advanced practice registered nurse, Wendy Peterson, from the Middlesex Hospital Behavioral Health Department. The panelists will discuss colon cancer prevention, as well as treatment options and supportive services. A question-and-answer session will follow the presentation.
There will also be exhibits featuring information on colorectal screening and colonoscopies, endoscopies, integrative medicine, clinical trials, nutrition, genetics, treatment, rehabilitation, American Cancer Society programs, and cancer support groups at Middlesex Hospital.
Light refreshments will be served. To register for the event, call (860) 358-2088.
The Nature Conservancy is moving from headquarters on High Street in Middletown to new headquarters in New Haven.
The Nature Conservancy employs 25 people.
According to an email response to a Middletown Eye correspondent, Nature Conservancy representative Lise Hanners explained that they were forced to find new offices when Liberty Bank, which owns and occupies most of the building where the Nature Conservancy is headquartered, told the non-profit that they would not be renewing their lease.
Hanners writes:
New Haven works very well for our business because The Nature Conservancy, as an international conservation organization, is located in every state and quite a bit of business happens along the metropolitan corridor from Washington to Boston. We wanted a location that would be easily accessible by rail, easy for commuter access to decrease our staff dependence on cars, and centrally located close to business services. New Haven fills all of those requirements very well and we are excited to launch a new beginning in our new location.
The Liberty Bank Foundation has awarded a $2,500 grant to the North End Action Team to support the Neighborhood Leadership Project.
"NEAT is so excited that in these hard economic times, Liberty Bank is continuing to support the small projects that make a difference. NEAT doesn't do glamorous work, but we're making important changes in the lives of the people in the North End. It's wonderful to have a community partner who recognizes that leadership development is worth supporting, even if it is not quick and easy. The type of change we are creating together is sustainable, and that is the difference."
Liberty Bank is pleased to support the continuing work of NEAT. Building strong leadership is critical to a strong organization. A strong organization will lead to a stronger community and enhance the quality of life for its citizens.
Since its inception in 1997, the Liberty Bank Foundation has provided over $5.1 million in grants to non-profit organizations within Liberty Bank’s market area.The foundation seeks to improve the quality of life for people of low or moderate income by investing in preventive programming for children and families, and in non-profit capacity building.In addition, the foundation is providing support to address basic human needs during these difficult economic times.Along with its grant making, the foundation strives to foster the convening and collaboration of non-profits, funders, business, and government to address community issues.
The North End Action Team is a grassroots neighborhood advocacy group Focused upon the revitalization of Middletown’s North End neighborhood. NEAT’s mission is to promote indigenous leadership, opportunity for children And families, public safety and code enforcement, improved affordable housing, homeownership and positive economic development.
Established in 1825, Liberty Bank is Connecticut’s oldest mutual bank, with more than $2.8 billion in assets and 35 banking offices throughout the central, eastern, and shoreline areas of the state.As a full-service financial institution, it offers consumer and commercial banking, home mortgages, insurance, and investment services.Rated outstanding by federal regulators on its community reinvestment efforts, Liberty maintains a longstanding commitment to superior personal service and unparalleled community involvement.
Is there anyone in the country who isn't watching the bliss-fest in DC? Every conversation I've had today in our little city of Middletown has come back -- again and again -- to this jubilant feeling of hope.
Down in DC, my family went to the reception for CT residents at Senator Chris Dodd's office. That's where they ran into Calvin Price -- the VP of community development for Middetown's own Liberty Bank.
They spent most of the day going to museums and concerts and milling around with a few hundred thousand other people in anticipation of tomorrow's events. They took in a concert at the National Museum of the Native American.
They checked out the preparations at the Mall: the Jumbotrons are working.
At the end of the afternoon, they went to a Connecticut-themed party at the Russell Senate Office Building -- and in a case of the "media reporting on the media", my teenagers were interviewed by the Hartford Courant's Washington reporter, Jesse Hamilton.
They plan to rise well before dawn and head to the Mall, since their tickets for the inauguration itself are first-come, first-served in the standing area.
In all the economic upheaval, it's been kind of nice to hear politicians say they are thinking not just about Wall Street, but about Main Street too. Shucks, guys - we didn't know you cared!
So while Main Street is the new buzzword, I thought I'd chime in -- from Main Street, Middletown --about how things look from the cheap seats.
How is the economy doing right here?
Most places I shop downtown are holding their own, but are feeling very cautious as they face the important holiday shopping season, which can make or break our retailers. "So far so good, but I'm watching that fourth quarter" as one shop-owner said to me. Others are more pessimistic -- one long-time storekeep said: "How is it? It's not good." But on the positive side, I hear from retailers who think that more people are shopping local because they are reluctant to drive out of town. And the new It's Only Natural Market just posted their best Monday in the history of the business (perhaps thanks to the terrific article in the Eye by Pearse Pinch!)
Commercial real estate in the downtown seems sort of schizophrenic -- there's ongoing investment (yesterday I wrote about Fiore's new storefront windows) but there's also a few stubborn vacancies, which don't seem to be attracting viable new business tenants. Sometimes that's good -- when landlords are hungry, it makes room for a new crop of creative, risk-taking entrepreneurs. But it also leaves us with a "knocked-out" teeth smile, when you walk past empty storefronts.
The restaurants seem a little soft - and I've noticed a new interest in advertising on their part - but you can still find people waiting for a table here and there, and the sidewalk seating at Amici's and First & Last is still hot. And new businesses like the Taqueria in the North End are filling seats every night, and clearly drawing from outside the neighborhood. Still, it can be pretty quiet on those early weeknights.
How about the banks? We're all watching that one. Our banks are a key anchor in our downtown, and most (except, notably, for Liberty Bank) are attached to very large institutions -- chains, if you will -- that make decisions at some corporate headquarters. That's a little scary when it comes time for them to economize. I hope they stay solid, because the local people who work at these big companies are very much part of our Main Street community.
Happily, the news is good for local tourist attractions (full disclosure: I'm with Kidcity) -- the "stay-cation" has brought new people to town who might have gone Sunday-driving in Litchfield or Cape Cod in better days. We're glad to have them.
So if you can't offer a $700 billion bailout, but you'd still like to do your part to help the economy, then join us down on Main Street. 'Cause all the cool people shop local.
