Founders Jon and Hannah Young will be on hand Tuesday, May 21, as The Flour Shop, celebrates a new location at 20 Mechanic St. in Pawcatuck.

The Greater Mystic Chamber of Commerce, and the Ocean Community Chamber will hold a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the shop, formerly nestled in the historic Velvet Mill in the Stonington Borough, where favorites included the Magic Garden Bagel, Pizza Bagel and Iced Cinnamon Bun Shaken Espresso.

Jon and Hannah’s journey began in 2011 working in a New London pizza shop. They’d spent their lives in restaurants and shared the desire to open a business of their own one day. The menu focused on scratch made scones, muffins, sourdough bagels, and sophisticated coffees.

Also in downtown, the chamber will be hosting an event from 4 to 7 p.m. Friday, May 24, at Just Mystic, a clothing store that is moving to a new location at 33 W. Main St.

People & Places

Although the spring semester at their respective universities is over, undergraduate students Kelly Jiang and Edith Vincze-Farago won’t be taking down time from their academic pursuits this summer.

Jiang, who is majoring in marine science at UConn, and Vincze-Farago, who is majoring in environmental systems and sustainability at Southern Connecticut State University, are the 2024 recipients of the CT Sea Grant Undergraduate Summer Research Fellowship. The fellowship offers summer research opportunities with a $5,000 stipend to students from underrepresented populations.

After emigrating from Romania nine years ago, Vincze-Farago earned a GED and then an associate’s degree at Housatonic Community College before enrolling in Southern. A Colchester resident, Jiang said they were introduced to aquaculture as a high school student at the Marine Sciences Magnet High School of Southeastern Connecticut in Groton, and their interest has grown further at UConn.

SCORE will host a free webinar on “Leveraging Your Social Media Content as a Powerful Public Relations Tool” from noon to 1:30 p.m. Thursday, June 6, sponsored by M&T Bank. To register, visit https://www.score.org/easternct.

Kevin Aherne, director of communications at award-winning Miranda Creative, will speak about how to transform your audience from indifferent to enthusiastically engaged as he explains best practices for growing your social media audience and better engaging your existing audience. Micro-videos and podcasting will be explored.

Aherne served as director of communications for the City of Providence and has had roles as a journalist, spokesperson and brand strategist.

To volunteer at SCORE, visit https://www.score.org/page/volunteer-score.

The Greater Mystic Chamber of Commerce recognizes Stonington Veterinary Hospital owner Sonya Swinamer in the Community Proud series sponsored by CorePlus Credit Union.

With 20 years of veterinary experience and a dedication to both animals and the community, Dr. Swinamer has created an environment of loyalty and collaboration among her staff, ensuring the highest standard of care for every four paw patient. A native of Nova Scotia, Swinamer graduated from the Atlantic Veterinary College in 2004 and moved to Stonington 18 years ago.

Swinamer also is director of the Heart Warrior Achievement Scholarship to support individuals with congenital heart disease, empowering them to pursue higher education and achieve their dreams.

Lawrence + Memorial Hospital has been recognized by receiving accreditation in Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery while meeting Quality Improvement Program standards in delivering safe, high quality metabolic and bariatric patient care

The hospital said the Bariatric Surgery Center, a nationally-accredited program, has said that it meets the highest standards for patient safety and quality in the greater New London area.

To learn more about bariatric services at L+M, visit https://www.lmhospital.org/services/bariatric-surgery or call the Bariatric Center at 877-925-3637.

L+M also has been awarded Advanced Primary Stroke Center recertification from The Joint Commission, in collaboration with the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association, as an Advanced Primary Stroke Center for the ninth time.

Advanced Primary Stroke Center Certification recognizes L+M’s commitment in making exceptional efforts to foster better patient outcomes, the hospital said. “L+M’s stroke team has demonstrated its commitment to improving the quality of care it delivers through compliance with quality measures, continuous process improvement and ongoing data collection,” according to a release.

The Connecticut Sun and the sports footwear and clothing brand Saysh have announced a partnership.

Co-founded by Allyson Felix, the most decorated track & field athlete of all time, Saysh was created in consideration for women's unique needs in sports and footwear. Felix made history as the first Olympic athlete to ever compete in their own brand.

Saysh will be sponsoring several events hosted by the Connecticut Sun throughout the 2024 season, most notably a Maternal Health Drive across three games on Sept. 1, 3 and 6. Proceeds go to Connecticut Sun community partners, the Village for Families & Children and Bridge to Success.

Ledge Light Health District recently recognized four of its Medical Reserve Corps volunteers with the President’s Volunteer Service Bronze Award for volunteering over 100 hours in the past year.

Dr. Stanley Bloustine of East Lyme, Nancy MacDonald RN of Mystic, Dr. Carrie Burger of Ledyard, and Lori Calobrisi RN of Mystic volunteer most weeks at the Food to the People Pantry in New London. Ledge Light Health District has 152 MRC volunteers who have provided over 11,000 hours vaccinating, contact tracing, testing, and assisting at food pantries and meal centers during the COVID-19 pandemic and continue to provide services to their communities.

Dottie Gutaj, Griswold town coordinator for the National Day of Prayer held annually on the first Thursday of May, noted that the event’s rich history dates back to 1775 when the first Continental Congress called for a “National Day of Prayer and Fasting,” and Harry S. Truman signed it into law in 1952.

“The National Day of Prayer is a vital part of our heritage. It has great significance for us as a nation, as it enables us to recall and teach the way of our founding fathers who sought wisdom from God when making critical decisions,” Gutaj writes.

Gov. Ned Lamont has signed a proclamation every year he has been in office for this annual observance.

“Here in Griswold, every year we meet at the Gazebo,” Gutaj reports. “Three churches were represented, and Pastor Scott Van Alst from the Second Congregation Church read scripture and prayed for clergy and our churches.... We sang patriotic songs. Tina Falk, first selectman, read the governor’s proclamation.”

In Voluntown, a gathering of about 40 people in their Pavillion was led by town coordinator Gordon Arent and his team, including clergy. In Norwich, at City Hall, Pastor Chuck Tyree from the Norwich Alliance Church led the gathering at noon. “It is a precious right we exercise when we gather in public to pray exercising our freedom of religion and of assembly,” he writes.

For more information, go to www.NationalDayofPrayer.org.

The Buzz is a weekly roundup of business news compiled by Business Editor Lee Howard. To get in The Buzz, email businessbriefs@theday.com. To easily access urls cited in print, go to www.theday.com and type “The Buzz” into the search bar.