Back to School - new beginnings

This is a very busy and exciting week at United Way as it is also for children and teachers around the Valley. While the first day of school for students is staggered between this week and next, all of the teachers will be back this week. It's an exciting time for all of them, and also for us as we will be getting an early start on this year's Community Campaign with meetings with teachers in Seymour, Derby and Shelton this week.

Those three schools traditionally run their United Way campaigns with their welcoming and in-service training programs for the teachers. It's a very upbeat time, and Laurel and myself really enjoy making presentations to the teachers as we are both former teachers in Valley school systems ourselves so it gives us a chance to renew old friendships at the same time that we do the campaigns.

Teachers in the Valley have always been generous supporters of United Way and I think that they see the value of services provided to community nonprofits to their students on almost a daily basis.

Our relationship with the schools has been a very strong one, and we will have another remarkable example of this on Thursday when our Volunteer Center's Corporate Volunteer Council holds their annual Back-to-School Clothes-for-Kids party at Irving School in Derby. The Council adopts a Valley school every year and clothes needy children for the start of the new school year. They rotate among the Valley towns, and this year they are back in Derby which was the site of the very first program in 1996. This year they are working with both Irving and Bradley Schools and over 200 children will receive clothing at the reception at Irving School on Thursday. We'll have plenty of coverage on our website later in the week, but this is one of the great "feel good" days of the entire year as you will see with the coverage this week.

We have plenty of other involvements with the schools ranging from our role with the Discovery early education programs to the High School Volunteer Council. During the last school year, I had the pleasure to serve on Shelton's Early Childhood Development Steering Committee and Derby's C.I.A.C. Athletic Review Committee. At Valley United Way, we believe very strongly in the work of the educational system in the Valley and appreciate the opportunity to assist where we can.

Just as the schools are beginning a new year, this is also the start of a new United Way Community Campaign, and we are pleased that we share in each others work and opportunities to make the Valley a better place to live and work.

Shelton Early Childhood Development

Steering Committee