The American Heart Association’s Go Red For Women movement got a new champion with the naming of Laurie Aylsworth as chairwoman of the 5th Annual North Central Connecticut Go Red For Women Education forum and luncheon.
Aylsworth, vice president of transmission projects, engineering and maintenance for Northeast Utilities, will lead the local charge to educate women in the Greater Hartford area about their No. 1 killer, cardiovascular disease.
Aylsworth will also provide direction regarding recruitment and organizational activities for the luncheon. The luncheon will be held at the Connecticut Convention Center in Hartford on Wednesday, Feb. 24 from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.
The American Heart Association also announced that Saint Francis Hospital and Medical Center has signed a three-year commitment to serve as the Go Red For Women Cause sponsor in the North Central Connecticut Region. Saint Francis and the American Heart Association will work together to elevate the cause of heart disease in women in our region during the course of this multiyear partnership.
Gwendolyn Smith Iloani was awarded Girl Scouts of Connecticut’s 2009 Breakfast Badge Award during a ceremonial breakfast at The Hartford Club. This year’s Breakfast Badge event raised nearly $49,000 to help fund Girl Scouts of Connecticut’s educational, recreational, and personal development programs that help girls in grades K-12 bring out the best in themselves and their communities. Iloani is president and chief executive officer of Smith Whiley & Co., a privately owned investment firm headquartered in Hartford.
The Greater Hartford Arts Council has moved its satellite east office, which connects local residents and employees to the arts, to the Lutz Children’s Museum. Office hours are Wednesday and Thursday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., or by appointment. The museum is located at 247 South Main St., Manchester. Arts Council East Director Lauren Miller heads the office and promotes local cultural events by bringing the arts into area companies and assisting arts and heritage organizations to promote their programming.
The Community Chest of New Britain and Berlin Inc., the long-time local grantmaking organization that announced its re-formation early in 2009, has issued its second round of 2009 grants to local nonprofits. The Chest’s 14-member board voted this week to give $31,189 to FoodShare, Hospital for Special Care, and Central CT Senior Health Services.
A Windsor nonprofit animal rescue organization, Help Our Wildlife Live (H.O.W.L.), is the winner of a free Web site offered by two local Web site developers, Windsor entrepreneurs John Waiveris of Invisible Gold LLC and Paula M. Pierce of Hosting Connecticut LLC.
“We’re thrilled to have been chosen for the free Web site,” said Kazik Skoczylas, secretary of H.O.W.L.
Waiveris and Pierce decided in August that in difficult economic times, community members and small businesses should support each other. Their contribution was to offer a free Web site to one nonprofit and to one business chosen by a third party from nominations from the public.
“It seemed like the right thing to do,” said Waiveris.
