Railroad Day & Getting Ready for First Day of School
August 27, 2024
Train rides on Saturday at railroad museum
You do not want to miss the amazing train rides and demonstrations over the holiday weekend! I'll let you know what else to expect at the Connecticut Eastern Railroad Museum on Saturday!
Kids return to the classroom on Thursday, and educators are getting ready for the first day! Please keep scrolling to see pictures of a wonderful celebration, including mascots, at the high school.
You can apply now for a grant for a project that will build, sustain, or protect social justice for women, girls, and families in our community. Read below to see how you can apply.
Here are the sections in today's email:
Let's Talk About It: Railroad Day!
Educators Celebrate Start of New Academic Year
Women & Girls Funds Grant Application Open
Workshop on Dangers of Sports Betting
Let's Talk About It: Railroad Day!
A longtime member of the Connecticut Eastern Railroad Museum broke down what to expect for Railroad Day on my weekly radio show “Let’s Talk About It.” Ray Axelrod is expecting 3,000 people to visit over the holiday weekend to go for a train ride, see the garden railroad, and learn about the historic railcars on site.
Railroad Day will take place on Saturday, August 31 from 11 A.M. – 3 P.M. at the Connecticut Eastern Railroad Museum at 55 Bridge Street in Willimantic. Families can tour locomotives, buildings, check out demonstrations, and so much more. There will be a couple of food vendors including Twin Beaks Friend Chicken and A Cupcake for Later. Several bands will perform and sing some cute train songs for the kids.
If you need directions to the museum and want to learn about Connecticut’s train history, be sure to click on the video below to listen to the entire show.
Ray Axelrod previews Railroad Day at
the Connecticut Eastern Railroad Museum.
Educators Celebrate Start of New Academic Year
Catina Caban-Ownen, Paula Haney, Lynne Ide, myself, and Alicia Rivera
I was honored to be at the Windham Public Schools Annual Convocation on Monday! It was an inspiring experience to see such a dedicated group of teachers, staff, and educators come together in anticipation of the new academic year. The energy in the room was palpable as we all shared a goal of providing the best possible education for our students. It’s always uplifting to witness the commitment and passion that our educators bring to their work, and I’m excited about the positive impact we will make together this year.
I could not help taking pictures with the various mascots at the Windham High School gym who joined us for the celebration! Thank you to everyone who attended, and I wish everyone a successful school year!
Women & Girls Funds Grant Application Open
The Community Foundation of Eastern Connecticut is accepting applications for the 2024 Women & Girls Funds for projects that build, sustain or protect racial equity and social justice for women, girls, families and communities in Eastern Connecticut.
The Community Foundation welcomes applications that seek to:
Advance family economic security
Empower women and girls to make positive decisions
Promote healthy relationships and prevent domestic violence
Support and protect access to women’s health, mental health, and reproductive health services
Support public policy, advocacy, and leadership to promote equity and women's rights
The application period is open through Tuesday, October 1.
The sports betting culture seems to be taking over traditional sports viewing and fandom at a very fast rate. Every game, in every sport viewed on the major U.S. networks are now promoting sports betting venues at every opportunity, while in-game sporting apps are being introduced by the dozens.
How can we treat individuals with such an onslaught of technology and options that now inhabit the sports viewing space? This workshop will explore and focus on the individual approaches to those experiencing problem sports betting issues and the dilemma of sports viewing, being a fan, and successful treatment.
This virtual event will take place on Thursday, September 5 from 12 P.M. – 2 P.M.
