Darien Arts Center recently issued this description of the late Frank Kemp’s association with the organization. The statement, emailed on Thursday, praised Kemp for the multiple ways he actively — and passionately — volunteered at the DAC. Here’s the full text:
It is with a heavy heart that we share the news of Frank Kemp’s passing. A dedicated arts advocate, Frank’s kindness, generosity, steadfastness, and humble and noble nature knew no bounds. He served as board president at Darien Arts Center for many years and was a continually active member of our community.
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
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.
The Community Fund of Darien is seeking nominees for its annual Volunteer Celebration to recognize those “unsung heroes” who have done outstanding volunteer work for a nonprofit cause. — an announcement from the Community Fund of Darien
Nominees, who must be Darien residents, will be sought for these categories:
—Outstanding Emerging Volunteer (18 years old and younger),
—Outstanding Adult Volunteer (ages 19 to 64),
—Outstanding Senior Volunteer (65 years and older),
—Outstanding Volunteer Duo,
—Outstanding Volunteer Family,
—Outstanding Volunteer Team (three or more individuals dedicated to a cause) and
—Outstanding New Volunteer (one year of service or less to one organization). Since 1979, The Community Fund of Darien (TCF) has been recognizing individuals who have made a difference in and around our community at our annual volunteer celebration. This year, TCF will honor Darien’s extraordinary volunteers on Tuesday, April 25 at the Darien Community Association. The entire community is also invited to celebrate volunteerism and those who give tirelessly of their time and talent to benefit us all.
Gerald Nielsen, president of The Nielsen Company and a former Darien selectman, has joined the board of the Norwalk Community College Foundation as one of three new members. Nielsen, also a partner in Nielsen’s Florist and a director of First County Bank, is on the Advisory Board at the Center for Nonprofit Excellence and served as Darien Selectman from 2009 until 2015. He was on the Darien Police Station’s Building Committee, the Darien High School Building Committee, the Darien United Way/The Community Fund of Darien, Darien Charter Revision Commission, Darien EMS-Post 53 Community Advisory Board, and others during his long history of community service. “I am really excited to be involved with NCCF because it truly is changing lives for the better in Fairfield County,” Nielsen said in an announcement published in the NCCF newsletter. “NCCF’s mission is an incredible inspiration to me and I look forward to my involvement.”
For the 20th year in a row, Ox Ridge Elementary School in Darien again this holiday season supported Family & Children’s Agency (FCA) and the young people in the organization’s Foster Care program. — an announcement from Family & Children’s Agency
FCA provides services for children, families, adults, and seniors, including specialized foster care, which is designed for children with serious medical, emotional, and behavioral disorders. More than 60 kids from Ox Ridge School’s Kids Care Club gathered before school to create holiday cards for youth in Foster Care using colored paper, stickers, crayons, and other art supplies. “It has been our privilege to work with Family & Children’s Agency for the last 20 years,” said Lauren Stisser of the Kids Care Club. “Through Ox Ridge Elementary School’s Kids Care Club and Hope Chest, we have been able to teach our kids the importance and true joy of giving back, and that even small hands can make a big difference,” Stisser said.
Make-A-Wish Connecticut on Wednesday announced the appointment of Tracey Yurko of Darien as chair of the Make-A-Wish Connecticut Board of Directors. — an announcement from Make-A-Wish Connecticut
Yurko is the chief legal officer, corporate secretary and a partner of Westport-based Bridgewater Associates, global leader in institutional portfolio management and the world’s largest hedge fund, with approximately $1540 billion in assets under management. She is also a member of the firm’s Executive and Operating Committees. Yurko has served on the Make-A-Wish Connecticut board since 2017. “She brings strong general business skills, governance discipline and an unparalleled passion for the mission that will lead us to the next level as we focus on expanding the wish journey for every eligible wish child and family in the state,” said Pam Keough, the CEO and president of Make-A-Wish Connecticut.
Each child in the STAR Rubino Family Center, an early intervention pediatric therapy program in Norwalk, will receive a handmade card with a cheerful holiday note along with a book to enjoy during the holidays, thanks to a project spearheaded by Amanda King Heavey and her son, Will. — an announcement from STAR Inc., Lighting the Way
Heavey, a STAR board member and New Canaan resident, and Will, a student at East School in New Canaan, were joined by students in Grades K-4, the Community Service committee of volunteer parents, the PTC board, and Principal Mrs.Woleck came together to give the holiday gifts. Along with the gifts to individual children, the project is also providing a specially curated selection of books that address age appropriate understanding of unique abilities, inclusion, diversity, and kindness will be shared at the school and donated to STAR Rubino Family Center lending library. Through STAR Rubino Family Center, STAR provides a multi-lingual program for children experiencing, or at risk of, developmental delays. This program, generously supported in part by The New Canaan Community Foundation and The Community Fund of Darien and other generous grants, offers services from birth through age eight.
The Thriving Youth Task Force announced Monday that Allegra Erickson and Christina Passaretti will join its executive board for the 2021/22 school year. — an announcement from The Community Fund of Darien
Erickson will assume the role of Executive Board co-chair. She will succeed Shelly Skoglund, who will complete her term as co-chair this year. Christina Passaretti will serve as vice chair, succeeding Susan Marks, who will also complete her term this year. Erickson brings a wealth of experience to the Thriving Youth Task Force. She has served our community on the PTO executive boards of Hindley Elementary, Middlesex Middle School and Darien High School and was a board member, Youth Asset Team adult advisor, and Community Investment executive board member for The Community Fund of Darien.
Six Darienites who have taken on the task of advocating for vulnerable children have been honored for their services by Child Advocates of Southwest Connecticut, the organization announced. — an announcement from Child Advocates of SW Connecticut
The Darien residents recognized for “outstanding volunteer advocacy” are Amy Harned, Robert Noonan, Megan Pryor, Maureen Roach, Ruthie Strother and Jody Truwit. Child Advocates of SW Connecticut (CAC) is a Fairfield County-based non-profit organization that trains and supervises volunteer advocates for vulnerable children. “CAC is thrilled to honor our incredible volunteers,” said Stacey Sobel, executive director of CAC. “Vulnerable children have suffered disproportionately during the COVID pandemic, and our volunteers have done a tremendous job ensuring needs are being met.”
CAC volunteers are a consistent, caring presence in a child’s life and advocate for the child’s best interests in the community, school and courtroom.
The Swap Shop at the Darien Transfer Station and Recycling Center is opening Monday for the first time since the pandemic closed it, town officials have announced, and they’ve explained why the shop won’t be open on Saturdays yet. The town Department of Public Works announced that the Swap Shop will now be open Mondays through Fridays from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
DPW Director Edward Gentile said in an email Thursday that “the additional hours and days could be expanded further to include more hours and even Saturdays once we are back open and running during the week,” he said in an email Thursday. “The crowds have been larger and volunteers fewer. […] We are always looking for volunteers.” He said the idea for keeping the Swap Shop closed on Saturdays came from Craig Flaherty, chairman of the town Advisory Committee on Sustainability. Flaherty returned a phone call asking for comment late on Friday.
Volunteers from two faith communities in Darien proved that positive community work and COVID-19 compliance can go hand in rubber glove. St. Luke’s Episcopal Church and Talmadge Hill Community Church joined 10 other groups revitalizing 12 low-income homes across the state during this year’s re-scheduled HomeFront Day on Sept. 12. — an announcement from HomeFront
Community helpers focused exclusively on exterior repairs, addressing dangerous steps and walkways, rotting decks, yard cleanups and homes long overdue for fresh coats of paint.
The Thriving Youth Task Force (TYTF) is excited to announce that Georgette Harrison will assume the role of executive board co-chair for the 2020/21 school year. — an announcement from the Darien Thriving Youth Task Force, a project of the Community Fund of Darien
She has participated in TYTF since 2016, most recently as subject matter expert. Harrison will succeed Darien Police Sgt. James Palmieri, who will complete his term as co-chair this year after also serving as a member of the task force for many years and an officer on the executive board since 2019. [see this letter to the editor] Sgt. Palmieri will remain on the executive board as a liaison to the Darien Police Department.
Thirty-seven volunteers and a group of volunteers from a local church have been chosen for this year’s volunteer recognition awards by the Community Fund of Darien, the organization announced Thursday. The volunteers, which include the First Congregational Church of Darien Open Doors Shelter Team were announced in several groupings: Adult volunteers (ages 18 to 64), a volunteer 18 years old or younger, senior volunteers (ages 65 or older), “Outstanding Volunteer Duo” and “Outstanding Volunteer Team.” “[W]e are proud to celebrate these wonderful Darien residents who tirelessly give their time and talent to benefit our local community,” Janet King, executive director of the Community Fund, said in the announcement. Darienite.com will publish profiles from the Community Fund of each of the volunteers that we have pictures for (not all pictures have been handed in to the Community Fund yet — the organization assures us that pictures are being taken with adequate social distancing). Here’s the announcement:
Since the coronavirus health crisis thwarted plans to honor Darien’s extraordinary volunteers in person at the planned April 30 event, the Community Fund of Darien (TCF) is continuing its 40-plus year tradition virtually.
Following a long and proud history of leading in times of crisis and need, Scouts in Darien are activating to help alleviate the personal protective equipment (PPE) shortage that many healthcare systems are facing with a face shield drive in partnership with the Andrew Shaw Memorial Trust. — an announcement from Darien Boy Scouting
“I’m proud of our Scouting families across Darien who are stepping up to support our hospitals and healthcare workers. Our Scouts have always stepped up to help the community in times of need,” said Grant Evans, Scoutmaster, Troop 53. “These face shields will help our healthcare workers by giving them critical protection from the COVID-19 virus, yet are simple to make. It is a fun project for the family to work on together, so let’s all join together and make masks.”
Evans shared that the Scouts were inspired after seeing an instructional video posted by Stamford doctor on YouTube.
Kids at the India Cultural Center in Greenwich recently raised $1,900 on a GoFundMe page to provide relief supplies to area healthcare workers at Stamford and Greenwich hospitals, along with Greenwich Emergency Medical Service during the COVID-19 crisis. — an announcement from the India Cultural Center
The “India Cultural Center Kids Love You” fund provided drinks and energy snacks for local healthcare providers at both hospitals and at the ambulance service. As medical professionals and first responders continue to work tirelessly providing round the clock care to keep our communities safe, putting their own lives at stake, the kids of ICC knew there was more they could do themselves. “We were thrilled when we heard from a group of ICC kids who wanted to give back to local doctors and nurses,” said Margie French, executive director of ICC. “The fund was entirely driven off of their desire to do more and is proof that kids do great things.”
In between virtual classes and homework, the kids (ranging in age from 5 to 13) carved out time from their day to set up home production lines to assemble care packages.
