Middle Schools Use Lunchtime to Break Social Isolation, Prevent Bullying

No One Eats Alone is a lunchtime school event that seeks to reverse the trends of social isolation by asking students – for one lunchtime period - to engage in a simple act of kindness at lunch.  Students make sure that no one is eating alone and they make an effort to eat with new classmates and peers. Developed by a national organization – Beyond Differences - No One Eats Alone Day 2015, held in February, saw more than 400,000 middle school students participate -- in over 700 schools in 38 states, including Connecticut.

In 2015, just over a dozen participating schools in Connecticut included North St School (Windsor Locks), Broadview Middle School (Danbury), Eastern Middle School (Greenwich), O.H. Platt High School (Meriden), Fairfield Woods Middle School (Fairfield), Washington Middle (Meriden), Northeast (Stamford), Schaghticoke Middle School (Warren), King Street Intermediate School (Danbury), Dag Hammarskjold Middle School (Wallingford), Orville H. Platt High School (Meriden ), Avon Middle (Avon), and Moran Middle School (Wallingford).

Among the partner organizations from across the country is Sandy Hook Promise, based in Newtown.

As the 2015-16 school year got underway, one Connecticut middle school decided not to wait for the annual observance, scheduled for February 13, 2016.

Derby students were greeted on the first day of school by staff all sporting red t-shirts with the logo and words "No One Eat Alone.”  The shirts signify the kickoff of a new program that several education organizations hope to launch across every district in the state, the CT Post reported.  Derby Schools Superintendent Matthew Conway told the CT Post that he would like to see “no one eats alone” practiced every day.

Involved in the project in Connecticut are the Connecticut Education Association, Connecticut Association of Public School Superintendents, Connecticut Association of Schools/Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference, Beyond Differences and Derby Public Schools.

California-based Beyond Differences (beyonddifferences.org) is a non-profit organization dedicated to ending social isolation in middle schools across the country and creating a culture in which all kids feel included, valued and accepted by their peers. The organization is based on the tenet that students are in charge of their own campus culture of inclusion.

Social isolation is a problem in every school, officials say, emphasizing that the problem of social isolation to be universal. They also “acknowledge the relationship between social isolation and bullying and violence. By reducing social isolation, we believe we can help end much bullying and violence.”

Beyond Differences we are dedicated to helping teens and schools make social inclusion the new reality. The organization was founded by the parents of Lili Smith who was born with a cranial facial syndrome and was socially isolated during her middle school years, the organization’s website explains.  After Lili died at the age of 15 due to medical complications from her syndrome, a group of teens from the local community banded together to bring change to their local schools. They had not realized that they had been leaving Lili out from all the fun social get-togethers. Upon hearing about Lili's feelings of being left out, they were determined to never let anyone feel that way again.  The initiative was born.

Officials stress that “school communities with a culture of inclusion will have far fewer instances of bullying and cruelty. We believe that much of the bullying and violence in our schools can be addressed by treating the underlying causes, rather than just the symptoms.”

https://youtu.be/VPH4OSMBr_c

New Mission for Graustein Memorial Fund Is Equity in Education, End to Racism and Poverty

The heightened racial unrest and unrelenting racial disparities that have risen in the public consciousness in recent years have prompted a mission shift for the New Haven-based William Caspar Graustein Memorial Fund, one of the state’s venerable family foundations. In an open letter to the community, Executive Director David Addams, who came to the fund just over a year ago, explained that “The Graustein family, trustees and staff, during our planning process, were confronted by the depth and persistence of racial and economic inequality, struck by the seeming acceptance of the status quo, concerned for the destructive effects of inequity on our individual and collective futures, and united in our resolve that rigorous attention to equity underlies our future work.”

Addams said that “to guide us as we work to help remove these barriers,” the trustees adopted a new mission:  The mission of the William Caspar Graustein Memorial Fund is to achieve equity in education by working with those affected and inspiring all to end racism and poverty.

In recent years, the mission focus of The William Caspar Graustein Memorial Fund has been to “work collaboratively to improve education for Connecticut's children by strengthening the involvement of parents and the community in education, informing the public debate on critical policies, and improving educational practice.”  Connecticut’s children have been the focus of the Graustein Memorial Fund’s grantmaking, working with rural, urban and suburban communities, and both public and private schools.

Addams noted that the many accomplishments in that area have included providing help to increase access to early childhood learning, build community capacity, and create a new state office to support and grow the field.”  The Fund, and its supporters, have “moved Connecticut closer to the goal of ensuring that every child has what they need,” Addams said.

Referencing that “50 years after the passage of major civil rights legislation, racial disparities persist more in Connecticut than anywhere else in America,” Addams said that “these inequities are barriers for families of color and families living in poverty to reaching their full potential.”

Addams said that one of the state’s strongest assets – the families and neighborhoods that have direct experience in raising children and dealing with the barriers of racism and poverty – are underutilized, noting that “within all of us, and especially those most affected by racism and poverty, there are the strengths, determination, creativity and wisdom we need to succeed.”

Indicating that “real change takes a long-term commitment from many partners,” Addams said that the fund intends to “start slowly and co-create the path forward with those who would like to join us on this journey.”

https://youtu.be/ya2vq4dEhOs

CT Ranks 25th in Telecommuting Jobs; Nationwide 37 Percent Say They’ve Telecommuted

Thirty-seven percent of U.S. workers say they have telecommuted, up slightly from 30 percent last decade but four times greater than the 9 percent found in 1995, according to a newly released Gallup poll.  Connecticut ranks 25^th in the nation in full-time telecommuters, data compiled by the website flexijobs.com indicates. The leading states for full-time telecommuters, based on percentage of workforce, are Colorado (6.9%), Vermont (6.8%), Oregon (6.3%), Montana (6%), Maine (5.7%), Arizona (5.5%), Idaho (5.5%) and New Hampshire (5.4%).  In Connecticut, 4.3 percent of the workforce are telecommuters.

Based on years of researching companies that hire for telecommuting, part-time, flextime, or freelance jobs, FlexJobs has compiled the best list of 100 of companies located in Connecticut that specifically have hired for jobs with at least one of these flexible working options.

Connecticut’s top companies for flexible jobs are Aetna, General Electric, CIGNA, Kforce, Pitney Bowes, The Hartford, Magellan Health Services, Novitex Enterprise Solutions, Onward Search, Gartner Inc, Higher One, and Stanley Black & Decker.

The percentage of telecommuters nationwide is based on Gallup's annual Work and Education poll, conducted earlier this month, Aug. 5-9, 2015. Technology has made telecommuting easier for workers, and most companies seem willing to let workers do their work remotely, at least on an occasional basis if the position allows for it, the Gallup analysis points out. Even though telecommuting has become more common, the growth in the practice appears to have leveled off in recent years, according to Gallup.

The survey indicated that U.S. workers say they telecommute from home rather than go into the office about two days per month, on average. Nine percent of workers say they telecommute more than 10 workdays -- meaning at least half of all workdays -- in a typical month.  The majority of Americans, including both those employed and not employed, believe workers who work remotely are just as productive as those who work in a business office.

New CT Consumer Confidence Survey Shows More Residents Likely to Stay, Although Outlook Relatively Unchanged

Fewer Connecticut residents now expect to move out of the state in the next five years, according to the results of the 2015 Connecticut Consumer Confidence Survey released today by InformCT, covering the second quarter of the calendar year. In the first quarter, the percentages were even, with 39 percent saying it was likely they’d move from the state during the next five years and the same percentage saying a move out of state was unlikely.  In the new survey, 32 percent said it is likely they will move out of state in the next five years, a slight drop, while the percentage who say it is unlikely has grown to 43 percent.

Overall, Connecticut residents’ confidence in the state’s economy and their personal financial prospects are nudging along tentatively and unevenly, but relatively unchanged in the year’s second quarter compared with the first few months of the year.

Results of the Q2 Survey (April-June 2015) tend to reinforce what was found in Q1 (January-March).  Consumers see little change in what is perceived as a sluggish economy and do not envision any change in the next 6 months. This is also reflected in their attitudes toward the job market, with 6 in 10 feeling that there are insufficient jobs for the available workforce.

Regarding personal finances, slightly fewer state residents felt they were better off today than six months ago, but slightly more felt they would be better off six months from now.  A plurality, however, felt that their personal finances were about the same as six months ago, and were unlikely to change in the next six months.

Inform CT is a public-private partnership that provides independent, non-partisan research, analysis, and public outreach to help create fact-based dialogue and action in Connecticut.  The survey is designed to generate an ongoing measure of consumer confidence in the Connecticut economy.  The survey also found that:

• Fairfield County residents are the most likely (32%) to think that business conditions are better.
• Residents of Litchfield (36%) and Windham (34%) counties are the most likely to feel that jobs are very hard to get.
• Residents of Tolland County (38%) are the most likely to feel that they are better off.

Concerns that survey respondents “job may be in jeopardy” dropped slightly from the first to second quarter, as did concerns “about being able to afford health insurance.”  However, slightly fewer people felt they had “enough to retire comfortably,” or that the state’s economy was improving.  On the question of whether Connecticut is a “good place to live and raise a family,” for the second consecutive quarter, the split was 50-50.  As income increases, respondents are more likely to agree that Connecticut is a good place to live and raise a family, the survey results showed.

The survey is being administered for InformCT by the Connecticut Economic Resource Center, Inc.(CERC) and Shelton-based Smith & Company. The analysis, which is based on the responses of 400 randomly selected Connecticut residents (roughly 50 per county), addresses key economic issues such as overall confidence, reactions to housing prices, upscale consumer purchases, leisure spending and current investments. InformCT is a public-private partnership that currently includes staff from CERC and the Connecticut Data Collaborative.

The results also indicated that women (78%) are significantly more likely than men (52%) to indicate that they are likely to move out of Connecticut, and respondents with household incomes of $50,000 or less are significantly more likely to indicate that they will move out of Connecticut, according to survey officials.

More than 60 percent of state residents said they plan to take a vacation outside Connecticut (22% very likely, 39% somewhat likely) and 44 percent said they planned to vacation in Connecticut (26% very likely, 18 percent somewhat likely).  The most likely vacation location appears to be state parks, with 43 percent indicating that such a visit was likely in the next six months.  Forty-one percent planned to visit a casino, outdistancing visits planned to aquariums (27%), the Connecticut Science Center (13%) and other state attractions.

Regarding plans for major purchases in the next six months, often considered a harbinger of economic strength, 28 percent said they planned to make a “major consumer expenditure,” 22 percent anticipated purchasing a new car, and 15 percent said they were planning to refinance or purchase a new home. 

CERC, based in Rocky Hill, is a nonprofit corporation and public-private partnership that provides economic development services consistent with state strategies, leveraging Connecticut’s unique advantages as a premier business location. Smith & Company LLC is a market research firm.  More information about the survey, and subscribing, can be found at www.informct.org.

“This research provides a measure of the strength of our economy as well as a gauge of select economic factors,” stated Alissa DeJonge, Vice President of Research at CERC.  “It is a valuable and cost-effective strategic planning tool for any company or organization that wishes to take the temperature of the Connecticut consumer.”

“Whether you are a financial services institution, health care provider, insurer, developer, utility, trade association, or advertiser, those who wish to subscribe to this regular information can add proprietary questions for their own purposes,” added Stephen A. Smith, President of Smith & Company.

Putnam Pushing New Reputation as Arts and Culture Mecca, Gaining Recognition

When the Connecticut Main Street Center announced its Award of Excellence would go to the Town of Putnam, the Putnam Business Association, and the Putnam Arts Council for First Fridays in Downtown Putnam, there may have been more than one individual uncertain as to why. Many around the state may have been unaware of the northeastern Connecticut community’s goal of connecting artists, audiences, and arts and culture agencies to enhance the economic vitality of the community, while also showcasing downtown assets including a Bandstand and Outdoor Stage, the Downtown Farmers' Market Pavilion, and the local scenic River Trail.

Driven by the vision to create a 'sense of place' and feature their downtown destination, the Town, the Business Association and the Arts Council collaborated to launch a monthly arts and culturally based Street Faire from May to October each year.  Now in its fifth year, the initiative has proven quite successful.

In 2014, approximately 3,000 people attended each event, with 15-20 street artisan vendors participating. The success of First Fridays has demonstrated the town's credentials as a 'destination' in Connecticut. Putnam was voted #4 Fan Favorite Town through the state Office of Tourism in 2013, and #2 Town in 2014 - the only town in the top 5 without waterfront. To overcome the obstacles of empty storefronts, the Putnam community worked diligently to reinvent itself as the arts and cultural hub of northeastern Connecticut, leading to recognition by Boston Magazine as "One of the Best 15 Small Towns to Visit in New England".

First Fridays define cultural diversity with a different theme each month. These themes are explored through dance, theatre & storytelling, architecture, song, food, and folklore.  Each monthly theme includes: 'Art Attacks' - random acts of art to surprise, entertain, and educate; 'Menu Celebrations' - local restaurants designing and creating menu specials to pair with the monthly theme; plus street bands, artisan vendors, and children events.

This year, the overarching theme is 'A Century of Art'.  To start this year, the monthly themes have been:  May - Turn of the Century; June - The Roaring 20's / The Jazz Age; July - The 1940's / WWII and the Arts; August - Pop Art of the 1960's;.  Still to come: September - The 1980's / Urban Art; and October - Turn of the Century / The Digital Age.

First Fridays "feature great live entertainment, a variety of art vendors lining the streets, fun and interactive art projects, and stimulating events" hosted by such downtown galleries as Arts & Framing and the Sochor Gallery, The Empty Spaces Project Gallery, Sawmill Potteryand Silver Circle Gallery, according to the event website. Officials say that since the inception of First Fridays, the exponential growth has been manageable only because of business partners, volunteers and partners stepping up to assist with the Town administration. Town employees provide services for sound systems, street closures and safety measures. Police traffic patrol has been set in place; corps of volunteers handle facilities management; and valet service companies have been hired by restaurants to assist with parking.

Putnam has begun to be described as “a mecca of revitalization and community pride.” Participants last year, for example, were given disposable cameras to take shots of Downtown architecture. The photos were then pieced to create a 9' X 3' collage spelling out the word "PUTNAM".  Educating and advocating through multi-disciplinary and inter-generational events has earned new found recognition for Putnam, and made First Fridays a destination for audiences from Northeast Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts.  All of which makes the recognition from the Connecticut Main Street Center less surprising.

Three CT Counties Among the Nation's 244 Most Dense in Population, Comprising Half Nation's Residents

New York City's borough of Manhattan has about 1.6 million residents sharing just under 23 square miles of land. Meanwhile, 669 square mile Loving County, TX has just 86 residents, Business Insider reports in an analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data. According to the U.S. Census Bureau's population estimates and their tabulations of the land area of each county, 50.1 percent of the US population lives in the nation’s densest counties, indicated in dark purple on the illustrated map, which highlights the wide dispersion in the population density of the US's 3,142 counties. The 244 densest US counties are shown in dark purple, developed using U.S. Census Bureau data for 2014.

The nation's largest populations, by county, are in Los Angeles County, CA; Cook County, IL; Harris County, TX; Maricopa County, AZ, San Diego County, CA; Orange County, CA, Miami-Dade County, FL and Kings County, NY. 

The most populous county in Connecticut, Fairfield County, ranked 51^st by population (945,438) among the nation’s counties.  Just behind are Hartford County, ranked 59^th (897,985) and New Haven County, ranked 64^th (861,277).

All three are among the 244 densest U.S. counties that comprise just over half of the nation's population.

Go Ask ALICE – Child Care Front and Center

The phrase “go ask ALICE” may have been a lyric a few decades ago, but today it is taking on renewed significance when assessing the day-to-day life challenges of a surprisingly large segment of Connecticut’s population, an updated report by Connecticut United Ways shows. In Connecticut, 1-in-4 households have earnings that exceed the Federal Poverty Level (FPL) but fall short of a basic cost of living threshold. The United Way has defined these households as ALICE-an acronym for Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed, and together with the 10% of Connecticut households in poverty, more than one-third of Connecticut households (35%) are struggling to make ends meet.

The original analysis revealed last fall has now been updated and expended with new data, which indicates that cost of child care is a significant burden, and that child care is “often the single-largest expense for families with young children.”

The Connecticut ALICE Report estimates that the cost of child care for two children (1 preschooler and 1 infant) is at least 28% of the monthly expenses included in the Household Survival Budget for a family of four. In a newly released ALICE Update, the latest available cost data from 2-1-1 Child Care is used to examine the biggest child care challenges facing ALICE families in Connecticut:

1. Child care is often the single-largest expense for families with young children, with limited options for affordable infant and toddler care posing a significant challenge. This is especially true for ALICE families.
2. Child care subsidies are available for working families, but some ALICE families have earnings that exceed the eligibility threshold, and others struggle to cover the difference between the subsidy and the provider fee.
3. Availability and cost of child care varies throughout the state, limiting options for ALICE families who may not be able to find child care providers they can afford that are located near where they work or live.
4. There are limited child care options that are available during evening, night, or weekend shifts. 2nd shift, 3rd shift, and weekend hours are more common among low- to moderate-income ALICE workers. When work schedules are unpredictable, and vary from week to week, it can be hard for ALICE families to find child care when they need it.

The most recent fee data available from 2-1-1 Child Care estimates the statewide average cost of full-time child care in a licensed center-based day care setting is $211/week for 1 preschooler and $253/week for an infant, which adds up to $2,011 per month. This may be less than what many Connecticut families pay for child care each month, due to variations in cost and availability throughout the state, differences in family size, and other costs associated with child care that are not included—such as the cost of alternate care arrangements when the child care setting is closed

The report indicates that statewide, the average weekly cost of Infant/Toddler care ranges from $135 to $400 in Home-Based settings and from $175 to $400 in Center-Based settings. The high cost of Infant/Toddler care creates the greatest burden, as the weekly cost amounts to the highest percentage of median income in both Home-Based (30.9%) and Center-Based (48.8%) settings in Hartford, where the median income is $29,430/year.

Adding to the challenge posed by the high cost of Infant/Toddler care is the fact that its availability varies throughout the state. There are six municipalities in the state that have no licensed Center- or Home-Based Infant/Toddler child care providers at all, and 15 that only have a single provider offering Infant/Toddler care in their town. A total of 52 Connecticut towns have two to five providers of Infant/Toddler care, and the remaining 96 municipalities have at least six providers who offer Infant/Toddler care.

The report also indicates that “there are limited child care options available during evening, night or weekend shifts, and it can be hard for ALICE families to find childcare when they need it.”  The vast majority of Center-Based child care providers in Connecticut do not offer evening or weekend care, according to the report. Another challenge for ALICE workers without stable, predictable work schedules is that child care providers are typically paid for a full week of care in advance, whether the care is ultimately used or not. When work schedules change from week to week or on short notice, ALICE families may end up paying for child care that they do not use.

In November 2014, Connecticut United Ways released the first statewide ALICE Report, a data-driven, comprehensive research project that quantifies the situation confronting many low-income working families across our state - in our urban, suburban and rural communities. The Report documents that the number of Connecticut households unable to afford all of life's basic necessities far exceeds the official federal poverty statistics.

Correctional Institutions or Institutions for the Mentally Ill? Governments Seek New Solutions

How to effectively respond to the fact that America’s prisons have rapidly become de facto institutions for the mentally ill is increasingly gaining attention in policy circles and the news media.  In recent days, The New York Times, Governing magazine, and other publications have focused both on the alarming statistics and some innovative approaches across the country. There are now 10 times as many mentally ill people in the nation’s 5,000 jails and prisons as there are in state mental institutions, according to a study last year by the National Sheriffs’ Association and the Treatment Advocacy Center, a nonprofit group that supports expanded access to treatment, the Times reported.

In Connecticut, out of the 16,154 inmates in state prisons, about 3,423 have a serious mental illness, 21 percent of the total prison population, Michael Lawlor, undersecretary for criminal justice policy and planning at the Office of Policy and Management, told the New Haven Register earlier this year. Just a few years ago, the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) estimated that approximately 16 percent of the state’s prison population consisted of persons with mental illness.

The State Department of Correction confirms that those defined as “seriously mentally ill” include 17 percent of the male population, 66 percent of the female population, and 20.8 percent of the overall prison population in the state.

According to the Council of State Governments, jails in the U.S. report that between 20 and 80 percent of their inmates suffer from a mental illness, Governing reported.   Today’s acute challenge has been decades in the making.  In the mid-1950’s, the publication indicated, more than 500,000 people were held in state psychiatric hospitals.  “By the 1980s that number had fallen to around 70,000.  During this period, the number of people with mental illnesses who were arrested and ended up in local jails surged.”

Chicago’s Cook County Jail, now referred to by local officials as the nation’s largest mental institution in the country, has 8,600 inmates – an estimated one-third of them suffering from mental illness.  The newly appointed warden of the facility is a clinical psychologist – underscoring “how much the country’s prisons have become holding centers for the mentally ill,” the Times reported.

Writing in the Connecticut Law Review, Christina Canales observed that “Many supported deinstitutionalization because they believed that the mentally ill would benefit from being released from the state hospitals.  They believed that with the assistance of anti-psychotic medications, the mentally ill would be able to live independently in the community and that the community mental health centers would provide the additional care, treatment, and follow up services.

“Although a good plan in theory,” Canales concludes, “deinstitutionalization quickly became one of the main reasons for the substantial increase in mentally ill people in jails and prisons. Patients were ejected from state mental hospitals at a substantially faster rate than community mental health programs were created.”

The Law Review article, published three summers ago, concludes that “the United States faces a crisis in that prisons are among the largest mental healthcare providers. Some mentally ill individuals turned to crime after deinstitutionalization left them on the streets with no support system. Others wound up in prison because police officers lacked the proper training to identify persons as mentally ill and in crisis, or mistakenly believed that individuals receive adequate treatment in prison. The change in civil commitment laws also made it harder to commit the mentally ill, and society as a whole wants these individuals punished, mentally ill or not.”

Earlier this year, the Connecticut state legislature considered – but did not approve - a bill that would have established a pilot program to serve courts in New Haven, New London and Norwich to identify and track the mentally ill, along with homeless and addicted individuals entering the criminal justice system. The idea behind it was to get these individuals treatment and help as an alternative to incarceration and to prevent future arrests, according to published reports. The initiative also called for a formal assessment of its effectiveness.

In Chicago, the Times reported, “before becoming warden, Dr. Nneka Jones Tapia oversaw mental health care at the jail, and under her guidance, Cook County began offering services that would have been unthinkable a few years ago. All inmates upon arrival now see a clinician who collects a mental health history to ensure that anyone who is mentally ill gets a proper diagnosis and receives medication. The jail then forwards that information to judges in time for arraignments in the hope of convincing them that in certain cases, mental health care may be more appropriate than jail.”

According to a report by the Virginia-based Treatment Advocacy Center, 95 percent of the public psychiatric beds available in 1955 in the country were no longer available by 2005, the New Haven Register reported.  The Center recommends a minimum of 50 beds per 100,000 people, a standard that no state meets. Connecticut has about 20 public psychiatric beds per 100,000 people, according to the center’s website. Between 1995 and 2013, the number of inpatient psychiatric beds, at both public and private hospitals, decreased from 160,645 to 107,055 nationally, according to data from the American Hospital Association.

Connecticut, which recently approved a Second Chance Society Act proposed by Gov. Malloy that reduces some criminal sentences for nonviolent offenses and drug possession, is expected to reduce the number of people incarcerated for drug use, which officials expect will also reduce the number of mentally ill in prisons, “since drug use and mental health problems frequently coexist in a significant group” of the population.

The Governing article highlights a diversion system in Miami-centered Dade County in Florida, a post-booking alternative program that permits individuals arrested for “misdemeanor offenses and identified as having acute mental illnesses” to be transferred to mental health treatment facilities.  The results, according to the publication:

“About 80 percent of people offered the chance to participate in the program accepted it.  What was surprising was how many people stayed out of the system afterward.  An evaluation conducted soon after the program began found that recidivism rates one year out among participants who complete the program was just 20 percent.  In contrast, 72 percent of peers who did not participate in the program were back in jail within one year of their release.”

https://youtu.be/zSbFbv2Bs_0?list=PLQ9B-p5Q-YOP2OVnCPdYKLSmPkqLA2igT

Grit ‘N Wit Planning Underway for October Obstacle Course in Hartford

The Hartford Marathon will not be the only race in town in October. For those seeking an extra degree of challenge – both physical and mental – there’s another race course for you.  It’s called Grit ‘N Wit, New England’s first obstacle course to combine brain and brawn, and is the brainchild of a Connecticut-grown company “committed to the development of healthy, engaged communities.” 

Launched just two years ago by UConn law school graduate James Moher, the event, now held in Hartford’s Keney Park, is attracting a growing following of enthusiastic participants.  The goal is to take on 20-plus obstacles over a 3-mile course designed to challenge individuals both physically and mentally.

"Most competitions are one dimensional. If you do well at a race, that just tells you're fast. But if you do well at Grit 'N Wit, that tells you a whole lot more,” Moher explains.  "I've always thought that there should be a competition that should test the whole person. And there wasn't one...until now."

This year Grit ‘N Wit will take place October 24, 2015 from 9:00AM – 5:00PM. The event is open to the public in the morning and for college students in the afternoon.  It is open to all ages 10 & up.

Organizers have seen the event grow from 240 participants in its first year, to 420 last year.  This year, with improvements to both the physical and mental challenges, and strong support from local businesses, they’re pushing the envelope - hoping to surpass 1,000 participants. 

Last year’s event, for example, had participants memorize a pattern, then scale a hill and put the pieces of the puzzle together. After climbing over a series of inclined monkey bars and 5' walls, participants came to Ultimate Field Sobriety Test. There they had to get two golf balls through a maze while standing on an inclined balance beam. A post-race survey showed that 95 percent of participants like – or loved – the experience.

“The mental obstacles are designed to be fun and challenging - think Survivor, the Amazing Race or MTV's The Challenge - but without the bugs, plane ticket or a stint on the Real World,” organizers point out.  Rebekah Castagno, a two-time participant, said "It's the creative and physical combination that makes it such a fun and unique challenge."

As Grit ‘N Wit continues to grow, plans are in the works for it to be extended to other cities, and perhaps to college campuses, in the future – another Connecticut export that began as nothing more than an idea.  In addition, organizers say the event will support college students by offering scholarship awards and prizes in this year’s Hartford event.

Teams are not required, but are highly encouraged. Registration is currently $57 and increases the first of every month.  The website is www.gritwitrun.com  Volunteers are also welcome to help out for the day.

https://youtu.be/4ng_GKZsZo8

State Will Step Up Efforts to Respond to Needs of Women Veterans

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs estimates there are 16,545 veterans in Connecticut who are women. Some among them struggle with issues such as unemployment, homelessness and mental illness, and many more are unaware of the support services available to them.  That was the impetus for legislation approved this year by the General Assembly and recently signed into law by Gov. Malloy, requiring the Department of Veterans' Affairs to establish, within available resources, a Connecticut women veterans' program.

The new women’s veterans program must:

• reach out to women veterans to improve awareness of eligibility for federal and state veterans' benefits and services;
• assess women veterans' needs for benefits and services;
• review programs and research projects and other initiatives designed to address or meet Connecticut women veterans' needs; and
• incorporate women veterans' issues in strategic planning on benefits and services.

The program must also annually submit recommendations for improving benefits and services for women veterans to the veterans' affairs commissioner and the Veterans' Affairs Committee of the legislature, beginning January 15, 2016.

Under the law’s provisions, a “veteran” is anyone discharged or released (under conditions other than dishonorable) from active service in the armed forces - U. S.  Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, and Air Force -and any reserve component of these branches, including the Connecticut National Guard operating under certain Homeland Security missions.

Jackie Evonison, the women veterans’ outreach coordinator with the American Legion Connecticut, told legislators considering the program that many female veterans are unaware of available services or don’t feel they’re qualified to receive them.

In 2012, there were   more than 2,600 women veterans residing in Hartford County, according to data included in a report from the Aurora Foundation. Women veterans face substantial and unique challenges readjusting to civilian life, the report pointed out, especially in the areas of housing, mental health, health care, employment and homelessness:

• In Hartford County, approximately 8 percent of the population are veterans; females are 5 percent of this population (approximately 2,619 women vets in Hartford County).
• Female veterans are almost four times more likely to become homeless than women who have not served in the military.
• Only one of the three veterans’ housing facilities in the county house female veterans.

As a group, female veterans are younger than their male counterparts, with an average age of 48, compared to 63 for men. More than 80 percent of the female veterans are working age, compared to 55 percent for men, according to published reports.

Commissioner Sean Connolly of the state Department of Veterans Affairs said the mission of the program will be “to see what kinds of programs are out there, develop recommendations for improving benefits, and determining whether new programs and projects are necessary to meet the needs of our women veterans.”