2013 CVEF Bee

CVEF would like to thank the following businesses, organizations and individuals for their generous support:

Diamond ($1,000 and above)
Aetna
Peach Pit Foundation

Gold ($250 - $499)
Durham Fair Foundation
Independent Day School
Lyman Orchards
Redstone Studios, LLC

Silver ($100 - $249)
Brenda’s Main Street Feed
Chapman Manufacturing
Jason and Tracy Camassar
Dzialo, Pickett & Allen, PC
Durham Family Eye Care
The Hitchin’ Post Tavern
Lino’s Market
Middlesex Dental Association:
      Anthony J. Onofrio DMD,
      Pamela A. Moore DMD
Perk on Main

Team Sponsors ($150)
The Conroy Company
Durham Democratic Town Committee
Durham Library PALS
Durham VFW Post #10169
John Lyman Elementary School
Korn Elementary School
Memorial Middle School
Maggie Peterson Design
Christopher M. Soulias, EA, CFP:
      Tax and Financial Services

Bronze (Up to $99)
Dean Autoworks
L and I Refrigeration, Inc
Larkin’s Run
Lorrie Martin
Sharon McCormick Design, LLC

Michelle and Renee Kelley join Christine Willett with her husband and parents at the awards celebration.

Christine Willett receives Howard Kelley Community Award
The Coginchaug Valley Education Foundation (CVEF) recently awarded Middlefield resident Christine Willett the first annual Howard Kelley Community Award.
     Willett, a Middlefield wife and mother of two young sons, works as a teacher at Green Acres Elementary School in North Haven. While those are the basics, she is also much, much more, and it is for that compilation of remarkable qualities that CVEF honored her on December 1.
     In 2009, Willett established After the Storm, a non-profit foundation whose mission is to assist breast cancer survivors heal and restore balance to their lives. This includes helping women get the integrative therapies that Willett found so helpful. In 2011, the organization will surpass the $20,000 mark in funds raised, quite an accomplishment for any new not-for-profit endeavor.
     Upon accepting the Howard Kelley Award, Willett acknowledged that, ironically, were it not for her cancer diagnosis, none of these good works would have happened. In fact, she concedes that her work with After the Storm has turned Willett into the involved, confident, well-spoken person she has become. In the process, her foundation has provided assistance to breast cancer patients at Middlesex and has now expanded into other medical centers in Connecticut, as well.
     Willett also commented on the personal relationship she and her parents had with Howard Kelley and his family. Kelley's widow, Renee, who attended the CVEF event on December 1, noted how pleased and proud her husband would be with CVEF's choice of Christine as the first recipient of the award in her husband's memory.

Howard Kelley Honored
Nominations are in for the first annual Howard Kelly Community Award. In honor of founder and board member Howard Kelley, who passed away in early 2010, the award will be made to someone who embodies the spirit of Howard’s leadership in the community, particularly his devotion to volunteerism and education. To nominated someone you think would be deserving of the Howard Kelley Award e-mail us at coginchaugvef@comcast.net

2010 Community Picnic -
Fun for All
For the third year in a row, families of Durham and Middlefield congregated at Camp Farnam to celebrate the end of summer and for some, the beginning of a new school year.
     The camp, located on Maiden Lane in Durham, is owned by New Haven’s non-profit Farnam Neighborhood House, Inc. and provides seasonal programming for low income children ages 13-18 and their families. It is newly renovated and the perfect place for some family fun.
     This year, 150 people arrived on Sunday, August 29, carrying picnic dinners, bathing suits and towels. It took only a few minutes for the pool to fill with children of all ages. Adults could join in the fun or relax and chat knowing their children were under the watchful eye of the lifeguard in charge. Horseshoes, basketball and volleyball competitions continued throughout the day.
     As evening approached, the crowd moved toward the pavilion to listen to music, break open their picnic baskets or wait patiently for the arrival of the ice cream truck. With daylight fading, a roaring fire was lit and hot dripping marshmallows were layered with chocolate and graham crackers, consumed happily by all ages.