Nutmeg Big Brother Big Sisters October Newsletter

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Nutmeg Big Brothers Big Sisters

little moments, big magic

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Volume 13Issue 3

Oct. 2010

aul Becker , successful business-man, husband, father and grandfa-ther, understood as a young manhow lucky he was. He had a family

that gave him support plus a grandfather wholived one street over. His grandfather was a

mentor to him. When Paul became older herealized he wanted to give back, despite hisdemanding business career. He chose to be-come a mentor with Nutmeg Big Brothers BigSisters to provide direction to a young man justas his grandfather had done for him.

Paul began mentoring his Little Brother Den-ny, when the boy was 9. Now Denny is age 18,and has graduated from high school. He isabout to pursue a new challenge by attendingLincoln Tech in East Windsor to become anauto body mechanic. Considering all the obsta-cles he has overcome in his short life, it is high-ly likely he will succeed at this endeavor too.

Growing up, Denny lived in a predominatelyfemale home with his older sister and his momand his moms friend. His dad is in Jamaica andsees Denny only about once a year. WhenDenny was 13, his mom made some rash deci-sions leading to disruptions in the family dy-namic. They always had a relationship that wasloving and supportive, but this experience wastough on Denny and affected his feelings to-wards his mom. He ended up spending 3 yearsliving with his aunt, who even with 5 boys of her

own, welcomed him warmly.

During this time of stress, Paul Becker was withDenny as a friend and mentor, a soundingboard when Denny needed to talk. They haveenjoyed bowling and playing sports together.Paul even taught him to play golf, a game Paulloved but didnt have much time for, and onethat Denny came to enjoy. They often went tomovies, an occasional Yankees game and eventhe Bronx Zoo. Dinners at restaurants were an

opportunity for Paul and Denny to talk one-on-one. Paul always placed great emphasis onDennys education and how crucial academicachievement would be to his success.

Paul served as a good listener and offered thepros and cons of some of his Littles occupa-

tion choices. He wanted to make sure Dennyunderstood the big picture.

Paul has made some sacrifices in being a

mentor to his Little. He gave up family timeas well as golf time to be there for Denny.During this period Paul was working hard tobuild a new successful business involvinglong hours. But to Paul, the effort has beenwell worth it. Denny, despite his initial re-

sistance, listened to Paul and became aconscientious student. Denny works part-time (at a job Paul helped him to get) to savemoney for the tuition for school. The twohave plans to create a budget for Denny sohell be able to meet his goals.

When Denny talks about his Big Brother, hecalls him the most important person in hislife. He helped me to see the need for a highschool diploma and beyond in order to go

Big Brother Stresses Educationfurther in life. Even when I saw friends or other family members drop out, Paul wasthere to encourage me and he even gotme a tutor so I would succeed. I am soglad he is in my life!

Paul is equally impressed with his LittleBrother and expects to continue to be an

active part of his future. He looks forwardto seeing Denny pass along some of thevalues he has learned to others.

Paul speaks highly of Big Brothers BigSisters as a fantastic organization thatcan be a positive influence in a youngpersons life.

Big Brother Paul Becker and Little Broth-er Denny have been matched for 9 1/2years.

You can help support amatch that will enrich the

life of another young person just as Paul has donefor Denny. By attending the annual Nutmeg GalaBig Hearts, Big Dreams,Real Hope on Friday,November 12th at AvonOld Farms Inn, you canmake a big difference inthe lives of at-risk young

people. The evening will beemceed by WFSB TV mete- orologist Scot Haney. Jay Harris, anchor of ESPNsSports Center will deliver a

keynote address.Contact 860-525-5437, ext. 139, or visit www.NutmegGala.Kintera.org to learn moreabout this fund raiser.

If you cannot attend, please consider sending adonation in the attached envelope.

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Gala.Gala.Gala.Gala.Gala.Gala.Gala.


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little moments, big magic 2

President & CEOLaura Green

Board of Directors William Carew, ChairmanJohn M. Bailey, IIBeth BarrettKathy BrowneThomas Daily

Pamela D. GordonDevin HawthorneDwayne JacksonNancy KotchkoRick LassiterJenna LombardoMichael MahoneyPeter PerakosIrene PittmanCarey E. Redd, IIIAgnes QuinonesCarolann SmithJohn Simeone

James SmithStephen T. SonnoneRichard StewartTracy StewartWendy Stowell

Board of TrusteesJames BeardsleyTony BrazTim CoppageBrian DiBellaMartin L. FieldsDan FitzMauriceGus GamacheBeverly GarofaloBarbara GrantWayne HolcombeEric LangshurWorth LoomisPatrick McCabeSuzanne McDonaldHugh Murray, IIIRie Poirier-CampbellJudith RadaschMichael RatchfordGene Rosenberg

matchpoint is published byNutmeg Big Brothers Big Sisters30 Laurel Street, Suite 3Hartford, CT 06106-1377(800) 237-KIDS (Toll Free)(860) 525-5437(860) 525-4609 (Fax)

www.nutmegbigbrothersbigsisters.orgWe invite your comments.Send letters or comments to:Ginny Larkin , [email protected]

Jonas Brothers Pitch In for NutmegTen Littles from the Nutmeg/Comcast "Beyond School Walls" mentoring program weresuper-stoked to be special guests at a recent benefit softball game at New Britain Stadiumbetween the Jonas Brothers' softball team, The Road Dogs , and the ESPN commenta-tor softball team, The G.O.A.T.S. (Greatest Of All Time). Fan favorites Nick, Joe andKevin Jonas , famous for their chartbusting singles, hit enough doubles, triples and hom-ers that afternoon to trample the ESPN G.O.A.T.S. and still have enough steam left over to

rock the Comcast Theatre later that night.

The Road Dogs, TheESPN G.O.A.T.S , Littles,and staff from Comcast and Nutmeg Big Broth-ers Big Sisters pose for a group portrait followingthe hotly-contestedJoBro softball game atNew Britain Stadium .

Taking part in the recent production of a promotional video for the U.S. Census Bureauwas Laura Green, President and CEO of Nutmeg Big Brothers Big Sisters . Filmingwas done in the non-profit's central office in Hartford. The purpose of the video is to com-municate to the public on local, regional and national levels on the importance of energet-ic participation in the census process.

"America doesn't function as it should without an updated census," said Alexandra SVBarker, a Media Participation Specialist for the U.S. Census Bureau . "An updatedcensus insures that important funding is distributed to areas most in need of funding. It'san effort that positively impacts the lives of us all. We thank Laura Green and Nutmeg BigBrothers Big Sisters for assisting us in spreading the word about the many far-reachingbenefits of strong census participation."

"The accurate data gathered by the U.S. Census Bureau is extremely important to Nut-meg," said Laura Green . "We employ that data when we're seeking the funding that ena-bles us to continue offering our family-strengthening, community-enhancing programs toour clients throughout Connecticut. Additionally, we utilize it for our ongoing planning pur-poses. We're happy to help the U.S. Census Bureau achieve its goal of building audience

awareness."

Every ten years, a portrait of America is taken by the U.S. Census Bureau. The infor-mation gathered provides a clear and detailed picture of the country and its diverse na-tionalities. The results of the national portrait have political, economic and social impact.For more information on the census process and the U.S. Census Bureau, go to:www.census.gov.

Nutmeg President Featured in Census Video


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Each year since 2002, the members of the 43 rd Aviation FlyingClub have donated their time, expertise and equipment soyoungsters in the Nutmeg Big Brothers Big Sisters mentoring

program can become familiar with the basics of flying and thenexperience the thrill of actual flight in a carefully maintained andfully equipped 4-seat, single-engine plane. The activity has be-come so popular at Nutmeg that a lottery must be held annuallyto regulate the crush of candidates. This year's group was madeup of 10 Bigs and Littles. Among them was 15-year-old Ariel and her Big Sister, Denisha Brown .

First up for the pilots-for-a-day is a run-through on navigation,weather patterns, instrumentation, cloud formations and a checklist of key other items. Afterwards, conditions permitting, theLittles and their Bigs are taken aloft for a breathtaking flight.

Sometimes, with supervision, the instructors allow the Littles tohandle the controls for a few miles.

The flying adventure has many benefits, in addition to being awhole lot of fun. It exposes the Nutmeg Littles to possible career options. It empowers them by introducing them to an activity fewof their peers have taken part in. Also, because mentors and thechildren being mentored enjoy this unique activity as a team, thebond between them is substantially strengthened.

What a wonderful gift, said Laura Green, President and CEOof Nutmeg Big Brothers Big Sisters . And what a wonderfulway it is to add dimension to a childs world!

The 43 rd Aviation Flying Club is a non-profit, member-ownedassociation established in 1962 and based at Brainard Field inHartford. The club has a diverse membership with a wide rangeof aviation experience, from low-time weekend pilots to sea-soned fliers with thousands of accumulated hours. For moreinformation, visit the organizations website:www.43rdaviation.com .

Ariel Goes AerialBrownstone Hosts Fundraiser

On Saturday, June 19, Brownstone Exploration & DiscoveryPark in Portland offered free admission to 500 Bigs and Littlesfrom Nutmeg Big Brothers Big Sisters . In addition, Brown-

stone donated 50% of that days gate receipts to the non-profit,with the goal of moving kids off its waiting list and into life-altering match relationships. This makes the third year in a rowthat Brownstone has stepped up to lend a hand to Nutmeg, thestates premier youth mentoring organization.

This is unbelievably generous on the part of everybody atBrownstone, said Laura Green, Nutmegs President andCEO . Thanks to their efforts, children now in our program willexperience a day on a Class-A fresh water quarry lake theyllremember forever. And many children whove expressed thedesire to join our program will soon have a caring and reliable

role model in their lives that they might not have benefited fromotherwise.

The event is called Mentoring-in-Motion and the emphasis isdefinitely on the word motion. Attendees took part in cliff-

jumping, rock climbing, hiking, biking, snorkeling, wake board-ing, zip lining, kayaking, and swimming. For Bigs and Littles,there were free scuba diving, rock climbing, snorkeling andwakeboarding lessons. And fueling all of this fun was sevenhours of live music supplied by crowd-pleasing local bandsPrizm, For a Cure, Something to Go By, Rusted Sliver andZayne Couch Explosion.

Brownstone Exploration & Discovery Park is committed toteaching outdoor adventure skills to kids and adults, said Gen-eral Manager Sean Hayes. Outdoor adventure sports developlasting bonds between participants, confidence and a sense of discovery, while instilling a love of the great outdoors, passionfor the environment and physical activity lifelong obsessionsthat Brownstone is proud to promote through great organiza-tions such as Nutmeg Big Brothers Big Sisters.

For more information on Brownstone Exploration & DiscoveryPark go to: www.brownstonepark.com . Or, call: 1-866-860-0208.

All fueled up andpreparing for take off on therunway at Hart-ford's BrainardField are LittleSister Ariel , left,and her BigSister, DenishaBrown, bothprogram partici-pants at NutmegBig BrothersBig Sisters.

Sean Hayes, GeneralManager of PortlandsBrownstone Explora-tion & Discovery Park ,announced the parkdonated 50% of its June19 gate receipts to Nut-meg Big Brothers BigSisters , while admitting500 of the non-profitsBigs and Littles at nocharge.


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Bigs and Littles Guest on ESPNsWinners Bracket Show Frank Nunes , a Big Brother with Nutmeg Big, has gone from

adult mentor to amateur race car driver. A longtime NASCAR fan, Nunes has joined a diverse group of 54 other men andwomen for the Robin Hood Rally , a series of timed runs in con-testant-owned vehicles on closed public roads between 7 and15 miles long featuring incredible curves and straight-a-ways.The skill-challenging competition consists of 10 two-day eventsand takes place in 10 host states representative of the vastAmerican landscape. The Robin Hood Rally kicked off in lateMay in New Hampshire. It screeches to a halt in Louisiana inearly November.

In addition to bragging rights and the adrenalin rush of whiteknuckle street racing action, there are other potential rewardsfor Robin Hood Rally racers. Contestants are also competing for prizes in excess of $500,000 including a Ferrari F430, a Por-

sche 911 Turbo and a Corvette Z51 convertible.

The icing on the cake for Robin Hood Rally competi-tors is the possibility of at-taining instant celebrity sta-

tus. All participants have the opportunity of being featured on

nationwide television, dependent on how they do in each sched-uled race. Footage is being shot at all of the two-day competi-tions by producers of a car racing reality show. The edited mate-rial will be broadcast beginning in early October on Versus , asports cable network. The show will air twice weekly during theseason on Versus: at 1:00 p.m. Eastern Time on Saturday, withan encore presentation on Monday at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time.

"This is all really exciting," said Nunes. "No matter how I comeout in the competition, the experience will be well worth the ef-fort. It's something I've always wanted to do."

Nunes , of Middletown, is a juvenile probation officer at the

Connecticut Department of Children and Families . He's beena Big Brother with Nutmeg Big Brothers Big Sisters since2003. Last April, the organization celebrated his outstandingmentoring skills by presenting him with a Volunteer RecognitionAward. Nunes is matched with Thomas , a 14-year-old boy fromHigganum. In his understated way, Thomas has always beenvery impressed by the man who's been his friend, confidanteand role model for the past six years. Now that he's competingin the Robin Hood Rally, Thomas' opinion of his Big Brother hasno doubt risen a few notches higher.

Representing communities from across the state, seven Bigsand their Littles from Nutmeg Big Brothers Big Sisters wererecently invited to make up the small in-studio audience at ataping of the ESPN 60-minute sports highlight-driven series,Winners Bracket . The show is taped at the ESPN studios inBristol on Saturday afternoon from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. It'sthen transmitted to New York, where it's broadcast from 5:00p.m. to 6:00 p.m. as part of ESPN Sports Saturday on ABC.

The afternoon started with a tour of the studios and productionfacilities at ESPN. Next came the taping of Winners Bracket .Bigs and Littles were encouraged by the show's floor director tocheer loudly for their favorite sports highlights, boo equally asloud at any and all analytical comments they disagreed with,

and participate energetically in the on-set banter of co-hostsMarcellus Wiley and Michelle Beadle. At the conclusion of thetaping session, Wiley and Beadle posed for photos with the Bigsand Littles , answered questions and signed all requests for autographs. Each of the Bigs and their Littles received WinnersBracket tee shirts from ESPN to help them remember their unique TV broadcasting experience.

"This, I'm sure, will be an unforgettable afternoon for the sevenmatches who attended," said Laura Green, President andCEO of Nutmeg Bib Brothers Big Sisters . "We thank ESPNfor making this truly amazing opportunity available to us and for being such gracious hosts to our Bigs and Littles."

From thrilling performances to record-setting moments to mem-orable quotes, Winners Bracket debates and recaps the week insports in a fast tempo, quick-witted, format with the 16 biggestnewsmakers of the week pitted against each other in seededbrackets. For additional information, go to: www.espn.go.com.

Robin Hood Rally Racer

Following a taping of Winners Bracket onESPN are, from left, co-host Marcellus Wiley ,Big Brother Gary Tur-co, Gary's Little Broth-

er Willis , and co-hostMichelle Beadle . Inaddition to Gary andWillis, 6 other Bigs andLittles from Nutmeg BigBrothers Big Sistersmade up the small in-studio audience of thatedition of the WinnersBracket series.

Big Brother Frank Nunes isshown with his Little Brother Thomas at a Nutmeg-sponsored event.


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Dr. Steve Schutzer is Non ProfitVolunteer of the Year

At its Non Profit Heroes award presentation, held during the 2010Connecticut Business Expo, orthopedic surgeon Dr. Steven

Schutzer of West Hartford was named Volunteer of the Year by theHartford Business Journal for his tradition of service to others.

Dr. Schutzer, a team physician with the Connecticut Joint Replace-ment Institute at St. Francis, has been a mentor in the Community-Based Program of Nutmeg for the past ten years. He has mentoreda 19-year-old high school senior named Patrick, who lives in Hart-ford, since the young man was nine. Dr. Schutzers mentoring skillsand the positive outcomes of his match with Patrick were celebratedby Nutmeg when the organization selected him to be the recipient of one of its prestigious Volunteer Recognition Awards in 2006.

In addition to his mentoring activities with Nutmeg and his demand-ing professional career, Dr. Schutzer has made it a priority to offer his time and talent when and where theyre needed. Hes a longtimemember of the Men of Color Initiative , and a clinical associateprofessor of orthopedic surgery at the University of Connecti-cut . Earlier this year, he joined a team of other area doctors whoflew to Haiti to offer their medical skills to the devastated people of that earthquake-ravaged country.

Im deeply humbled to receive the Hartford Business Journals Vol-unteer of the Year award, said Dr. Schutzer following the presenta-tion ceremony. Rather than focusing on me, though, I hope thisrecognition makes more people aware of what the Nutmeg BigBrothers Big Sisters brand of mentoring is capable of achieving, and

how the organization needs the ongoing support of the many com-munities it serves.

Laura Green, President and CEO of NBBBS said, We werethrilled, but not at all surprised that Dr. Schutzer received thisaward. Hes consistent, caring and inspirationaleverything anoutstanding mentor should be. Were extremely fortunate that hehas chosen to participate in our organization, and that he continuesto be so passionate an advocate for its mission of service to disad-vantaged children .

Under nearly cloudless late spring skies, Nutmeg Big BrothersBig Sisters hosted its much anticipated 18th Annual InvitationalGolf Classic . It was held for the second time at the legendary

Hartford Golf Club in West Hartford. This years event saw arecord breaking number of golfers participating, with more than200 players taking to the 114-year-old clubs superbly-conditionedfairways and greens.

In addition to a thrilling day of world class golf at an impeccably-maintained venue, attendees enjoyed a bar-b-cue lunch, oncourse contests, a cocktail reception, dinner, a raffle, player awards and live and silent auctions. The master of ceremonies for the program portion of the evening was NBC 30 news anchor Brad Drazen . Chairman of the committee that spent more than 5months organizing the day long event was Tom Daily , a NutmegBoard member and partner at the law offices of Reid & Riege .One of the after dinner speakers was veteran Big Brother Har-old Wolliston , who spoke from personal experience about howthe Nutmeg Big Brothers Big Sisters brand of mentoring benefitscommunities, families and individuals.

The Platinum sponsor for Nutmegs 18th Annual Invitational Golf Classic was NorthStar Pulp & Paper Co., Inc . Gold sponsorswere : Aerodynye Alloys ; Aramark Corporation ; The TravelersCompanies, Inc. ; and USA Hauling & Recycling . Silver spon-sors were: ConnectiCare, Inc .; Edwards, Angell, Palmer &Dodge ; John Hancock ; Reid & Riege ; and Signal Service, Inc .Bronze sponsors were: CNC Software ; FiberTech , LLM Capital

Partners ; McGann, Bartlett & Brown ; Ovations BenefitsGroup ; PPI Benefit Solutions ; Ryan Business Systems ; Stew-art Staffing Solutions ; and Universal Connectivity .

Thanks to our very generous sponsors and event attendees, wedramatically surpassed our financial goal for our 2010 golf fund-raiser, said Laura Green, Nutmegs President and CEO . Thisis really exciting news because it makes it possible for us to tran-sition more at-risk local children off our waiting list and into lifeaffirming matches with caring adult mentors.

Tee Time for NBBBS Golf Classic

Posing for thecamera are, left,Big Brother award recipientDr. StevenSchutzer, anorthopedic sur-

geon at the Con-necticut JointReplacementInstitute ; andLaura Green,right, Presidentand CEO at Nut-meg Big Broth-ers Big Sisters.

Enjoying a conversationduring the reception por-tion of Nutmegs 18 th Annual Invitational Golf Classic are, from left,Nathan Grube, Tourna-ment Director of theTravelers Champion-ship ; and Laura Green,President and CEO of Nutmeg.


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DonorsOur thanks to the following organizationsand individuals for their generous dona-tions, received from 5/1/10 TO 8/30/10 .

Gifts of $50,000 and over Hartford Foundation for Public Giving

Gifts of $10,000-$49,999Big Brothers Big Sisters of AmericaBob's Discount Furniture Charitable

Foundation, Inc.Central Connecticut State UniversityCommunity Foundation of New BritainDepartment of Children and FamiliesDepartment of Higher EducationDavid GoodmanHartsprings Foundation, Inc.Maximilian E. & Marion O. Hoffman

Foundation, Inc.,Lincoln Financial Group FoundationTow FoundationU.S. Department of Health &

Human Services

Gifts of $5,000-9,999AramarkCity of HartfordGovernor's Partnership to Protect

Connecticut Workforce, IncGovernor's Prevention PartnershipKostin, Ruffkess & Co., LLCThe Fund for Greater Hartford

Gifts of $1,000-$4,999Aetna, Inc.Bank of AmericaBristol-Myers Squibb CompanyBrownstone Exploration & Discovery Park

LLC

Community Foundation of SoutheasternConnecticutConn Acoustics Inc.Edwards Angell Palmer & DodgeFibertech Networks, LLCFidelity Charitable Gift FundFreeman Spogli & Co. VI L.P.Harold L. Wyman Foundation, Inc.InvescoKinteraMain Street Community Foundation, Inc.McGann Bartlett & BrownFrederick MoseleyNewAlliance FoundationOvation Benefits Group, LLCVanessa PowellPPI Benefit SolutionsPrudential FoundationPutnam Savings FoundationReid and Riege, P.C.Ryan Business Systems, Inc.SBM Charitable Foundation, Inc.Carolann Smith

Gifts of $500-$999Aetna Giving CampaignGiving Express OnlineINGEric Langshur

Mentoring Heritage Society

The Mentoring Heritage Society is comprisedof individuals who have supported our endow-ment program through a variety of gifts. Theendowment helps to insure that Nutmeg BigBrothers Big Sisters and its mission will con-tinue far into the future.

The current members of the Mentoring Societyare:

Anonymous #1

The Arthur & Edythe Director

Family FundWalter E. Doak

The Helen & Bernie Fields Family

The Maximilian E. & Marion O.

Hoffman Foundation

The Sebastian E. RosanoMemorial Fund

In Memory of Robert M. SkipWalsh

Gifts of $500-$999 (cont.) LexisNexis CaresLoel MeckelOrthopedic Associates of HartfordPfizer United Way CampaignSolomon and Katie Wohl FoundationTown of EllingtonUnited Technologies

Willimantic Rotary Club

Gifts of $250-$499Elizabeth D. BaileyKathleen BrowneJoanne FossGlastonbury HS Key ClubIBM Accounts Payable Center Albert W. LandiNorthern BuildersPomperaug Ladies NineRockville BankRockville Bank Foundation, Inc. TrustWillimantic Waste Paper Co., Inc.

Gifts of $100-$249Allstate Giving CampaignAplus learning headquartersAT&T United Way Employee Giving

CampaignBabson Capital ManagementCoe BancroftBank of America United Way CampaignBeth BarrettPaul BrehneSusan CarvalhoCT EaglesJared DolphinGeneral Reinsurance CorporationGlastonbury Barbershop, LLCDavid GuardiaHealth Consultants Group, LLCJames Healy

Jeffrey HoganCarla Lamarr Catherine Lamarr Robert LoiseauDonna M. MartinLisa Mayer Paul McDonoughAlison NearyNew England States & Eastern Canada

Assoc.Aux.IBPOE of WEdward NoonanLinda PaganiniGeraldine SchmidtW Schuyler PostTrinity CollegeUnited Technologies CorporationUniversity of HartfordWareham and AssociatesHerb WischowBrian E. Wolfenden

Friendship Circle (Monthly Pledges)Sherri ConroyKeith Lavigne

United Way United Way of Central and Northeastern

ConnecticutUnited Way of Dutchess County, Inc.United Way of Eastern Fairfield CountyUnited Way of Greater WaterburyUnited Way of Meriden and

Wallingford, Inc.United Way of Naugatuck and

Beacon Falls, Inc.United Way of Northwest Connecticut, Inc.United Way of Southington, Inc.United Way of West Central Connecticut

Due to space constraints, we regret that wedo not include the names of those donorswho gave us gifts of less than $100. We thank you for all gifts.

Get the latest news and in- formationfrom Nutmeg Big BrothersBig Sisters.

Check out our new Face-

book Page. Join the conver- sation.


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Upcoming Events

NON-PROFIT ORG

U.S. POSTAGE

PAID

HARTFORD, CT

PERMIT NO. 3945

NutmegBig Brothers Big Sisters

30 Laurel Street, Suite 3 Hartford, CT 06106-1377

www.nutmegbigbrothersbigsisters.org

little moments, big magic Main Office30 Laurel Street, Suite 3Hartford, CT 06106-1377860.525.5437

Big Hearts, Big Dreams, Real Hope GalaFriday, November 12th, 2010 Avon Old Farms Inn, Avon with Scot Haney as Emcee

Contact: 860-525-5437, ext. 139, www.NutmegGala.Kintera.org

Foster Grandparent CelebratedOn the final day of class in June at Hartfords M.D. Fox Elementary School , students, teachers and staff came together enjoy some cakeand to celebrate the 90 th birthday of their friend Gertrude Blanks , who drives herself across town every Monday through Friday to serve atthe school as an adult mentor in the Nutmeg Big Brothers Big Sisters Foster Grandparent Program .

Earlier in her career, Mrs. Blanks was an actress with the Hartford Stage Company . She also spent twenty-five years working as a story-teller and reader at the Hartford Public Library . In a specially-equipped van, she traveled to schools, nursing homes, museums, churches,parks and even the occasional laundromat to weave her unique brand of magic. At one point, she estimates, she was telling stories to80,000 people annually. Her performance skills, upbeat personality and advocacy for the intellectual and social growth of young peoplehave made Mrs. Blanks a living legend with generations of Hartford residents.

Mrs. Blanks has been a volunteer with Nutmegs Foster Grandparent Program since 1999. Shes been stationed at the Fox School for just a year, yet in that relatively short amount of time shes made a definite impact.

I won the lottery when Gertrude Blanks was assigned to my class, said Rose Vouthounes, a second-grade teacher at the Fox School.She has a way of sparking the creativity of the children and is always working to build on their reading skills. With her mesmerizing story-telling abilities, she never fails to command the attention of the students.

Principal Michael D. Lorenzo said, I havent known Mrs. Blanks for long, but I do know that I could use many more people with her pas-

sion for education. She inspires not only her students at Fox, she inspires everybody here. And that includes me.

Documents

Nutmeg Big Brother Big Sisters October Newsletter