Inok Magliaro's son receives multiple services at Fellowship Place.

Her letter Afraid of the Elephant in the Room.

When it comes to a physical illness, we show sympathy and open our hearts to help friends, relatives, and even strangers on occasion. Mental illness, while not manifesting itself physically like many other diseases, is still stigmatized. If you describe mental illness scientifically, it is the illness of the part of brain which is not functioning properly. Unlike other illnesses, we seem to be most afraid of talking about mental illness. Why is mental illness treated so differently by our society?

The silence often facing mental health magnifies the problems people already face with the illness. The stigma of mental illness may lead to people not being as open about sharing their experiences or others not offering as much support to those in need as much as other illnesses. If the brain does not function properly, an individual can have many different conditions, including depression, mania, schizophrenia, anxiety and memory loss. Left untreated, someone may experience extreme stages such as suicidal thoughts and paranoia and phobias of being attacked physically and mentally. Mental illness not only affects the people who have it, it affects their family, friends and our society. 

What if the illness was treated before the person had these symptoms? It often can be properly treated with careful monitoring of medicine dosage, psychological help, providing meals and housing and places to go for those left alone. Opportunities for support, individual care, and social connections will help the patient greatly which in turn, will eventually help his or her friends, family and our society. 

It seems that the care of those with mental illness is the elephant in the room. Our society tends to not want to think or talk about it and not take care of those facing mental health difficulties; we are trying to sweep the issue under the rug. Instead, it is time to take a good look at this issue. As an example, former Massachusetts First Lady Kitty Dukakis and Governor Dukakis both do great work to open communication of this subject by describing Kitty’s depression and her experiences with treatments. We need more of this openness. 

There is not much fundraising for the mentally ill community. We strongly need to have more supportive places for those who need mental health services like the Fellowship Place. “Fellowship Place provides a broad range of support services for adults with mental illness” and “offers an eclectic group of programs and services that emphasize wellness, creative expression, giving back to the community, and the importance of social relationships” (source:
fellowshipplace.org). The organization provides crucial psychological help and emotional and physical comfort including meals and housing. If we are not afraid of the elephant in the room and work hard together to provide funds for agencies like Fellowship Place, we will move to a better society.

Please support the Fellowship Place. Do not let yourself succumb to the indifference shown towards mental illness. You can donate by mailing a check to Fellowship’s address at:

Fellowship Place
441 Elm Street
New Haven, CT 06511

You can also visit their website to find out more or donate directly
at: fellowshipplace.org 

Inok Magliaro
Bethany resident for 26 years

During the month of March, our focus is on Children and Youth; in particular, organizations that provide services for positive youth development. These nonprofits (below) are highlighted as part of our series "A Closer Look," which runs through September 2017.

Learn more about the other nonprofits on giveGreater.org that promote Children & Youth in our region. 

Almada Lodge - Times Farm Camp Corporation

Amity Teen Center

Arte

Boy Scouts of America, CT Yankee Council

Boys & Girls Club of New Haven

Boys & Girls Club of the Lower Naugatuck Valley

Catholic Charities

Central Connecticut Coast YMCA - Main Branch

Citywide Youth Coalition

College Summit Connecticut

Easter Seals Goodwill Industries Rehabilitation Center

Elm City Internationals

Elm City Robo Squad

Farnam Neighborhood House

Girl Scouts of Connecticut

Guilford Center for Children

Hamden/North Haven YMCA

Higher Heights Youth Empowerment Programs

Housatonic Council, Boy Scouts of America

JASON Project

Junior Achievement of Southwest New England

Junior Achievement of Western Connecticut

JUNTA for Progressive Action

Kidnetic ClubHouse

Latina Army

Leadership Education and Athletics in Partnership

Music Haven

New Haven Ballet

New Haven YMCA Youth Center

New Haven Youth Soccer

New Haven Youth Tennis

Pequenas Ligas Hispanas de New Haven

Seymour-Oxford Nursery & Child Care Association

Shelton High School Robotics Team

Shepherds

Solar Youth

Soundview Family YMCA in Branford

Spanish Community of Wallingford

Squash Haven

Student Parenting and Family Services

The West Haven Community House Assoc. Inc.

Valley YMCA

West Haven Child Development Center

Women of Power Network

Woodbridge Community Playground

Woodruff Family Y in Milford

Architecture Resource Center

Calvin Hill Day Care Center

Center for Children's Advocacy

Children in Placement Connecticut

Children's Center of Hamden

Children's Community Programs of Connecticut

Children's Law Center of Connecticut

Christian Community Action

Community Fund for Women & Girls

Concepts for Adaptive Learning

Connecticut Juvenile Justice Alliance

Connecticut Voices for Children

Consultation Center

Covenant to Care for Children

Family Centered Services of CT

Foundation of the Greater New Haven Chamber of Commerce

Gesell Institute of Child Development

Jewish Home for Children

Lower Naugatuck Valley Parent Child Resource Center

New Haven Diaper Bank

New Haven Family Alliance

New Haven Healthy Start

New Haven Reads Community Book Bank

New Haven Scholarship Fund

R Kids Family Center

School for Ethical Education

TEAM

Women and Family Life Center

Youth Continuum

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Needs of New Haven: an outreach program that supports groups and individuals throughout the community.  Past activities have included gatherings where New Haven-area community service organizations such as the Community Mental Health Center or La Puerta Community Development can meet with members to discuss their programs and what volunteer support they need.  Our Needs of New Haven program has also organized hat-knitting for the homeless and providing food and heating fuel to families in financial distress, as well as other forms of compassionate service to the community.

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Humanist Haven: a combination lecture and small-group discussion program offered semi-monthly that includes speakers from across the nation, with talks centered on how to live lives of meaning and ethical intention.

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YHC seeks a leader who is passionate about people; who understands how an eclectic group of atheists, skeptics, agnostics, and even believers can unite around humanism; and who can balance program leadership with administration and fundraising responsibilities. The Executive Director is supported by the Director of Operations, a Board of Directors, and a team of volunteers dedicated to the mutual support of our participants and the good of our community..

For more on the position and expected qualifications, and more details about applying, please visit bit.ly/YHCED.

Family Centered Services of CT welcomes Mike Vezzoli, ADP Human Capital Management Consultant as our newest member of the Board.  Mike is a graduate of Providence College where he was a member of the swim team. Mike has a passion for volunteering and serving the community, as a member of the Family CT Board of Directors he will serve on the Development Committee where he will lend his expertise in digital marketing and sales.  Mike is and avid NY Giants fan and movie buff.

During the cold winter months, low-income Valley residents can apply for home heating assistance atTEAM, Inc., which has been helping families become financially stable since 1965. Read more in this week's #InspirationMonday: http://ow.ly/7M68308YgbV

ECDC is looking for sponsors for our upcoming premiere of

"If You Knew You Then"

March 31, April 1, 7, 8

shows at 7pm & 9pm 

Lyric Hall | 827 Whalley Ave 

New Haven

Tickets $25 pre-sale $30 door

More about the work HERE

WHY SPONSOR OUR PREMIERE? 

1) "If You Knew You Then" is an original ECDC production featuring 6 dancers in new choreography inspired by adolescent themes. The work has a lot of feeling and a lot of action!

2) ECDC’s audience is hip, active, involved, and interconnected.

3) Sponsorship will provide visibility for your organization with ECDC’s audience, supporters and community. 

Click HERE to find out how you can sponsor ECDC!

WHY SPONSOR ECDC? 

ECDC’s Mission: 

Elm City Dance Collective is a New Haven based organization that provides a platform for an experiential and collaborative approach to dance creation, education and performance. 

Who We Are and What We Do: 

ECDC is a 501(c)3 charitable arts organization that contributes to a thriving arts community in New Haven by creating original dance productions, as well as offering dance performance opportunities, classes, and workshops. To learn more about us, please visit www.elmcitydance.org. 

St. Martin de Porres Academy opened its doors twelve years ago with the promise of giving life-changing opportunities to disadvantaged kids. That promise is being fulfilled as the first graduates are now in college making dean’s lists and winning awards at places such as Villanova, Fairfield, St. Lawrence and Princeton. One former student, a college senior, already has a job offer in engineering.

“I’ve watched these kids develop since they were nine-year-olds. It’s been very special to share this journey with them and see them blossom,” says Allison Rivera, the Academy’s president and a founding teacher. Continue reading here.

Staff members Amie Melillo and Sabine Romsaint of the Family Based Recovery Program and Raycean Wright and Shannon Ryan of the Teen Outreach Program met with State Senators and Representatives to enlist their support of Family Centered Services of CT at the Legislative regional lobby day. Non-profit organizations from across CT met with their representatives to discuss the impact that state cuts will make to their programs and to encourage their support.

Family CT will be celebrating a milestone this year, our 40th anniversary. Family CT has been a leader in providing free home-based parenting education, domestic violence counseling and care coordination for children with special health care needs. This past year we reached over 1800 families a 12% increase over 2015 and the need continues to grow. It is because our services are free and home-based that we can reach many under-served families who would not be able to accept services otherwise.

The Mary Wade, is a nonprofit senior care community located in New Haven.  We were founded, and continue serving the community, in our same location 150 years ago, and have developed into a full continuum of senior care services, that includes a Skilled Nursing Center, Residential Care Home, Adult Day Center, Home Care, Community Navigator, Outpatient Rehabilitation Center, Primary Care and a transportation program, serving the senior population and their families in the Greater New Haven Region.

We are writing you today in anticipation of potential federal legislation that will fundamentally change the structure of the Medicaid program.  We are fearful of these changes and are opposing them at the federal level because we fear that changing Medicaid to a block grant or per capita cap would have a substantial negative affect on access to quality medical care and long-term services and supports for older adults and other vulnerable populations here in Connecticut.

Medicaid is the most important financial resource available for families who need help covering the cost of long-term services and supports, whether in their homes and communities or in nursing homes. Medicaid has become the default payer for long-term services and supports because there are no significant alternative sources of payment, other than out-of-pocket.  Eighty percent (80%) of our residents and clients rely on the Medicaid program to pay for their care and services both in the nursing home and through our system of home and community based services.

While we are extremely fearful of the potential change to the structure of the program and strongly oppose the block grant concept, our mission at Mary Wade is to provide high quality medical care, social programs, and residential services to those in need and we are committed to doing so.

Therefore we are reaching out to you today to ask you to consider us a partner and a resource to you should we be faced with the need to redesign our current Medicaid program.

We want to work together with our state legislators, state agencies, and our community partners to ensure that the elderly living in our community can continue to count on the Medicaid program to support the care, services and supports that they so desperately need.

I welcome you to join me at the Mary Wade campus, for a conversation regarding these potential changes.   I can be reached at my direct line at 203.672.7810 or by email message at dhunter@marywade.org. 

David V. Hunter, President & CEO 

February 1, 2017

The only thing standing between many families and a descent into homelessness and poverty is trained legal representation. In courtrooms every day, the fight for basic human needs is played out in cases against landlords who have served eviction notices, employers that have withheld wages, state agencies that have denied benefits and various other civil matters. Yet unlike in criminal court, there is no constitutional right to an attorney in a civil suit. This puts people who cannot afford representation at a severe disadvantage in cases that could alter the courses of their lives.

For more than a half century, New Haven Legal Assistance has worked to balance the scales of justice by providing free legal counsel to vulnerable clients.

“We are building on the history that we’ve created, a history of being rooted in the community and putting our clients first,” says Executive Director Alexis Smith. Continue reading: 

Do you ever wonder why the wealthiest country in the world has so little money to feed the hungry, educate the youth, care for seniors, provide universal health care, fix the potholes, house the homeless, ensure clean water, guarantee safe bridges and dams? 

Alder Richard Furlow, chair of the Board of Alders’ Human Services Committee, invites you to participate in a public hearing on Thursday, January 26 at 6 p.m. in the Alder Chamber of City Hall, 165 Church St.

The hearing concerns a resolution submitted by the New Haven Peace Commission. It seeks to stimulate a public discussion on what “the extent of the city’s public and human services needs are, what the gaps are between the city’s needs and all funds provided by taxes, grants and debt, and how those gaps could be met by reducing the annual national military budget.”

Alder Furlow asks that you imagine if -- in a perfect world -- what sort of budget would your department need to accomplish all of its goals and what would you do with the additional funds. Due to enormous military funding, our cities are not provided with the financial support they need to meet human needs and improve the infrastructure. The Peace Commission resolution hopes to correct this situation. 

The resolution follows a nonbinding referendum on the 2012 city ballot which asked: “Shall Congress reduce military spending; transfer funds to convert to civilian production; create jobs to rebuild our infrastructure; and meet pressing human needs?” The referendum passed overwhelmingly, by nearly six to one.

The annual cost of past, present and future wars is $1.2 TRILLION. This is double the nominal Pentagon budget, which itself is 54%, $600 billion, of the Federal discretionary budget. All other programs have to share what remains.  

Common Ground is seeking an experienced, creative professional who can work with teachers, school leaders, students, families, and community partners to strengthen our curriculum and classroom teaching — ensuring it is driven by standards, rooted in our local community and unique site, culturally relevant and inclusive, contributing to social justice, and pushing students towards both environmental leadership and college success. This Curriculum Development Consultant will:

• Work closely with Common Ground’s 9th grade teachers and our “Teaching Our Cities” team to develop an integrated, ready-to-teach 9th grade curriculum — a common, interdisciplinary experience that all students will share — including units of study, performance tasks and other assessments, projects, and culturally relevant texts.
• Partner with Common Ground teachers, students, parents, and community partners to develop the themes, topics, and structures for new courses to be added to our curriculum.
• Develop shared curriculum planning tools including templates for interdisciplinary, project-based units and courses, and horizontal and vertical skills progressions in consultation with Common Ground teachers and leadership staff.
• Create rubrics and processes for evaluating existing and future curricula in collaboration with staff and other stakeholders to ensure they reflect Common Ground’s commitment to standards-driven, environmental and social justice oriented, place-based, interdisciplinary, culturally responsive, project-based learning.  
• Develop and facilitate a collaborative process that engages a range of stakeholders in curriculum development work.

Common Ground is seeking an individual or organization to act as a consultant on this project for a fixed fee contract of $30,000, starting in February 2017 and continuing through the start of September 2017. Common Ground intends to extend this contract into the 17-18 school year, based on this initial partnership and available funding.

Common Ground is seeking outstanding candidates with:

• Deep experience and skill in standards-based curriculum development incorporating vertically and horizontally-aligned skill sequences and backwards design
• Deep understanding of and commitment to culturally responsive teaching, social justice education, and the role of education in anti-racism and anti-oppression work.
• Demonstrated capacity to create project-based, place-based learning experiences using  performance tasks as assessment tools.
• An ability to build positive, collaborative relationships with other educators, and to facilitate a curriculum development process that engages other key constituencies — students, families, community partners.
• Classroom teaching experience.
• Connections to and knowledge of the New Haven community and/or experience in place-based education in urban settings.
• Strong background in and passion for environment, sustainability, social justice, and related topics.
• Facility with Common Core State Standards, C3 Social Studies, and Next Generation Science Standards
• A fierce commitment to helping all students succeed, and to engaging students from racially and economically diverse urban settings
• Bachelor degree; Masters strongly preferred
• Creativity, sense of joy, and commitment to collaboration

Common Ground is particularly eager for candidates that help us fulfill our commitment to building a genuinely diverse staff, reflective of our students’ cultural backgrounds and lived experiences.

At Common Ground, a racially and socioeconomically diverse community of 200 students from 16 different towns experiences a mix of high academic standards, active learning and leadership opportunities, and small school supports that are producing dramatic educational results. More than 93% of our students are accepted to college, and our students’ graduation rates and test scores have pushed above the state average.

Please send cover letter and resume to:

Lizanne Cox, School Director
Common Ground High School
358 Springside Ave., New Haven, CT 06515
lcox@commongroundct.org

By: William W. Ginsberg 

The start of a new year is a time for resolutions. Defying the temptation to hunker down in this cold and dark season, the beginning of January is a time to take stock and to look forward with clear priorities and renewed optimism. The beginning of 2017 feels different. Read more...

This holiday season, you can help keep the New Haven Independent reporting on New Haven — and have your donations matched dollar for dollar as part of a national drive to support local not-for-profit news reporting.

Starting this week and running through Jan. 19, all donations to the Independent up to $1,000 will be matched by a national drive called “The Knight News Match.” To donate, click here.

The Knight Foundation is making similar matches for donations to 57 not-for-profit news outlets like the Independent nationwide. 

New Haven, CT (December 19, 2016) – The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven (The Foundation), the region’s permanent endowment and largest grantmaker to nonprofits, recently awarded  $2,365,000 in general operating support grants through its largest annual competitive grant cycle.

“The Foundation’s 2016 grantmaking has reflected the pressures being felt by our nonprofits. Reductions in State support together with the prospect of continuing State budget woes have led us to prioritize general operation support grants,” says Christina M. Ciociola, Senior Vice President for Grantmaking and Strategy at The Community Foundation.

A recent survey conducted by The Foundation in October shows that over 50% of organizations have experienced State funding cuts of $50,000 or more and some of $500,000; more cuts are expected. To manage these cuts organizations are taking drastic measures including reducing services (49%), reducing staff (42%) and closing programs (20%).

“Nonprofits benefit most from general operating support – or unrestricted/flexible funding - to sustain positions, invest in technology and address other emerging issues, especially in times of uncertainty,” adds Ciociola. According to a national coalition of more than 550 grantmakers, known as Grantmakers for Effective Organizations, flexible funding enables nonprofits to build their infrastructure, direct money where it is best needed, take advantage of opportunities as they arise, focus on running effective programs and reducing fundraising pressures – all because working capital is in hand.

General operating support is considered an essential component to The Foundation’s competitive grantmaking to ensure the vast array and delivery of vital services in Greater New Haven, especially to those who are most vulnerable. Greater New Haven’s nonprofits receiving general operating support in 2016 provide food and shelter, workforce and career training, healthcare services and quality childcare. They enrich lives by promoting the arts and celebrating cultures, providing quality education and supportive youth services, and by connecting people with resources they need. 

According to The Center for Effective Philanthropy’s recent Grantee Perception Report, the number of general operating support grants distributed by The Foundation is larger than the typical funder. This year 67% of the grants awarded through the annual competitive process were for general operating support, up from 46% in 2015.

2016 General Operating Support Grant Recipients 

Achievement First - $25,000
Architecture Resource Center, Inc. - $35,000
Arts for Learning Connecticut, Inc. - $35,000
Beth-El Center Inc. – $65,000
Beulah Land Development Corporation, Inc. - $80,000
Boys & Girls Club of New Haven - $70,000
Bridges...A Community Support System Inc. - $50,000
Clifford W. Beers Guidance Clinic - $30,000
Continuum of Care, Inc. - $45,000
Creative Arts Workshop - $55,000
Diaper Bank - $50,000
Emerge Connecticut, Inc. - $260,000
Family Centered Services of CT - $60,000
Farnam Neighborhood House - $80,000
Fellowship Place - $50,000
Habitat for Humanity of Greater New Haven - $25,000
Interfaith Volunteer Caregivers - $45,000
International Festival of Arts & Ideas - $150,000
Long Wharf Theatre - $150,000
Music Haven, Inc. - $45,000 
Neighborhood Housing Services of New Haven - $65,000
New Haven Legal Assistance Association Inc. - $115,000
New Haven Symphony Orchestra - $75,000
New Reach - $105,000
Online Journalism Project Inc. - $50,000
Pequenas Ligas Hispanas de New Haven - $80,000
Public Allies Connecticut - $25,000
Solar Youth - $75,000
St. Martin de Porres Academy – $55,000
Student Parenting and Family Services, Inc. - $20,000
Urban Resources Initiative - $75,000
West Haven Child Development Center - $60,000
Women and Family Life Center - $65,000
Youth Continuum, Inc. - $90,000

Thanks to the generosity of three generations of donors, The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven awarded over $30 million in grants and distributions in 2015 from charitable assets of more than $500 million composed of hundreds of individually named funds. In addition to its grantmaking, The Community Foundation helps build a stronger community by taking measures to improve student achievement, create healthy families in New Haven, promote local philanthropy through www.giveGreater.org® and The Great Give®, and encourage better understanding of the region. The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven’s 20 town service area includes: Ansonia, Bethany, Branford, Cheshire, Derby, East Haven, Guilford, Hamden, Madison, Milford, New Haven, North Branford, North Haven, Orange, Oxford, Seymour, Shelton, Wallingford, West Haven and Woodbridge. For more information about The Community Foundation, visit www.cfgnh.org, find us on Facebook at www.facebook.org/cfgnh or follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/cfgnh. 

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Applications are being accepted for Neighborhood Leadership Program of The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven. The Neighborhood Leadership Program is an eight month training and grant program that supports community leaders in imagining, developing, testing and realizing projects which build community and provide positive outcomes in New Haven neighborhoods and contiguous towns.The information you need to understand what the program offers and what the program requires of you is here:

http://www.cfgnh.org/LeadingOnIssues/NeighborhoodLeadership/ApplyfortheNeighborhoodLeadershipProgram.aspx 

The application deadline is: January 20 at noon.

We hope you will applying and that you will share this information with other residents of New Haven, East Haven, Hamden and West Have who are building and sustaining community.

We help you build community!

Are you a media maker interested in public service?

WPAA-TV in Wallingford CT may be expanding services - if the right individuals reach out to us - to be either part-time evenings Video Support Techs and/or Unpaid Interns for college credit.

 This volunteer run organization serves the residents and organizations of Wallingford and nonprofits serving New Haven Area and CT filmmakers (criteria applies). 

If you are interested in serving the residents of Wallingford in 2017, helping citizens and organizations in the New Haven Area tell stories or work with local filmmakers (all while being anonymous); then let's talk.

About the opportunity: Part-time from 4 to 12 hours weekly. Must be available: evenings between 5 and 9 PM for 1 to 3 day a week. Internships with post production focus can be daytime. Wallingford residents will be preferred candidates. Reply with resume and video samples of your work to wpaatv@gmail.com

We offer creative flexibility, access to a high-tech studio/Blackbox theater to garner experience, and a variety of software package for editing PC/MAC.

Green Fund now accepting grant applications for 2017 awards.

   The Greater New Haven Green Fund promotes environmental quality and equity in the most environmentally distressed communities within the Greater New Haven area by providing local small grants to reduce pollution and create a more sustainable future.  The Fund is seeking grant proposals for creative community based initiatives that impact air and water pollution, as well as land conservation, sustainability, environmental education and youth leadership.
 

  This year the Green Fund is particularly interested in encouraging small grants of maximum amount of $3000 from grassroots organizations and has carved out $18,000 of the total $48,000 to be used for this purpose; $10,000 for small grants and $8000 for microgrants. These smaller grants can be used for mission support and organizational capacity building as well as other projects that fit the priority areas of the Fund. 
 

  The Green Fund will also award $10,000 from the Community Benefits Agreement with Public Service Enterprise Group, Inc. (PSEG), owner of the Harbor Power Plant in New Haven. The Fund seeks innovative proposals for activities that advance air quality initiatives in the areas of public education and outreach, public health studies, environmental justice and environmental analysis.
 

  The deadline for 2017 applications is Thursday, January 12, 2017 at 4:00 PM.  Please check out the website for the Greater New Haven Green Fund at www.gnhgreenfund.org for further information and to download the application forms.  Application forms are listed under the grants subpage titled small and large grants. 
 

  The New Haven Green Fund is a non profit 501(c)3 organization that incorporated in 2006.  It is administered by an independent board representing both local expertise and the communities that comprise the Greater New Haven Water Pollution service area.