Darienite (https://darienite.com/category/living/darienites)
First Selectman Jon Zagrodzky devoted Saturday’s entire town government newsletter to discussing the late Frank Kemp, a town official and active member of the community who passed away on Aug. 30 at the age of 81. Here’s the full text:
Be like Frank. You may have heard that RTM member Frank Kemp passed away on August 30. He had not been well recently, even announcing earlier in the month that he’d be stepping down from the RTM in November due to heart trouble.
The Darien Police Commission cordially invites you to attend the Darien Police Department swearing in ceremony for Captain Andrew Mastroianni, Lieutenant Daniel Skoumbros, Sergeant Bryan Wallman, and Sergeant James Martin. The ceremony starts at 6 p.m., Thursday, June 6, at the Darien Community Association, 274 Middlesex Road. There’s no charge to attend.
After an extensive search, the Darien Land Trust announced the appointment of Elizabeth Mathus as its new executive director. A resident of Darien for nine years, Mathus brings a wealth of experience and a deep commitment to the land trust’s mission. — an announcement from the Darien Land Trust
Having served on the Board of Trustees since 2018 and as president since 2022, Mathus has consistently provided thoughtful guidance and dedication to the organization’s goals. “Elizabeth’s passion for conservation and proven leadership skills set her apart during our selection process,” said Amy Sarbinowski, newly appointed president of the organization and member of the Search Committee. Mathus holds a Bachelor of Science degree in design and environmental analysis from Cornell University.
The Darien Community Association has announced that it’s awarding scholarships to 11 Darien High School seniors graduating this year. — information from a Darien Community Association announcement
This is the 83rd year that the DCA has granted scholarships, and the organization is the largest provider of scholarships to DHS graduates — with funding for both new and returning college students. The scholarship program is also the only one in Darien offering recipients the opportunity to reapply for all four years of college, the announcement said. “The DCA is proud to support Darien High School graduates and is grateful to our generous donors,” the announcement said. “We wish you all the best in your future endeavors!”
Darien’s Memorial Day keynote speaker this year will be author Robert H. Patton, grandson of General George S. Patton Jr., of World War II fame, and son of Major Gen. George S. Patton IV. The Darien Monuments and Ceremonies Commission, which organizes the Memorial Day parade and observances, announced Patton’s role as keynote speaker. Patton will deliver the keynote address at 11:30 a.m., Monday, May 27 during the town’s Memorial Day observance in Spring Grove Veterans Cemetery. The observance will take place right after the Memorial Day Parade. If the weather doesn’t cooperate, it will be held in the Community Room of Darien Library.
The late John J. Droney will be honored with a new wartime street sign thanks to the Darien Monuments and Ceremonies Commission. — an announcement from the Darien Monuments and Ceremonies Commission
The sign will be unveiled at 12 noon, Sunday, May 26, at Miller Road, off Hoyt Street (Route 106). The public is invited to attend. Jack received his draft notice on Sept. 8, 1950. He proudly served in the U.S. Army in Germany during the Korean Conflict. He was assigned to the 508th Military Police Battalion with the rank of corporal.
Darien High School students brought back three awards Saturday at the 2024 Technology Student Association (TSA) State Competition. — an announcement from Darien High School
This annual event was hosted at Killingly High School and serves as a platform
for students to present their skills across various STEM-related
events. Eight DHS students participated in the event. A particularly popular competition this year was the Dragster category, which requires students to design and build a CO2-powered dragster according to state specifications, with limited materials. This year, there was a special requirement to include horizontal wings in
the front and back.
Kalel Attonito, a Hindley School fifth grade student, won First Place in the local essay contest sponsored by Darien’s Good Wife’s River Chapter, Inc. Daughters of the American Revolution.But that was only the beginning. — an announcement from the Good Wife’s River Chapter of the DAR
Kalel went on to win the Connecticut DAR statewide contest for fifth graders. In early April, Kalel was announced as the winner of the NE Division Fifth Grade Essay Contest by the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution. The NE Division is comprised of fifth grade students from Maine, New York, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut. For his essay Kalel was asked to imagine he was a reporter for The Philadelphia Times on May 14, 1897.
The Community Fund of Darien invites the community to celebrate 39 Darien residents who are being recognized Tuesday, April 30, for their outstanding volunteer efforts. — an announcement from The Community Fund of Darien (TCF)
You’re Invited
This year, The Community Fund of Darien will honor 39 of Darien’s extraordinary volunteers on Tuesday, April 30th at 5:30 p.m. at the Darien Community Association’s Garden Wing Room. All are welcome. You can RSVP to the event organizers here. Thanking These Thirty-Nine
Honorees, who must be Darien residents, will be awarded in the following categories: Outstanding Adult Volunteer (19-64 years), Outstanding Emerging Volunteer (18 years and younger), Outstanding New Volunteer, Outstanding Senior Volunteer (65 years and older), and Outstanding Volunteer Duo.
Deirdre McGovern, a realtor with Compass in Darien, has earned the nationally recognized Seniors Real Estate Specialist designation from the SRES Council of the National Association of Realtors. — an announcement from the SRES Council of the National Association of Realtors
To get the SRES designation, McGovern was required to successfully complete a comprehensive course in understanding the needs, considerations, and goals of real estate buyers and sellers ages 55 and older. The SRES designation has been earned by more than 15,000 real estate professionals in North America. “Working with seniors to meet their housing needs requires an expert understanding of their lifestyle and financial needs, and the SRES designation means that a Realtor has that understanding,” said Jennifer Rzeszewski, vice president and executive director of the Center for Realtor Development. The SRES Council, founded in 2007, is the world’s largest association of real estate professionals focusing specifically on representing senior clients in real estate transactions.
This Darien native is one of over 3,300 people each year who try to walk the entire length of the Appalachian Trail (the AT), from Georgia to Maine. But she’s one of the 25% of them that actually completed the task. She learned to hike with her parents in the White Mountains of New Hampshire and at age seven announced her goal of making the entire trek. Her parents humored her, but on graduation from Wellesley College she got serious and spent six months in preparation. “I thought of this as my gap year,” she said.
The Community Fund of Darien honored more than 86 town residents last Tuesday evening at its 44th annual Annual Volunteer Celebration. The honorees are from 18 local nonprofit organizations. — an announcement from the Community Fund of Darien
Darien First Selectman Monica McNally gave a proclamation memorializing the Annual Darien Volunteer Recognition Day. Guests celebrated the volunteers and enjoyed light refreshments.
Honorees, who must be Darien residents, were awarded in several categories by their organizations.
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This year’s volunteer award honorees:
Outstanding Adult Volunteers
(at least 19 years old)
Carolyn Cavolo, Darien Arts Center
Erin Eblen, The Tiny Miracles Foundation
Sharon Foster Schoen, The Den for Grieving Kids
Jen Hyde, The Den for Grieving Kids
Armel Jacobs, Coalition of Families for Inclusion
Rosemary Jordan, At Home In Darien
Erin Lumpkin, The Darien YMCA
Michelle Maschoff, Person to Person
Maeve McGovern, The Mather Homestead
Dave Miller, The Mather Homestead
Rob Minicucci, Domus Kids
John O’Brien, The Darien Land Trust
Robert Pascal, The Museum of Darien
Andrew Schau, Building One Community
Vibha Singh, Family Centers
Anne Thomas, A Better Chance
Diane Urban, Coalition of Families for Inclusion
Vail Weymann Vasisht, The Darien Foundation
Li Yang, Darien Book Aid
Outstanding Emerging Volunteer
(18 years-old and younger)
Braden Schenck, The Darien YMCA
Spencer Segura Jr., Person to Person
Outstanding Volunteer Duo
Susan Barr and Melissa Williams, The Mather Homestead
Kate and Will Massey, Kids In Crisis
Outstanding Volunteer Teams
The DCA Thrift Shop Team
Diane Barston, George Biolsi, Katie Bloomer, Elmerina Brooks, Caroline Burke, Karen Bryne, Kathy Cahill, Pauline Campbell, Michael Chiodo, Brian Clevenger, Brenda Crane, Patricia Cunningham, Dylan Danile, Dot Discko, Jennifer Durkin, Wanda Forlivio, Cecil Flynn, Judith Gilroy, Susan Hamill, Norene Hartog, Sue Hayes, Neil Hershkowitz, Nathalie Hincapie, Myrna Hollinger, Amy Hoyt, Joan Jaworoski, Emily Karagiannis, Ulla Kremer, Sue Kunze, Kate Larson, Susan McCardell, Karen Miranda, Joyce Muir, Abby Ortiz, Isabella Pllumbi, Anna Resnansky, Sarah Ritchey, Anne Ross, Mary Sankey, Kesiah Scully, Kathy Shea, Carol Sikora, Flora Smeaton, Ingrid Teschner, Lisa Thoren, Madeleine Treesh, Martina Tucker, Joanne Verderosa, Lily Rose Vosari, Lisa Williams, and Li Yang
The Community Fund of Darien’s Designed to Dine Committee
Katie Benson,TeresaJandziol,Claire Johnson,Brandi Maniscalco,Jenn Moller,Neenu Sharma,ChristineTalwalker,Jenny Tarleton, andColleen Thompson
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Since 1979, The Community Fund of Darien’s annual celebration has been honoring dedicated volunteers who have generously contributed their time and talent to make a difference. Each year, local nonprofit organizations and the general public are invited to nominate individuals for recognition. The entire community was invited to celebrate Darien’s unsung heroes on Tuesday, April 25 at the Darien Community Association. The event was sponsored by Brown Harris Stevens, Cross Private Client Insurance, and the Darien Community Association.
If you know women in the Darien and Norwalk communities who give to the community, epitomizing community leadership, YWCA Darien/Norwalk asks you to please consider nominating them for the 15th annual Women of Distinction awards. — an announcement from YWCA Darien/Norwalk
Nomination forms are online, here, and the Women of Distinction Nominations Committee requests nominations be submitted no later than April 23, 2023. After nominations are received, the committee will review the submissions and select the honorees. The women chosen will be honored at the Women of Distinction Awards this spring. The YWCA Darien/Norwalk encourages you to nominate women who are leaders, role models, agents for change, mentors and/or an inspiration to others.
Colin Donegan of Darien has been promoted to the position of Director of Human Resources at STAR Inc., Lighting the Way. — an announcement from STAR Inc., Lighting the Way
Colin resides in Darien, is a graduate of Wittenberg University in Ohio, and is a SHRM Certified Professional though the Society of Human Resource Management. Colin brings a wealth of training and human resource management experience and a growth mindset to STAR that continues to enhance the department. In his new position, reporting to Katie Banzhaf, Executive Director, Colin will maintain a high-performance workforce and ensure compliance with laws and regulations, while working to ensure that STAR has the best available employees to support the organizations goals and culture. As director of human resources, Colin will support the employee management requirements of more than two hundred full and part-time employees at STAR.
Darien real estate agent Janine Tienken has been named 2022 Realtor of the Year by the Darien Board of Realtors, Inc. Tienken was chosen based on her dedication, both past and present, to the Darien Board and the Darien community. — an announcement from Houlihan Lawrence
Tienken has been a dedicated member of the Darien Board of Realtors since 2004. She has served as vice president to the Board, as president in 2013, and as a director in 2014. In her leadership roles at the Darien Board, she was instrumental in the Board’s annual give-back to The Community Fund and other local charities. She is the current chair of the Darien Board’s Nominating Committee and has been at the helm of the committee for the past five years.
The Darien Old Timers Athletic Association, founded in 1961 to recognize outstanding athletes in the Darien community, will celebrate its 61st anniversary by honoring seven people at its annual dinner Monday, Nov. 7 at The Water’s Edge at Giovanni’s. — an announcement from the Darien Old Timers Athletic Association
The annual dinner will be a time to celebrate past athletic achievements of former Darien athletes and the funds raised will go to providing annual scholarships for Darien High School seniors (not just athletes) and supporting Darien Social Services. “This year’s honorees are an impressive selection of men and women who have impacted the Darien community and beyond with their athletic and civic accomplishments,” said Bill Peters, president, Darien Old Timers Athletic Association. 2022 Honorees
Local Honorees:
Nigel EkernLou GesualdiPaul SellewSteve Lauten (posthumous award)
Community Civic Award: Richard Koch (Darien Emergency Medical Services-Post 53)
Outstanding Female Achievement Award: Anne McGuireOutstanding Male Achievement Award: Mike Sangster (Darien High School varsity football coach 1987-1999)
“We are proud to carry on the tradition of providing scholarship funds for well deserving Darien High School students and assistance to Darien Social Services,” Peters said.