Dominique Johnson

Dear Neighbor,

Happy Saturday! I hope you have had a great week.  On Thursday, the House of Representatives held a special session to pass legislation on several matters that required timely action, particularly statutory changes scheduled to take effect over the coming months that needed adjustment to protect the public from tax increases. 

Earlier this week, I enjoyed a visit to Read to Grow’s offices. I took a tour and learned more about their plans to expand their impact into more birthing hospitals in our state with their Books for Babies program, made possible by funding we secured in our biennium budget through the Early Literacy Fund. While I couldn’t celebrate with them in May while I was in a House session up in Hartford, I am very grateful to them for the honor of being named one of their 2024 Literacy Champions. I look forward to continuing this incredibly important work together, building early literacy starting at birth and supporting parents and caregivers as their children’s first teachers.

Below you will find more information about a federal grant to Norwalk received, new laws that will go into effect on Monday, and more! 

I wanted to take a moment to thank you for your calls, emails, and testimony at public hearings. They had a direct influence on these new laws. I encourage you to continue sharing your views and make your voice heard during the legislative process.

Coordinated by the Connecticut State Department of Education in cooperation with the Connecticut State Library, the challenge started in 1996 as a statewide competition for schools based on student population and grade level.

Click here to learn more about the program. 

Norwalk:

Summer Reading: Saturday, 6/16 - Sunday, 8/31
For students entering grades 6-12. Log your reading and write reviews to earn raffle tickets. Read 1 book or 10, but remember, the more you read, the better your chances of winning! We're raffling three prizes - a bluetooth speaker, popcorn maker, and mini-fridge - and you can choose where your tickets go. The game is online, and there's an app, too! If you have any questions, please email Lisa at estory@norwalkpl.org. Click here to register. 

Adult Summer Reading Challenge 

Adult Summer Reading Challenge

The 8^th Annual Adult Summer Reading Challenge runs through August 31.

The rules are the same as past challenges, this year with a fresh round of 25 categories (the categories will be unveiled June 1). You can do all of them or only one, or anything in between, just as long as you have fun reading!

The rules are simple and there are only two: 

1. Categories may only be fulfilled once.
2. Each book can only be used for one category.

Once you have read a book that fulfills a category, you can submit it via the form on our website and track your progress on our leaderboard.

The leaderboard is where you can see what everyone else is reading and give recommendations to our community of readers. You can also join our Westport Reading Challenge Facebook Group and talk books all summer long.

Kids’ Summer Reading Club 2024

Children may sign up for our Summer Reading Program, which continues through Labor Day weekend, wrapping up September 2.

Read anything, anytime, anywhere all summer long.

Register online and keep track of minutes read. For every 100 minutes, you can decorate a summer sun that will be displayed in the Library. Earn a treat from Shake Shack at 500 minutes. When you reach 1,000 minutes, you can choose a book to keep from our selection of titles.

For more summer fun and prizes, stop in the Children’s Library to play summer bingo and earn more free books.

The Norwalk Redevelopment Agency will receive a $14 million Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) grant for the MLK Corridor Equitable Mobility Enhancement Project. The RAISE grant will fund the construction of the 33-acre area surrounding the South Norwalk Train Station, including a two-mile stretch of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive. The roadway reconfiguration will include accommodations for bicycles and pedestrians, improved signage updated with real-time transit data, and advanced drainage and landscaping.

This grant is great news for those who have been fighting to create a more equitable Norwalk. Thank you to Congressman Himes and the Federal delegation for investing in our community to make it more accessible so that residents can use as many modes of transportation as possible. Once complete, this project will allow individuals to travel around the area safely and efficiently by foot, bicycle, and transit. I am grateful for the funding and can't wait to see how the project improves the city!

The Summer Meals Program provides children 18 years of age and under with free, nutritious summer meals, no questions asked. This year, Norwalk has nine open meal sites serving free breakfast and lunch during the week starting Monday, July 1st and through mid-August. 
 
The nine open meal sites include:

• Brien McMahon High School, 300 Highland Avenue
• Kendall Elementary, 54 Fillow Street
• Ponus Middle School/Concord Magnet School, 21 Hunters Lane
• Jefferson Elementary, 75 Van Buren Avenue
• Marvin Elementary, 15 Calf Pasture Beach Road
• Roton Middle School, 201 Highland Avenue
• West Rocks Middle School, 81 West Rocks Road
• Naramake Elementary, 16 King Street
• South Norwalk School, 46 Concord Street

 Families looking for more information can visit www.ctsummermeals.org or www.norwalkct.gov/1834/Food-Access.
 
The schedules for the nine open meal sites in Spanish and Haitian Creole are below.