Teen Journalists Bring Attention to Issues of Cyber-Bulling, Underage Drinking, Social Media Stress

Connecticut teen girls drink at a higher rate than the national average, Connecticut’s teen drinking rate is higher than ever, cyber-bullying rates among girls in the state have increased, and moderate to high stress levels among a majority of teens nationwide – and how they respond to stress – are raising new concerns. Those are just some of the statistics highlighted this month by student journalists at the Connecticut Health Investigative Team (C-HIT), an investigative news website populated by veteran journalists focusing on health issues facing the state. In recent days, the high school students - participants in week-long journalism workshops at UConn, Quinnipiac and Yale universities led by C-HIT - have been producing news stories that target issues facing a demographic they are not only familiar with, but, in most cases, part of. The students are learning research methods intrinsic to journalism and the results of their work have been eye-opening. Some of the highlights:

With access to social media reaching an all-time high, cyber-bullying rates have gone up among girls in Connecticut, according to the latest Connecticut High School Youth Risk Behavior Survey. In Connecticut in 2013, cyber-bullying rates among girls were at 22.8 percent - more than 1 in 5 girls reported being cyber bullied. That was an increase of 2.7 percent from 2011. Unlike among females, cyber bullying among males dropped by .2 percent, to 12.3 percent in 2013.

According to statistics from the Bureau of Justice, 37 percent of teenagers reported being bullied at school and 52 percent said they were victims of cyber bulling. Cyber bullying is tormenting, humiliating, or harassing another individual using the Internet, cell phones, or other types of social media.

Of the young people who reported cyber bullying incidents against them, one in three reported that they experienced threats online. Well over half of young people do not tell their parents when cyber-bullying occurs, the website says. Surveys show that girls are twice as likely as boys to be both victims and perpetrators of cyber bullying.

The Youth Risk Behavior Survey of 2013 reported that Connecticut girls are more likely to drink than their peers nationally. In Connecticut, 8.5 percent of high school girls have driven drunk – which is higher than the national average of 7.8 percent. In Connecticut, 37 percent of high school girls surveyed said they had at least one alcoholic drink, at least one day before the survey, compared to 35.5 percent nationally.

Teen drinking is a problem nationwide, but it is more apparent among teenage girls. Roughly 90 percent of adults who have substance abuse problems now began as adolescents, according to Dr. J Craig Allen, the chief medical officer of Rushford Center, a Connecticut substance abuse and mental health treatment center. Overall, Connecticut’s teen drinking rate is higher than ever, with students experimenting with alcohol as early as 11 years of age -- nearly two years younger than the national average, according to the Rushford Center. Teens in Connecticut are consuming 26-28 percent more alcohol than their peers around the country, according to data from the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.

The availability of alcohol plays a factor in teen drinking. Other contributing factors in suburban areas include stress, with many teens placed under academic and other pressures on a day-to-day basis, experts suggest. A 2012 study by the Columbia University Teachers College found evidence that “affluenza,” described as a “metaphorical illness connoting hyper-investment in material wealth among upper-middle class families,” was a factor in negative behaviors including drug and alcohol use.

Nationally, teens are feeling stressed in and out of school, according to a survey done for the American Psychological Association. The survey showed that during the 2012-13 school year 55 percent of the 1,000 teens questioned said that they felt moderate stress during the school year, and 27 percent said that they felt “extreme stress.” Forty percent of teens said that stress is making them irritable or angry, and 36 percent said that stress made them nervous, angry or fatigued, according to the survey.

The survey also found that social media plays a role in teen stress. Thirty-nine percent of girls and 29 percent of boys questioned said that they do care how others perceive them on social media --- and that they need to keep up a persona on social media websites.

Of most concern to doctors in the survey findings was how teens dealt with stress. Forty-six percent of teens responded that playing video games was their way to manage stress, 43 percent said they surf the internet and only 37 percent said that they would exercise or walk.

This summer, C-HIT worked with 75 students in a 'newsroom' setting, with each student researching, reporting and writing his or her own story,  working with complex databases and conducting interviews.  The 2014 workshops were supported by organizations and individual donors including the Dow Jones News Fund, William Graustein, the Fisher Foundation, People’s Bank, the Knox Foundation, Quinnipiac University, and the Community Foundation for Greater New Haven. The journalism workshops will be offered again next summer.

Photo:  Among the C-HIT students are (left to right) Mackenzie Brayman, a student at North Stonington High School; Julyanna Schreider and Shamoya Hanson, students at the Journalism & Media Academy, Hartford; Talon Cooper, a student at Hillhouse High School, New Haven; and Conner Fritchley, a student at Wilton High School. Information included in this article was researched and developed by the students for their news stories.

Additional investigative news stories by the students participating in the C-HIT summer journalism program can be seen at http://c-hit.org/

Nonprofit Governance Has Room for Improvement, Survey Finds

The 4.9% rise in charitable giving in 2013 is the largest gain since 2008, and comes at a time when greater attention is being paid by philanthropic donors and regulators to the governance practices of non-profit organizations. The CohnReznick 2014 Not-for-Profit Governance Survey reflects some progress as well as areas for improvement by nonprofits on a range of governance measures. The members of CohnReznick’s Not-for-Profit and Education Practice specialize in working closely with the boards and management of not-for-profit organizations to assist them in developing and implementing best-practices for their critical financial and operational functions. “Now more than ever,” the report indicates, “our clients are asking us questions about policies and procedures relating to audit committee governance and risk detection and minimization strategies.”

Key findings in the national survey included:

• 58% of respondent organizations stated that they have an audit committee that is separate and apart from their finance committee
• 54% of respondents stated that their audit committees have between four and six members
• 27% of the respondents stated that their organizations have a whistleblower hotline
• 68% of respondents stated that their annual board meetings contain an educational component
• 82% of responding organizations have a whistleblower policy in place.
• 42%, stated that they do not have an audit committee that’s separate and apart from a finance committee.

When identifying conflicts of interest, the survey found that 77% of the respondent organizations have an annual disclosure statement in place.

The survey also found that 68% of the nonprofit organizations include an educational component to their board meetings and place a strong emphasis on financial, strategic planning, and governance. Other areas receiving attention at board meetings include industry trends, technology, risk management, regulation and tax issues.

According to the National Center for Charitable Statistics (NCCS), there are more than1.4 million not-for-profit organizations registered in the U.S. This includes almost one million public charities, over 96,000 private foundations, and more than360,000 other types of not-for-profit organizations, including chambers of commerce, fraternal organizations, and civic leagues.

The survey found that less than 50 percent of boards noted that they are “very confident” in their organization’s governance practices. With the addition of new laws and regulations surrounding the industry, “this lack of confidence can give rise to much larger issues hesitation,” the report concluded. According to Forbes, charitable giving rose 4.9% in 2013, the largest increase in five years. This rise indicates “a renewed attention for not-for-profit organizations, which can also lead to renewed scrutiny.”

Knowledge of the intricacies of regulations and the effects that it will have on the governance practices of not-for-profit organizations is crucial to the success of affected organizations, the reported pointed out.

With origins dating back to 1919, CohnReznick LLP is the 10th largest accounting, tax, and advisory firm in the United States. Headquartered in New York City, CohnReznick serves its clients with more than 280 partners, 2,500 employees, and 26 offices – including Farmington, Glastonbury and New London in Connecticut, with plans for newly consolidated offices in downtown Hartford.

The consolidation of the two suburban offices in Glastonbury and Farmington is expected to relocate nearly 200 employees into Hartford later this year. The company plans to lease 50,000 square feet on the top two floors of the Metro Center building on Church Street.

Report Calls for Transition to Livable Communities Across Connecticut

In Connecticut, more than one-third of the population is over the age of 50, and that proportion continues to increase. Connecticut’s Legislative Commission on Aging has issued “Connecticut for Livable Communities,” a new report to the state legislature which outlines more than 50 recommendations for communities looking to enhance livability. The Commission has also launched a website which includes a list of communities that are responding to the call for more livable communities, and suggests a wide range of actions that communities can take.

Connecticut is undergoing a permanent and historic transformation in its demographics, the report points out. Between 2010 and 2040, Connecticut’s population of people age 65 and older is projected to grow by 57 percent, with less than 2 percent growth for people age 20 to 64 during the same period.

Livable communities are vibrant, inter-generational places that are easy to get around, according to the report. “They include affordable, appropriate housing options, supportive community features and services, and adequate mobility options. They foster independence, engage residents in civic and social life, and allow people to age in place. Done well, they benefit community residents across the lifespan.”

The 50-page report indicates that residents born in Connecticut today can expect to live to be 80.8 years old - the third highest life expectancy in the nation. A lengthy series of recommendations are highlighted in seven different areas: community engagement, health and well-being, housing, planning and zoning, safety and preparedness, social and support services, and transportation.

The recommendations include promoting opportunities for intergenerational collaboration, promoting in-home programs that improve health outcomes, creating a balanced transportation system that connects residents with health care services, and adopting policies that encourage incorporation of accessible housing features into new construction. The recommendations also include a call for municipal plans of conservation and development that include planning for older adults and individuals with disabilities to remain in their homes and communities, and building compact, mixed-use development “to encourage walking and eyes on the street.”

Creating livability requires “robust partnerships, long-range planning and sustained commitment.” To support those efforts the Legislative Commission on Aging plans to be:

• Providing educational opportunities on livable communities for community leaders and other partners in Connecticut;
• Creating partnerships to support the multi-faceted, multi-disciplinary endeavor of creating livable communities;
• Supporting, inspiring and incentivizing communities to enhance livability; and developing policies to support aging in place

To help communities implement the recommendations over time, the Commission plans to:

• Recognize localities that have implemented livable communities initiatives, pursuant to Public Act 14-73 (which established the livable communities initiative)
• Expand partnerships across multiple sectors to advance livability,
• Continue to convene municipal leaders, legislators and other thought leaders for statewide and regional forums on creating livability;
• Continue to identify funding opportunities for municipal leaders, seeking to implement or sustain livable communities initiatives;
• Work with partners to conduct asset mapping across all Connecticut communities, with the goal of helping each community understand its facilitators and barriers to developing livable communities;
• Continue to research models in other states, nationally and internationally;
• Work with the Connecticut General Assembly to identify and advance policy solutions that incentivize and inspire the creation of livable communities;
• Provide technical assistance to Connecticut communities seeking to enhance or promote livability; and
• Create town-specific data profiles to enable towns to enhance livability in a targeted and strategic fashion.

Among the communities listed on the new website as having best practices in place in parts of their towns or cities are Branford, Guilford, Madison, Bridgeport, Danbury, Darien, Enfield, Hartford, Middletown, New Haven, New Canaan, Norwalk, Seymour, and Torrington.  The Commission plans to proceed with "asset mapping across all Connecticut communities" and "continue to identify innovations, ideas, and best practices for implementing livability in the state. "

Connecticut Students to Compete in National History Day Nationals in Maryland

Each year nearly 3,000 students and their parents and teachers from across the country gather at the University of Maryland - College Park for annual week-long finals of the National History Day competition. This year, 63 Connecticut students will be among them when the competition unfolds this week. After selecting a historical topic that relates to an annual theme, students conduct extensive research using libraries, archives, museums, and oral history interviews. Students analyze and interpret their findings, draw conclusions about their topic's significance in history, and create final projects that demonstrate their work.

National History Day is not a predetermined by-the-book program but an innovative curriculum framework in which students learn history by selecting topics of interest and launching into a year-long research project. NHD is a meaningful way for students to study historical issues, ideas, people and events by engaging in historical research.

Following what organizers described as “tremendous participation” at this year's six regional district contests across Connecticut with over 4,000 students participating, and a culminating statewide competition at Central Connecticut State University in April, students in senior and junior divisions will be taking part in the 2014 Kenneth E. Behring National History Day Contest to be held June 15 – 19 in Maryland. (See list of 2014 State Contest Winners.)

Organizers also credited “an immense amount of support from sponsors, volunteer judges, staff and Connecticut legislators. The theme this year is Rights and Responsibilities.

History Day in Connecticut is a program for students in grades 6-12 that encourages exploration of local, state, national, and world history. Participating students come from all over the United States, Guam, American Samoa, Department of Defense Schools in Europe, and affiliates in China, Korea, and Jakarta.

More information about History Day in Connecticut, and the national competition, is posted at www.historydayct.org. In addition, WFSB-TV recently interviewed a Connecticut competitor. The national event at the University of Maryland will be live streamed.

History Day in Connecticut is led by Connecticut's Old State House, with support from the Connecticut Historical Society, the Connecticut League of History Organizations and Connecticut Humanities' ConnecticutHistory.org website. Major funding is provided by Connecticut Humanities.

Signatures Sought: Libraries Make A Stand At State Capitol

The Connecticut Library Association, working in conjunction with the Connecticut State Library and the Connecticut Library Consortium, will mark National Library Week at the State Capitol on Wednesday, April 16.  They will be “bringing the Declaration for the Right to Libraries to life by visually illustrating its ten principles” – and looking for indiviuals to sign the declaration, which is part of a year-long initiative of the American Library Association.

The effort in Connecticut is aimed at legislators, other elected officials, and visitors who walk the Capitol’s concourse – offering displays of “powerful, living examples of the work that is currently taking place in Connecticut libraries and why it is so important that they continue to support our institutions,” officials said.

The Declaration states that “In the spirit of the United States Declaration of Independence and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, we believe that libraries are essential to a democratic society.”

The ten principles include:

1. Libraries Empower the Individual -  Whether developing skills to succeed in school, looking for a job, exploring possible careers, having a baby, or planning retirement, people of all ages turn to libraries for instruction, support, and access to computers and other resources to help them lead better lives.
2. Libraries Support Literacy and Lifelong Learning - Many children and adults learn to read at their school and public libraries via story times, research projects, summer reading, tutoring and other opportunities. Others come to the library to learn the technology and information skills that help them answer their questions, discover new interests, and share their ideas with others.
3. Libraries Strengthen Families -  Families find a comfortable, welcoming space and a wealth of resources to help them learn, grow and play together.
4. Libraries are the Great Equalizer - Libraries serve people of every age, education level, income level, ethnicity and physical ability. For many people, libraries provide resources that they could not otherwise afford – resources they need to live, learn, work and govern.
5. Libraries Build Communities - Libraries bring people together, both in person and online, to have conversations and to learn from and help each other. Libraries provide support for seniors, immigrants and others with special needs.
6. Libraries Protect Our Right to Know -  Our right to read, seek information, and speak freely must not be taken for granted. Libraries and librarians actively defend this most basic freedom as guaranteed by the First Amendment.
7. Libraries Strengthen Our Nation - The economic health and successful governance of our nation depend on people who are literate and informed. School, public, academic, and special libraries support this basic right.
8. Libraries Advance Research and Scholarship -  Knowledge grows from knowledge. Whether doing a school assignment, seeking a cure for cancer, pursuing an academic degree, or developing a more fuel efficient engine, scholars and researchers of all ages depend on the knowledge and expertise that libraries and librarians offer.
9. Libraries Help Us to Better Understand Each Other -   People from all walks of life come together at libraries to discuss issues of common concern. Libraries provide programs, collections, and meeting spaces to help us share and learn from our differences.
10. Libraries Preserve Our Nation’s Cultural Heritage - The past is key to our future.  Libraries collect, digitize, and preserve original and unique historical documents that help us to better understand our past, present and future.

Based in Middletown, the Connecticut Library Association is Connecticut's 1,000 member strong professional organization of librarians, library staff, friends, and trustees working together to improve library service, advance the interests of librarians, library staff, and librarianship, and increase public awareness of libraries and library services.

There are 165 “principal” public libraries in Connecticut’s 169 towns (four towns are served by libraries in neighboring towns), as well as 27 additional libraries and 47 branch libraries in communities across the state.  A list of public libraries in Connecticut is available at http://www.ctstatelibrary.org/dld/files/community/connecticut-public-librar

New Branding, New Tagline, New Logo? Hartford Has It, with Burst of Consistency

If pictures are worth a thousand words, then the recently revealed  revised branding and accompanying taglines and logos  for some of the Capitol region’s leading organizations not only speak volumes, but to so in a remarkably consistent way, right down to the color palette.

Within the past month, the MetroHartford Alliance, the Region’s economic development leader and the Hartford’s Chamber of Commerce, and the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving, unveiled new logos and updated branding designed to signal the region’s new-found energy.

They follow by less than a year the new logo and tagline for Riverfront Recapture – the first logo redesign in the organization’s 33-year history – which came along with a new website and related materials.  The Hartford Public Library also launched in new logo and slogan within the past few years.

The MetroHartford Alliance logo, conceptualized by Avon-based Mintz + Hoke, an Alliance Strategic Partner, is representative of Hartford’s city skyline and is richly colored to reflect the vibrancy, diverse talent and economic vitality of the Region.

The new visual identity for the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving- the state’s largest community foundation serving the 29-town region in Greater Hartford - seeks to build on the strength and credibility of the foundation, while conveying a more dynamic, future-oriented image for the organization, officials explained.

The new logo features a colorful and visually striking “Nexus,” and the new tagline “Together for good” has a multi-tiered meaning that emphasizes the collaborative way the Hartford Foundation works and the permanence and stability that the 89-year old organization provides to the community.

Visually, one can't help but notice the reds, blues, greens, golds and purple that populate many of the logos, in various combinations, accompanying swirls, circles, stars and lines.  Not exactly a family of logos, but certainly not dissimilar either.  Had the city set out to bring consistency and vibrancy together in an updated, cohesive look, they couldn't have done much better.

The Hartford Foundation retained the services of one of the state’s leading branding consultants, Adams & Knight to engage in a collaborative effort between Hartford Foundation board members, staff and representatives from the community to develop a new logo and tagline for the organization. This work occurred over several months and involved community research, external peer reviews, employee activities, and an exploration of a variety of logo and tagline options.

Riverfront Recapture’s new logo, adopted in May 2013, “more accurately conveys the "essence of our Riverfront – a special place, shaped by nature, where a magnificent greenway meets the Connecticut River,” officials said.  The logo, designed by The Pita Group of Rocky Hill, uses abstract shapes to suggest the river and the greenway coming together as vibrant meeting places for outdoor recreation, entertainment, and cultural activities.  The logo change was part of a larger branding and messaging project that also produced a new tagline – “Different by Nature” – to describe the Riverfront parks in Hartford and East Hartford. “It’s what sets our Riverfront apart from other urban waterfronts.  And we want to celebrate that difference.”

Riverfront Recapture, a nonprofit organization, has taken the lead in overseeing design and construction of the Riverfront parks since 1981 and now manages the parks for the City of Hartford and the Town of East Hartford, which own the land where the parks are located. Riverfront Recapture is responsible for all of the programming in the parks, including free festivals and concerts as well as sporting events such as rowing classes and a regatta, and dragon boat races.

The Hartford Public Library’s new brand identity – launched in 2011 - defines it as a traditionally-rooted yet progressive organization that offers tools and inspiration for growth and development.

The staircase imagery in the logo and the A Place Like No Other tagline represent a pathway to discovery, a window to knowledge and understanding of the world. The brand identity embodies the library’s unique mix of enriching resources that are helping both its customers and the Greater Hartford region define a prosperous social, cultural, financial and educational future.

The Greater Hartford Arts Council logo, launched in 2007, was designed by Pita Communications.  It followed the Connecticut Children’s Medical Center and Connecticut Science Center logo designs, which may have unknowingly begun the movement to the colorful, dynamic logos a decade ago, setting the foundation for the current wave of rebranding.

The City of Hartford, in its rebranding, had initially sought design concepts from a number of out-of-state firms, but ultimately decided not to proceed with any of the finalists in the selection process.  Instead, just over a year ago, the city began using the “Hartford Has It” slogan on tourism and promotional materials.  The overarching concept behind the slogan permits the array of new logos and branding initiatives to fit nicely together, visually and thematically, to promote the city, the region, its leading organizations and residents.

Intensive Workshops for Would-Be Journalists Return This Summer

Investigative journalism is alive and well, and in the midst of passing the baton to a new generation.  That’s the premise driving a one-week journalism workshop being run by leading professionals, to be held at three locations for Connecticut high school students this summer.  It is the most extensive program of its kind in the state, and one of just three in New England.

With expert practitioners providing the instruction, high school students interested in refining their research and writing skills, while learning about the evolving field of journalism from award-winning writers and editors, are perfect candidates. Now in their fourth year, the specialized workshops, offered by the Connecticut Health Investigative Team (C-HIT) will be held at:

•   University of Connecticut (Storrs), July 14-18
•   Quinnipiac University (Hamden), July 21-25
•   Yale University (New Haven), July 28-Aug. 1

The non-profit C-HIT is a web-based news service dedicated to producing original, responsible, in-depth journalism on issues of health and safety, in Connecticut and the surrounding region. Consisting of a team of award-winning journalists, based in Connecticut, who have come together to provide the public with informative stories about health, safety and medical issues, C-HIT stories regularly appear in newspapers, on websites, and in broadcast media statewide.

The student workshops provide select students with the opportunity to spend a week on a university campus, learning the tools of investigative journalism by participating in seminars led by current, active professional journalists.  High school students age 16 and older are eligible to apply, and sessions are limited to 20 students each.  Full and partial scholarships are available.

Students will work on developing stories for publication, gaining first-hand experience in what it takes to assemble the research and do the homework essential to effective journalism.  In addition, as part of the program, the students will spend a day visiting local newsrooms.

The team of instructors include:  

• Kate Farrish, formerly an award-winning reporter for the Hartford Courant and now a UConn adjunct professor of journalism;
• Lisa Chedekel, C-HIT senior writer and co-founder, and formerly an investigative reporter for the Courant, where she won several national awards
• Lynne DeLucia, C-HIT Editor and a Pulitzer Prize-winning former Courant editor.

C-HIT's workshop graduates have gone on to study at major universities, have been awarded scholarships through the Dow Jones News Fund, and have secured internships at major newspapers, including the Courant.  For information, go to www.c-hit.org or contact Lynne DeLucia at delucia@c-hit.org.

The only other intensive journalism program for high school students in Connecticut is offered by the Yale Daily News, the university’s student-run newspaper.  The publication’s Summer Journalism Program runs for one week in mid-August, and is geared toward those with writing or journalism experience, although any Connecticut high-school student with an interest in journalism, writing or photography can apply.  Details are available at sjp@yaledailynews.com.

Playground Remembering Ana Grace Marquez-Greene Opens April 4 at Hartford’s Elizabeth Park

Early next month, Hartford will become the eighth Connecticut community to welcome a playground commemorating one of the children and educators killed at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown on December 14, 2012. The Hartford playground, at Elizabeth Park, will commemorate Ana Grace Marquez-Greene, who was 6 years old. The official opening of the playground on Friday, April 4 will also commemorate her birthday.

New Jersey-based The Sandy Ground Project: Where Angels Play has been building the playground on the East Lawn of Elizabeth Park along the Hartford-West Hartford town line, with the help of volunteers from throughout the region.

The Sandy Ground Project was founded in the wake of the Newtown shootings and the devastation of Hurricane Sandy the month before. The idea was inspired by three playgrounds the New Jersey State Firefighters Mutual Benevolent Association, the organization behind the project, had built in Mississippi after Hurricane Katrina. The New Jersey firefighters plan to build 26 playgrounds across the tri-state area, each one dedicated to the memory of a Sandy Hook student or educator lost on that day.

Ana Grace’s parents, Jimmy Greene and Nelba Marquez, both graduated from the University of Hartford, and at a brief ceremony marking the beginning of construction on a cold wintery day just a few weeks ago, they recalled good times at Elizabeth Park.

“I used to play with Ana and Isaiah right here, in this park, when they were little,” Marquez said. “We’re so incredibly grateful to this community, to embrace this here where it means so much to us.”  Ana Grace’s brother, Isaiah, played piano at the ceremony, and was joined by a chorus of children, in tribute to his sister. (watch video)

Friends and family from Hartford, Newtown, New York, New Jersey and Winnipeg, Canada, where the Marquez-Greene family lived prior to moving to Newtown, were on hand to lend a hand at the start of construction, at the corner of Elizabeth Ave. and Whitney St. in the Park.  The opening ceremony on April 4 begins at 6 PM.

The playground at Elizabeth Park is the 18th constructed to date in the tri-state region of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut as part of the Where Angels Play project.  Among the playgrounds located in Connecticut are those in memory of James Mattioli in Milford, Josephine Gay in Bridgeport, Dylan Hockley in Westport, Allison Wyatt in Norwalk, Emilie Parker in New London, Jessica Rekos in Fairfield, and Victoria Soto in Stratford.

The Marquez-Greene family selected Elizabeth Park as the site for the playground honoring their daughter’s memory, and it’s playscapes feature the vibrant purple color that was her favorite.

In December, the family held “Love Wins: A Conference on Promoting Love, Connection and Community for Every Child & Family” at the University of Hartford.  It was the inaugural event of the Center for Community and Connection, a transformative initiative of the Ana Grace Project of the Klingberg Family Centers, attended by more than 500 people.  Participants in the December 2 symposium represented the fields of medicine, nursing, education, mentoring, early childhood, mental health, foster care, and the faith community, as well as state and local government.

CT Historical Society Kicks off Community History Tour 2014

Connecticut residents with an opinion on how the state – and its local communities - can best celebrate Connecticut’s history are being given an opportunity to share their views by the Connecticut Historical Society (CHS), which has launched Community History Tour 2014 in an effort to build deeper relationships with local communities throughout the state.

CHS is conducting nine regional town hall-style discussions, hosted by local organizations, with the public and area organizations with an interest in history encouraged to participate. With an active heritage organization in nearly every one of the state's 169 towns, the CHS has aspirations to build stronger bridges with local Connecticut residents throughout the state.

The purpose of the listening tour is to engage local organizations and residents in a broad statewide conversation exploring how to celebrate the state’s history in ways that are relevant to today’s audiences.

The sessions kicked-off on February 11 at the Stanley-Whitman House in Farmington, and the next session will be on Monday, March 3 in Hartford at CHS.  It will be followed by open meetings in New Haven, Willimantic, Fairfield, Greenwich, Waterbury, Old Lyme and Litchfield over the next two months.

"Connecticut is a state rich in history," says Jody Blankenship, director at CHS, "and we know people like to experience history in different ways. We want to better understand how the state's communities feel about that. Do they want to see more or less of it? How do they want to see that happen, and how can we help? We're ready for a no-holds-barred conversation."

The Connecticut Historical Society is a private, not-for-profit museum, library, research and educational center. The organization’s mission is to inspire and foster a life-long interest in history through exhibitions, programs, and Connecticut-related collections.  The CHS website notes that “improving knowledge of the past enhances understanding of the present and the ability to meet the challenges of the future.”

Founded in 1825, the Connecticut Historical Society houses an extensive and comprehensive Connecticut-related collection of manuscripts, printed material, artifacts and images that document social, cultural, and family history.  It is located in Hartford.

"Our goal is to better understand what makes each community special and how the history of that town or area is integrated into the Connecticut fabric. The best way to do that is ask those who are passionate to tell us," Blankenship added.

Community History Tour 2014 Dates and Locations: (All meetings occur at 4:30pm, unless otherwise indicated.)

February 11: Stanley-Whitman House, Farmington March 3: Connecticut Historical Society, Hartford March 10: New Haven Museum, New Haven March 15: Windham Textile Museum, Willimantic, 11:00am March 31: Fairfield Museum, Fairfield April 7: Greenwich Historical Society, Greenwich April 8: Mattatuck Museum, Waterbury April 15: Florence Griswold Museum, Old Lyme April 21: Litchfield Historical Society, Litchfield

Museum Retailers Headed to Hartford for National Conference

What do Houston, Los Angeles, New Orleans, Chicago and Hartford have in common?  Each has been selected to serve as host for the Museum Store Association’s annual Retail Conference & Expo.  Hartford will have the honors in 2015, having just been selected by the association’s site selection committee for their 60th Annual event.

The four-day conference, to be held at the Connecticut Convention Center April 17-20, 2015,  is expected to bring in 900 participants downtown, representing over 500 museums, other cultural institutions, and companies with products and services of interest to the museum store industry. Officials anticipate 1,130 room nights and 360 peak nights will be booked by attendees next spring.

It is the only conference and expo specifically created for retailers at museums, historic sites, botanic gardens, aquariums, zoos, libraries and more. The annual show provides a valuable opportunity for members of the association to network, learn and source vendors and products to complement their institutional collections.

Among the 11 institutions and nine vendors that are Hartford-area members of the association are the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art, Connecticut Historical Society Museum & Library, Harriet Beecher Stowe House, New Britain Museum of American Art and Friends of Dinosaur State Park and Arboretum.

The Museum Store Association (MSA) is bringing its annual conference to the Northeast for the first time in more than a decade.  They met in Philadelphia in 2003.  Given the number of members and vendor affiliates on the East Coast - and especially in the northeast - the organization’s  leadership determined it was time to head east. Within an 11-state region in the Northeast, there are more than 200 institutions and 100 industry vendors that are members of MSA.

Stacey Stachow, President of the Board of Directors of MSA and Manager of the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum Shop, was especially pleased with the choice. “Connecticut has so much to offer with its rich cultural history, so many museums and things to do that relate to our members.”

It is expected that a Hartford-based committee will help plan activities that will involve the local members of MSA. Those plans will likely include educational sessions, networking events, tours to local museums, historical sites and other institutions of interest, and the organiation’s membership meeting and silent auction.

In selecting Hartford, MSA officials cited the convenience of travel, affordability, cultural institutions in and close to the city, and Hartford’s “pedestrian-friendly” layout as factors in the selection process.  Having a 4-star hotel interconnected with a modern Convention Center was also a plus.

MSA is a nonprofit, international association organized to advance the success of museum retail professionals. By encouraging high standards of professionalism, MSA helps cultural commerce professionals better serve their organizations. MSA also is focused on helping increase awareness about museum stores as unique shopping destinations for tourists and cultural travelers. The event features hundreds of booths showcasing the unique items for museum store and MSA-represented institutional buyers.

Jama Rice, MBA, CAE, Executive Director/CEO at MSA, reflected about the site-selection for the 2015 program: “I’d attended a conference in Hartford years back, and found it to be both charming and intimate.” Ms. Rice, who joined MSA in 2013, continued, “The area offers so many advantages from a rich museum culture to close proximity to both New York and Boston, a convenience for that concentration of institutional members and vendor affiliates across the Northeast. It’s also easily accessible to those traveling from across the country or coming in from overseas.” 

“We are excited to host the Museum Store Association for their 60th Annual Retail Conference & Expo next April,” stated Michael Costelli, General Manager for the Connecticut Convention Center. “The program will utilize much of the meeting and exhibit space at the Center and we are confident attendees will appreciate the countless cultural attractions located right here in Hartford.”

Although this year’s conference in Houston is still months away, the MSA has already begun to promote next year’s event, highlighting Hartford on the organization’s website: “As the fourth-largest city in Connecticut, Hartford is not only home to the state’s capital, but it is the birthplace of the Boys & Girls Club, the first FM station to begin broadcasting in the world and President Theodore Roosevelt’s first automobile ride. An 18-square-mile city, Hartford is home to 125,000 residents, world-class dining, international cultural attractions and award-winning entertainment venues.”