The Community Foundation of Eastern CT recently marked its 40th anniversary, and during its annual celebration President and CEO Maryam Elahi announced a newly endowed fund that will maintain a higher focus on young people.

The Brighter Futures Fund will help advance equitable outcomes to improve the lives of children and youth in eastern Connecticut. The foundation’s goal is to grow the fund to the $1 million level before the grantmaking process begins.

"Tonight is a celebration of lifting communities when we share values and care about our neighbors,“ Elahi said. ”This is a time to reflect on all that we have done together over the years and to pay tribute to you for your part in making eastern Connecticut a more resilient community and the place we are proud to call home."

People & Places

Joseph A. Cipparone of Old Lyme, a partner in Cipparone & Zaccaro, PC, of New London, has been elected the chair of the Estates & Probate Section of the Connecticut Bar Association.

The 825-member section educates Connecticut attorneys in the creation of wills, trusts, and other estate planning documents. It develops the best practices for estate administration and probate court procedures.

The section meets monthly to study and improve federal estate & gift tax laws, state probate, trust and estate tax legislation, and leading court cases on estates, conservatorships and trust matters. Cipparone will serve for two years as chair.

Chelsea Groton Bank has announced the promotion of two team members to customer solutions managers and the hiring of a customer solutions manager for its Norwichtown branch.

Kyle Main (Sprague branch) and Tori Heim (Westside branch) are the two being promoted, and Karla Drainville is the new hire.

Main began his career in banking in 2018 as a Customer Solutions Associate at Chelsea Groton. He volunteers at Chamber of Commerce events, serves as secretary at Norwich Toastmasters International Club, was a member of the Stonington Veterans Memorials Committee Project, and participates in internal bank committees such as the Engage Team and One Chelsea.

Heim’s banking career began in 2011 as a teller at Connecticut Community Credit Union. Heim also has been a teller and then a senior teller in North Stonington, progressing to a customer solutions assistant manager in 2019 at Center Groton. Tori serves as a committee member for the Stonington Veterans Monument and as the treasurer for Higher Edge.

Drainville has been in retail banking for over 30 years and in the Norwich market for 16 years. A resident of Preston, she is a member of the Greater Norwich Area Chamber of Commerce, serving on the Education Committee and the Ambassador’s Committee. She is also a member of the Chamber of Commerce of Eastern Connecticut.

The Navy has named Cmdr. Thomas Digan as the future USS Arizona (SSN 803) submarine captain.

Digan assumed command the nuclear-powered Virginia-class submarine during a ceremony at the Submarine Force Museum in Groton on Oct. 27. The establishment of command followed a keel laying ceremony in December 2022 at Electric Boat’s hull fabrication facility in Quonset Point, R.I.

Arizona’s namesake is the USS Arizona (BB 39), a historic WWII-era battleship named after the 48th U.S. state. The new submarine is the third U.S. Navy vessel named for the state of Arizona. USS Arizona will be sponsored by Nikki Stratton, granddaughter of Donald Stratton, one of the last surviving members of Battleship USS Arizona.

Once completed, the fast-attack submarine will join SUBRON 12, one of two submarine squadrons based out of the U.S. Naval Submarine Base in Groton.

Madelynn Justice, a fifth grader at Great Neck Elementary School in Waterford, will be on stage Nov. 12 during a KOTA Productions' performance of “Lyrics for Life” at Symphony Space in New York City.

Performers from Broadway, TV, and film between 6 and 25 years old will be part of the musical evening hosted by Swayam Bhatia (Disney's “The Mighty Ducks” and HBO's “Succession”) and Devin Trey Campbell (Broadway's “MJ The Musical,” “Kinky Boots” and ABC's “Single Parents”).

Madelynn has performed locally on stage, including, as Annie in “Annie Jr.” (Niantic Bay Playhouse), Matilda in “Matilda Jr.” (The Broadway, CT in Stratford), and Young Fiona in Shrek (Granite Theatre). She has appeared off-Broadway as Lily in “Annie Jr.” and Juliet in “Beauty and the Beast Jr,.” both with A Class Act NY and performed with Spotlight Kidz at Radio City Music Hall.

In addition, Madelynn dances with Miss Lana at Montville Parks & Rec, sings in the Saint Paul Church Youth Choir, and enjoys baking, reading, and Girl Scouts. Tickets are now on sale at www.KOTAProductions.com.

Operation Fuel’s CEO Brenda Watson announced she was to leave the non-profit on Nov. 2 to pursue a consultation position with Northeast Home Energy Raters Alliance.

“I would like to focus my energy on advancing community economic development in the capital city,” she said in a release.

“Brenda has been a passionate leader on energy issues for over a decade through her work at Operation Fuel,” said Amy McLean, chairwoman of the Operation Fuel board. “Brenda has led the charge on emergency energy assistance in Connecticut, helping families, seniors, children and people with medical conditions stay comfortable and safe in their homes on the hottest days and coldest nights”

Watson joined Operation Fuel in January 2010 as director of community programs and was named executive director in February 2018. Operation Fuel plans to name an interim CEO while the organization conducts a nationwide search for Watson’s successor.

UCFS Healthcare has debuted a video to highlight the many services provided by the community health center.

The video concept was developed by the Norwich-based marketing agency Miranda Creative. The video was created by the Mystic-based Vantage Productions and was produced in conjunction with UCFS’s annual Impact Report. Both the video and the report can be viewed on the UCFS Healthcare’s website, ucfshealthcare.org, and social media channels.

The four-minute video follows one family as their son grows from infancy to adulthood. The story starts with a young couple bringing the newborn home and taking their first selfie together. It concludes with their son, now a young adult, visiting his grandfather at Sheltering Arms Residential Care to share some good news.

As a founding partner of the Regional Innovation Center at the Chamber of Commerce of Eastern CT headquarters in New London, Comcast Business is powering all the technology in the building through a 1-Gig Fiber Ethernet Dedicated Internet connection. In addition, there will be X1 for Business TV service and a full deployment of Comcast Business VoiceEdge, a hosted, cloud-based telephone system.

In 2020, Comcast completed the expansion of its advanced network to New London, giving residents and businesses across the city access to Comcast’s full suite of Xfinity and Comcast Business services. Comcast’s expansion to New London, and its support of the New London Innovation Center, is part of the company’s latest investment in Connecticut, which includes expansions to East Lyme, Jewett City, Killingly, Plainfield, and Waterford.

Affordable Storage Guys at 23 Montville Road in Montville has signed on as a U-Haul neighborhood dealer, offering trucks and support rental items. More than 21,000 dealers across the U.S. and Canada are generating supplemental income through their U-Haul affiliation.

The Eastern Connecticut Workforce Investment Board in Franklin, the Jonnycake Center of Westerly and the Westerly Area Rest Meals WARM Center have won grants from Centreville Bank in the third quarter of the year.

EWIB’s $5,000 grant will be used to support the Youth Employment Program offering training and employment experience. Jonnycake Center’s $3,000 award will help with purchase of food to stock the organization’s food pantry. The WARM center will get $1,500 to support the Community Critical Needs Program.

For more information, visit www.centrevillebank.com/Community/Local-Support/Community-Commitment.

The Mystic Woman’s Club has donated 150 pounds of canned goods and other staples to the Pawcatuck Neighborhood Center’s pantry.

The club meets monthly, September through June, on the second Thursday of the month. See www.mysticwomansclub.org for more information.

Honors & Awards

General Dynamics Electric Boat of Groton has been selected as the Innovator Honoree (Organization) for the Connecticut Science Center’s annual STEM Achievement Awards.

The 2023 STEM Achievement Awards, presented by Stanley Black & Decker, are presented to an individual, group or organization contributing to STEM in the region, opening STEM Careers to diverse audiences, and impacting STEM education in the community.

EB, established in 1899, has its primary operations in Groton, plus its automated hull-fabrication and outfitting facility in Quonset Point and an engineering building in New London.

To see bios of other award winners, visit CTScienceCenter.org/Awards.

Backus Hospital has earned more than 20 Specialty and Specialty Excellence Awards from Healthgrades. The Specialty Excellence Awards recognize superior performance in cardiac care, neurosciences, spine surgery, prostate surgeries, pulmonary and critical care.

Backus Hospital also was named as one of America’s 100 Best Hospitals for Gastrointestinal Care and a five-star recipient for total hip replacement and treatment of stroke for three years in a row.

New state program

This fall, the Connecticut Department of Agriculture’s CT Grown program is challenging consumers across the state to “Put CT Grown On Your Plate,” a new program that asks residents to make room on their plates for Connecticut-grown or produced foods at every meal.

Connecticut is home to more than 5,500 farms covering more than 380,000 acres. Eating local foods supports farmers and growers, bolsters the state’s economy, and greatly benefits the general public health.

Through a pair of programs — Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and the Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program, Connecticut Grown food products are accessible to families of all income levels and budgets. The Connecticut Department of Agriculture strongly encourages people who receive SNAP benefits to use them at farmers’ markets.

For regular updates, follow @ConnecticutGrown on Facebook and @ct.grown on Instagram.

Change of ownership

The New Haven-based Regional Water Authority has acquired James Carboni Plumbing & Heating, a North Franklin-based company that specializes in plumbing and related services to residential and business customers.

Robert Laudette, Jr., the owner of James Carboni Plumbing & Heating, has worked at the business since 1973 and assumed ownership of it in 1987. He’s grown the business to include a team of skilled plumbing professionals dedicated to serving residential and business customers in Connecticut. Laudette will continue to manage the business after the close.

The Carboni acquisition will operate under RWA Well Services, LLC, a subsidiary of RWA Commercial Enterprises, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the RWA.

Chamber News

The Greater Norwich Area Chamber of Commerce will partner with I-M Technology LLC to host a Small Business Tech Day at 9 a.m. Thursday, Nov. 16.

Business owners can access this free program to learn how to use technology to maximize productivity and profits while staying secure. The event includes celebrities like Shark Tank's Rober Herjavec, co-founder of Sire Adams Cheyer, and best-selling author Mike Michalowicz.

To register, visit https://www.i-mtechnology.com/tech-day-2023-ct/#formscroll.

The Greater Mystic Chamber of Commerce will celebrate community members from 5-10 p.m. Nov. 30 at the Velvet Mill in Stonington Borough. The spotlight will be on award recipients for the 2023 Joyce Olson Resnikoff Tourism Award and the Greater Mystic Chamber of Commerce Ballast Awards and Keel Award.

In addition, Stonington Public Schools will present the Just One Chance Award.

The chamber’s Third Annual Ballast Awards acknowledge those business icons who have remained steadfast, making Mystic their own for 15 years or more. The Just One Chance Award is for a community member or organization that has promoted an inclusive environment for Stonington Public School’s students who have a disability.

The Greater Mystic Chamber of Commerce will hold a ribbon cutting at 5 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 9, for Darrell Fox at Chapel View Private Wealth Group’s new office. An open house will run from 4-7 p.m. at 495 Goldstar Highway, Suite 301, Groton.

In addition, the group’s Business Before Hours will be held 7:30-8:30 a.m. Thursday, Nov. 16, at Mystic River Yacht Club, 14 Holmes St., Mystic. Visit mysticchamber.org to register for both events.

Get in The Buzz by emailing releases to businessbriefs@theday.com. Lee Howard, The Day’s business editor, compiles information on a weekly basis.