Central Connecticut State University’s School of Business recently honored Travelers Insurance Inc. and Connecticut Light & Power as its corporate partners of the year.
For the past 14 years, CL&P has worked with the School of Business and its Institute for Technology & Business Development on a variety of initiatives. CL&P has provided student internships that often result in CCSU students being offered full time positions.
Travelers has provided professional feedback, mentoring and career coaching by offering weekly “Travelers Office Hours” on campus. The Travelers EDGE (Empowering Dreams for Graduation and Employment) program at CCSU provides support to underrepresented students in Greater Hartford who are interested in pursuing careers in the insurance and financial services industries.
Also, the Distinguished Graduate Award was presented to Kelley Hedley, a project manager for Travelers. She is credited with playing a critical role in developing and nurturing the relationship between Travelers and the School of Business. She is a graduate of CCSU’s Management Information Systems and serves on the CCSU Alumni Association Board of Directors as the secretary and is chair of the School of Business Advisory and Advancement Council.
Helping hand for Springfield
When tornadoes swept through the Springfield area, Central Connecticut businesses and nonprofits were quick to help. Among the responses were:
• Waterbury regional lender Webster Bank offered consumers and businesses in northern Connecticut and western Massachusetts special access to credit, low rates and other services to help them recover.
• Hartford’s downtown clean team, with brooms and shovels in hand, went to storm-ravaged downtown Springfield to lend a helping hand.
• Hartford health insurer Aetna Inc. set up direct or toll-free customer lines, eased drug refill restrictions and widened access to its other services.
• The Citizens Bank Foundation made a donation of $75,000 to the Springfield nonprofit HAPHousing which is providing emergency housing assistance as well as long-term support for those most in need in the aftermath of the storm.
• And the Connecticut Humane Society in Newington has accepted 20 cats that it will put up for adoption.
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Grants target gender equality
The Community Fund for Women & Girls, a component fund of The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven, has awarded $107,848 in grants this year to 18 agencies that offer programs and services to improve the quality of life for women and girls in the region. Of the grants awarded, the single largest and first-ever multi-year grant of $50,000 was made to Women’s Health Research at Yale to advance health equity for women.
More than half of all grants awarded went to programs focused on improving the economic security of women and girls in the Greater New Haven region. Many of the grants support mentoring and educational programs designed to encourage young girls to pursue college, while others will help fund job-training and life-skills development for low-income women. Some grants will help provide more basic needs for women, including bus passes and moving services or onsite childcare. Other grants awarded support arts, music, political participation, health education and enrichment programming.
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Grant funds field trips
A grant from the SBM Charitable Foundation will allow students at Manchester’s Verplanck and Waddell schools will participate in field trips to and outreach programs from The Children’s Museum in the next school year.
The Museum has received a $20,000 “We’re Pulling for You” grant in support of the Science Achievement for All initiative to supplement classroom science learning.
The Children’s Museum has provided 46 school outreach programs and hosted seven field trips for students in grades K-5 at both Verplanck and Waddell elementary schools in this school year.
The SBM Charitable Foundation Inc. exists to perpetuate the vision of the former Savings Bank of Manchester.
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Blood drive planned
The Connecticut Broadcasters Association and the American Red Cross are teaming up for the first time ever with radio and television broadcasters across the state in a non-competitive four-day blood drives June 27 through June 30.
“We hope the listeners and viewers of radio and television members of the Connecticut Broadcasters Association will help us in our goal to donate 2,500 units of blood in just four days,” stated Mike Rice, president of the Connecticut Broadcasters Association.
For information, visit redcrossblood.org/ct/cba.
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Donations complete remodeling
Remodeling of the American Cancer Society’s patient services room in Rocky Hill is complete, thanks to donations from Puritan Furniture, Nassau’s Furniture, and Bob’s Discount Furniture.
The improved room for patients who are undergoing treatment now includes an armoire, bureau, chairs, vanity table, mirror, lamp, and floor arrangement. Gary Tracy, from Beyond Interiors, provided his expertise in designing the room. The patient services room offers patients free wigs, head coverings and prosthesis to patients who are not able to afford them.
In addition, Puritan’s Furniture also donated a vanity to the American Cancer Society to be used at the Helen & Harry Gray Cancer Center at Hartford Hospital.
