Blizzard Message from Southington Town Manager

Blizzard Alert

Southington Town Manager, Garry Brumback requests announcing to citizens the following information regarding town preparations and readiness for Blizzard Charlotte"

1)     We have pre-treated our roads and will begin plowing operations as conditions require. Our priority will be to Health and Public Safety facilities along with main roads and hills.

2)   If the forecast is accurate we expect to pull our plows off the road at 9:00 pm tonight except for emergencies and will resume plowing operations at around 4:00 am on Saturday.

3)   We are requesting that travel be limited to emergencies only during these hours.

4)   A parking ban is in effect from 9:00 am Friday until further notice.

5)    Residents are reminded that blowing snow from driveways and sidewalks into the street or right of way is prohibited by ordinance.  Violators will be issued a citation.  This is necessary to ensure that our plow trucks can clear the roads as efficiently as possible.

6)   Shelters are on standby and will be activated in the event of serious power outages. 

7)    We have established a virtual EOC and will be responding to email and cell phone inquiries.

8)   The Police non-emergency number is (860) 378-1600; for emergencies call 911.

9)   For further updates please monitor the Police website and Facebook page.

Thanks for helping us pass this information along to all residents. .

Garry Brumback, ICMA-CM

Town Manager

(860) 276-6200

www.southington.org

Amid Super Bowl Mania, Nation’s Church Youth Seize Opportunity to Fight Hunger

By  E. Richard Fortunato

You don't need to be a sports fan to know how big the Super Bowl is, Neither do you need to be an economist to know that the Super Bowl is Big Business!  

I did some research and learned that 179 million people will be tuned in Sunday when the 2013 NFC Champion San Francisco 49ers meet the AFC title winning Baltimore Ravens in Super Bowl XLVII at the New Orleans Superdome. Over 39 million will throw a super bowl party, buying food and beverages to celebrate the game with wings, pizza, chips, soda to celebrate with their guests. Some 7.9 million are buying new TV set while 3.9 million homes will buy new furniture items, such as entertainment centers, chairs and couches, and 7.5 million will buy decorations, never mind the millions more who will dine and watch the big game at restaurants.  The Super Bowl is expected to bring $185 million to New Orleans. The source survey of the Retail Advertising & Marketing Association further projects total Super Bowl spending to reach eleven billion bucks! Again, that’s an 11 with nine zeros following! 

Now, contrast what American consumers spend celebrating on this one Sunday each year with the fact that  one in seven households in the U.S. are living in poverty, the highest in 52 years and it affects more than 16 million children, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. 

Now, look back 24 years to January 28, 1990, the day the San Francisco 49ers demolished the Denver Broncos (55-10) in Super Bowl XXIV. 

That morning, Brad Smith, a seminary intern in a Presbyterian Church in Columbia, S.C., prayed: "Lord, as we enjoy the Super Bowl football game, help us be mindful of those who are without a bowl of soup to eat". That prayer inspired the youth in Columbia to ask folks for a dollar to help fight local hunger. The idea has swept the country since 1990. Super Bowl weekend has become a time to mobilize our youth to fight hunger and poverty in their local communities, transforming our annual Super Bowl into the nation’s largest celebration of giving and serving. That’s why it’s called the Souper Bowl of Caring. Since its inception, the movement raised over $100 million to feed the hungry. 

In 1996, Rev. James Debner, Pastor of Zion Lutheran Church and the youth of his congregation introduced the Souper Bowl of Caring to their suburban community of Southington, CT. located just 18 miles southwest of the capital city of Hartford. They chose Bread for Life, the local soup kitchen, as the recipient of the donations they collected to help feed the hungry in their town. Within a few short years, young members of other local churches began participating in the movement, including First Congregational UCC, Grace United Methodist, Saint. Dominic R.C., Saint Paul’s Epsicopal and First Lutheran Churches.  Since 1996, they have collectively raised a total of $25,747 plus 1,224 lbs. of food for Southington’s hungry. 

Last year, in the nation, 9,905 participating groups collected a total of $9,954,189.56 in cash and food items for 8,596 local charities. In each community, the money is directed to local charities of their choice. Southington youth groups continue to donate their gifts to Bread for Life which feeds the local hungry through several programs operated by Bread for Life, which also collaborates closely with Southington Community Services and its Food Pantry throughout the year, thus reaching more folks who simply need a bit of assistance in making ends meet. Nationally, over 14,000 groups are enrolled in the 2013 campaign which runs through this Sunday, February 3^rd.

Youth Director, Bev Montana, reports that each succeeding year youth groups at St. Dominic Church have continued to say “YES” to carrying the program forward.  Pastor, Fr. Ronald May applauds the program and how much it means to the young people as well as those who benefit from their good work. At Zion Lutheran, Debner  says, “Continuing the program is a powerful advocacy for the less fortunate around us.  The youth understand the concept of touching people, one at a time. Remembering the poor resonates with the play on words of Super Bowl for the generous donors who understand that someone out there is not celebrating today!” 

At First Congregational Church of Southington, the youth group, under the leadership of Youth Minister Dawn Karlson, Souper Bowl began taking up collections a week ago. They look forward to a successful conclusion of the drive on Souper Bowl Sunday.  Also participating again this year, Pastor Carol Downs of Grace United Methodist Church was positive in validating this fine giving opportunity for the youth, the congregation and those who will be blessed with their compassion.

This weekend, be sure to look for the young people who put their hope and hearts in the generosity of our community. 

Meanwhile, learn much more about the Souper Bowl of Caring and consider starting up a group or joining an existing group 

It's the Darn Door!

Let's see.  Where was I going?

Ever walk into a room with a purpose in mind, only to completely forget what that purpose was? Turns out, doors themselves are to blame for these strange memory lapses. Psychologists at the University of Notre Dame have discovered that passing through a doorway triggers what's known as an event boundary in the mind which separates one set of thoughts and memories from the next... Your brain files away the thoughts you had in the previous room and prepares a blank slate for the new locale. It's not aging, it's the darn door!  Thank goodness for studies like this; many aging citizens like me were really becoming alarmed at what else might be ahead for us! I hope that study is confirmed soon... before I forget it.

Goodness: It was on the Old Black Phone

For years I have marveled at the wondrous nature of simple kindness, no, goodness, in humans!

Wouldn't it be a great achievement to bring more of it about during the years we spend during this life's journey!

In that spirit, I am pleased to post herewith a simple human story that came my way from a church friend today. The author is unknown to me. - erf

The Black Phone

When I was a young boy, my father had one of the first telephones in our
neighborhood. I remember the polished, old case fastened to the
wall. The shiny receiver hung on the side of the box. I was too little to
reach the telephone, but I used to listen with fascination when my mother
talked to it

Then I discovered that somewhere inside the wonderful device lived an
amazing person. Her name was "Information Please" and there was nothing she did not know. Information Please could supply anyone's
number and the correct time.

My personal experience with the genie-in-that-box came one day while my
mother was visiting a neighbor. Amusing myself at the tool bench in the basement, I whacked my finger with a hammer. The pain was terrible, but there seemed to be no point in crying because there was no one home to give me sympathy.

I walked around the house sucking my throbbing finger, finally arriving at
the stairway. The telephone! Quickly, I ran for the footstool in the parlor and dragged it to the landing. Climbing up, I unhooked the receiver in the parlor and held it to my ear.

"Information, please" I said into the mouthpiece just above my head.

A click or two and a small clear voice spoke into my ear.

"Information."

"I hurt my finger...", I wailed into the phone; the tears came readily enough now that I had an audience.

"Isn't your mother home?" came the question.

"Nobody's home but me," I blubbered.

"Are you bleeding?" the voice asked.

"No,"I replied. "I hit my finger with the hammer and it really hurts."

"Can you open the icebox?" she asked.

I said I could.

"Then chip off a little bit of ice and hold it to your finger," said the voice.

After that, I called "Information Please" for everything. I asked her for help with my geography, and she told me where Philadelphia was. She helped me with my math.

She told me my pet chipmunk, the one that I had caught in the park just the day before, would eat fruit and nuts.

Then, there was the time Petey, our pet canary, died. I called, "Information
Please," and told her the sad story. She listened, and then said things
grown-ups say to soothe a child. But I was not consoled. I asked her, Why is it that birds should sing so beautifully and bring joy to all families, only to end up as a heap of feathers on the bottom of a cage?"

She must have sensed my deep concern, for she said quietly, " Wayne,
always remember that there are other worlds to sing in."

Somehow I felt better.

Another day I was on the telephone, "Information Please."

"Information", said the now familiar voice.

"How do I spell fix?" I asked.

All this took place in a small town in the Pacific Northwest . When I was nine years old, we moved across the country to Boston . I missed my friend very much.

"Information Please" belonged in that old wooden box back home and I Somehow never thought of trying the shiny new phone that sat on the table in the hall. As I grew into my teens, the memories of those childhood conversations never really left me.

Often, in moments of doubt and perplexity I would recall the serene sense
of security I had then. I appreciated now how patient, understanding, and kind she was to have spent her time on a little boy.

A few years later, on my way west to college, my plane put down in Seattle. I had about a half-hour or so between planes. I spent 15 minutes or so on the phone with my sister, who lived there now. Then without thinking what I was doing, I dialed my hometown operator and said, "Information Please."

Miraculously, I heard the small, clear voice I knew so well.

"Information."

I hadn't planned this, but I heard myself saying, "Could you please tell me how to spell fix?"

There was a long pause. Then came the soft spoken answer, "I guess your
finger must have healed by now."

I laughed, "So it's really you," I said. "I wonder if you have any idea how much you meant to me during that time?"

"I wonder," she said, "if you know how much your call meant to me.

I never had any children and I used to look forward to your calls."

I told her how often I had thought of her over the years and I asked if I could call her again when I came back to visit my sister.

"Please do", she said. "Just ask for Sally."

Three months later I was back in Seattle . A different voice answered,

"Informtation"

I asked for Sally.

"Are you a friend?" she said.

"Yes, a very old friend," I answered.

"I'm sorry to have to tell you this, "She said. "Sally had been working part time the last few years because she was sick. She died five weeks ago."

Before I could hang up, she said, "Wait a minute, did you say your name was Wayne ?" "Yes." I answered.


Well, Sally left a message for you.

She wrote it down in case you called.

"Let me read it to you."

The note said,"Tell him there are other worlds to sing in. He'll know what I mean."

I thanked her and hung up. I knew what Sally meant.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Never underestimate the impression you may make on others.

Whose life have you touched today?

Why not touch someone today by passing this on? That's what I just did.

Lifting you on eagle's wings.

May you find the joy and peace you long for.

Life is a journey... NOT a guided tour.

I loved this story and just had to pass it on hoping you would, too.

A New Year

Seeing this favorite on the Writer's Almanac today, I just had to share it with my friends on the internet.  It feels so right and in step with my current personal thoughts. 

Happy New Year 

ERF

New Year Resolve

byMay Sarton

The time has come

To stop allowing the clutter
To clutter my mind
Like dirty snow,
Shove it off and find
Clear time, clear water.

Time for a change,
Let silence in like a cat
Who has sat at my door
Neither wild nor strange
Hoping for food from my store
And shivering on the mat.

Let silence in.
She will rarely speak or mew,
She will sleep on my bed
And all I have ever been
Either false or true
Will live again in my head.

For it is now or not
As old age silts the stream,
To shove away the clutter,
To untie every knot,
To take the time to dream,
To come back to still water.


Read about the  Interesting life and work of May Sarton

“Writers end up writing stories--

or rather, stories' shadows

--and they're grateful if they can, 

but it is not enough. 

Nothing the writer can do is ever enough”

—Joy Williams

Calendar House: A Senior Center Meeting the Future Head On

Calendar House:  Planning Visions for the Future of Rapidly Changing Senior Generations 

By E. Richard Fortunato

Calendar House Senior Center - Southington, CT

Based on a commentary published in the Southington Citizen - November 27, 2012

It’s surprising how many in a town of 42,000 like Southington, CT. either don’t know what Calendar House is or what goes on there.  Located on Pleasant Street, across from the Joseph A. DePaolo Middle School, this town-owned and operated senior center is the leading go-to-place for many active 55 + adults.

Calendar House provides physical fitness classes and artistic opportunities such as painting, stained glass work, games, reading, TV and a host of learning opportunities. There are clubs for those interested in financial investments, digital photography and computer maintenance.  

Computer Learning Center - Class in Action in Lab

Computer classes are taught by trained and experienced volunteer instructors in a friendly environment in the Computer Learning Center.  At a nominal fee, classes start with the most basic introduction to computers up to and including a wide range of interests and the opportunity to learn and develop skills in the effective use of word processing, email, internet, digital photography, managing your files and folders, computer maintenance and more, including the most recently added course in the effective use of your iPad. 

Seniors enjoy a modestly priced nutritional noon time meal
at the Calendar House Senior Cafe 

A multiple-use main hall at Calendar House provides for entertainment, social events, health information programs and services.  A popular noon-time activity is a modestly-priced healthy meal that also offers members opportunities for social interaction forging new friendships.  

Popular deluxe motor coach trips to interesting places and entertaining events are also organized for members. 

As to demographics, the 55 + population in Southington of more than 12,500 continues to grow.  The boomer generation is well on its way into active senior living while life expectancy increases  significantly.  People now coming into their senior years are more attuned to higher tech activities and lifestyles than their predecessors.  The challenge for Calendar House is to keep pace with the swiftly changing senior culture.  

This year, the town's focus has shifted to a closer look at what Calendar House is now and what it needs to be to provide optimum service and use of our maturing generations. 

In early summer of 2012, after months of review and great interest by the senior population, the town council acted to place the responsibility for the operations of Calendar House directly under the authority of the Town Manager, Garry Brumback, with the executive director, Bob Verderame, reporting directly to him. 

The council revised its ordinance code to change the role of the previously controlling Senior Citizens Commission to one of an advisory board that would assist the town and Calendar House with new and fresh ideas based on positive and forward thinking as it conceives and develops ideas for new possibilities.  The town council will revisit these changes in July 2013.

Meanwhile, for decades, there had already been in place an effective association of the members of Calendar House.  That association is well organized with by-laws and committees under the direction of a board of directors elected by the senior members annually. They meet regularly and works closely with the Calendar House executive director, Bob Verderame, to advise and assist in him in its activities. Members are themselves seniors who are very active in Calendar House activities, many of them being present at the center weekly and even daily.  

Leslie Cotton, Town Clerk, administers oath to Mark White
with Garry Brumback, Town Manager, and Peter Freeman,
President of Calendar House Membership Association (l) and
Lana White observing. 

The Town Council agreed with its Ordinance Committee's study that the senior citizens commission should become an advisory body rather than a controlling board with the direct management and reporting lines being under the control of the Town Manager, Garry Brumback.  The council also saw wisdom in the idea of involving seniors including those active in Calendar House leadership to be involved in the work of the future of the facility and its potential because of their experience and knowledge of the center and the people it serves.  

Membership association president, Peter Freeman, was authorized by the town council to serve or designate someone to serve on the new Senior Advisory Commission.  He named C. Mark White, vice president of the membership association, to a  new seat on the advisory board with the enthusiastic concurrence of the Calendar House Membership Association's Board of Directors and its membership. Confirmation by Town Council Chairman, John Dobbins was prompt.  

A month later, Dobbins appointed Clifford H. Snow, Jr. to a vacant seat on the Senior Citizen Advisory Commission,  after the resignation for personal reasons of Margaret Chase. 

Town Council Chairman John Dobbins congratulates Cliff Snow
on taking the oath of office on the Senior Advisory Commission
with Garry Brumback (l), Leslie Cotton, (center) and
Gert Semrow, (r.), looking on. 

Snow has been active at Calendar House since 1996, serving as auditor of the Finance Committee and Chairman of the By-Laws Committee.  Elected a director in 2000, Snow was then elected president for five consecutive years and has since continued to serve as a director.  Through his dedication to Calendar House, Snow has become an iconic figure and highly respected leader in the organization. He refers to Calendar House as his home away from home.

Change has already started. One example is The Dial-A-Ride Bus program which is a major service of Calendar House  providing free transportation to 55 + residents and people with disabilities to accommodate visits to doctors, dentists, shopping locations and a daily service to and from Calendar House for lunch, programs, activities and appointments such as the critical service of transportation to regular dialysis appointments at Bradley Memorial Hospital. 

The Dial-A-Ride bus service had frankly become an increasing source of controversy prior to the change over of the senior commission to an advisory body.  Differences in approaches and management style among commissioners also led to a deepening divide between the former senior commission and the executive director, the staff, volunteer leaders and members of Calendar House.

The upside is that the issues were effectively addressed after the appointment by Brumback of an Audit Committee that included Freeman, Edward S. Pocock, Jr., and White, working directly with Verderame and the staff. 

Scheduling, dispatch and service have all been improved in a very short span of time with the introduction of technology to drive the system instead of the prior manual system.  In addition, a fourth bus was added and the staff and drivers participated in professional customer service training. 

"The restructuring of the program is a credit to"the efforts of the Audit Committee and a re-energized staff who have accomplished it by making more efficient use of limited resources." Brumback said. Verderame said that he was pleased that innovative ideas are moving along well and that the staff and clients seem to be happy with the results. 

Brumback also mentioned that photos of the staff and volunteers are now prominently displayed in the lobby to aid members seeking direction and information. 

Among other plans for Calendar House, Brumback noted the establishment of a Strategic Planning Committee whose mission is to develop a vision for the Calendar House of the future.  “While there is much to be done, we also have a wealth of human resources available to us in our senior population to help us achieve our goals”, Brumback said.   Freeman said that there is more to come with substantive ideas in their formative stages of development. "All this will, in time, bring about exciting and creative innovations for Calendar House." Freeman said.   

Meanwhile, around Calendar House, the staff and volunteers are busy as ever with a renewed spirit that the future looks bright. 

If you haven't visited Calendar House, consider dropping in for a visit weekdays between 8:30 am and 4:30 pm.  The staff will also be pleased to arrange a tour for prospective members or a family member. 

Read more about Calendar House at its website. 

We Mourn

Children being evacuated from Sandy Hook Elementary |
School in Newtown, CT after mass shooting on Dec. 14, 2012

Contemplative Thoughts on a Day of Horror

By E, Richard Fortunato

There is no tragedy I can imagine that draws us to mourn together so universally as the unspeakable events that caught the nation completely off guard today in Newtown, CT.

People all over the state of Connecticut are in shock and are hurting deeply and personally for our neighbors in Newtown.  The nation joins us in mourning and the sense of deep sorrow.

How can any of us escape the frightful thought of the bloody outburst of the murder of innocent children on December 14, 2012, children who will not see tomorrow or the years of happy and productive tomorrows they could have lived to see. And what of the
valiant teachers and principal under whose care were
the education and safety of those beautiful kindergarten children.  .

Panic stricken parents frantic for information
about their children

Panic stricken parents, courageous law enforcement officials and town citizens rushed to the scene in disbelief.

Those happy little children, the darlings of their homes and families, left home for school this morning like millions of other American children. But tonight... we cannot begin to imagine the devastation this contemptible evil has brought to their parents, siblings, grandparents, friends and neighbors.

Woman holding child outside of Meethodist Church in
Newtown getting ready to go into prayer vigil. 

Millions of words will be spoken and written in the immediate and long term aftermath of this horrendous tragedy. The story will continue to visit the families and many of us as a recurring nightmare with new developments of horror as conconctions of our imagination with each repetition of the dreams turned to nightmares..

Our socio-political media and government apparatus will veer and vent into a  sweeping excursus of the story as they analyze, scrutinize and attempt to find answers with issues like guns, the disturbed yet evasive human psyche of evil perpetrators, and our societal values and culture. And, yes, that all needs to be done conscientiously and with apolitical determination that events such as today's will never happen again.

Meanwhile, it is ours to counsel, to comfort, to mourn with those whose loss is the greatest at this moment, and to pray that God be with the families and the innocent souls of those taken by the most evil human violence we could have imagined today in Newtown.

And so, families, a tranquil and beautiful town, a state and a nation mourn!

President Barrack Obama speaks from the White House
in a historic moment of national horror moved to
tearful emotion.