NewCanaaanite.com recently received the following letter(s) to the editor. Please email letters to editor@newcanaanite.com for publication here.
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For God sakes, could we please get rid of those crappy looking, ugly white plastic barriers that three restaurants on Elm Street are using. The other two restaurants on Elm Street spent a few bucks and put up nice looking metal railings with planters. Those plastic barriers make the whole street look like crap. Not a good look!
Gary O’Keeffe
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Dear Editor:
On behalf of the New Canaan Parent Support Group and our co-Host New Canaan Community Foundation, I’d like to thank all those who made our August 30th Community Addiction Awareness Vigil a success.
Scenes from the 7th Annual Community Addiction Awareness Vigil, organized by the New Canaan Parents Support Group. Credit: Christine Simmons
We had 350 people in attendance, on a beautiful evening at the corner of South Avenue and Elm Street. Our goal was to show through heartfelt testimonials that recovery from addiction is possible, especially when family members are engaged in the process.
First, I want to thank our event committee Team Orange: Ava, Bethany, Charlene, Cheryl, Chris, Cyra, Dan, Drew, Eric, Fiona, Francesca, Jacqueline, Jess, John, Lance, Liza, Meg, Rich, and Robert.
Secondly, we’d like to call out with sincere gratitude our Emcee John Hamilton; our recovery speakers Ian, Keri and Nick, and their parents who introduced them, Melody & Roger, Tracy & Debbie, and Jacques.
Thanks also goes to our local clergy members leading our candlelight ceremony, especially Cheryl Bundy and Dan Sklar. We also thank Scott Troyer & Friends and the Pivot Ministries Choir for their musical performances, and Gray Handler of NCHS Ram Council for leading us in the Community Pledge.
We could not have pulled off this event without the following partners: the Town of New Canaan (Mose Saccary, Butch Landon, Bethany Zaro, Annamarie Ceci and Tucker Murphy); Silver Hill Hospital (Andrew Gerber and Susannah Lewis); The Lighthouse Sober Living (Trey Laird and Cini Shaw), Team Liberation and the Wellness Van, New Canaan CARES, NCHS Ram Council, NCHS SLOBs, and Cain Management dba Dunkin Donuts.
Finally, New Canaan Parent Support Group is grateful for our Event Sponsors: Aware Recovery Care, Caron Treatment Centers, High Watch Recovery, Mountainside, New Canaan CARES, Retreat Behavioral Health, Silver Hill Hospital, The Lighthouse CT, Town of New Canaan Human Services, Turnbridge, Walter Stewart’s Market, Wellbridge and several anonymous donors with big hearts.
In case you want to mark your calendars, our 2024 Vigil will be on Thursday, August 29th.
With appreciation to all,
Paul Reinhardt
Founder, New Canaan Parent Support Group
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On August 30th, members of the Kiwanis Club of New Canaan and several special guests, gathered together at Kiwanis Park to celebrate the Club’s 84 year history. At the celebration, two engraved park benches were unveiled and gifted to the community. The Club was pleased to have several members of the Borglum family present, as one bench was dedicated to honor the late David Borglum, a long serving member.
Kiwanis Club of New Canaan members. Photo courtesy of Jenny Esposito
The Club has retired its membership from Kiwanis International, due to the effects of the pandemic and declining membership. To recognize the Club’s legacy in New Canaan, a second bench has been engraved with “Kiwanis Club of New Canaan established 1934-2023”. It was also at this gathering that the Club took time to memorialize the 1960 gift of the land, known as Kiwanis Park, from the Kiwanis Club to the Town of New Canaan. A bronze plaque, engraved with a rededication date of August 30, 2023 will be added to the existing main pavilion.
We would like to express our sincerest appreciation to the New Canaan Community for supporting the Club through participation in our events, generous donations and sponsorships. As we spend time reminiscing, we truly feel we had a great run and were able to provide several decades of good family fun, gained lifelong friendships through volunteerism at many wonderful events such as; the pancake brunch, soapbox derby, St. Patrick’s Day Dinner, the circus, Homefront, bike safety program and the fishing derby, to name a few.
In furtherance of the Kiwanis motto “Serving the Children of the World”, the Club granted multiple educational scholarships annually and is proud to have made positive impacts in the lives of youth in the community.
Signing off for the final time.
Jenny Esposito
President, Kiwanis Club of New Canaan