Bullying Presents Ongoing Danger; Efforts to Educate Intensify As Incidents Continue

"From a young age, we teach children to say, 'Sticks and stones will break my bones, but names will never hurt me.' But this isn't true. Bullying hurts so much not because one individual is rejecting us but because we tend to believe that the bully speaks for others that if we are being singled out by the bully, then we are probably unliked and unwanted by most. Otherwise, why would all those others watch the bully tease us rather than stepping in to help support us? Absence of support is taken as a sign of mass rejection.”

That observation, in Social: Why Our Brains Are Wired to Connect, a new book by Matthew D. Lieberman, Director of the UCLA Social Cognitive Neuroscience laboratory, published by Random House, provides insight into why bullying has such dramatic impacts, including incidents in Connecticut.

A Hartford Courant review of state education records, published this fall, found more than 1,250 incidents of school bullying were reported to the state from 2005 to 2012. The state's largest cities — Hartford, Bridgeport and New Haven — reported the most incidents, with Hartford reporting 91 verified incidents.

A quarter of the state's high school students — and 35 percent of the state's ninth-graders — report having been bullied or harassed on school property, according to the state Commission on Children. The Connecticut School Health Survey shows that state high school students who report being bullied are more likely to get less sleep, miss school because they feel unsafe, feel depressed, or attempt suicide, the Courant reported.

New Recommendations Anticipated

The state Department of Education plans to make a series of recommendations to the 2014 General Assembly “to address current conditions in Connecticut.”  Those recommendations may include an examination of the terminology regarding bullying and climate in an attempt to signal increased and focused attention on improving school climate in addition to, or rather than, exclusively reacting to bullying incidents, as well as addressing the relationship between the definitions of bullying and harassment and the implications for actions that the district or state should take regarding reported incidents.

The Department prepared “Bullying and Harassment in Connecticut:  A Guide for Parents and Guardians” a year ago, in December2012.

Programs Respond and Teach

The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) is one of the leading organizations providing information and training for individuals who work with students on a daily basis, and anti-bias and anti-bullying programs for students ranging in age from fourth grade through seniors in high school. Such programs include “Names Can Really Hurt Us,” “Step Up!” and “Becoming an Ally.” The Connecticut ADL hosted two parent workshops in Greenwich this fall, just weeks after a 15-year-old Greenwich student took his own life on the first day of school this fall, and friends said bullying may have been a factor in the death.

The programs, which had been planned since the spring, sought to give parents strategies for bullying prevention and intervention. As part of the program, Greenwich High School students who had been trained by ADL talked to those in attendance about their experiences with bullying and cyber-bullying, Greenwich Time reported. “We offered strategies and resources that the parents found very valuable. It was a unique opportunity for parents and high school students to have an open and honest dialogue about bullying and cyber-bullying issues that face today’s youth,” said Marji Lipshez-Shapiro, ADL Connecticut’s Director of Education.

The ADL programs explore stereotyping, prejudice, discrimination and scapegoating through the lens of students' experiences, and include student testimony, skits, videos and discussion groups. The ADL’s Names Can Really Hurt Us is described as a powerful, student-centered assembly program designed to give a voice to the targets of bullying and prejudice, build empathy in the perpetrators and inspire bystanders to become allies. ADL works with a team of students and school staff who participate in six hours of training and assist ADL in putting on a full-day program consisting of a morning assembly, break-out groups and a closing assembly.  During the morning assembly, student participants share their personal experiences with bullying, name-calling and prejudice in a safe forum. Students then participate in small group discussions led by student-teacher teams. The program culminates with a report of “next step” ideas, generated by students, to help create a welcoming and supportive school community.

Incidents Continue Despite Law

Stamford police arrested a 12-year-old girl and charged her with disorderly conduct for bullying another girl this fall. Police said an investigation began in September when the target's parents contacted police and said another student had repeatedly bullied the 13-year-old at school. When the bullying worsened and the targeted girl made comments about committing suicide, police said they immediately got involved. School administrators in Manchester last month suspended four Manchester High School students suspected of creating and posting degrading descriptions of female students, The Hartford Courant reported.

In Connecticut, the state legislature unanimously passed an anti-bullying law in 2011 that speeds school response, expands staff training, makes all school employees mandated reporters of bullying, addresses cyber bullying and launches statewide school climate assessments.  Under the state legislation, schools must report acts of bullying to the state. The state's definition of bullying includes "the repeated use by one or more students of communication, a gesture or a physical act directed at or referring to another student in the same district that causes physical or emotional harm or fear of such harm."

A 2011 U.S. Department of Justice survey shows that 54 percent of Asian-American teenagers, 38.4 percent of black students and 34.3 percent of Hispanics reported being bullied in the classroom. The survey found that 31.3 percent of white students reported being bullied.

In September, Michelle Pincince, Project Director of the Connecticut ADL’s A World of Difference Institute met with about 25 school resource officers from throughout Connecticut. The program, which took place at Redding Elementary School, was organized by Redding Police Chief Doug Fuchs, according to published reports.  A school resource officer is a law enforcement officer who is assigned to a school in his town, and who protects the students in the school and works to promote positive relationships between students and law enforcement. ADL runs 200 education programs and reaches over 20,000 individuals in Connecticut annually.  Since the school year began this fall, 31 Connecticut schools have participated in ADL programs. 

LEGO KidsFest in Connecticut This Weekend, State Experiences Company’s Growth, Strength

There’s no mistaking the popularity of LEGO.  The colorful bricks are ever-present in playrooms, bedrooms, and under couch cushions everywhere.  The passion for the colorful bricks will be on display this weekend (Dec. 6-8, 2013)  in Connecticut when the LEGO Kidsfest returns to the Connecticut Convention Center in Hartford for a weekend of creativity and construction, concluding the year’s six-city tour, and the first time it’s been back in Connecticut in two years.  (Tickets for Saturday are already sold out, with limited availabilities for Friday and Sunday sessions. )

Beyond this weekend’s event, the Connecticut connections to LEGO may be surprising.

The LEGO KidsFest is a nationally-traveling giant LEGO expo held over three days and filled with interactive, creative and educational activities for the whole family. Connecticut is central to the LEGO universe.  LEGO Systems, Inc. is the North American division of The LEGO Group, a privately-held, family-owned company based in Billund, Denmark, one of the world’s leading manufacturers of creatively educational play materials for children.  The LEGO Kidsfest, however, is produced by LIFE Marketing and Events, located in West Hartford.

At each tour stop, the LEGO KidsFest partners with national and local organizations and businesses whose products, services and promotional efforts are kid-friendly and beneficial to attendees. Next year, the tour will again run in seven cities: North Carolina: February 28–March 2;  Michigan: April 25–27;  Alberta, Canada: May 16–18;  Georgia: June 27–29;  Texas: August 29–31;  Virginia: October 3–5; and Indiana: November 7–9.  In 2011, the KidsFest was held in five cities, and has steadily grown in popularity.  Sellouts have been regular occurrences throughout 2013.

In the new book “Brick by Brick:  How Lego Rewrote the Rules of Innovation and Conquered the Global Toy Industry,” published by Crown Business division of Random House, author David C. Robertson points out that Lego “is driven by two desires.  The first is to inspire imaginative play and creative expression in as many kids and kids-at-heart as possible, in as many ways as possible.”  The second is to out-innovate every company it comes up against.”

The book, which explores Lego’s resurgence from near oblivion over the past two decades, outlines the company’s trials, tribulations (including near-bankruptcy in 2003), innovations and success, observing that “The LEGO Group’s leaders believe that to discover the next big growth opportunity, the company must adhere to a fundamental truth about innovation:  the more experiments you launch, the more likely it is that one will strike gold.”   KIdsFest is but one example.

The company is also expanding is footprint in Connecticut, having announced earlier this year that it was leasing an additional 80,198 square feet in the Enfield Business Park.  The company eventually plans to add more than 200 employees.

“We have about 600 employees in Enfield currently, and the space will provide desks for an additional 250 — not all of whom will be hired immediately,” Michael McNally, Lego’s brand manager said in April. The company in 2011 started to reconfigure its former manufacturing space into administrative offices. The building houses workers in finance, human resources, information technology, consumer services, direct-to-consumer retail, as well as Lego Master Builders.

Last month, it was reported that LEGO, already the second-biggest toy maker in the world, after Mattel, is continuing its expansion. In 2014, it will go from having one global headquarters, in Denmark, to five. The company is expanding its offices in London, Singapore, Shanghai and Enfield, Connecticut to form a network of global hubs.

The globe depicted on the cover of Robertson’s book, made of LEGO bricks, of course, is a fitting representation of the company’s growth – with Connecticut playing a noteworthy role.

College Students from Connecticut in D.C. As White House Interns

Two Connecticut residents and five out-of-state students attending universities in the state are among scores of college students from across the nation who are spending the current semester as White House interns.

The Connecticut interns are Woodbridge resident Zachary Schreiber, a student at Franklin & Marshall College in Pennsylvania, Westport resident Amy Vickery, a Princeton undergraduate.  Those attending school in the state: are Wesleyan student Samantha Jacobson of Needham, MA, Yale undergraduates Gabriel Perlman of New York, Reid Magdanz of Alaska and Jon Morgan of South Africa, and Yale Law School student Giselle Barcia of Miami, FL, Business New Haven reported.

The White House Internship Program provides a unique opportunity to gain valuable professional experience and build leadership skills. The hands-on program is designed to mentor and cultivate today’s young leaders, strengthen their understanding of the Executive Office and prepare them for future public service opportunities.

The assignments given to an intern on any given day could include conducting research, managing incoming inquiries, attending meetings, writing memos, and staffing events. While the interns’ responsibilities and tasks vary by department, all interns are united through weekly events including a weekly speaker series with senior staff members and small group meetings exploring different policy aspects of the Executive Office of the President through speakers, discussion and off-site field trips. Most importantly, the internship experience includes an emphasis on service and interns participate in regularly scheduled service projects at schools and non-profit organizations in Washington, D.C.

Selection as a White House Intern is based on the following criteria:  a commitment to public service, demonstrated leadership in the community, and a commitment to the mission of the Obama Administration.  The selection process is highly competitive. Applicants are encouraged to submit a thorough application that illustrates qualifications, character, and commitment to public service. A completed application includes two essay questions, two letters of recommendation, and a resume. The application for the Summer 2014 White House Internship Program is now open.  The deadline is January 4, 2014.

Applicants must be U.S. citizens, 18 years of age on or before the first day of the internship, and meet at least one of the following criteria:

Currently enrolled in an undergraduate or graduate program at a college, community college, or university (two-to-four year institution)

Graduated from an undergraduate or graduate program at a college, community college, or university (two-to-four year institution) no more than two years before the first day of the internship

A veteran of the United States Armed Forces who possesses a high school diploma or its equivalent and has served on active duty, for any length of time, in the two years preceding the first day of the internship

Interns work in one of several White House departments, including the Domestic Policy Council, the National Economic Council, the Office of Cabinet Affairs, the Office of Chief of Staff, the Office of Communications, the Office of Digital Strategy, the Office of the First Lady, the Office of Legislative Affairs, the Office of Management and Administration, the Office of Presidential Correspondence, the Office of Presidential Personnel, the Office of Public Engagement and Intergovernmental Affairs, the Office of Scheduling and Advance, the Office of the Vice President, the Office of the White House Counsel, and the Office of White House Fellows.

Photo:  Amy Vickery

Nonprofits See Tangible Benefits from Leadership Greater Hartford’s Quest Program

Four Hartford-based nonprofit organizations have received a boost from some of the region’s up-and-coming leaders participating in the flagship program of  Leadership Greater Hartford (LGH).  The Hartford Consortium for Higher Education, Oak Hill School, CountMeIn! Hartford and GreenShare Technology saw rising and established leaders from diverse career backgrounds - corporate, government, small business, academia and nonprofit – work on key projects as part of the Quest program.  It is the most recognized community-based leadership development program for professionals working throughout the Greater Hartford region, a landmark initiative of LGH for more than three decades.

The 11-month program kicks off with an orientation and retreat in January and ends with November class presentations and commencement. Workshops throughout the program focus on learning about one’s own leadership personality, participatory decision- making, effective group dynamics and leadership practices, including change leadership. The field experiences allow participants to meet the area’s key players and organizations, better understand the region’s assets and challenges, and gain a greater understanding of creative problem solving while leveraging limited resources.

Central to the Quest program is the community service component, a collaborative team project working alongside various nonprofits in the Hartford region. Through real world community projects, Quest participants work in teams and learn the tools and insights needed to become collaborative leaders. The four community-based projects tackled by the 2013 Quest participants, now completed, included:

Working with the Hartford Consortium for Higher Education (HCHE) to create a media device that would tell the story of the Career Beginnings program, which connects Hartford-area high schools, businesses, volunteers/mentors and parents in a coordinated effort to increase the percentage of Hartford teenagers who graduate from high school, pursue higher education and fulfill career goals.

One of the Quest project groups created a magnificent 25-page booklet – which has now been produced by HCHE and is being distributed to interested parties throughout the region - that effectively tells the story of the students who are a part of the Career Beginnings program.  They presented the publication to stakeholders of Career Beginnings at an event held at the Artist Collective.

 Working on the project were Brenda de los Reyes (Corporation for Independent Living), Diana Marsh (United Healthcare), Cara Farrrell (Women’s Health USA), Teresa Nieves (Village for Families and Children), Shawnee Baldwin (Archdiocese of Hartford), Lisa Galinski (Wild Heart Coaching), Brenda Pabon (Aetna), Vivek Mukherjee (OptumHealth), Karen Bernard (retired; Dept. of Correction), William Tarinelli, Jr. (Travelers), Alice Ferguson (HIV/AIDS Commission) and Shazia Chaudry (Alzheimer’s Resource Center). They coordinated with Martin Estey, a Quest 2012 participant, the executive director of HCHE. 

Working with Oak Hill School on a new, all abilities/inclusive wellness facility that is being built in Bristol, a second Quest group was charged with developing aspects of a recruitment plan for members and staff for the wellness facility.  They produced a video montage for marketing and a recruitment plan for staff and facility members.  The group worked with a 2012 Quest graduate, Leslie Sanborn.  The wellness center is projected to open in late 2014 or early 2015.

The participants in the projected included Bob Bourett (ConnectiCare), Pat Sebring (Imagineers), Kent Limson (Phoenix), Alex Cuevas (Stone Academy), Neville Brooks (Hartford Police), Leilany Rivera (Harc Inc.), Jim Mindek (UConn), Chris Baker (American Red Cross), Anne Hayes (Travelers), Casey Bandarra (Eastern Connecticut State University), Mel Camacho (United Way of Central and Northeast CT), and Dan Wenner (Day Pitney).

CountMeIn! Hartford is a new, local think tank whose mission is to provide thought leadership for individuals who want to turn an idea into an organization.  The third Quest group – anxious to help start an endeavor from scratch – set out to provide organizational structure.  The group focused on marketing, strategic relationships, board development and fundraising, breaking into subcommittees to develop a document with plans outlined in each of these areas.  They worked with Scott Orsey, a Quest 2009 participant , who is leading CountMeIn! Hartford.

The project team included Betty Ann Grady (Hartford Foundation for Public Giving), Aliza Finn-Welch (Junior League of Hartford), Mike Fritz (Shipman and Goodwin), Lee Hameroff (Goodwin College), Dartanion Reed (Hartford Arts Center), Jay Arcata (Halloran & Sage), Lindsay Ryan (Ryan Marketing Partners), Jas Millette (CT1 Media), Mick Connors (CCMC), Kiran Panati (OptumHealth) and Christian Sager (Travelers).

The fourth Quest group shared a passion for closing the digital divide for residents of Hartford, and worked with GreenShare Technology, a social enterprise and one of the first reSET Social Enterprise Trust projects, now operating in Hartford.  The organization refurbishes computers and then sells them to organizations that might not otherwise be able to afford computers.  The group developed and held a fundraising event which raised sufficient funds to purchase six refurbished computers that could then be donated to area nonprofits that the group had visited as part of their Quest program.

Working on the GreenShare Technology project were James McLaughlin (Murtha Cullina), Corey Fleming (Hartford Public Library), Jessica Gagliano (Lincoln Financial Group), Anthony DeSalvo (Travelers), James McLoughlin (Hartford Fire Department), Rasheed Ali (Phoenix), Christopher Pagano (Travelers), Jennifer Carrier (CRCOG), Matthew Wallace (CCMC), Dalyn Delgado (CNG) and Kim McPherson-Shiffrin (OptumHealth).

 Photo: Leadership Greater Hartford's 2013 Quest class

National Conference in Hartford to Focus on Nonprofits, Philanthropy and Voluntary Action

The theme will be “Nonprofit and Voluntary Action in an Age of Turbulence” when more than 600 researchers, leaders and teachers from around the nation gather in Hartford later this week for the annual convention of ARNOVA – the Association for Research on Nonprofit Organizations and Voluntary Action.

As the leading organization supporting research and education in the fields of voluntary action, philanthropy, nonprofit management, and civil society, ARNOVA conducts its annual conference to create a public conversation on, as well as opportunities for presenting research about, pressing issues and vital opportunities facing the voluntary or nonprofit sector. It is considered to be both a showcase for the best and most current research, as well as a seed bed from which new research is born.

Scholars, practitioners and students from the U.S. and beyond will exchange knowledge about voluntary action, nonprofit organizations, and philanthropy – and Connecticut will be well represented among participants.   David Nee, representing the Connecticut Data Collaborative and Terry Edelstein, nonprofit liaison to the Governor will be among the panelists for a plenary session of the Conference.  Among those attending the national conference close to home are Kyle Barrette (UConn), Mary Bernstein (UConn), Ron Cretaro (Connecticut Association for Nonprofits), Robert Fisher (UConn), Richard Frieder (Hartford Public Library), Maggie Gunther Osborn (Connecticut Council for Philanthropy), Reinaldo Rojas (UConn), Homa Naficy (Hartford Public Library), Nmarasimhan Srinivasan (UConn), Rebecca Thomas (UConn) and Jun Yan (UConn).

The three-day conference (Thursday-Saturday) at the Connecticut Convention Center will include more than 100 sessions attendees can choose to attend.  Frieder will lead a session highlighting the Hartford Public Library’s Immigrant and Civic Engagement Project.  Cretaro will conduct a session devoted to outlining Connecticut’s Collaboration with Human Services Nonprofits.  Rojas will present Community Development and Its Socioeconomic Impact in Latino Neighborhoods.

Over recent decades, the public conversation at the conference – held last year in Indianapolis - has evolved to address new developments in the fields, including social entrepreneurship, social economy and all aspects of civil society, as well as to meet the needs of those who study and lead “the social sector.” ARNOVA’s Annual Conference is the largest gathering held regularly anywhere devoted to these matters, according to the organization.

Conference organizers report that roughly 80 percent of participants will be based in universities or colleges, and include leading scholars and teachers. Many also serve as community consultants and nonprofit board leaders. The remaining 20 percent will be staff or leaders of nonprofit or social-economy organizations, full-time consultants to those groups, and some who play other roles in the world of philanthropy.

ARNOVA’s work benefits all of society by helping generate the knowledge and perspectives that can make organizations and enterprises more effective. With a focus on teaching, we are also playing a key role in preparing the next generation of leadership. Special projects we carry out have directly addressed the needs of nonprofits and foundations in developing new knowledge and sustaining important conversations vital to refining and improving their practices and services. In short, a wide range of organizations and individuals seeking to serve the public good are strengthened by the work of ARNOVA and its members.

Among the conference sponsors are the UConn College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Department of Public Policy and the Hartford-based law firm of Reid and Riege.

Photo:  David Nee, Terry Edelstein, Ron Cretero, Richard Frieder

Local Entrepreneur Brings Social Benefits to Coffee Sales with Innovative Product

It took root when he was a 9-year-old earning nickels and dimes at the Hartford Regional Market,  gained impetus at Hartford High School and was cultivated at the University of Richmond.  By the time Ray Fraser graduated college in 2011 with a business degree in marketing and finance, he was convinced that his life’s work would not center solely on making a profit, but on simultaneously making the world a better place.  He’s doing just that, one tree at a time.

With a relentless work ethic and an engaging, easy-going personal style, Fraser’s start-up business – growing rapidly in just a few months – is called Tree Sleeves.  His mission:  to produce and sell reusable cup sleeves that combine comfort and utility with charity – “to help eradicate the cycle of deforestation affecting our planet.”

 For every Tree Sleeve sold, a tree is planted in a part of the world affected by deforestation.  It is a simple but profound concept, and the reaction has been overwhelmingly positive from a rapidly growing roster of retailers and consumers.  With a retail price of only $2.00 - a Tree Sleeve is perfect for daily use while on the go, quite affordable, and reusable.

Fraser has never shied away from challenges – in fact, he has consistently sought them out since he first visited the local Regional Market and asked what he could do to earn some money.  Told he needed to dump some boxes, he did – and came away with a nickel for his efforts.  Thus began a working relationship – and first-hand glimpse of what it takes to succeed in business – that continued as a part-time job through high school.  (The pay improved somewhat over time.)

As a teenager, Fraser was an Eagle Scout (his Eagle project was organizing a blood drive accompanied by a canned food drive for a homeless shelter) and an athlete who excelled in football, wrestling and track.  He discovered a knack – and enjoyment – in working with people, as well as an aptitude for business.  He would be the first in his family to attend college, encouraged by his parents, a machinist and teacher who resettled in Hartford from the West Indies and took education and diligence seriously.  Missing a day of school for being sick, Fraser recalls, was simply not an option.

In college, he developed an affinity for brands with a cause, and in addition to working as a Resident Assistant on campus, had motivating internships with United Technologies in Connecticut and Saks Fifth Avenue in New York City.  Both would express interest in hiring him after graduation, but by senior year Fraser had decided to chart his own entrepreneurial path, the example of Tom’s Shoes founder Blake Mycoskie (the subject of a college research paper), among others, serving as his frame of reference.

“I had looked at the corporate ladder,” Fraser recalled recently, “and I wanted to have a bigger impact, to do more than just bring home a paycheck.  I wanted to expand my mind, and make a difference.”

Innovative Idea

After graduating from college and returning to Hartford, Fraser tried to develop an entrepreneurial business with friends that didn’t quite come together, stymied by software development issues.  Then one day in January, in a local Starbucks working on elements of that initial attempt at enterprise, the frequency which employees needed to empty trash cans overflowing with disposable cardboard sleeves caught his attention, and imagination.  He thought there must be a better way, and then went about inventing it.

“They’d empty the trash, and then two hours later they’d do it again.  The waste was astronomical.  When I looked into the numbers on paper sleeves, I was shocked.  We throw away 3 billion a year,” he emphasized.  “That translates into thousands of trees cut down needlessly each year.”

The traditional disposable cardboard cup sleevemakes carrying easier and holding the cup possible by providing an extra barrier to reduce the heat from the cup. Based on his extensive and resolute research, Fraser has done the disposable cup holder one better, with purpose.

It didn’t happen overnight.  He visited local coffee shops to talk to owners about their business, customers, and interest in a potential product.  He had informal conversations with friends, inquiring whether they’d buy a reusable sleeve, and what attributes would make it attractive.  (Being good for the environment was a recurring theme.) He scoured the internet in search of potential manufacturers, first in this country, then overseas.  He taught himself about nations that produce coffee, and learned of the challenges many face due to deforestation.

Building A Business

Fraser carefully nurtured relationships, engendering trust and crafting a business that he sees as having limitless potential – and enduring impact.  He developed and produced an attractive, lightweight design made of 100% food grade silicone, a reusable sleeve that makes going green easy.

Research completed and initial business relationships established, it was time to take a leap of faith.  With initial start-up funds borrowed, the 24-year-old ordered 1,000 silicon sleeves in July.  He was quite optimistic that he would be able to sell them to retailers.  But not certain.

After printing some promotional signs from his computer, buying handful of baskets at the local dollar store and a fistful of rubber bands at an office supplies store, Fraser set out to area coffee shops, bundles of product in hand.

One of the coffee shop owners he visited months previously to engage in speculative conversation was not surprised when he returned with a well-produced product – but he didn’t necessarily expect he’d be back.

“He was a nice polite young man, but I didn’t know that he’d actually do something.  We try to encourage renewables, so I thought I’d buy some, and if people liked the idea, they’d buy it,” said Bill Sze, owner of Jojo’s Coffee Roasting Company, with locations in Hartford and New Haven.  His initial order was for 100, this summer.  “I’ve been going through them at a good rate.  Most people like the idea.”  Sze just re-ordered, another 100 for each location.

Within a couple of months, Fraser – pounding the pavement and meeting with coffee shop owners – had Tree Sleeve locations grow from a handful, to a dozen, to now nearly 30.  By late October, he ordered the second batch of 1,000 to be manufactured, and continues to visit coffee shops personally, extolling the virtues of a product that allows purchasers to impact the planet, and people’s lives.

Along the way, he has patched together an informal set of advisors, including two of his former professors at Richmond, two volunteers from the Hartford chapter of SCORE (Senior Corps of Retired Executives), a local marketing professional that he learned of through CT NEXT, and a growing array of local coffee shop owners willing to give the product a try.

Another of the initial locations, J. Rene Coffee Roasters in West Hartford Center, has also re-ordered in recent weeks, based on solid sales.  Current locations include Avon, Stamford, Windsor, New Haven, Middletown, and Shelton.   But Fraser’s sites are set on a broader reach, and impact.

Having An Impact

The initial tree planting is being handled by Eden Reforestation Projects.  Since 2005, the California-based Eden has employed thousands of workers in Ethiopia, Madagascar, and Haiti who have planted millions of seedlings that are growing into healthy forests. They will be planting trees quarterly for Tree Sleeves, and Fraser now looks forward to 2,000 trees being planted in December.

Eden’s website explains that radical deforestation is a major cause of extreme poverty and oppression in impoverished nations, and that deforestation, which can result in soil erosion and destructive flooding, contributes to the climate change crisis.

The local start-up company’s slogan of “Grab 1 Plant 1” is quite concise: GRAB 1 - customers purchase tree sleeves and the company provides the necessary funding to a non-profit tree planting partner; PLANT 1 - Tree Sleeve's nonprofit partner plants and nurses tree seedlings in greenhouses located within deforested parts of the world. Upon maturity, trees are then transported and planted in areas most affected.

With patent pending, Tree Sleeves are currently manufactured overseas, but Fraser hopes that as the business grows he will be able to bring manufacturing to the U.S., while keeping prices affordable for consumers and continuing to impact the environment and vast populations.  Not unexpectedly, he is optimistic.  “Our generation wants to make a difference.  Impact is huge for me, and this is a huge issue.  I want to be the one who helps to solve it.”

Always looking ahead, co-branding, college stores and internet sales may be on the horizon, Fraser says, and perhaps a college intern to provide support.  Right now, to help pay for the gas his car requires to get him around the region, Fraser is working an overnight job at a local warehouse distribution center while building his own business by day.

Don’t even ask when he manages to sleep -that’s not a priority.  Fraser has been taking samples of Tree Sleeves to retailers since early summer, shows no sign of slowing down, and is encouraged by the response.  He’s also quite proud to be launching his business in the city where he grew up.  “It feels good.  I went away to school, I came back.  We certainly have the resources here to get this off to a great start.”

Attractive Candidates Have Evolutionary Advantage, Study Finds

Leaders of Connecticut’s Democratic and Republican parties declared victory in last week’s municipal elections around the state, and each had solid examples to back up their claims.  Writing in the Journal Inquirer, one columnist summed it up, stating that  “as usual the municipal elections were determined by local issues and personalities and both parties had successes and failures.”

 But was there a factor that crossed party lines and helped determine winners?  Were local issues and personalities only part of the story?  Was it the pretty faces that won the day, in a string of election upsets (and some less surprising results) that propelled proponents of both political parties into mayoral offices in cities and towns across the landscape?

In a new article in the journal Psychological Science, “people’s preferences for good-looking politicians may be linked to ancient adaptations for avoiding disease,” wrote Andrew Edward White, a doctoral candidates in social psychology, and Douglas T. Kenrick, a professor of psychology, both at Arizona State University.  “Modern humans,” they write, “may have a vestigial tendency to prefer attractive leaders when disease threats are looming.” (Flu season is approaching?)

The basis of their work is that “our ancestors frequently confronted devastating epidemics that wiped out many of the members of their groups; at such times, having a healthy leader might have been particularly important,” they wrote recently in The New York Times.

Their study, which tested their hypothesis in a series of tests of varying approaches and reviewed past voting patterns, produced these findings:  People who said they were concerned with disease were more likely to desire that a more attractive person take charge.  And the preference for attractive group leaders goes above and beyond the more general preferences for attractive group members.   In one segment of the study, for example, they found that “in congressional districts with elevated disease threats, physically attractive candidates are more likely to be elected.” Their study abstract points out that “experimentally activating disease concerns leads people to especially value physical attractiveness in leaders.”

In their research paper, titled “Beauty at the Ballot Box:  Disease Threats Predict Preferences for Physically Attractive Leaders,” they conclude that “the link between disease and leader preferences aligns with other new findings showing that disease concerns are connected in functional ways to a host of human decisions,” noting that their work is part of a “larger program of research exploring how human decision making reflects the influence of our evolutionary past.”

Photo montage:  First-term winning candidates of Mayoral elections in Connecticut on November 5, 2013.

Nationwide Effort by Newman’s Own Foundation to Help Veterans; Local Initiative Lagging

When Westport-based Newman's Own Foundation launched a national fundraising competition aimed at supporting the work of veterans organizations across the country – coupled with plans to contribute an additional $180,000 to the most successful efforts - the inclusion of a Connecticut Public Broadcasting Network (CPBN) job training initiative for veterans was encouraging.

With the deadline just hours away, however, the local CPBN effort is ranked 23rd among the 28 participating organizations, having raised a total of $691.

A select group of military service nonprofits – a total of 28 organizations across the nation - were invited to raise money and compete for additional funds.  The Honoring Those Who Serve Challenge is a fundraising initiative developed to help charities gain awareness, recognition, and most importantly, cash.  It is an element in the Newman’s Own Foundation’s commitment to military personnel, veterans, and their families, providing a public awareness platform and funding support to organizations that help those who serve.

As of November 10, a total of $388,922 has been raised by 28 participating nonprofit organizations.  The Challenge began on Monday, September 30, and closes on Veterans Day, Monday, November 11, at noon.  Only charities pre-selected by Newman’s Own Foundation were eligible to compete and win – among them Connecticut Public Broadcasting’s Veterans Vocational Training Program.

The CPBN program is free to veterans to train for a career in media arts and video production at Connecticut Public Broadcasting Network’s Learning Lab in Hartford.  Veterans learn from award-winning professionals in television, radio and new media production.  Participants gain experience working on digital projects and productions, ranging from live broadcasts to studio operations to web services.  Completion of the program leads to industry-specific certifications in digital arts or video production and includes portfolio development and business connections.

The charity that raises the most money during the Challenge wins a $75,000 grant. Second place will receive $50,000, and third place will receive $25,000.  Another $30,000 is being given throughout the campaign, through weekly bonus challenges.  As of November 10, the leading organizations were the Dixon Center for Military and Veterans Community Services and Easter Seals ($122,194), Operation Finally Home ($53,331) and Hero Dogs Inc. ($41,531).  All the participating organizations in the Competition – operated through a specially designed Crowdrise website - will keep the money they raise, regardless of whether they receive the additional prize money contributed by Newman’s Own Foundation.

To carry on Paul Newman’s philanthropic legacy, Newman’s Own Foundation turns all net profits and royalties from the sale of Newman’s Own products into charitable donations. To date, Paul Newman and Newman’s Own Foundation have given over $380 million to thousands of charities around the world.

Among a range of programs supported by Newman’s Own Foundation – including the Hole-in-the-Wall Gang Camp in Ashford, CT and an array of nutrition programs nationwide, the organization has been a consistent supporter of veterans initiatives and public broadcasting.  Earlier this year, the organization announced a series of grants totaling $2.4 million over two years to 13 public broadcasting stations and organizations. The grants represent an ongoing commitment to support open dialogue and promote civic engagement.

Funds were used by some stations to generate increased donor giving through challenge grants. In other cases, funds will be directed to programming or special projects, such as National Public Radio’s Military Voices Initiative, where the experiences of military personnel, veterans, and their families are recorded and broadcast.  Among the affiliates included were Connecticut Public Broadcasting and WSHU Public Radio in Fairfield. 

This fall, Newman’s Own Foundation committed $7 million in grants over three years to support United States military men, women, and families through its “Honoring Those Who Serve” program. The grants will be awarded to more than 50 nonprofit organizations that help military personnel, veterans, and their families successfully manage deployments and the transition from active duty to civilian life.  The current Challenge that concludes on Veterans Day, along with $300,000 in grants for nonprofit organizations that assist female veterans with career development, are segments of the overall commitment.

“There is no greater sacrifice than serving and defending our country,” said Robert Forrester, President and CEO of Newman’s Own Foundation. “We have a responsibility to support our military men and women, since they protect the freedom and privileges we enjoy as Americans.”

The grants will help military service organizations across the country that deal with issues such as health, housing, education, career development, and family support. When veterans return home, they face vast and complex challenges. According to the Department of Defense, the military suicide rate hit a record high in 2012, increasing nearly 16 percent over the previous year. Over 60,000 veterans are homeless.  The unemployment rate for Gulf War-era veterans was 9.9 percent in 2012, compared to 8 percent for all Americans.

“Recalling Paul Newman’s service in the United States Naval Corps in World War II, we have been committed to supporting military nonprofits for over twenty years,” said Forrester. “Paul felt that we can all make a difference by helping others, and there is no better time to announce our military grant commitment.”   The actor and philanthropist who founded Newman’s Own passed away on September 26, 2008.

For more information on Newman’s Own Foundation, visit www.newmansownfoundation.org. Any questions regarding the Veterans Vocational Training Program can be answered by contacting Donna Sodipo, Director of Education Services at dsodipo@cpbn.org

UPDATE:  At the end of the challenge, a total of just over $670,000 was raised during the Honoring Those Who Served Competition, including $741 for the Veterans Vocational Training Program at CPBN.

Student Innovators in Computer Applications Converge at Yale's First-ever “Hackathon”

At the recent inauguration of Yale University’s first new President in two decades, the call for a greater emphasis on entrepreneurship did not go unnoticed.  This weekend, the first annual “Y-Hack” will put an estimated 1,200 innovative, primarily computer science and engineering, students and cutting edge industry minds together for an intense 24-hour effort to see what computer programs might develop – or, more literally, be developed.

Y-Hack is a “national hackathon” hosted by and at Yale University. A hackathon is an event in which computer programmers and others involved in software development, including graphic designers, interface designers and project managers, collaborate intensively on software projects.

A key goal this weekend is to bring together students and entrepreneurs with experienced industrial innovators, to stimulate creativity and creation.  Anyone currently enrolled in a bachelor's program – at any college in the country – has been eligible for Y-Hack with confirmed registration.  Registration, according to the program’s website, is now full.

Developing Worldwide Impact

“With Y-Hack, thousands of students across the country have come to see Yale as an innovator in the technology, computer science, and engineering fields, and we're attempting to push us further onto the world stage,”  explained organizer Mike Wu, a Yale student. “We want to make sure that Yale students are actively contributing positive impact to the world by sharing their talents, creating value, and giving back to the community.”

Participants will be descending on Yale not only from throughout the New Haven campus, but from campuses all nationwide, from public and private schools, as well as from Canada and England.  Among the more than 70 colleges represented among the participants are students who attend Harvard, Princeton, MIT, Dartmouth, Brown, UMass, RPI and, more locally, Connecticut College.

The who’s who of technology companies taking part in one way or another – more than two dozen – includes locally-based Prometheus Research, as well as well-known names including Redhat, Intel, Google, Dropbox, and Bloomberg.  The top sponsors are Akamai, Amazon, Microsoft and Goldman Sachs. Connecticut Innovations, the state’s quasi-public agency that financially supports in-state start-ups, will also be on hand.

In looking ahead to the student innovation that may result, Wu said “We challenge them to push each other and make the best products they can. It's rare to have so many intelligent and motivated minds from both the industrial and educational worlds together in one place with no other goal than to make something cool. It's a pretty powerful atmosphere.”

Teams of four are encouraged; some formed during advance registration, others will be formed on the spot.  Expert judges will ultimately assess presentations by the top 15 teams, based on criteria that include innovation, technical talent, the pitch and popularity, providing the students with meaningful and instructive feedback.

24 Hour Intensity

It all beings mid-afternoon Friday (Nov. 8) with displays set up by the corporate sponsors alongside student registration. Strict credential reviews will take place, and necessary release forms signed.   Friday evening, the sponsor companies will provide technology briefings to the students.  Then the action begins in earnest.

For 24 hours, from 6 PM Friday to 6 PM Saturday, participating students will have a single focus – development of their computer applications.   There will be meals and snacks available, and some diversionary activities in need of a short break, but the intense activity will be exclusively on innovation and development. Little sleep is anticipated.  A closing dinner, keynote address, presentations, judging and awards ceremony will be held on the Yale campus beginning at 6 PM Saturday.

New Haven-based Prometheus Research, an integrated data management services provider, announced this week that co-founder Clark Evans will be one of six judges for the inaugural Yale Hackathon (Y-Hack). Evans will evaluate student projects based on the four criteria and also award a separate, "Best use of HTSQL," prize to one talented entrant. HTSQL is a Prometheus product.

"Our developers, analysts, and clients think HTSQL is transformative,” Evans said. “It empowers them to securely interact with relational data over the Web in ways they previously wouldn't even attempt. So, it will be really fun to see how the students adapt it to their own novel applications."

There will also be a good amount of free stuff for participants, courtesy of the corporate sponsors.  As Wu points out, in addition to the opportunity to innovate with like-minded, top-caliber student and professional application innovators, “swag is what makes Hackathon enticing.”    The top prizes include thousands of dollars in cash, along with all-expense paid trips to Microsoft and Amazon to present winning “hacks” to company engineers, and there will be raffles of tablets, phones, and other devices throughout the event.

Majority of Students in 17 States Are Low Income, Study Finds; Connecticut Schools Among Most Income Diverse, Except in Cities

Echoing concerns that “a house divided against itself cannot stand,” a new study is raising alarm about the dramatically increasing percentage of low income students in American public schools – and the implications for the education of a generation of school children.

A new study from the Southern Education Foundation shows that 17 U.S. states have reached an unenviable tipping point: the majority of students in their public school systems receive free lunches — effectively indicating that the public school systems in these states can now be described as institutions that mostly serve the poor, rather than public institutions that serve a representative cross-section of their state’s population.

As states coast-to-coast reach that new imbalance – particularly in the South and West – the Northeast, including Connecticut, continue to have the smallest percentages of low income students in their public schools, according to the most recent data used in the study, from 2011. The states with majority-poor school systems include almost the entire South, as well as Oregon, Nevada, and California.

The study pointed out that “from 2001 through 2011, the numbers of low income students in the nation’s public schools grew by 32 percent – an increase of more than 5.7 million children. As a result, low income students attending the nation’s public schools moved from 38 percent of all students in 2001 to 48 percent in 2011.”

In Connecticut, the percentage of low income students in public schools was only 34 percent, among the lowest percentages in the nation.  Only four states had a lower or equal percentage – New Hampshire (25%), North Dakota (32%), New Jersey (33%) and Massachusetts (34%).

The largest percentage of low income students were in Mississippi (71%), New Mexico (68%), Louisiana (66%), Oklahoma (60%), Arkansas (60%), Georgia (57%), Kentucky (57%), Florida (56%), Alabama (55%), Tennessee (55%), South Carolina (55%) and California (54%).

Overall, the rates of low income students in the public schools, by region, was 53 percent in the South, 50 percent in the West, 44 percent in the Midwest and 40 percent in the Northeast.  The national average was 48 percent. As the report pointed out, “in 2011 the nation stood within only two percentage points of enrolling a majority of low income students in public schools across 50 states.”

The study  also compared the rates of low income students in cities, suburbs and rural areas in each state.  In each of the nation’s four regions, a majority of students attending public schools in the cities were eligible for free or reduced lunch.

The Northeast had the highest rates for low income school children in cities: 71 percent. The next highest rate, 62 percent, was found in Midwestern cities. The South had the third highest percentage of low income students in the cities – 59 percent.  In Connecticut, 62 percent of students in the cities were low income students, compared with 26 percent in the suburbs and 13 percent in rural areas.

“Low income students are concentrated in the nation’s cities but are by no measure confined to only cities,” the study noted.  “Forty percent or more of all public school children in the nation’s suburbs, towns and rural areas are low income students.”

 The report, released in October 2013,  indicated that low income students “generally are more likely to score lowest on school tests, fall behind in school, fail to graduate, and never receive a college degree,” and yet “the growth in the number of low income students far out-stripped the growth in per pupil spending in public schools during the last decade in every region of the country, except the Northeast.”  The nations per pupil expenditure (adjusted for inflation) in public schools increased by only 14 percent – less than half the rate of growth in the numbers of low income students,” according to the report.

The study concludes by stating that “The trends of the last decade strongly suggest that little or nothing will change for the better if schools and communities continue to postpone addressing the primary question of education in America today: what does it take and what will be done to provide low income students with a good chance to succeed in public schools? It is a question of how, not where, to improve the education of a new majority of students.”

The Southern Education Foundation’s mission is to advance equity and excellence in education for low income students and students of color.  The Foundation’s “core belief is that education is the vehicle by which all students get fair chances to develop their talents and contribute to the common good.”