New American Dream Foundation donates $15K for Danbury health day

On Oct. 3, 2023, The New American Dream Foundation presented Nuvance Health with a $15,000 donation to support its Mission Health Day event. From left to right: Melissa Haynes, navigator specialist; Lynn Crager, director of spiritual care; Emanuela Palmares, TNADF vice president; Celia Bacelar-Palmares, TNADF president & founder; Angela Barbosa, TNADF executive director; Amy Lionheart, volunteer services managerSue Albino, Respiratory Services & Neurophysiology ManagerKevin McVeigh, Community Care Team Manager

Maplewood at Stony Hill, which provides specialized care for individuals with dementia, is inviting the public to attend two talks on Oct. 19 and Nov. 16 at its Memory Resource and Support Center.

The talks are part of its Candid Conversations series, which began in June and aims to break down the stigma surrounding dementia through an open dialogue about the complex challenges faced by those affected by the disease. Attendees can ask questions and engage in conversations with researchers, health-care professionals, caregivers and individuals with experience in diagnosis, treatment, caregiving, communication and community support.

On Thursday, Oct. 19, Dr. JoAnn Maroto Soltis, Dr. Alan Radin and Dr. Allison Ostroff from Nuvance Health’s Center for Healthy Aging will speak about the resources and support available at their center for older adults and their families, including health-care services, educational programs and community outreach. On Thursday, Nov. 16, Christine Marnelakis, memory care director at Maplewood at Stony Hill, will offer strategies in navigating the holidays with dementia, providing insight into common challenges that arise when celebrating and offering tips for reducing stress and anxiety for everyone.

Candid Conversations events are held at Maplewood at Stony Hill’s Memory Resource and Support Center from 5 to 7 p.m. at 46 Stony Hill Road, Bethel, CT. To RSVP, email Amy Palagonia at [email protected] or call 203.207.4100.

Jeff Tomchik, Danbury fire lieutenant and Uniformed Professional Fire Fighters Association of Connecticut legislative director, will be honored by the Exchange Club of Danbury and the Connecticut Fire Instructors Association

He will be recognized for helping the UPFFA successfully lobby the Connecticut General Assembly to pass a bill which provides presumptive coverage for firefighters diagnosed with occupational cancer.

Firefighters have been fighting for these protections for years as cancer rates in the fire service continue to increase. The law, which took effect on Oct. 1 provides firefighters access to critical benefits including wage replacement while receiving treatment, reimbursement of medical expenses, and access to a disability retirement.

LT Tomchik will be honored as this year’s Firefighter of Year recipient by the Danbury chapter of the CT Exchange Club and will also receive the Legislative Recognition award from the CT Fire Instructors Association at separate events later this month.

The New American Dream Foundation donated $15,000 to support Nuvance’s Mission Health Day

On Oct. 3, The New American Dream Foundation presented Nuvance Health with the donation.

The event will be held on Saturday, Nov. 4, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. It will connect adult community members who are uninsured, underinsured, and those with housing risk to free, essential health screenings and services, social support, and giveaway items.

The event will take place at the Danbury War Memorial at 1 Memorial Drive, Danbury. Mission Health Day serves adults only. All the screening and services below are offered free of charge:· General health screenings and time with a provider· General health history and assessment· Basic point-of-care testing· Insurance enrollment assistance· Vaccinations· Mammography referrals· Podiatry screenings· Behavioral health and substance use screening and referrals· Referrals to primary care medical home

Participants completing a screening will receive a free winter coat and personal care kit.

Mission Health Day is being led by a large team of Nuvance Health volunteers representing many departments in collaboration with The Morganti Group, Inc., the Danbury War Memorial, the City of Danbury, Western Connecticut State University, and The New American Dream Foundation, Inc.

The New American Dream Foundation raised funds through its ninth annual American Dream Awards Gala with a theme of “The Power of Education — The Power of Community,” presented by Union Savings Bank.

The Danbury PAL is running a 50/50 raffle fundraiser where to raise funds for its many programs providing equipment and subsidies for families in need.

The raffle consists of a maximum of 250 tickets sold at $100 each. The drawing will take place on Tuesday, Nov. 14 with one grand prize winner taking home $7,500 and five runner ups taking home $1,000 apiece.

Tickets may be purchased at https://securepayment.link/danburypal/raffle-tickets/

A representative from the PAL will email a copy of your ticket (s) to you within 48 hours Monday through Friday.

Newtown Youth and Family Services in partnership with the Greater Danbury Chamber of Commerce welcomes community members and businesses to its Open House on Oct. 23 from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at 15 Berkshire Road in Sandy Hook.

Open house guests will be greeted by agency board members and staff as well as being treated to a guided tour through the NYFS facility showcasing its programs and activity space. There will also be light bites provided by Mothership Café and Bakery in Danbury and an assortment of beverages for everyone. Guests will also be entered to win a raffle that includes four tickets to NYFS upcoming 38th Holiday Festival and House Tours hosted on Main Street in Newtown on Dec. 3.

RSVP was required to Julie Schmitter, director of development, at [email protected] by Oct. 15.

Newtown Youth and Family Services is the largest provider of youth support and mental health services in Newtown.

FirstLight Power is awarding $59,500 in grants to 13 organizations in Connecticut, Massachusetts and Pennsylvania in this year’s inaugural FirstLight Sustains program. FirstLight awarded grants to support projects focused on sustainability and community improvement.

Connecticut-based area organizations that received grants include:

• Christine’s Critters: The $5,000 in grant money will be used to plan, design, and construct new hoods and carriers to transport their birds to educational programs.• Candlewood Lake Authority: This $1,000 grant will fund building material costs for an aquatic vegetation research pilot program on Candlewood Lake.• City of Danbury: The $5,000 in funding is for an extension to a boat dock on Candlewood Lake to accommodate Candlewood Lake Authority’s patrol boat.• Housatonic Valley Association: The $5,000 grant will fund HVA’s Still River Watershed Connections program in Connecticut, which links young people to their home river and to conservation practitioners through ecological restoration projects.• Kent Volunteer Fire Department: The $5,000 in grant funds will be used to recruit and train new volunteers through a community-wide social media campaign for recruitment and certification training for the volunteer fire department.• New Milford Police Department: This $5,000 grant supports a Community Policing Project to encourage safe recreational activities such as boating, swimming, and hiking in FirstLight properties, access points, and adjacent recreational locations including Candlewood Lake and the Housatonic River Areas.• Operation Fuel: This $5,000 in funding expands on previous funding from FirstLight that supported similar environmental justice and green workforce development projects with Operation Fuel.• Sustainable Southbury: This $3,463 grant will help reduce the amount of plastic that is being discarded into the region’s waste stream by raising awareness and educating residents and businesses about plastic alternatives.

FirstLight Power is a clean power producer, developer and energy storage company serving North America.

RPAC Gallery, located at 410 Main St., is presenting Artful Visions.

The artists of the Artists Collective of Westport’s Gathering Group have created their individually unique healing devices to weave hope into the fabric of our lives, to reimagine, reconnect, and restore.

The Artists Collective of Westport is a group of creative individuals who have joined forces to discuss, create, and develop dynamic experiences for the Fairfield County community.

Visit www.rpacgallery.com for more information.

The Gunn Memorial Library and Museum has received a $7,000 National Endowment for the Humanities grant to assist with the preservation and storage of its museum collections.

The Gunn Museum is a department of the Gunn Memorial Library. The project, supported by the Preservation Assistance Grant for Smaller Institutions, will allow the museum to hire a professional consultant to develop an assessment of its current collection storage spaces. The grant is funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities Division of Preservation and Access.

Of the 114 applicants, 61 awards were granted. The museum’s one-year project will center on identifying more efficient and creative ways to house its collections, which range widely from 3D objects, textiles, rare books, and archival documents. The grant will also fund preservation training for volunteers and the purchase of preliminary archival storage supplies following the consultant’s report.

The museum recently hired a new curator and just opened a new textile exhibit in the second floor gallery space. A full-time collections manager was hired in 2022.

Steep Rock Association is hosting a two-day grand opening celebration for its landmark Hidden Valley Expansion Project. Comprising 206 acres of core forests, wildlife habitat, Shepaug and Bantam River protection, and scenic, recreational opportunities, this expansion is a critical addition to the conservation of the Litchfield Hills. The celebrations will feature an Opening Ceremony on Friday, Oct. 20, from 1 to 2 p.m., and a guided hike to the new Cook Parcel at 9 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 21. Both events will be held at the main entrance of Steep Rock’s Hidden Valley Preserve, 198 Bee Brook Road, Washington Depot, and are open to the public. Brian Hagenbuch, executive director of Steep Rock Association, said these four parcels — known as the Cook, Mt. Tom, Bantam, and Asrar parcels— expand the size of Hidden Valley Preserve by over 25 percent and have been among the association's top priorities for conservation for 17 years. The new parcels secure over 170 acres of core forests, house a rich diversity of plants and animals, protect drinking water for residents, and offer numerous corridors for wildlife passage. They also extend recreational access on the Shepaug Railroad bed by 0.75 miles, laying the groundwork for a seamless greenway trail from Litchfield to Roxbury, featuring connectors to Mt. Tom State Park and other regional trails.

The $2.7 million acquisition of the parcels was covered with grants from the Open Space and Watershed Land Acquisition program administered by the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, Highlands Conservation Act funding from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, many private foundations, including the John T. and Jane A. Weiderhold Foundation, Lilah Hilliard Fisher Foundation, and David L. Klein Jr. Foundation, as well as over 110 individual private donations.