Officials with Trinity College’s Dream Camp recently received a $10,000 donation from AT&T CT in support of the camp’s Mentor-In-Training (MIT) Program, an academic and summer leadership development program for economically challenged Hartford youth. The MIT Program engages Dream Camp children as they transition into young adults and mentors in their communities. The program accommodates 20 to 25 students, selected from the more than 250 students who attend Dream Camp, and specifically focuses on leadership, preparation for college, and job skills for 15- to 17-year-olds.
Credit Union League of CT Promotes ‘Workability’ Program
The Credit Union League of Connecticut has announced a partnership with The Arc Connecticut, an associate organization of The Arc, a national, proactive advocacy group for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The League, working with The Arc Connecticut, has created an internship program called workability, offering Connecticut credit unions the opportunity to host a high school intern living with disabilities to work at the credit union for 10 weeks this fall. The workability program will provide practical ‘hands-on’ experience that seeks to benefit both the intern and the credit union. In addition, each student has a job coach that will intern with them and ensure they are performing the work as needed.
Wilson-Gray YMCA Youth and Family Center awarded grant to support youth outreach
The Wilson-Gray YMCA Youth and Family Center, a haven for young people living in Hartford’s North End and Clay Arsenal neighborhoods, recently received a $3,000 grant from the Charles Nelson Robinson Fund to support the work of a youth outreach worker who works at the Y to build trust among Hartford’s youth and mitigate violence in Hartford’s communities. The youth outreach worker engages with at-risk youth and offers them support that is rooted in structured health, wellness, education, and personal development opportunities.
Key Human Services Receives Patriotic Employer Award
Key Human Services Inc., a Wethersfield nonprofit that provides services and support to people with disabilities, was recently presented the Patriot Employer Award from the National Chairman of Employer Support of The Guard and Reserve, an office of the Department of Defense. The award recognized Key “for contributing to national security and protecting liberty and freedom by supporting employee participation in America’s National Guard and Reserve Force.” Key supports its employees who are members of the National Guard or other reserves by being flexible on work schedules and responsibilities so reservists are able to carry out their military duty.
Wethersfield Panera Bread Holds Cleaning Drive
The Panera Bread at 1129 Silas Deane Highway in Wethersfield recently held a cleaning drive that collected five boxes filled with approximately 150 personal hygiene and toiletry products for the town of Wethersfield Social & Youth Services Department, including soap, shaving cream, razors, tooth paste, shampoo/conditioner, laundry detergent, bleach, paper towels, toilet paper, band-aids and cleaning/disinfectant spray. The Wethersfield Social & Youth Services Department is responsible for assisting residents with social, emotional, and economic needs, and coordinating resources to improve quality of life.
Autism Researcher Receives $120K Grant to Focus on Music-Based Intervention
Anjana Bhat, an assistant professor of kinesiology at the Neag School of Education at UConn, has received a $120,000 grant to develop and evaluate the effectiveness of a music-based intervention for children with autism that includes singing, beat-keeping, and music-making with different instruments, and whole body movements like marching. Given by Autism Speaks, an autism science and advocacy organization, the funds will allow Bhat to design and test the intervention that is designed to improve the motor, social, and communication skills of low- to moderate-functioning autistic children ages three to 14 years old. The eight-week therapeutic study will involve 24 children with autism. Half will receive the music-movement therapy, and half will be assigned to a control group. Those receiving therapy will attend two weekly classroom sessions led by an expert, and take part in three sessions a week led by a parent or caregiver at home.
