Meals on Wheels - A Special Job

TEAM, Inc. does a fantastic job in delivering meals to clients throughout the Valley, but clients may have been a bit surprised on May 20 when the delivery truck rolled up to their homes only to have local mayors make the delivery of their daily meal!

Valley United Way is pleased to be a small funder of the Meals on Wheels program which services over 500 of the Valley's homebound seniors. TEAM does an incredible job with this program and it has a tremendous impact on the lives of those in need of the service. Consider the alternatives that would need to be put in place if the individuals needing the meals had to make other arrangements. Services such as this allow seniors and the homebound to live at home where they feel comfortable and independent. TEAM's drivers also provide a valuable service by being available to check on the condition of their clients on a regular basis.

We salute TEAM for the great job that they do with this program, and also thank our local mayors who are always willing to roll up their sleeves and support worthwhile programs such as this.

70's Night Raffle and Silent Auction Prizes!

Great Items! A Ducane grill (retail value-$570), Box of 20 seats at a Bluefish Game ($500), One night stay at Homewood Suites ($135), Gift Certificates to John J. Sullivan's Restaurant, Brookside Restaurant, Panache Hair Design, Soundview Deli, Center Stage and more!!!!

Our DJ for the evening, Bill Piaciatelli of DJGMB.com will be recreating memories with great music from the Great 70's! Send in your requests!

Register soon by downloading the registration form from our website at www.valleyunitedway.org or emailing laurel.vicidomino@valleyunitedway.org!

The Impact of Education

At the Detroit Staff Leaders Conference, United Way of America and the America Human Development Project unveiled a very interesting new tool called the Common Good Forecaster which can be used for demonstrating the impact that education has on all our lives . The on-line system not only provides current data on a variety of statistics including health, finances, community involvement and education, but it also allows the user to forecast how each of those stats would be impacted by changes in educational attainment.

To use the tool, you simply select the indicator that you are interested in and then slide one of the education variables up or down to see what impact it would have on the indicator that you are examining. For example, in Connecticut Median Personal Earnings in 2007 amounted to $41,771. By moving the slider showing that we currently have 12% of the population with less than a high school diploma to 6%, the Median Personal Income figure would jump to $42,304. You can use the sliders to change a variety of educational attainment figures to predict what would happen as the educational attainment changes.

The system provides data by state and/or county levels. It is the first of what will eventually be several similar tools. You can test the system out for your self at http://www.liveunited.org/forecaster/. We'd appreciate hearing from you with your thoughts on the value of the Forecaster.

Thursday was one of those special days in the Valley when the community comes together to celebrate something extraordinary. This time, it was the ribbon cutting and official grand opening of the new Joel E. Smilow Clubhouse for the Boys & Girls Club of the Lower Naugatuck Valley's new Ansonia location. A raft of local dignitaries, donors and supporters were on hand, but it was Mr. Smilow himself who stole the show with his remarks.

Mr. Smilow was the major donor to the construction of the new project having contributed $2,000,ooo of the $5,000,000 cost. However, in his very humble remarks, he actually thanked the Club for giving him the opportunity to contribute to such a significant project that will affect the lives of generations of children to come. He urged other potential donors who have the means to do similar things to do so now and not wait to make bequests at their deaths. He pointed out that many people have seen investment losses in the last two years, but he noted that his contribution to the Boys & Girls Club is actually an investment that not only did not decrease in value, but is already paying dividends!

The facility is an incredible asset to the City of Ansonia and we want to congratulate not only the Boys & Girls Club, but also Ansonia Mayor Jim DellaVolpe and his administration for their support in making the project happen.

We also want to congratulate Sue Reilly and her team at the Valley YMCA which will also be opening a greatly needed day care center in another portion of the building. This cooperative spirit by two of the Valley's leading nonprofit youth agencies is another tribute to what can be accomplished when we work together.

Valley United Way is proud to support the work of these two outstanding agencies and to have also been a major donor to the project.

70'S NIGHT

Thursday, June 11th at Il Palio! Some of the great 70's foods Il Palio will be serving....
Deviled eggs, stuffed celery, pigs in a blanket, ritz & spritz cheese, swedish meatballs, cheese fondue, mini beef wellington, chicken chow mien, macaroni & cheese and monte crisco sandwiches! Beer and wine are included as are Harvey Wallbangers! Cost is $35 per person with advanced reservations. $40 at the door. For more info & registration: www.valleyunitedway.org

Orienteering - a great night in the woods

The Community Corporate Cup provides for a wide variety of physical activities, but orienteering is quickly becoming one of the favorites for competitors. Having near perfect weather and a beautiful setting at the Ansonia Nature Center made for a great night last night resulting in 19 teams meandering through the woods in search of 10 hidden landmarks. The teams had 2 hours to finish the course, and 17 finished in the allotted time.

The fastest team to navigate the course and collect all ten stickers was the Perkin Elmer duo of David Scott and Bob Van Egghen. For David, it marked the second straight year that he has been a winner in the event. For Bob, it was an unexpected bonus as he had not planned to compete, but was a last minute replacement for a fellow employee who had to scratch from the event. That's getting to be Bob's thing as he was also a substitute in the Wiffle Ball tournament - and his team won that as well! Bob is turning into this year's Corporate Cup MVP.

All of the competitors enjoyed themselves - even if they found some real challenges along the way. What seemed easy for some was difficult for others. Almost all agreed that marker #9 which was right off one of the clearest paths on the course was the most difficult. Perhaps my markings on the map were misleading (see earlier post on marking the course)!!

We have plenty of pictures and even a video interview with the winners on the website. If you look at the pictures careully, you might even see what looks like the Corporate Cup version of Rosie Ruiz with a car replacing the subway. No cheating was involved here, just an honest effort to get back home after a long, difficult journey into the woods.

Horseshoes is up next on May 30.

70's Night!

Bell Bottoms, platform shoes, leisure suits, go-go boots? Check your closets (or attics) for some fun attire and join us for our 70's night on Thursday, June 11th from 5-8pm at Il Palio Restaurant in Shelton. Great 70's themed foods courtesy of Il Palio, beer and wine (Cork & Keg-Shelton) and music (DJGMB.com). It is sure to be an entertaining evening! Costume contest, featured drinks, raffle and silent auction. Register at www.valleyunitedway.org. More details to come....

One of the most enjoyable events that we have every year at Valley United Way is the Orienteering Event which is part of the Community Corporate Cup. This year's event will be held at the Ansonia Nature Center tonight at 5:30 pm, and luckily after a cool and wet spring, the weather is going to be spectacular. For Chris Phipps of the Valley YMCA and myself, the event actually began yesterday with a leisurely stroll through the site with maps and measuring wheels in hand.

Before the competitors have a go at the course, it has to be marked, and that is where Chris and I come in. Now, I will be the first to confess that I'm much more comfortable on a basketball court than in the middle of the woods with a map and a compass - and I think Chris is in about the same category. However, after two and a half hours we had emerged from the "bush" feeling very proud (and maybe a bit lucky!) to have our course fully marked and ready to go for our competitors for tonight's event.

The Ansonia Nature Center is a perfect spot for the event and we are wishing everyone the best of luck. Chris and I are confident that we will see the winners cross the finish line in less than an hour tonight. And for those less skilled like Chris and myself - it may take a bit longer, but that's half the fun of orienteering.

Watch for full results and lots of pictures on the Corporate Cup website later tonight.

Blog Changing Focus

We're about to change the focus of our blog to include more reflections from staff members and other contributors. Up to this point in time, most of the stories on the blog have just been re-postings from our website. As we move forward, we'll leave most of the news to the website and use this space to enhance the website and keep stories up to date.

For example, I have just returned from United Way of America's Staff Leaders Conference. We normally don't include that type of thing on our website, but you might be interested to hear about what took place at the conference in Detroit. It was a tough week for that great industrial city as they received ongoing bad news about the declining situation with the domestic auto industry and also heard U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan advocated for Detroit's new mayor Dave Bing to take over the city school system because of the ongoing problems with the system Both Duncan and Bing spoke at the United Way conference.

Duncan also told United Way conference attendees that partnerships with nonprofits are a key way to ensure that schools stay open for many hours after classes end. "We can run the schools from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.," Duncan said. "You can run the schools from 3 to 9 at night. We have to make sure that schools are open extra hours."

United Way of America has a national goal of improving high school graduation rates all across the country over the next decade.

Dolly Parton also addressed the conference and brought an education related message. She woke the crowd up with a stirring rendition of her hit song "Nine to Five", but then really wowed the crowd in describing her Imagination Library program which aims to help prepare preschoolers for their entry into schools by providing them with age appropriate books to help foster a love for reading prior to school entry. She and United Way of America President Brian Gallagher also announced a partnership between Parton's Dollywood Foundation and United Way to double the number of United Way's sponsoring the program in local communities over the next three years. Valley United Way is heavily involved in the early childhood Discovery effort and will look to see if Parton's program would be a good fit for the Valley.

Perhaps the most inspiring speaker of the entire conference was Chris Gardner. You may not know his name, but you probably know his story - Will Smith was nominated for an Oscar for portraying Gardner in the 2006 movie "The Pursuit of Happyness". It's an amazing story that brings humanity and hope to those who struggle with homelessness. Gardner's story shows that determination and the support of the nonprofit community can make a real difference in a person's life. I'm sure that our own Spooner House could share many stories of success on a local scale.

Those are just a few of many thougts coming from the conference in Detroit, and myself, Pat Tarasovic and Laurel Vicidomino will be sharing more on this blog in the days and weeks ahead. We hope that you find it interesting and share your thoughts with us.

Jack Walsh

Valley United Way Annual Meeting & Awards Dinner

Valley United Way's 41^st Annual Meeting and Recognition Dinner was held on Tuesday, April 28 at 5:15 pm at John J. Sullivan's (Wakelee Avenue) in Ansonia. In addition to electing new corporators, board members and officers; United Way also honored all those who helped to support the Annual Community Fund Raising Campaign. A special highlight of the evening was the presentation of the prestigious Charles H. Flynn Humanitarian Award to Fred Ortoli.

Foundations Challenge Boosts Campaign Match Reached!

Though the official announcement will not take place until the annual meeting in April, Valley Community Foundation President Jamie Cohen stopped by the Valley United Way office with a check and confirmation that Valley United Way has met the terms of the "Challenge" presented to United Way at the campaign kickoff last August. As you can see from the picture, he made the day for United Way President Jack Walsh and Director of Resource Development Laurel Vicidomino! As you can see in the rest of this story presented at the time of the Kickoff, the Foundations challenged United Way to raise new dollars during the campaign that they would match on a 50 cents on the dollars basis up to $40,000. You'll have to wait for the annual meeting and the formal presentation of checks by the Valley Community Foundation and the Community Foundation for Greater New Haven, but it certainly looks promising!

The Annual Community Fundraising Campaign has received a major boost in the form of challenge grants from the Community Foundation for Greater New Haven and the Valley Community Foundation. Valley United Way will receive up to $30,000 and $10,000 respectively from each Foundation for a total of up to $40,000 if United Way successfully completes the challenge.

Under terms of the grants, United Way will receive $1.00 for every $2.00 in new and increased giving to this year's campaign. Past history with similar grants has shown that donors are excited by the chance to see their gifts matched and that giving increase as a result.

David Grant - Chairman of this year's campaign - said, "I would like to thank the Community Foundation of Greater New Haven and Valley Community Foundation for stepping up to the plate in these trying economic times and working hand and hand to help our current campaign which in turn helps all of our Valley associates to make the Valley a very special place to live."

Jack Walsh, Valley United Way President & C.O.O., said, "This is a strong incentive for many new businesses who have moved into the Valley, but have not yet been involved with campaign to see the value of their donations multiplied because of this grant. During difficult economic times, the community needs support more than ever."

Dave and his cabinet are already hard at work in planning this year's campaign which will officially kicked off at a reception hosted by BIC on September 22.

Since 1928, donors to The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven have built the community's endowment currently valued at over $300 million. In 2007, The Foundation’s Board of Directors distributed over $12 million in grants from approximately 640 different named charitable funds supporting a wide range of programs and projects. The Foundation’s service area encompasses: Ansonia, Bethany, Branford, Cheshire, Derby, East Haven, Guilford, Hamden, Madison, Milford, New Haven, North Branford, North Haven, Orange, Oxford, Seymour, Shelton, Wallingford, West Haven and Woodbridge.

Established in 2004, the Valley Community Foundation (VCF) is dedicated to making the Valley a better place to live and work by increasing philanthropy, especially permanent endowments; connecting donors to needs and opportunities; and providing leadership on critical community issues. It serves Ansonia, Derby, Oxford, Seymour and Shelton, Connecticut and is lcoated at 2 Enterprise Drive, Suite 303, in Shelton. VCF is affiliated with the Community Foundation for Greater New Haven which ensures that VCF funds will have the benefit of the authority and oversight of a local Board, and will be administered efficiently and effectively by one of the nation's oldest and largest community foundations.

The grant to Valley United Way was made as part of VCF's First Competitive Application Process which resulted in awards of $171,000. Click here to learn more.

Toy Donation Benefits Needy Children

John Kay, Kevin Munn, Amy Fitzgerald and Denny Davila of Basement Systems saved the day!

Thanks to a very generous anonymous donor and the timely support of Basement Systems, needy Valley children will be receiving some high quality rocking horses and chairs. In a repeat of a donation from 2007, the company which wishes to remain anonymous offered to provide over 175 of the horses and chairs to Valley groups for distribution to needy children. Things seemed pretty straightforward and easy to handle until a major logistics snafu took place.

The Boys & Girls Club in Shelton had agreed to be the distribution center for the products, but when a very large tractor trailer pulled up at the Club loaded with the horses and chairs, the lack of a loading dock proved to be a major stumbling block to getting the items off the truck. That's when John Kay and Basement Systems came to the rescue! John was on hand with a truck to assist TEAM, Inc. with the items that they would be receiving. When he realized there was a problem, he quickly called back to Basement Systems to see if their warehouse and loading dock in Seymour might be available. Luckily it was, and the tractor trailer was diverted to Seymour where in a matter of minutes, Denny Davila unloaded the truck and the happy agencies were able to easily load the items onto their own trucks.

Agencies that received the horses and chairs included the Boys and Girls Club, TEAM, Inc., St. Vincent DePaul and the Valley Parish Nurse Program. The donated items are valued at approximately $30,000.

Energizer Invigorates Campaign

Laurel Vicdomino, John Hill, Jean Axtell, Gary Cohen, Jack Walsh and Pat Tarasovic are all smiles after reviewing Engergizer Personal Care's fantastic campaign results.

When Energizer Personal Care moved to their new facility in Shelton last year, their reputation as great United Way and community supporters preceded them. Valley United Way President & C.O.O. said, "United Way of Milford's Executive Director Gary Johnson has always raved about what a fantastic company they have been and how important they have been to Milford and the United Way. We have already found out that Gary couldn't have been more accurate".

Walsh and fellow Valley United Way staff members Laurel Vicidomino and Pat Tarasovic recently met with officials from Energizer Personal Care to learn more about the company and to also give them an overview of Valley United Way's role in the Valley community. They also had the opportunity to review the outstanding United Way campaign run by Energizer Personal Care. They ran an incredibly successful campaign in which over 90% of the employees contributed and they raised over $63,000 for United Way!

Energizer Personal Care encompasses such well known brands as Energizer, Schick, Playtex and Banana Boat.

A Family Rallies for Change

There are many ways to volunteer – donating time, efforts and resources each to benefit a cause. When families participate and become closer while understanding the importance of helping those in need, both parties truly benefit.

Lisa Duhamel, Vice President of Administration with Prudential Annuities, met Pat Tarasovic, Director of the Corporate Volunteer Council at Valley United Way, at a Thanksgiving food drive. It was during their conversation that Lisa became interested in sponsoring a family in need for Christmas. After going home and discussing the holiday giving scenario with her family, Lisa became the brains behind making the best use of their communal loose change jar.

"My children knew what we were doing as a family," Lisa said. "They brought home their leftover lunch money and contributed just as my husband and I would go through our pockets every day for change. My daughter, who is nine, understood the situation entirely and was excited to help. My five-year-old son was also excited, but I had to explain that there are families who may not be able to get any gifts for Christmas, and this is our way to help Santa."

Lisa and her family continued to add to their loose change jar and collected over $300 in coins, which was used to buy gifts and supplies for a family in need. The family‘s loose change jar has always been a routine method of saving extra money in the their house. In fact, Lisa has already begun a jar to use on a family for the 2009 holiday.

"This past year, we were able to sponsor a family with an eight and three year old. Because the children’s ages were in such close proximity to ours, it was much easier to shop for them. I enjoy getting my children involved, especially my daughter, who has expressed a real interest in volunteering," Lisa said. Her daughter, who is also a Girl Scout, has helped with a large portion of the change collection and past Thanksgiving food drives. "This whole experience has raised my awareness to how many people need assistance, and I would like to continue helping any way I can throughout the year."

Special thanks go out to Lisa and her family for LIVING UNITED in the Valley.

Youth Leadership Program Selected as "Community Champion"

There were a lot of new faces on Wheaties boxes at the VSAAC Community Champions breakfast!

The Valley Substance Abuse Action Council presented its 2009 Valley Community Champions Awards at a breakfast at John J. Sullivan's on January 7, 2009, and there was a distinct Valley United Way's flavor to the awards. Valley United Way's Youth Leadership Program was one of the recipients as were United Way President Jack Walsh and Bill Bubbico, Vice President of Strategic Business Transformation for Pitney Bowes who serves as co-chair of United Way's Corporate Volunteer Council and also as an advisor to the Youth Leadership Program.

The Awards are for Valley citizens and groups who have “taken action and effected change to help prevent substance abuse in the Valley community.”

The others honored this year were Seymour Police Officer Joe DeFelice; the Comcast production team of: Elizabeth Kennard, Ken Fay, Ron Karkut, Mike Fay, Jerry Kosturko; and Wendy Baldino, a member of the VSAAC's Community Coalition. A special award was presented to the widow of Representative Richard O. Belden in recognition of the years of service and leadership that he provided to VSAAC.

Each of the honorees was presented with their own "Wheaties box" complete with their pictures on the cover. General Mills was one of the sponsors of the breakfast - along with Wal-Mart - and the awards fit in with Wheaties' "Breakfast of Champions" theme.

Valley United was instrumental in the creation of VSAAC back in the early '90's following a United Way community breakfast on the subject of substance abuse. Attendees at the breakfast created a steering committee which held a community retreat that led to the establishment of of VSAAC with funding from the State of Connecticut.

Now in its 19th year, the primary objective of the Program is to develop teens into future community leaders. They learn about community needs in the Valley and the importance of nonprofit agencies and the role volunteerism plays in addressing those needs. They then put their skills to use through a variety of volunteer opportunities and activities that they plan and execute themselves. The Youth Leadership students have been involved in a number of projects with VSAAC including the creation of a series of public service videos designed to educate teenagers about a variety of risky behaviors.