Avalonia Land Conservancy Inc. has received a 5.24 acre donation of land from the Edgerton family heirs that will abut and be incorporated into the Founder’s Preserve, a 93-acre parcel approved for transfer from the Town of Ledyard to Avalonia.

Avalonia has also purchased two parcels (the Saporita and Pendleton tracts) abutting the Tri-Town Ridgeline Forest Preserve in North-Stonington-Griswold-Preston. It also has purchased a 48-acre white-cedar swamp parcel in Preston. This land has been used for camping in the past by the Preston Boy Scout Troop, a use that is expected to be allowed to continue. It will be named Doolittle Preserve.

“These 71 acres represent some important greenway additions and a rare white cedar swamp conservation effort,” said Avalonia Board President Dennis S. Main in a release.

This brings the total number of acres conserved this year by Avalonia to 381 with a couple more expected closings this month.

People & Places

Rodney A. Butler, chairman of the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation, has been elected to Chelsea Groton Bank’s Board of Trustees. He became a corporator of the bank in April 2022.

Butler’s service on Tribal Council began in 2004. In 2005, he was appointed Tribal Council Treasurer, a position that included chairing the Tribe’s Finance, Housing and Judicial Committees, the MPTN Utility Authority, and serving as an Interim CEO for Foxwoods Resort Casino.

Prior to Tribal Council, Butler worked in the finance department at Foxwoods Resort Casino. He later became chairman of the Tribal Business Advisory Board, an executive body responsible for overseeing the Tribe’s non-gaming businesses and commercial properties. Butler was actively involved in multiple resort expansions at Foxwoods as well as community development initiatives on the Reservation, the establishment of the Mashantucket (Western) Pequot Tribe Endowment Trust, the legalization of Sports Betting and iGaming in the state of Connecticut, and Connecticut legislation mandating statewide Native American curriculum and elimination of Native Mascots.

In 2017, Butler was appointed “Tribal Leader of the Year” by the Native American Finance Officers Association for his efforts to advance tribal economies. He was the 2019 recipient of the prestigious Indian Gaming Association’s John Kieffer Sovereignty Award and was named Citizen of the Year by the Chamber of Commerce of Eastern Connecticut.

The Community Foundation of Eastern Connecticut has announced over $314,000 in 2023 grant awards from its four Women & Girls Funds. The goal of the grants is to invest in women and girls across the 42-town region by supporting programs that focus on economic security, education and workforce development, health and wellbeing, leadership and advocacy.

Northeast Area Women & Girls Fund has awarded $25,464 to nine nonprofits; Norwich Area Women & Girls Fund, $23,000 to three nonprofits; Southeast Area Women & Girls Fund, $204,247 to 27 nonprofits, and Windham Area Women & Girls Fund, $61,808 to 14 nonprofits.

Our Piece of the Pie was awarded grants to support SpeakHERS of Change to help females and female-identifying youth to develop healthy habits, make positive decisions, practice self-care, understand and manage emotions and behaviors, thrive, and lead.

Jewish Federation of Eastern Connecticut received funding to provide basic needs and services for senior women living alone in New London.

She Leads Justice was awarded grants to support the Women of Color First campaign to advance policies that promote economic equity.

Madonna Place received funding for Great Beginnings home visiting, which provides in-home parenting and child developmental education, parenting education and support for expectant and new mothers and families.

TEEG (Thompson Ecumenical Empowerment Group) and United Services each received grants for a collaborative project to train staff at each agency and do public awareness around child sex trafficking.

In 1999, the Community Foundation established its first Women & Girls Fund. Three other Women & Girls Funds have been established since, in Windham, Norwich and the Northeast Corner.

To learn more, contact Director of Development Lauren C. Parda at lauren@cfect.org or call 860-442-3572.

For a complete list of grantees, visit cfect.org.

EASTCONN’s Quinebaug Middle College, a regional, public magnet high school in Danielson, is currently recruiting academically motivated students for the 2024-2025 school year who are seeking a more independent learning environment tailored to their academic and career goals.

QMC offers high school students a middle college experience that enables them to earn a high school diploma while also earning free, transferable college credits from Quinebaug Valley Community College.

Scholars select from one of our six learning pathways: Liberal Arts and Humanities, Education, Business/Leadership, STEM Engineering, STEM Manufacturing, and STEM Health Sciences. Core academic and elective courses and mentorship opportunities are aligned to the individual learning pathways.

QMC enrolls about 160 students, grades 9-12, from 18 towns across northeastern Connecticut, but enrollment is not limited to students in northeastern Connecticut. Learn more about EASTCONN at www.eastconn.org, and more about QMC at www.eastconn.org/qmc. QMC Principal Edward Keleher is reachable at ekeleher@eastconn.org.

The Connecticut Airport Authority has announced that ultra-low fare carrier Frontier Airlines will be launching nonstop service between Bradley International Airport and Tampa International Airport. Flights will begin on March 7, 2024, and operate four times a week.

To celebrate the new route, the airline is offering low introductory fares. Currently, travel on Frontier Airlines can be booked through August 2024 by visiting https://www.flyfrontier.com.

Grants & Donations

The employees and members of CorePlus Credit Union have brightened the holidays of more than 70 children in eastern Connecticut by participants purchasing new toys and clothing through The Salvation Army’s Angel Tree Tag program.

This is the third consecutive year that CorePlus has participated in the program. Businesses, schools, and other organizations participate in the Angel Tree Tag program by setting up a tree and requesting as many tags as they think they can support. The tags — featuring the first name, age, and gender of a child, as well as requested gifts — are used to decorate the tree.

For more information on the credit union, visit coreplus.org.

Michael Alberts, president and CEO of Jewett City Savings Bank, has announced the Jewett City Savings Bank Foundation has awarded 37 grants totaling $33,973 to local emergency services providers.

Grants amounting to $8,873 were awarded to six local emergency services providers to help fund special projects. Sterling Volunteer Fire Company, Inc. received a $2,000 grant to purchase warning lights and a shatterproof windshield for the company’s new utility terrain vehicle (UTV). $1,500 grants were awarded to the East Killingly Fire Department to help fund a Fastlite fast rescue sled to assist the department's Rapid Intervention Team, and the Mortlake Fire Co. & Ambulance Service in Brooklyn to finish funding their iPad program, which provides electronic aids on all rescue vehicles.

Recipients of $1,000 grants were the Jewett City Fire Department to partially fund an electric ventilation fan on their new fire truck and the Atwood Hose Fire Company in Wauregan to help purchase a battery-operated positive-pressure fan.

This year, the foundation awarded $25,100 in annual support. The Canterbury Volunteer Fire Department received a grant of $1,100. Grants of $1,000 were also awarded to: Attawaugan Fire Department; Atwood Hose Fire Company; Dayville Fire Company; East Brooklyn Fire Department; East Killingly Fire Department; Griswold Volunteer Fire Company; Jewett City Fire Department; Killingly/Brooklyn Ambulance Corps.; Lisbon Volunteer Fire Department; Moosup Fire Department; Mortlake Fire Co. & Ambulance Service; Oneco Fire Company; Plainfield Fire Company No. 1, Inc.; Sterling Volunteer Fire Company, Inc.; and Williamsville Fire Engine Company in Rogers.

Annual support grants were also awarded to the American Legion Ambulance Fund in Moosup for $700 and the Lisbon Ambulance Service for $500. Grants of $600 were presented to: Central Village Fire Company; Danielson Fire Department; East Putnam Fire Department; Pawcatuck Fire Department; Poquetanuck Fire Department EMS in Preston; Preston City Volunteer Fire Department; Putnam EMS Ambulance Service; Putnam Fire Department; South Killingly Fire Department; Voluntown Volunteer Fire Company No. 1, Inc.; West Thompson Fire Department; Westerly Fire Department; and Woodstock Volunteer Fire Association.

Upcoming events

If downtown Hartford looks like a sea of green on Saturday, Jan. 6, it’s not an early St. Patrick’s Day celebration, but rather, the “Great Girl Scout Round Up” hosted by Girl Scouts of Connecticut. The annual event, which runs from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Connecticut Convention Center, serves as the non-profit organization’s official launch of the Girl Scout Cookie season, offering a variety of workshops on money management, leadership, entrepreneurship, customer care, cyber security and presentation skills to its expected 2,000 attendees.

Diana Mahoney, CEO of Girl Scouts of Connecticut, said Girl Scout attendees will have the opportunity to participate in six Badge Activity Stations to work on their Entrepreneurship and Financial Literacy badges, visit over 30 company vendors, like M&T Bank, Junior Achievement, and the UConn Extension Financial Literacy Education Program, stop in at various GSOFCT booths for summer program and activity information, as well as burn off some energy in the Girl Scout Activity Zone with indoor archery stations, hula hoop games, and making SWAPS, small tokens of friendship that Girl Scouts exchange with one another.

The “Great Girl Scout Round Up” is open to all girls in grades K-12 with an adult chaperone. For more information, call 800-922-2770 or email CustomerCare@gsofct.org.

Chamber News

The Greater Mystic Chamber of Commerce is hosting a Business After Hours at Palmer’s Provisions and Pizza on Wednesday Jan. 10, from 5:30 to 7 p.m. The event is $10 for members and $25 for non-members.

Tickets can be purchased on the Mystic Chamber website at www.mysticchamber.org or at the door but pre-registration is encouraged. For information, call Krysta Murray, membership manager, at (860) 572-9578 ext. 2, or email krystamurray@mysticchamber.org.

Get in The Buzz by emailing releases to businessbriefs@theday.com. Business editor Lee Howard compiles briefs on a weekly basis. Go online to access links to each of the websites and emails mentioned.