Prayer gathering planned for Seymour teen battling cancer

SEYMOUR - A Mass for Nina Poeta, 17, will be followed by a Community Prayer Gathering at 4:30 p.m. Aug. 16 at St. Augustine's Church, 35 Washington Ave.

Nina is battling a brain tumor.

Please join Poeta Strong for this special event. 

Refreshments will be served, and cards and notes will be available to send Nina to show her how much she is loved and supported.


The information in this post is taken from the Poeta Strong Facebook page. 
 

'Festa' on tap at Holy Rosary Church in Ansonia

It's an August tradition in the Valley!


Note: Information taken from church website.

PCRC to host 15th annual golf tourney in Monroe

Who:             Golfers of all ages are invited to participate in the 15th Annual PCRC “Fore! The Children” Golf Tournament. This event is open to the public.

What:            The day includes 18 holes of golf, lunch, dinner banquet, cocktails, a raffle and live auction, along with many contests throughout the course.

When:           Aug. 20. Registration opens at 11 a.m. followed by lunch with a shotgun start a noon.

Where:          Whitney Farms Golf Club, 175 Shelton Road, Monroe

Why:               “Fore! The Children” will raise funds to support PCRC’s successful clinical programs that deliver a state of the art care to our clients – as a leader in the delivery of mental health services to children and families. Each year we serve more than 1,200 children, many who suffer from serious behavioral and emotional problems, including trauma, abuse and neglect.

How:            For information on playing in or sponsoring the 15^th Annual PCRC “Fore! The Children” Golf Tournament, contact Veronica Parsloe, 203-954-0543 ext. 130 or vparsloe@lnvpcrc.org.

This is a press release from The Parent Child Resource Center, the leading provider of behavioral health services to children and families in the Lower Naugatuck  Valley. 
PCRC programs, including the Child Guidance Clinic, Family Enrichment Service, Therapeutic Mentoring Program, Intensive Outpatient Program, and the Prevention through Early Intervention Program, help children and their families so that they may develop to their fullest potential.

Making lemonade out of lemons in Derby

Participants in Yale University's Community Rowing Program glide along the Housatonic River Friday morning.

DERBY - This is a tale about being in the right place at the right time, even though it was the wrong time.

On Thursday night I went to City Hall to cover Mayor Anita Dugatto's second open door session.

The kickoff session the previous week started at 7 p.m., but I was on vacation and didn't attend.
Fast forward to this past Thursday, and, without double-checking, I had it in my head that the session was starting at 7 p.m.
Wrong.

Dugatto's plan is to meet with residents from 5-7 p.m. Thursdays.
Woops.

The informal meeting in aldermanic chambers was just wrapping up when I arrived.

In a release last month Dugatto said, “I hope this opportunity will inspire people to speak up, seek answers to their questions, and participate in the revitalization of our city.
"I look forward to meeting with residents, property owners, business owners, and anyone else interested in our community and its potential.”


Dugatto said Thursday residents discussed various issues, from creating a new website for the city, to  trying to define 'What is Derby?'
"It was an informal meeting, I didn't take notes," she said. "We reminisced, and we talked about the future," she said.

Dugatto suggested I join her first thing Friday morning at Yale University's Gilder Boathouse on Roosevelt Drive to observe the last day of a summer Learn to Row program.

And I'm so glad I did.

I chatted with several friendly rowing coaches and after a bit of coaxing I got into a small boat with Dugatto and rowing coach/lifeguard/photographer Jon Robinson of Shelton to see the rowers up close.

I took lots of photos, learned about rowing, and had a great time. I daresay Dugatto had a great time as well.

Please check out a slideshow here in the New Haven Register's Media Gallery, and stay tuned for a story in the paper.

Official at BHcare in Ansonia named to state commission

ANSONIA - Trudy Higgins, BHcare Vice President of Community Services, has been appointed to the Connecticut Commission on Community Service by Gov. Dannel P. Malloy.

 

Higgins joined the behavioral health field back in 1982, helping men and women who struggled with serious mental illness and addiction find jobs and gain the necessary skills to join the workforce.

She joined BHcare (Birmingham Group Health Services) in 1991 as the Coordinator of Supported Employment and quickly moved her way up the organization taking on various positions such as Director of Supported Employment, Director of Rehabilitation Services, Director of Operations, and Associate Executive Director. 

From 2003 until 2011, Higgins served as the Vice President of Services and in 2012 she assumed the role of BHcare’s Vice President of Community Services.

Higgins has served on numerous boards and committees including the Valley YMCA Board of Directors, the CCPA Behavioral Health Division, and the CCPA Membership Committee.

She was president of the CT Rehabilitation Association in the 1990s, and was co-chair of DMHAS’ New Haven Housing Subcommittee.  

She participates in the New Haven Chamber Nonprofit Council and Healthcare Council and was most recently elected to the steering committee for Opening Doors New Haven which is dedicated to ending homelessness in Connecticut. 

Higgins is vice president of the St. Anthony’s Church Ladies Guild and serves on its Hope Ministry which raises money to help the needy in Prospect. She volunteers at St. Vincent DePaul Soup Kitchen in Waterbury and recently joined the Ladies Auxiliary of the Prospect Volunteer Fire Department.

BHcare is a regional community provider of behavioral health, addiction prevention, and domestic violence services for the Lower Naugatuck Valley, Greater New Haven and Shoreline communities. For  information, visit www.bhcare.org.

The Connecticut Commission on Community Service administers programs under the National and Community Service Trust Act of 1993. 

The Commission is dedicated to supporting service and civic engagement to strengthen communities throughout Connecticut.

In partnership with the Office of Higher Education, the Commission funds and supports programs that encourage all Connecticut residents to volunteer. Learn more at  www.ctohe.org/cccs/.

This is a press release from BHcare.

Shelton facility hosts low-vision support group

SHELTON - Do you or someone you know struggle with the difficulties of low vision?

Join us for the next meeting of our low vision support group.

Learn to See the World is scheduled for 3 p.m. Aug. 20 at Crosby Commons Assisted Living Community on the Wesley Village Campus, 580 Long Hill Ave. 
The meeting will be held in the Library on the first floor.

Mark Leventhal, a member of the Board of Directors of the Blind Veterans Association, Connecticut Regional Group, will speak at the meeting. He will discuss the challenges of the summer season.

The meeting is free and open to the public.  

Individuals with low vision or who are legally blind are encouraged to attend for fellowship and support. 

To RSVP contact the group facilitator, Mary Ann Milano, Activities Director at Crosby Commons at 203-225-5018 or at mamilano@umh.org.


This is a press release from United Methodist Homes. 

Rowing program in Derby holds summer finale

At Yale University's Gilder Boathouse

DERBY - Shelton resident Jon Robinson, center, a rowing coach and lifeguard in the Yale University Community Rowing Program, also serves as the organization's resident photographer. 

Here he photographs an award ceremony Friday morning on the last day of a four-week program held of the Housatonic River. Robinson said he had already taken 2,596 photos before Friday's activities. 

In front of Robinson is the official "dog bowl award," given to the individual or individuals who were the most valuable rower or rowers of the week. On Friday it was presented to high school students graduating from the program.  

 Stay tuned for a story in the New Haven Register.