The Stonington Garden Club has announced its 2024-2025 executive board members. They are: Laura Metzger, Co-President; Jill Corr, Co-President; Susan Alston, 1st Vice President/Membership; Deborah Kotchen, 2nd Vice President/Programs; Pamela Wright, Recording Secretary; Dodie Bump, Communications Secretary; Helen Garten, Treasurer, and Valerie Kelsey, Assistant Treasurer. All are residents of Stonington, Mystic, or Pawcatuck.

The Stonington Garden Club is an all-volunteer, non-profit organization whose purpose is to educate and encourage interest in the environment and conservation, support community projects, and stimulate the knowledge and love of gardening. For more information, visit www.stoningtongardenclub.org.

Cumulus Media announces that it has appointed longtime 92 WPRO-FM on-air personality Kim Zandy as co-host, mornings on 92 WPRO-FM, expanding its live and local talent lineup for the Top 40 morning radio show. Zandy returns to the station’s popular morning show alongside host Bekah Berger and executive producer Jay Buff, who debuted on the show in May following the retirement of 92 PRO-FM morning host Giovanni.

This marks a return to 92 PRO-FM mornings for Zandy, who was co-host of “Giovanni in the Morning” for 24 years. The show can be heard Monday through Friday from 6 to 19 a.m.

For more information or to stream 92 PRO-FM, visit: https://www.92profm.com/.

Objee, the mascot of the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, has been inducted into the National Service Animals Memorial Purple Poppy Hall of Fame.

The National Service Animals Memorial, a nonprofit organization, will hold its 2nd Annual Purple Poppy Awards on Sept. 28 to honor both the service and sacrifice of service animals and their handlers since the founding of our country and the human-animal bond. This event also celebrates the passage of a bill authorizing the organization to build the National Service Animals Memorial in Washington, D.C.

In 1926, the academy selected the black bear as its mascot and named it Objee, short for objectionable presence. Thirty-one bear cubs fulfilled mascot duties during the 57 years the academy kept a live mascot on campus, concluding in 1984.

Today, Objee is remembered on Bear Plaza, where a bronze statue of the bear watches over the campus, and the costumed sports mascot continues to whip up the crowds during major events. The academy also hosts the Spirit of the Bear Award, which is given to members of the academy community who dedicate time, effort, thought, and care to the development of the Corps of Cadets.

Joshua Gray, a professor at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, is leading a group of faculty members from several institutions across the country in a comprehensive effort to incorporate research into undergraduate biology courses.

Their work recently resulted in a nearly $400,000 grant from the National Science Foundation that will support the addition of undergraduate research in biology courses nationwide. The funding will support the development and testing of laboratory modules, purchase of research supplies, and travel to scientific conferences to disseminate the work.

Traditionally, few undergraduate students have access to research experiences. By including research into his biochemistry laboratory, Gray’s students are able to perform authentic scientific research rather than laboratory exercises with predictable, known outcomes. Gray, head of the Chemical and Environmental Sciences Department at the academy, said "peer reviewed research shows that students exposed to research experiences earlier in their education have higher retention in science, perform better academically, and experience greater growth of scientific identity."

This summer, 634 eligible young adults across eastern Connecticut embarked on an educational journey as part of the CT Youth Employment and Training Program.

The Eastern Connecticut Workforce Investment Board program is funded through various federal, state, town and private sources. EASTCONN, in partnership with New London Youth Affairs and Norwich Human Services, conducts this program in the 44 towns of eastern Connecticut.

Over 135 worksites were developed across eastern Connecticut. Participating businesses ranged from cultural institutions like the Lyman Allyn Museum and Mystic Seaport to social service organizations such as FRESH New London and local municipal offices across the region.

Access Community Action Agency in Willimantic has announced a ribbon-cutting event for its new mobile food pantry van at 11 a.m. Sept. 27. The new van, purchased with a grant from Connecticut Foodshare, will increase the agency’s current reach of 28 towns and nearly 4,000 people in the northeast corner of Connecticut.

Senior Resources is seeking proposals from qualified organizations capable of operating an elderly nutrition project providing congregate and/or home delivered meals to persons age 60-plus in a region that includes Middletown, Cromwell, Portland, East Hampton, East Haddam, Haddam, Durham, and Middlefield. All application information and forms are found on the website www.seniorresourcesec.org. For questions about aging, call 860-887-3561.

Nonprofits

September is National Suicide Prevention Month – a time to raise awareness about 988, a dedicated line that connects Connecticut residents to the United Way of Connecticut 211 mental health crisis services team. The number operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and since February includes chat and text.

In its first year of the 988 service, starting three years ago, United Way of Connecticut 211 saw a 125% increase in suicide prevention and mental health crisis calls. In fiscal year 2024 their crisis services team answered more than 46,000 calls – an increase of 32% from 2023.

“Whether people in crisis reach us through a phone call, a chat or a text message – the support on the other end of the line, the backbone of 988 in CT, is our Crisis Contact Specialist team,” says Lisa Tepper Bates, president and CEO, United Way of Connecticut. “Our team consistently ranks among the top 988 call centers in the nation for speed-to-answer.”

Eversource has been named a Tree Line USA utility by the Arbor Day Foundation in all three states where the energy company operates including Connecticut. In collaboration with the National Association of State Foresters, the Tree Line USA program recognizes public and private utilities that demonstrate best practices for quality tree care, promoting the dual goals of safe, reliable electric service for customers while encouraging tree planting and nurturing healthy trees to grow and thrive.

The U.S. Small Business Administration is hosting a Business Resource Fair on Wednesday, Sept. 25, from 9 a.m. to noon at BristolWORKS!, 430 North Main St., Bristol.

Attendees can learn about free and low-cost resources available to assist with business plans, accessing capital and other great opportunities available to entrepreneurs and small businesses. The event is free to attend.

For more information visit https://www.sba.gov/event/ 51786 or contact Sheri Cote, SBA Outreach and Marketing Specialist at 202-445-6709 or sheri.cote@sba.gov.

Nonprofits

September is National Suicide Prevention Month – a time to raise awareness about 988, a dedicated line that connects Connecticut residents to the United Way of Connecticut 211 mental health crisis services team. The number operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and since February includes chat and text.

In its first year of the 988 service, starting three years ago, United Way of Connecticut 211 saw a 125% increase in suicide prevention and mental health crisis calls. In fiscal year 2024 their crisis services team answered more than 46,000 calls – an increase of 32% from 2023.

“Whether people in crisis reach us through a phone call, a chat or a text message – the support on the other end of the line, the backbone of 988 in CT, is our Crisis Contact Specialist team,” says Lisa Tepper Bates, president and CEO, United Way of Connecticut. “Our team consistently ranks among the top 988 call centers in the nation for speed-to-answer.”

The New England Science & Sailing Foundation announced that it has been awarded a grant from The Wireless Zone Foundation for Giving. This funding will enable NESS to integrate cutting-edge technology into its classrooms, further expanding its commitment to experiential, hands-on learning opportunities for students.

The Wireless Zone Foundation for Giving supports both local and national nonprofit organizations. For more information on NESS’s educational programs and the impact of this grant, visit NESSF.org.

The Cultural Coalition has announced the upcoming Grantmakers & Funders Forum on Tuesday, Oct. 1, from 10 to 11:30 a.m., via Zoom.

The forum will offer updates on the current funding environment for the arts and cultural sector. Panelists will discuss updates on funding programs, share insights into the evolving grantmaking landscape, and answer questions from participants.

Panelists will include representatives from the CT Office of the Arts, CT Humanities, New England Foundation for the Arts, Community Foundation of Eastern CT, and Chelsea Groton Bank. Pre-registration is required at www.culturesect.org.

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