NORWALK, Conn.  –   The International Institute of Connecticut (IICONN), which recently moved its operations in Stamford to Norwalk Economic Opportunity Now, NEON Inc’s, offices located at 34 Woodland Place in Stamford’s South End neighborhood, is inviting the public to join them in celebrating the grand opening of their new office on Wednesday, June 12^th, from 4:30 pm to 7:00 pm in Rooms 201-203.

At IICONN’s grand opening event, the group will introduce the local community to the immigration services they offer. The day of celebration will include two presentations (at 5:00 pm and 6:30 pm,) highlighting the specific services IICONN provides. During the open house IICONN will also be offering free “mini-consultations,” designed to determine how the agency can assist individuals and families.  The usual consultation fee of $50 will be waived that evening.

The International Institute of Connecticut (IICONN ), founded in 1918, is a statewide nonprofit human service agency that addresses the need to provide new immigrants and refugees in Connecticut with services to help them become self-sufficient, integrated and contributing members of the community.  IICONN also provides special services to victims of serious crimes such as human trafficking, torture, and domestic violence. In addition to the Stamford Office (previously located at St. John’s Church) IICONN has offices in Bridgeport and Hartford, and also maintains outreach operations throughout the state of Connecticut.

Other local non-profit service providers in the South End have been invited to join IICONN at the grand opening event to provide information on the services they offer.  Local politicians and community leaders have also been invited to attend.

“I’m pleased with our new location, and especially excited by our collaboration with NEON to provide assistance to the new Americans they serve,” said Angela Zurowski, Executive Director of IICONN   “We look forward to a long tenure here in Stamford’s South End.”

NEON Chief Operating Officer Chiquita Stephenson welcomed news of the relocation and said, “This move will benefit the clients we serve as the missions of our two organizations are complimentary. The services provided by the staff of the International Institute are vital to the community and we’re looking forward to our new partnership and doing whatever we can to support the Institute’s important work.”

Future plans discussed by the two agencies call for the Institute to establish a new office at NEON’s Ben Franklin Center in Norwalk, located at 165 Flax Hill road in South Norwalk in early August 2013.

NEON, serving low income families in the greater Norwalk and Stamford area, operates numerous services and programs in the areas of early childhood development; adult and youth employment and training; energy assistance; neighborhood community centers; wealth & asset development; after school activities; family services; community corrections and substance abuse residential facilities.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING

NORWALK ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY NOW, INC.

REGULAR MEETING WEDNESDAY, APRIL 10, 2013 7:00 P.M.

This annual event offers a wonderful opportunity for staff, parents and children to interact in a special way and encourages the parental involvement that is a cornerstone of the program and so important in a child’s positive educational development and experience. The breakfast is not a public event, open only to students, their parents and educators.

NEON’s Child Development Program serves 529 children at two sites in Norwalk, Nathaniel Ely School located at 11 Ingalls Avenue and the Ben Franklin Center located at 165 Flax Hill Road.

The program is recognized and accredited by the National Association for Education of Young Children (NAEYC).

The NEON Child Development Program receives federal funding for Head Start through the Administration of Children & Families, State of CT funding through the Department of Social Services and Department of Education, as well as funding from the City of Norwalk and the United Way of Norwalk & Wilton, CT.

For more information about NEON’s “Moms & Breakfast,” contact NEON Family Outreach Worker Brenda Capers Myrie at (203) 434-3255 or via email at bcapers@neoncaa.org

NORWALK — NEON announced Friday that the Administration for Children & Families has extended federal funding for Norwalk’s Head Start program which NEON operates through Dec. 31. Funding had previously been extended by the federal agency that administers Head Start through June 30.

Pat Wilson Pheanious, NEON’s interim president and CEO, greeted the news as a very positive development.

“The extension of funding reassures our students’ parents and the community that our agency’s management of Head Start meets or exceeds federal requirements,” she said. “Over the last year, NEON has made great strides in advancing our program. We are now in an excellent position to re-compete for Head Start funding.”

NEON’s Head Start grant funding application was not received by a July 16, 2012, deadline. As there were no successful applicants for the Norwalk area, NEON is now eligible to re-compete in an application process that will be initiated in the near future, according to Wilson Pheanious.

One year ago, the Administration for Children & Families released a report which found NEON had corrected several minor deficiencies related to building safety and staff training which had been identified during a December 2009 program review. As a result of that review, NEON was among 132 Head Start agencies nationwide that were required to reapply for funding.

Since last year, when a federal Office of Inspector General audit found that NEON had misallocated $406,434 in Head Start funds, Wilson Pheanious has overseen a top-to-bottom reorganization of the agency. The agency’s finance department was restructured and accounting procedures were implemented to correct deficiencies cited by that audit and to better manage the day-to-day accounting of dozens of programs and services that NEON operates.

In the letter received by NEON notifying the agency about the Head Start funding extension, the Administration for Children & Families stated that the award will be reduced by the annual amount of the sequester once that percentage is determined.

“It is our expectation (NEON) will continue to serve children throughout this period, acknowledging that some adjustments in service duration or reductions in funded enrollment of children may be necessary due to the effects of the sequester,” the letter states.

NEON serves the economically vulnerable population in the greater Norwalk and Stamford area and operates Norwalk’s Head Start and early child development programs with an enrollment of 512 children.

The anti-poverty agency recently redesigned the second floor of its Ben Franklin Center to create new S.T.E.M. (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) classrooms that are supported by advanced technology.

DOWNLOAD THE OFFICIAL NOTICE FROM CHILDREN & FAMILY SERVICES: children & families notice

Championship games in three divisions will take place on these dates:

Senior Division – Friday, April 26 @ 6:00 p.m.

Midget Division – Saturday, April 27 @ 10:00 a.m.

Minor Division – Saturday, April 27 @ 10:30 a.m.

All championship games will be played at NEON-Stamford located at 34 Woodland Avenue, Stamford.

All-Star Weekend events begin on Friday, May 3^rd with a Pep Rally at Chelsea Piers, One Blachley Road
Stamford, starting at 6:00 pm. The program’s All-Star games, to be played at Chelsea Piers on Saturday, May 4^th, include nine (9) games for players competing in the Midget, Minor and Senior Divisions beginning at 11:00 am., with the last game starting at 3:00 pm (See schedule below and attached.)

The Mighty Might program’s closing ceremony and awards presentation will be held on Saturday, May 11, 2013 at the Domus Foundation located at 83 Lockwood Avenue, Stamford (Old Rogers School Building.) The program requests that all players’ family members, volunteers and staff arrive no later than 9:30 am, as the program will begin promptly at 10:00 am.

The Mighty Might Basketball program end-of-season activities are being coordinated by Lisa M. James at NEON- Stamford. For more information contact Ms. James at phone # 203-352-4880.

NEON, serving low income families in lower Fairfield County, operates numerous services and programs in the areas of early childhood development; adult and youth employment and training; energy assistance; neighborhood community centers; wealth & asset development; after school activities; family services; community corrections and substance abuse residential facilities.

DOWNLOAD: Mighty Might Games Schedule

CLICK LINK TO DOWNLOAD THE PDF VERSION OF THIS ARTICLE: CAA Press Release President’s FY 2014 BudgetEdit

Budget cuts threaten vital programs and services offered by Community Action Agencies

Community Action Agencies (CAAs) across the state of Connecticut are reeling from the President’s FY 2014 budget that was released this week, which includes severe cuts to programs that serve Connecticut’s most vulnerable residents.  These include cuts to the Community Service Block Grant (CSBG) and the Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP).

The Connecticut Association for Community Action (CAFCA) and its eleven member CAAs are extremely disappointed and concerned about the President’s domestic priorities in his proposed FY 2014 budget.  Instead of proposing a blueprint that creates jobs and invests in a better future for our nation’s children and families, the President’s budget unfairly squeezes those who can least afford it.  It includes many reductions in successful programs that keep hard-working, low-wage workers and retirees economically self-sufficient.

Once again, the President proposes a 50% reduction of CSBG funds to $350 million―a nearly $300 million reduction from the FY 2013 allocation―hindering the only sustainable, community-governed approach to reducing poverty in the country.  As one of the few poverty-fighting programs still controlled on a local basis, CSBG allows CAAs to provide essential programs and services to low-income individuals and families in their communities.  In addition, CSBG enhances existing government programs, funds centralized facilities that partner with CAAs for services, and allows for a robust, results-measurement system that tracks the effectiveness of CAAs on the customers they serve.  These are just a few examples of the many ways in which CSBG holistically and positively impacts low-income residents and their communities.  Both Houses of Congress recognize just how vital these services are, and have rejected this cut two years in a row.  The President should learn from this rare display of bipartisanship and eliminate it from his proposal.

His budget also proposes a low funding request―$184 million― for the WAP program.  Although this figure is up from the FY 2013 allocation, it is very low when compared to the $210 million request made by the National Association of State Community Service Programs (NASCSP) and thirty-four other senators earlier this year.  This is hard to believe, especially when the Administration supports billions of dollars for payments to upper-bracket households that buy high-end heating systems or build ‘green housing,’ but can only offer about 3% of those benefits to the 35% of low and moderate income energy consumers who qualify for weatherization services provided by our nation’s CAAs.  There is no reason for the President to fund a program at such a low level, especially when it has proven to deliver low energy bills and create thousands of jobs to levels that are just over half of what the President’s predecessor supported.

The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) was also proposed to stay at its current $3 billion FY 2013 funding level, despite proven insufficient funding levels. This is one program that keeps working families from dangerous hardships and keeps seniors independent in their homes. The White House must believe that the economy has lifted these families out of danger and that this preventive assistance is less needed. Here in Connecticut, that is sadly wrong.

All of these deep cuts threaten the stability and viability of the very communities, families children Connecticut’s CAAs serve.  These programs and services are critical to alleviating poverty and providing our low-income individuals and families with the tools they need to become thriving and contributing members of our society. This is a far cry from the President’s promise not to make cuts that impact families hit the hardest by the recession, and only further hinders the already slow economic recovery we are all facing.

The Jackie Robinson Little League tryouts are being coordinated by NEON-Stamford’s Education and Youth Department. For more information call Lisa James, Director of Education and Youth programs at (203) 325-4880.

NEON, serving low income families in the greater Norwalk and Stamford area, operates numerous services and programs in the areas of early childhood development; adult and youth employment and training; energy assistance; neighborhood community centers; wealth & asset development; after school activities; family services; community corrections and substance abuse residential facilities.

This map shows Fairfield County’s towns ranked in UConn’s study of “food security.” Towns in green are in the top quarter, yellow towns have above-average security, orange towns are below average and red towns are in the bottom 25 percent. Photo Credit: University of Connecticut

FAIRFIELD COUNTY, Conn. – Residents in many Fairfield County towns are among the least likely to go hungry in the state, according to a recent study by the University of Connecticut.

The study ranked all of Connecticut’s 169 municipalities based on “food security,” a metric that gauges access to healthy food based on economic factors and availability. A town with higher food security is less likely to have hungry or malnourished families.

“Food security is access by all people at all times to enough nutritious food for an active, healthy life,” the U.S. Department of Agriculture says.

The study’s main measure of food security was its “At-Risk Ranking,” which used economic factors such as poverty rate, unemployment, income, education, age, vehicle ownership, and the presence of children in the household. A family living in a town with a better “At-Risk Ranking” is less likely to go hungry than one in a town with a worse rating.

The eight towns with the lowest risk of food insecurity were all in Fairfield County, according to the study. Weston ranked No. 1, followed by Darien, New Canaan, Wilton, Easton, Westport, Ridgefield and Redding. Greenwich had the highest ranking among Connecticut’s large towns (45,000 or more people), with Fairfield second in the same group.

Most of Fairfield County ranked in the top 25 percent in terms of food security. But three towns ranked in the bottom quarter (Bridgeport, Norwalk and Danbury) and three more had a higher-than-average risk of food insecurity (Stamford, Shelton and Stratford).

“The study authors hope these results will be used to stimulate town-level discussion and considerations, and may even help prioritize further analysis and commitment to strategies that will strengthen community food security,” authors Adam Rabinowitz and Jiff Martin wrote.

Here’s how towns covered by The Daily Voice ranked:

Darien: No. 2 overall; No. 1 among towns with 15,000-25,000 people
Danbury: No. 132 overall; No. 9 among towns with more than 45,000 people
Easton: No. 5 overall; No. 1 among towns with less than 7,500 people
Fairfield: No. 21 overall; No. 2 among towns with more than 45,000 people
Greenwich: No. 18 overall; No. 1 among towns with more than 45,000 people
New Canaan: No. 3 overall; No. 2 among towns with 15,000-25,000 people
Norwalk: No. 128 overall; No. 8 among towns with more than 45,000 people
Redding: No. 8 overall; No. 2 among towns with 7,500-15,000 people
Ridgefield: No. 7 overall; No. 4 among towns with 15,000-25,000 people
Stamford: No. 124 overall; No. 6 among towns with more than 45,000 people
Weston: No. 1 overall; No. 1 among towns with 7,500-15,000 people
Westport: No. 6 overall; No. 1 among towns with 25,000-45,000 people
Wilton: No. 4 overall; No. 3 among towns with 15,000-25,000 people
See the full study and more rankings here.
http://www.zwickcenter.uconn.edu/CFS/

Ben Franklin/Norwalk

Stamford

“I’m less interested in the past and very interested in the present and moving forward because it’s our kids who will benefit,” Weinberger said in an interview this week. “I believe in the board and its mission. What I’m interested in is the future.”

NEON’s new board of directors, eight of whom live in Norwalk, was sworn in March 20 in the wake of last year’s financial scandal, the resignations of NEON’s president and CEO and old board of directors, and the agency’s merger with the Committee on Training and Employment in Stamford.

The new board, comprised of 18 members, which also includes six members from Stamford, two from Stratford and one each from Westport and Greenwich, already has met once but hasn’t elected officers, set up committees or learned details of its role and responsibilities in overseeing the anti-poverty agency on South Main Street.

Weinberger said she believes the board’s main responsibilities will be choosing a permanent CEO and president to replace Pat Wilson Pheanious, who has been serving in that role since the departure of Joseph Mann, but who is leaving Sept. 9; fiscal oversight; and ensuring that policies and procedures are in place and carried out effectively.

She added that she also expects to be involved in regaining the trust of the community and ensuring effective programs are in place.

A retired teacher and school administrator, Weinberger said she has a lot of experience in working with children who are poor and on free or reduced-price lunches in the schools and has seen the impact of poverty on a child’s academic performance.

She said she developed the country’s first school-based youth mentoring program in Norwalk and wants to develop a mentoring program at NEON.

“That is exactly where I want to spend my time at NEON,” she said. “Children who lack self esteem, support, strong peer relationships, if they have a committed mentor in their lives, they will achieve positive outcomes.”

“The outcomes I believe will be so exciting,” she said. “I want to make sure NEON funds mentors for our kids in Norwalk.”

But before she works to implement a mentoring program at NEON, Weinberger said she is traveling to Honduras for a week in mid-April at the invitation of the U.S. State Department and U.S. Embassy in Honduras to introduce the concept and value of mentors to government and business leaders.
Pheanious said a mentoring program was needed at NEON and was “an incredible opportunity.”

Marisol Rodriguez, a new board member who lives in Norwalk and who works in special education in Stamford, said she can be a strong voice for parents and children, particularly those who don’t speak English. She said she wants NEON to “continue to move forward and provide services for low-income families and to become a light for the community.”

Pheanious, who became NEON’s interim CEO and president last March 9 after Mann was placed on administrative leave (and several months before he officially resigned), said she sat in on an ad hoc committee’s interview of potential board members and that they were excited, qualified and “very knowledgeable about the agency’s recent history.”

“Why they had interest, they recognized the value of NEON as an agency over the years,” Pheanious said. “They recognized the value of this community action agency and lives of people it touches.”

Pheanious said candidates for the new board were asked why they wanted to be on the board, what attributes they had that could help NEON, if they had interacted with people who live in poverty, what they thought the causes of poverty were, whether they believed parental involvement was important and their willingness to listen to people.

“In general, I left the process feeling very excited because we had people not only interested, but well equipped,” she said. “It’s really a good feeling because it’s not only our excitement as a staff, but the board seems to be excited about the challenges ahead.”

A new board of directors was a requirement in the document that merged NEON with CTE of Stamford and neither a member of NEON’s or CTE’s old boards could serve on the new board, Pheanious said. She said she didn’t believe a reason was given in the document for that requirement, but added, “It’s good to have a clean break with the past and begin with a new board.”

The merger had to be approved by NEON’s and CTE’s old boards, and Pheanious said she believed NEON’s old board members agreed to step down because it would be in the Norwalk agency’s best interests.

“I think that they understood it was in the best interest of the agency to start again,” she said. “I think the board recognized it was probably appropriate for them to step down.”

The merger, which the state Department of Social Services endorsed and provided money for, was prompted by financial difficulty that CTE was having, Pheanious said. The DSS provided funding to both NEON and CTE and wanted to ensure that CTE’s programs continued, Pheanious said. “DSS didn’t mandate or force the merger but wanted services maintained,” she said. “It’s why they supported what the two agencies were doing. DSS transferred the contract that had been with CTE to NEON.”

Pheanious said CTE approached DSS about the merger and that Mann and CTE’s director worked toward that goal. “When Mr. Mann stepped down, that’s when they asked me to come down and stabilize things to complete the merger and restore public trust to the extent I could do that, to get things in order,” she said.

Pheanious said the new board was comprised of “problem solvers” and “clear thinkers” who had experience serving on other boards and who came from legal, financial and business backgrounds.

State Sen. Bob Duff, D-Norwalk, said he was “excited about the new board, though I don’t know many of the members.”

“But I do think it’s a significant step for them to have a new board in place and it sends a strong message into the community,” Duff said.

Weinberger, a Norwalk resident since 1971, is also on the board of directors of the United Way of Coastal Fairfield County and was chairman of the board of directors of the United Way of Norwalk and Wilton and former president of the Norwalk Symphony. “This year, I decided … I wanted to get involved with an agency that has as its mission to eradicate poverty,” she said. “In my mind, NEON is the number one anti-poverty agency in Norwalk that addresses the tremendous need of children and families in our community. It’s exciting to think at my age in life I could potentially make a difference in joining a board, a brand-new board.”

Pheanious said she is leaving as NEON’s interim CEO and president on Sept. 9 and that the board has the option of promoting from within or conducting a search to find her replacement.

The merger, which Pheanious said has been seamless for clients of NEON and CTE and didn’t involve the closing of any buildings, likely will lead to a new name for the combined agency. “Eventually, we will re-brand with a new name that is neither NEON nor CTE,” she said.
In addition to Weinberger and Rodriguez, the 18 new board members at NEON include: Vanessa Parker, William Westcott, Rosemarie Michel, Robin Peterson, Katherine R. Williams and Elda Mas, all from Norwalk; Christopher Ruzzi, John J. O’Dea, Terry Adams, Cynthia Bowser, Elizabeth Dukes and Angela Edwards, all from Stamford; TaShun Bowden-Lewis and Dale Ferguson, both from Stratford; Alan J. Rossi of Greenwich; and Mike M. Meyer of Westport.

Weinberger said she’s met her fellow board members and was impressed with them and “truly honored to be one of them.”

Pheanious said she thinks the new board members feel good about one another. “I’m looking for nothing but strength and lack of ongoing controversy,” she said. “There is nothing but positive excitement in our future.”

“This has been a difficult year and-a-half, but there have been people at the agency who have worked tirelessly to set things right,” Pheanious added.