YWCA Darien Norwalk 2017

YWCA of Darien-Norwalk Expands ‘Toddler Time’ Program by an Hour

Meet the Darien YW’s Board of Directors for 2017-2019

Meet the Six ‘Women of Distinction’ for 2017 Announced by YWCA Darien/Norwalk

YWCA Gardening Classes Are Back: Register Soon

‘Escalation’ Documentary About Relationship Violence: Screening & Discussion

‘Escalation’ Documentary About Relationship Violence: Screening & Discussion

Teens Have Died from Binge Drinking in Darien: Police Officer at Panel Discussion

‘Escalation’ Documentary About Relationship Violence: Screening & Discussion, March 27 & 28

Binge Drinking Hits Close to Home: Some Things Darien Parents and Teens Should Know

‘Haze,’ Documentary on Alcohol Poisoning and Binge Drinking: Monday Night at Darien Library

Education

By David Gurliacci | August 22, 2017

Community Organizations

By David Gurliacci | June 22, 2017

Darienites

By David Gurliacci | April 6, 2017

Classes

By David Gurliacci | April 1, 2017

Documentaries 2017

By David Gurliacci | March 28, 2017

Documentaries 2017

By David Gurliacci | March 27, 2017

Darien Library

By David Gurliacci | March 8, 2017

Community Organizations

By David Gurliacci | March 7, 2017

Darien Library

By David Gurliacci | March 6, 2017

Darien Library

By David Gurliacci | March 5, 2017

The YWCA of Darien-Norwalk is expanding the hours of its Toddler Time program, with two themed “toddler clubs.” A one-hour themed class of two enrichment programs will be added two mornings a week from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
__________

— an announcement from the YWCA of Darien-Norwalk
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These new enrichment programs will follow the regular Toddler Time classes on those days, so parents can choose to leave their children for a slightly longer morning of fun, or opt to sign up for only the one-hour drop-off “club.”
On Mondays, two-year olds will enjoy the “Toddler Book Club.” Each week the children will explore a different book, act them out, enjoy activities related to the book and hopefully start a lifelong love of reading! On Wednesdays you can enroll your young artist in our “Toddler Art Club,” where children will make themed projects and have the opportunity to work with various age-appropriate mediums.

These new enrichment programs are being offered in addition to our traditional two-hour, drop-off Toddler Time program. Limited space is still available for up to three days per week.
All classes run September through May, following the holidays and closings of the Darien public schools calendar. Serving the Darien community for over 20 years, Toddler Time provides a warm, nurturing two-hour drop-off experience in a relaxed atmosphere. To be eligible, children must be two years old between Jan.

YWCA Darien/Norwalk Board of Directors 2017 06-22-17

YWCA Darien/Norwalk is proud to announce the Board of Directors for 2017-2019.

Serving on the Executive Board is President Louisa Stead, Vice President Aidan Walsh; Secretary Wistar Wallace and Treasurer Emily Boothroyd. Elected for a two-year term are Sima Farmer, Alison Loop, Holly Mitchell, Louisa Stead, Wistar Wallace and Aidan Welsh. Continuing for the second year of their two-year term are Emily Boothroyd, Samantha Casella, Eloisa Melendez, Colleen Morris, Diana Turowski and Amie Willis. __________

— an announcement from the YWCA of Darien/Norwalk

__________

The YWCA thanks all of our board members for their time and commitment to serving our community and keeping our mission strong.

Women of Distinction 2017 invitation 04-05-17

Six women from Darien and Norwalk who have been active in various causes and institutions meant to improve the lives of people have been named “2017 Women of Distinction” by the YWCA Darien/Norwalk. An award luncheon is scheduled for May 4 at Woodway Country Club to honor these six women (information below is from the YW website, and we’ve included the full biographical information further down in this article:

Kara Nelson Baekey of Norwalk, founder of the Fairfield County chapter of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America. Mindy Garcia of Norwalk, who works at Norwalk Community Health Center “is being recognized on behalf of the hundred[s] of staff members, clinicians and countless patients’ families she has touched […] for over 10 years.” Catalina Horak of Darien, brought a Mount Kisco, N.Y.-based group, Neighbors Link (now named Building One Community), to Stamford in 2011 to serve an immigrant community that now makes up 37 percent of the city’s population. When she first opened the office, she was the sole employee in Stamford.

Gardening Garden Gardener 04-01-17 https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Gardening.jpg

The YWCA Darien/Norwalk is pleased to bring back our very popular gardening classes with sought-after Darien landscaper Sara McCool. Courses offered are Pruning/Green Garden, Perennial Garden and the highly personalized Landscape Design and Practice, where Sara will visit each participant’s home to review their current landscaping and offer advice on the the latest in landscape design. Space is limited, so register early at www.ywcadn.org/gardening

Adults and teenagers are invited to two separate screenings of Escalation — a powerful and emotional engaging film that illuminates the warning signs of unhealthy and potentially dangerous relationships. The film has been described as “eye-opening” yet deeply recognizable. The screening (running time: 38 minutes) will be followed by conversations about empowerment and next steps. Students: Monday, March 27 from 7 to 9 p.m. at The Depot, 25 Heights Road
Adults: Tuesday, March 28 from 7 to 9 p.m. at Darien Library, 1441 Post Road

After a documentary film about the dangers of binge drinking among teenagers and young adults was shown at Darien Library on Monday night, James Palmieri, recently the school resource officer at Darien High School, told the audience that, just as in the documentary, a Darien teenager had died from the affects of binging on alcohol when his friends had left him. “This isn’t something that happens [only] in other places,” Palmieri, now a detective with Darien police after 4 1/2 years as the department’s school resource officer at the high school. He was speaking as part of a panel discussing binge drinking after the audience of about 150 saw the movie “Haze.” “[I]n some cases, one of which I was directly involved with, the kid ended up dying purely because he drank too much, and his friends didn’t want to deal with him,” Palmieri said. “One of them was thrown in an Uber [driving service car] and sent home, and you know, circumstances unfolded, and he ended up dying.”

Suzanne Denunzio Haze binge drinking 03-06-17

Before the documentary “Haze” was shown to about 150 people, mostly high school students, at a meeting Monday night sponsored by a coalition of groups in town concerned about under-age binge drinking, Suzanne Denunzio, a Darien parent, got up to speak. The documentary is about how a University of Colorado freshman from Greenwich died from alcohol poisoning in his first month at school. He was binge drinking as part of a pledging ordeal to get into a campus fraternity. Denunzio is a friend of the family of the dead student. We thought what she had to say was worth publishing in full and especially worth the time of any parent with teenage children, so we asked her to give us her prepared statement.

« August 2022 »

Come see the movie “Haze” on Monday night at Darien Library. The movie is about a college student from Fairfield County who died in September 2004 from alcohol poisoning after passing out on a couch in his fraternity house following a hazing initiation at the University of Colorado. A panel discussion with questions from the audience will follow. In 2008, the Gordie Foundation (named after the student, Gordie Bailey) produced Haze, a documentary telling Gordie’s story and discussing the issues surrounding college drinking and hazing. This program is for parents and mature high-school aged students.