DIVING IN TO A SUCCESSFUL FUTURE

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2Impact Winter|Spring 2011

“ I decided I want to change the way people

think of [urban minority] men.”

“I was fishing with a friend and I fell in,” he recalls. “I

was scared of the water after that. So my parents and my

counselors at ConnectiKids decided I should learn how

to swim.”

With one new skill mastered, Taurean began to explore

other waters through the summer and after-school

programs at ConnectiKids, a United Way Community

Investment partner that serves elementary school students

in the Asylum Hill and Barry Square neighborhoods of

Hartford.

“One of our goals is to expose the kids to new things,

whether it’s fine and performing arts, swimming, martial

arts, or cooking. But academics comes first,” notes Ricardo

Herrera, ConnectiKids’ former executive director.

ConnectiKids’ tutoring and mentoring programs work

hand-in-hand with neighborhood schools to ensure that

out-of-school time is time well-spent. “When they don’t

have that push from home, we try to be that push,” says

Herrera.

Taurean is fortunate to have a close-knit family –

with four siblings who also attended ConnectiKids.

Still, he says, “I was at a turning point in my life, and

ConnectiKids gave me so many wonderful role models. I

decided I want to change the way people think of [urban

minority] men,” he says.

“I want to become the

best Taurean I can be.”

In his case, that meant a

commitment to art. “I’ve

always loved to draw, so

Ric [Herrera] and the

other staff helped me take

it to the next level. They

made me the editor of

the summer yearbook for

two years in a row. I got

to work with professional

artists,” he recalls.

Taurean has remained involved with the agency ever

since, participating in its alumni program for middle

and high school students and serving as a public speaker

and advocate. Meanwhile, his quest for excellence has

led him from Hartford Public High School to Capital

Community College, then to UConn’s West Hartford

campus and finally to UConn’s Storrs campus, where he

currently studies fine arts.

“I want to keep challenging myself,” he says. “Ric always

told me, ‘You can do it, you can do it.’ And I will.”

Your contributions to United Way Community Investment

support an interconnected web of education, income, health

and safety net services that help our neighbors build a better

life for themselves. That includes after-school and summer

programs that help children and youth develop the skills

for success in school and in life. To learn more, visit

unitedwayinc.org/education.

Impact Winter|Spring 2011 3

3,000 young people improved their academic

skills last year in after-school and summer programs

because you gave to United Way Community Investment.

Because of contributions like

yours to United Way Community

Investment, Taurean Stovall of

Hartford not only finished high

school – today he is a successful

art major at the University of

Connecticut.

TAUREAN STOVALL’S ART CAREER STARTED WITH AN UNPLANNED DIVE INTO THE CONNECTICUT RIVER.