In this email, you'll find updates on district resources and news. Please click the links below to read the section that corresponds with the highlighted headline.
A NOTE: If you're having trouble clicking through the following links, open this email in a browser, use a computer, or scroll through this email to the relevant section.
The topics covered are as follows:
Legislative Updates
Today in CT History
Community Resources
CT Foodshare
Manchester Community Events
East Hartford Community Events
Legislative Updates
Connecticut is launching a new program that will expand health care to underserved communities while forgiving the student loans of health care workers.
The Connecticut Student Loan Repayment Programincentivizes eligible health care providers to practice full-time in underserved Connecticut communities for at least two years by offering up to $50,000 in student loan repayments. Part-time options are also available for $12,500 per year over two years, totaling $25,000.
The program offers a unique advantage in that it allows federal and private student loan debt to be repaid, expanding the eligible talent pool that can participate.
The following health care jobs are eligible for this new statewide initiative:
MDs and DOs in Family Practice, General Practice, Internal Medicine, Pediatrics, OB/GYN
APRNs, including Certified Nurse Midwives, Nurse Practitioners, and Psychiatric Nurse Specialists
Physician Assistants
Registered Nurses
Dentists and Dental Hygienists
Psychiatrists, Psychologists, and Core Behavioral Health Providers, including Licensed Clinical Social Workers, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapists, Licensed Professional Counselors, and Substance Use Disorder Counselors
Pharmacists
This great program will recruit and retain new health care workers, forgive the student loans of these heroes, and reduce health disparities across our state - a major win for all Connecticut residents.
In 1955, hundreds of schoolchildren in the town of Stafford Springs lined up to be vaccinated against polio, as part of a massive statewide effort to protect young Connecticans from the deadly childhood disease.
Polio was the most feared childhood illness of the 20th century. An untreatable virus which spread quickly and rarely exhibited any preliminary symptoms, polio could result in partial or total paralysis or even death, and not just to children. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt used a wheelchair for most of his adult life due to polio he was afflicted with at age 39. Other partially paralyzed victims lost the ability to breathe on their own, and were forced to spend their lives in massive artificial respirators known as “iron lungs.”
An “Iron Lung” respirator.
After decades of failed attempts to find either a cure for, or a vaccine protective against, the polio virus, one American researcher finally achieved a breakthrough. In 1952, Jonas Salk, a virologist at the University of Pittsburgh, created the first stable and effective polio vaccine. Following a lengthy series of trials, the vaccine was declared both safe and effective in 1955. The federal government, together with the March of Dimes, immediately launched a fully funded national vaccination campaign.
A CDC-sponsored poster advocating vaccination against polio using the Sabin oral vaccine, circa 1963.
Salk’s new vaccine, combined with this rigorous nationwide public health campaign and the subsequently developed Sabin oral vaccine – which enabled vaccination without painful injections — caused polio cases to plummet from 58,000 in 1952 to fewer than 200 nine years later. In 1979, the crippling childhood disease was officially declared eliminated in the United States. One of the 20th century’s great medical and scientific accomplishments began for the children of Stafford Springs, today in Connecticut history.
Below is the list of locations in Manchester that are open to the public; Bring a sturdy grocery bag! This program is made possible by Foodshare and Winn Residential - Resident Service Program. For more information call 860-646-1280.
Get mobile pantry updates in your area by texting the word Foodshare to 85511.
Squire Village, 48 Spencer Street, 06040 (1st parking lot off Imperial Drive #78)
Faith Tabernacle – Manchester 110 Utopia Rd, Manchester, CT 06042
New River Community Church -314 Woodbridge St, Manchester, CT 06042
East Hartford
Below is the list of locations in East Hartford that are open to the public; Bring a sturdy grocery bag! This program is made possible by Foodshare and Winn Residential - Resident Service Program. For more information call (860) 291-7295 or (860) 291-7248
Hockanum Park- 75 Hamilton Park
Mayberry Village –St. Isaac Jogues Church Parking Lot (41 Home Terrace East Hartford)
Summerfield Townhouse (66 Plain Drive East Hartford, CT)
Veterans Terrace -102 Columbus St, East Hartford, CT 06108
Region 3, CRCOG will be hosting a CERT basic training class for anyone interested in becoming a trained CERT member.
The Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) program educates volunteers about disaster preparedness for the hazards that may occur where they live. CERT trains volunteers in basic disaster response skills, such as: Fire safety. Light search and rescue. Team organization.
This is a great opportunity to aid your community in a way that you may not have thought about.
Please contact your local team leader or Emergency Management Director for signup or email Koplowitz.s@gmail.com(put CERT class in the memo line); Be sure to include your email and contact phone number.
Household Hazardous Waste Collection
Household Hazardous Waste Collection
Collections are held from 8 am-1 pm at the Manchester regional center for household hazardous waste collection. Online Appointments are mandatory! Schedule your appointment today.
Please note the following:
Wednesday, July 17, 2024 - special hours of 3 pm to 7 pm (evening event)
Saturday, October 5th, 2024is a Fall Outreach Collection atStafford Highway Garage, 210 East St. (Rt.19), Stafford CT from 8 am-1 pm.
When
Saturday, June 15, 2024 | 08:00 AM - 01:00 PM
Wednesday, July 17, 2024 | 03:00 PM - 07:00 PM
Saturday, August 17, 2024 | 08:00 AM - 01:00 PM
Saturday, September 21, 2024 | 08:00 AM - 01:00 PM
Manchester Juneteenth Event
Come enjoy live performances by FriendZWorldMusic, Hartford's Proud & more at the Town of Manchester's Juneteenth Community Celebration on Saturday, June 22 from 11 AM - 2 PM at the Eastside Neighborhood Resource Center, 153 & 163 Spruce Street!
Questions? Contact the Neighborhoods & Families Division at (860)647-3089.
The Town of East Hartford in collaboration with the East Hartford Veterans Commission are excited to announce that the third annual East Hartford’s Memorial Day parade and series of events will take place Monday, May 27, 2024 at 10 AM.
The event will consist of three parts, including a parade, program at the Fallen Star Memorial and celebration of East Hartford. The parade will begin promptly at 10 AM, proceeding from 9 Riverside Drive to the Fallen Star Memorial located at Goodwin University.
“It was the Town's priority to bring back the Memorial Day parade 3 years ago and it has now become a tradition that the community looks forward to every year," said Mayor Connor Martin. "I have a lot of respect for our Veterans and the Memorial Day Parade is a small gesture in which we honor their service and sacrifice."
PARTICIPANTS:
Those who would like to march in the Memorial Day Parade are asked to register by Wednesday, May 1, 2024.
To make the event possible, the town would like to extend sponsorship opportunities to local businesses and organizations. Those who wish to sponsor the event or offer in-kind services, please fill out the electronic form below by Wednesday, May 1, 2024.
East Hartford is also accepting applications from vendors who wish to participate in the Memorial Day event. Vendors will have to set up and disassemble their own tables, tents and chairs. Vendors who wish to participate are asked to register Wednesday, May 1, 2024.
The parade will be followed by a program at the Fallen Star Memorial and a family-friendly celebration of East Hartford with food trucks, music and activities.
The Town of East Hartford in collaboration with East Hartford Parks and Recreation, the East Hartford Black Caucus, the Commission on Culture and Fine Arts, and the East Hartford Public Library, invites you to attend the town’s third annual Juneteenth Celebration. Juneteenth, officially known as Juneteenth National Independence Day, is also known as Jubilee Day, Emancipation Day, Freedom Day, and Black Independence Day is a federal holiday in the United States commemorating the emancipation of enslaved African-Americans.
The event will take place on Saturday, June 15th from 11:00 am - 4:00 pm, at Alumni Park. Admission is FREE.
A family-friendly stage lineup will honor Juneteenth through a diverse array of performances. Enjoy music, dance, spoken word, and historical interpretation! Bring a chair or a picnic blanket and stay all afternoon.
The Juneteenth Fest is the perfect family-friendly, community event that offers fun activities for children and adults alike. Among many activities, there will be a variety of vendors, food, entertainment, bounce house, face painting, powerful storytelling and so much more.
In case of inclement weather, this event will be held inside at Community Cultural Center (50 Chapman Place).
VENDORS AND PARTICIPANTS:
East Hartford is accepting applications from vendors who wish to participate in the Juneteenth celebration. Vendors who wish to participate must submit the applicable form to East Hartford Parks and Recreation.
East Hartford Celebrates 31st Anniversary of Connecticut Trail Day
Join East Hartford Parks and Recreation Department in celebrating the 31st Anniversary of Connecticut Trails Day with two great events! The first event “Unplug and Bike” will take place on Saturday, June 1st at Great River Park (301 East River Drive, East Hartford). And the second event “Unplug and Hike” will take place on Sunday, June 2nd at Nature Park (340 Long Hill Street, East Hartford).
Saturday, June 1st
East Hartford Great River Park (Unplug and Bike)
Come on out for a self-guided bike ride along the Connecticut River – Join us at the start for brief bike safety education between 1:00 and 2:00 pm and then ride until 3:00 pm. The “Great River Park” is located at 301 East River Drive in East Hartford. Parking will be available at Goodwin University at 9 Riverside Drive. The 4-mile paved path goes north from Goodwin University through Great River Park and Riverfront Recapture to I-84 and back. The ride will start at Goodwin University with optional safety education and bike check. The ride will showcase the East Hartford Great River Park, CT River, Hartford skyline, and Riverfront Recapture amenities. This ride is sponsored by the Town of East Harford, and East Hartford Parks & Recreation and Health and Human Services Departments. Helmets are required for all participants. if you don’t have a helmet but would like to participate, please contact East Hartford Parks and Recreation at (860) 291-7160
Sunday, June 2nd
East Hartford Nature & MJ Williams Parks(Unplug and Hike)
Get outdoors with a guided hike through East Hartford Nature & MJ Williams Parks beginning at 10 am. Parking is available at the “Nature Park” located at 340 Long Hill Street in East Hartford, adjacent to the East Hartford Golf Course. The 80 plus-acre passive recreation wooded area contains a series of trails through the parks. This year we have partnered with the Manchester Land Trust for a 2 to 2.5 mile hike.
For more information, please contact East Hartford Parks and Recreation at (860) 291-7160. In case of inclement weather, cancelations will be posted on our website: easthartfordct.gov and on our Facebook page: facebook.com/townofeasthartford
Low-Cost Rabies Clinic on June 1, 2024
EAST HARTFORD TOWN CLERK’S OFFICE
TO HOST LOW-COST RABIES CLINIC
The East Hartford Town Clerk’s Office has partnered with the Connecticut Veterinary Medical Association to offer its annual Low-Cost / No-Cost Rabies clinic.
The Low-Cost Rabies Vaccination Clinic will be held on Saturday, June 1, 2024, from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 (noon) in the rear of Firehouse Number 1, located at 726 Main Street, East Hartford.
Please use the back Town Hall parking lot. Enter through the Saunders Street entrance and walk behind Town Hall to the back of the Fire House.
Dogs must be on leashes and cats must be in carriers. There are no residency requirements.
The fee is $20, cash only. Pet owners who are on public assistance are permitted to have one pet vaccinated at no charge by showing their State Public Assistance Identification Card to the Clinic Coordinator.
Written proof, either a valid rabies certificate or a dog license showing a prior vaccination, must be presented to qualify for a three-year vaccination. Otherwise, a one-year vaccination will be given.
Tags are not sufficient proof for a three-year vaccination.
For further information, please contact the Town Clerk’s Office at (860) 291-7230.
My office is always open if you or your family are in need of assistance. Please do not hesitate to contact me by email atJason.Rojas@cga.ct.govor by phone at 860-240-8541.
