matchpoint

Nutmeg Big Brothers Big Sisters

…little moments, big magic

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Volume 13 Issue 3

Oct. 2010

aul Becker, successful business-man, husband, father and grandfa-ther, understood as a young man how lucky he was. He had a family

that gave him support plus a grandfather who lived one street over. His grandfather was a mentor to him. When Paul became older he realized he wanted to give back, despite his demanding business career. He chose to be-come a mentor with Nutmeg Big Brothers Big Sisters to provide direction to a young man just as his grandfather had done for him.

Paul began mentoring his Little Brother Den-ny, when the boy was 9. Now Denny is age 18, and has graduated from high school. He is about to pursue a new challenge by attending Lincoln Tech in East Windsor to become an auto body mechanic. Considering all the obsta-cles he has overcome in his short life, it is high-ly likely he will succeed at this endeavor too.

Growing up, Denny lived in a predominately female home with his older sister and his mom and his mom’s friend. His dad is in Jamaica and sees Denny only about once a year. When Denny was 13, his mom made some rash deci-sions leading to disruptions in the family dy-namic. They always had a relationship that was loving and supportive, but this experience was tough on Denny and affected his feelings to-wards his mom. He ended up spending 3 years living with his aunt, who even with 5 boys of her own, welcomed him warmly.

During this time of stress, Paul Becker was with Denny as a friend and mentor, a sounding board when Denny needed to talk. They have enjoyed bowling and playing sports together. Paul even taught him to play golf, a game Paul loved but didn’t have much time for, and one that Denny came to enjoy. They often went to movies, an occasional Yankees game and even the Bronx Zoo. Dinners at restaurants were an

opportunity for Paul and Denny to talk one-on-one. Paul always placed great emphasis on Denny’s education and how crucial academic achievement would be to his success.

Paul served as a good listener and offered the pros and cons of some of his Little’s occupa-tion choices. He wanted to make sure Denny understood the big picture.

Paul has made some sacrifices in being a

mentor to his Little. He gave up family time as well as golf time to be there for Denny. During this period Paul was working hard to build a new successful business involving long hours. But to Paul, the effort has been well worth it. Denny, despite his initial re-sistance, listened to Paul and became a conscientious student. Denny works part-time (at a job Paul helped him to get) to save money for the tuition for school. The two have plans to create a budget for Denny so he’ll be able to meet his goals.

When Denny talks about his Big Brother, he calls him the most important person in his life. “He helped me to see the need for a high school diploma and beyond in order to go

Big Brother Stresses Education further in life. Even when I saw friends or other family members drop out, Paul was there to encourage me and he even got me a tutor so I would succeed. I am so glad he is in my life!”

Paul is equally impressed with his Little Brother and expects to continue to be an active part of his future. He looks forward to seeing Denny pass along some of the values he has learned to others.

Paul speaks highly of Big Brothers Big Sisters as “a fantastic organization that can be a positive influence in a young person’s life.” ☺

Big Brother Paul Becker and Little Broth-er Denny have been matched for 9 1/2 years.

You can help support a match that will enrich the life of another young per-son just as Paul has done for Denny. By attending the annual Nutmeg Gala “Big Hearts, Big Dreams, Real Hope” on Friday, November 12th at Avon Old Farms Inn, you can make a big difference in the lives of at-risk young people. The evening will be emceed by WFSB TV mete-orologist Scot Haney. Jay Harris, anchor of ESPN’s Sports Center will deliver a keynote address.Contact 860-525-5437, ext. 139, or visit www.NutmegGala. Kintera.org to learn more about this fund raiser.

If you cannot attend, please consider sending a donation in the attached envelope.

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…little moments, big magic2

President & CEO Laura Green

Board of Directors

William Carew, Chairman John M. Bailey, II Beth Barrett Kathy Browne Thomas Daily Pamela D. Gordon Devin Hawthorne Dwayne Jackson Nancy Kotchko Rick Lassiter Jenna Lombardo Michael Mahoney Peter Perakos Irene Pittman Carey E. Redd, III Agnes Quinones Carolann Smith John Simeone James Smith Stephen T. Sonnone Richard Stewart Tracy Stewart Wendy Stowell

Board of Trustees James Beardsley Tony Braz Tim Coppage Brian DiBella Martin L. Fields Dan FitzMaurice Gus Gamache Beverly Garofalo Barbara Grant Wayne Holcombe Eric Langshur Worth Loomis Patrick McCabe Suzanne McDonald Hugh Murray, III Rie Poirier-Campbell Judith Radasch Michael Ratchford Gene Rosenberg

matchpoint is published by

Nutmeg Big Brothers Big Sisters 30 Laurel Street, Suite 3 Hartford, CT 06106-1377 (800) 237-KIDS (Toll Free) (860) 525-5437 (860) 525-4609 (Fax) www.nutmegbigbrothersbigsisters.org We invite your comments. Send letters or comments to: Ginny Larkin, Editor ginny.larkin@comcast.net

Jonas Brothers Pitch In for Nutmeg Ten Littles from the Nutmeg/Comcast "Beyond School Walls" mentoring program were super-stoked to be special guests at a recent benefit softball game at New Britain Stadium between the Jonas Brothers' softball team, The Road Dogs, and the ESPN commenta-tor softball team, The G.O.A.T.S. (Greatest Of All Time). Fan favorites Nick, Joe and Kevin Jonas, famous for their chartbusting singles, hit enough doubles, triples and hom-ers that afternoon to trample the ESPN G.O.A.T.S. and still have enough steam left over to rock the Comcast Theatre later that night. ☺

The Road Dogs, The ESPN G.O.A.T.S, Littles, and staff from Comcast and Nutmeg Big Broth-ers Big Sisters pose for a group portrait following the hotly-contested JoBro softball game at New Britain Stadium.

Taking part in the recent production of a promotional video for the U.S. Census Bureau was Laura Green, President and CEO of Nutmeg Big Brothers Big Sisters. Filming was done in the non-profit's central office in Hartford. The purpose of the video is to com-municate to the public on local, regional and national levels on the importance of energet-ic participation in the census process.

"America doesn't function as it should without an updated census," said Alexandra SV Barker, a Media Participation Specialist for the U.S. Census Bureau. "An updated census insures that important funding is distributed to areas most in need of funding. It's an effort that positively impacts the lives of us all. We thank Laura Green and Nutmeg Big Brothers Big Sisters for assisting us in spreading the word about the many far-reaching benefits of strong census participation."

"The accurate data gathered by the U.S. Census Bureau is extremely important to Nut-meg," said Laura Green. "We employ that data when we're seeking the funding that ena-bles us to continue offering our family-strengthening, community-enhancing programs to our clients throughout Connecticut. Additionally, we utilize it for our ongoing planning pur-poses. We're happy to help the U.S. Census Bureau achieve its goal of building audience awareness."

Every ten years, a portrait of America is taken by the U.S. Census Bureau. The infor-mation gathered provides a clear and detailed picture of the country and its diverse na-tionalities. The results of the national portrait have political, economic and social impact. For more information on the census process and the U.S. Census Bureau, go to: www.census.gov. ☺

Nutmeg President Featured in Census Video

…little moments, big magic3

Each year since 2002, the members of the 43rd Aviation Flying Club have donated their time, expertise and equipment so youngsters in the Nutmeg Big Brothers Big Sisters mentoring program can become familiar with the basics of flying and then experience the thrill of actual flight in a carefully maintained and fully equipped 4-seat, single-engine plane. The activity has be-come so popular at Nutmeg that a lottery must be held annually to regulate the crush of candidates. This year's group was made up of 10 Bigs and Littles. Among them was 15-year-old Ariel and her Big Sister, Denisha Brown.

First up for the pilots-for-a-day is a run-through on navigation, weather patterns, instrumentation, cloud formations and a check list of key other items. Afterwards, conditions permitting, the Littles and their Bigs are taken aloft for a breathtaking flight. Sometimes, with supervision, the instructors allow the Littles to handle the controls for a few miles.

The flying adventure has many benefits, in addition to being a whole lot of fun. It exposes the Nutmeg Littles to possible career options. It empowers them by introducing them to an activity few of their peers have taken part in. Also, because mentors and the children being mentored enjoy this unique activity as a team, the bond between them is substantially strengthened.

“What a wonderful gift,” said Laura Green, President and CEO of Nutmeg Big Brothers Big Sisters. “And what a wonderful way it is to add dimension to a child’s world!”

The 43rd Aviation Flying Club is a non-profit, member-owned association established in 1962 and based at Brainard Field in Hartford. The club has a diverse membership with a wide range of aviation experience, from low-time weekend pilots to sea-soned fliers with thousands of accumulated hours. For more information, visit the organization’s website: www.43rdaviation.com. ☺

Ariel Goes Aerial Brownstone Hosts Fundraiser

On Saturday, June 19, Brownstone Exploration & Discovery Park in Portland offered free admission to 500 Bigs and Littles from Nutmeg Big Brothers Big Sisters. In addition, Brown-stone donated 50% of that day’s gate receipts to the non-profit, with the goal of moving kids off its waiting list and into life-altering match relationships. This makes the third year in a row that Brownstone has stepped up to lend a hand to Nutmeg, the state’s premier youth mentoring organization.

“This is unbelievably generous on the part of everybody at Brownstone,” said Laura Green, Nutmeg’s President and CEO. “Thanks to their efforts, children now in our program will experience a day on a Class-A fresh water quarry lake they’ll remember forever. And many children who’ve expressed the desire to join our program will soon have a caring and reliable role model in their lives that they might not have benefited from otherwise.”

The event is called “Mentoring-in-Motion” and the emphasis is definitely on the word “motion”. Attendees took part in cliff-jumping, rock climbing, hiking, biking, snorkeling, wake board-ing, zip lining, kayaking, and swimming. For “Bigs” and “Littles”, there were free scuba diving, rock climbing, snorkeling and wakeboarding lessons. And fueling all of this fun was seven hours of live music supplied by crowd-pleasing local bands Prizm, For a Cure, Something to Go By, Rusted Sliver and Zayne Couch Explosion.

“Brownstone Exploration & Discovery Park is committed to teaching outdoor adventure skills to kids and adults,” said Gen-eral Manager Sean Hayes. “Outdoor adventure sports develop lasting bonds between participants, confidence and a sense of discovery, while instilling a love of the great outdoors, passion for the environment and physical activity – lifelong obsessions that Brownstone is proud to promote through great organiza-tions such as Nutmeg Big Brothers Big Sisters.”

For more information on Brownstone Exploration & Discovery Park go to: www.brownstonepark.com. Or, call: 1-866-860-0208. ☺

All fueled up and preparing for take off on the runway at Hart-ford's Brainard Field are Little Sister Ariel, left, and her Big Sister, Denisha Brown, both program partici-pants at Nutmeg Big Brothers Big Sisters.

Sean Hayes, General Manager of Portland’s Brownstone Explora-tion & Discovery Park, announced the park donated 50% of its June 19 gate receipts to Nut-meg Big Brothers Big Sisters, while admitting 500 of the non-profit’s Bigs and Littles at no charge.

…little moments, big magic4

Bigs and Littles Guest on ESPN’s Winners Bracket Show Frank Nunes, a Big Brother with Nutmeg Big, has gone from

adult mentor to amateur race car driver. A longtime NASCAR fan, Nunes has joined a diverse group of 54 other men and women for the Robin Hood Rally, a series of timed runs in con-testant-owned vehicles on closed public roads between 7 and 15 miles long featuring incredible curves and straight-a-ways. The skill-challenging competition consists of 10 two-day events and takes place in 10 host states representative of the vast American landscape. The Robin Hood Rally kicked off in late May in New Hampshire. It screeches to a halt in Louisiana in early November.

In addition to bragging rights and the adrenalin rush of white knuckle street racing action, there are other potential rewards for Robin Hood Rally racers. Contestants are also competing for prizes in excess of $500,000 including a Ferrari F430, a Por-sche 911 Turbo and a Corvette Z51 convertible.

The icing on the cake for Robin Hood Rally competi-tors is the possibility of at-taining instant celebrity sta-

tus. All participants have the opportunity of being featured on nationwide television, dependent on how they do in each sched-uled race. Footage is being shot at all of the two-day competi-tions by producers of a car racing reality show. The edited mate-rial will be broadcast beginning in early October on Versus, a sports cable network. The show will air twice weekly during the season on Versus: at 1:00 p.m. Eastern Time on Saturday, with an encore presentation on Monday at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time.

"This is all really exciting," said Nunes. "No matter how I come out in the competition, the experience will be well worth the ef-fort. It's something I've always wanted to do."

Nunes, of Middletown, is a juvenile probation officer at the Connecticut Department of Children and Families. He's been a Big Brother with Nutmeg Big Brothers Big Sisters since 2003. Last April, the organization celebrated his outstanding mentoring skills by presenting him with a Volunteer Recognition Award. Nunes is matched with Thomas, a 14-year-old boy from Higganum. In his understated way, Thomas has always been very impressed by the man who's been his friend, confidante and role model for the past six years. Now that he's competing in the Robin Hood Rally, Thomas' opinion of his Big Brother has no doubt risen a few notches higher. ☺

Representing communities from across the state, seven Bigs and their Littles from Nutmeg Big Brothers Big Sisters were recently invited to make up the small in-studio audience at a taping of the ESPN 60-minute sports highlight-driven series, Winners Bracket. The show is taped at the ESPN studios in Bristol on Saturday afternoon from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. It's then transmitted to New York, where it's broadcast from 5:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. as part of ESPN Sports Saturday on ABC.

The afternoon started with a tour of the studios and production facilities at ESPN. Next came the taping of Winners Bracket. Bigs and Littles were encouraged by the show's floor director to cheer loudly for their favorite sports highlights, boo equally as loud at any and all analytical comments they disagreed with, and participate energetically in the on-set banter of co-hosts Marcellus Wiley and Michelle Beadle. At the conclusion of the taping session, Wiley and Beadle posed for photos with the Bigs and Littles , answered questions and signed all requests for autographs. Each of the Bigs and their Littles received Winners Bracket tee shirts from ESPN to help them remember their unique TV broadcasting experience.

"This, I'm sure, will be an unforgettable afternoon for the seven matches who attended," said Laura Green, President and CEO of Nutmeg Bib Brothers Big Sisters. "We thank ESPN for making this truly amazing opportunity available to us and for being such gracious hosts to our Bigs and Littles."

From thrilling performances to record-setting moments to mem-orable quotes, Winners Bracket debates and recaps the week in sports in a fast tempo, quick-witted, format with the 16 biggest newsmakers of the week pitted against each other in seeded brackets. For additional information, go to: www.espn.go.com. ☺

Robin Hood Rally Racer

Following a taping of Winners Bracket on ESPN are, from left, co-host Marcellus Wiley, Big Brother Gary Tur-co, Gary's Little Broth-er Willis, and co-host Michelle Beadle. In addition to Gary and Willis, 6 other Bigs and Littles from Nutmeg Big Brothers Big Sisters made up the small in-studio audience of that edition of the Winners Bracket series.

Big Brother Frank Nunes is shown with his Little Brother Thomas at a Nutmeg-sponsored event.

…little moments, big magic5

Mega Education Equips Littles for Back-to-School

During the last several weeks, representatives from Mega Edu-cation have been visiting local neighborhoods and passing out backpacks to youngsters in the Nutmeg Big Brothers Big Sis-ters community-based program. The backpacks aren't merely trendy fashion items or handy spaces for toting textbooks. They also come packed to the seams with classroom supplies like notebooks, dictionaries, writing utensils, slide rules and much more. Prior to the end of summer, approximately 50 lucky Nut-meg Littles were well-equipped to launch into the 2010-2011 academic year.

"This is just the latest example of the generosity that's prevalent at Mega Education," said Glenn Fields, Enrollment Coordi-nator at Nutmeg Big Brothers Big Sisters. "When they heard that kids in our program where eager to get back to school, but concerned about not being able to afford the day-to-day materi-als they'd need, Mega stepped right up and pledged that those materials would be made available before classes started. And they were true to their word. I've worked with Mega Education in the past and have often witnessed them motivating students to do their best."

Mega Education, now celebrating its 20th year, is a dynamic, stay-in-school media based scholastic incentive system de-signed to reward student effort and achievement. Conceived and managed by attorney Jeffrey Dressler, Mega enjoys the support of community and corporate partners. For more infor-mation on Mega Education, go to: www.megaeducation.com.

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At the 2010 Annual Meeting of the Connecticut Senior Service Corps Association, Irene Pittman was presented a Romero Cherry Senior Corps Volunteer Award for her many years of commitment and exem-plary contributions to the Foster Grandparent Program.

The Foster Grandparent Program is sponsored by Nutmeg Big Broth-ers Big Sisters. In it, adults age 55 and older pass along their love and accumulated wisdom to youngsters primarily in local schools and day-care centers. The program helps senior citizens stay vital and independ-ent, motivates students, and enhances the teaching environment for teachers and school administrators.

The Foster Grandparent Program, Retired Senior Volunteer Program, and the Senior Companion Program are the three elements that com-prise the Connecticut Senior Corps Association, which is an integral component of the Corporation for National and Community Service. Prior to his passing in 2009, Romero Cherry, in whose honor Mrs. Pittman's recent award was named, had been the Connecticut Director of the Corporation for National and Community Service for four decades. A nurse for 40 years with the Connecticut Department of Mental Health, Mrs. Pittman has been a Nutmeg Big Brothers Big Sis-ters Foster Grandparent at the Carmen Arace School in Bloomfield since 1987. A graduate of the University of Bridgeport, Mrs. Pittman has been a valued member of Nutmeg's Board of Directors since 1999. In addition, she serves on the Foster Grandparent Program's Advisory Council. For her outstanding mentoring skills, Mrs. Pittman was present-ed a Volunteer Recognition Award by Nutmeg earlier this year. At that ceremony she also received citations signed by Governor M. Jodi Rell, Attorney General Richard Blumenthal, and State Comptroller Nancy Wyman.

"Mrs. Pittman is a true inspiration," said Laura Green, President and CEO at Nutmeg, "not just to the children she interacts with each day at Carmen Arace, but also to me, the staff and to board members. We're so very fortunate that she's elected to help us fulfill our mission of bring-ing about positive life outcomes for disadvantaged children."

The Corporation for National Service improves lives, strengthens com-munities and fosters civic engagement for Americans of all ages through service and volunteerism. To find out more about the organization, go to:

www.nationalservices.gov. ☺

Irene Pittman Named Senior Corps Volunteer Award Winner

Pictured are attorney Jeffrey Dressler, the creator of Mega Educa-tion, along with two of the recent backpack recipi-ents, Alexander, left, and Brian. In addition to being Littles in Nutmeg's pro-gram, Alexander and Brian are actual brothers. Having a conversation

at the 2010 Annual Meeting of the Con-necticut Senior Ser-vice Corps Associa-tion are, on the left, Orelia Barnaby, Foster Grandparent Program Coordinator at Nutmeg Big Brothers Big Sisters; and, on the right, Irene Pittman, a Foster Grandparent with Nut-meg for twenty-three years.

Get the latest news and infor-mation from Nutmeg Big Brothers Big Sisters. Check out our new Facebook Page. Join the conversation.

…little moments, big magic6

Dr. Steve Schutzer is Non Profit Volunteer of the Year

At its Non Profit Heroes award presentation, held during the 2010 Connecticut Business Expo, orthopedic surgeon Dr. Steven Schutzer of West Hartford was named Volunteer of the Year by the Hartford Business Journal for his tradition of service to others.

Dr. Schutzer, a team physician with the Connecticut Joint Replace-ment Institute at St. Francis, has been a mentor in the Community-Based Program of Nutmeg for the past ten years. He has mentored a 19-year-old high school senior named Patrick, who lives in Hart-ford, since the young man was nine. Dr. Schutzer’s mentoring skills and the positive outcomes of his match with Patrick were celebrated by Nutmeg when the organization selected him to be the recipient of one of its prestigious Volunteer Recognition Awards in 2006.

In addition to his mentoring activities with Nutmeg and his demand-ing professional career, Dr. Schutzer has made it a priority to offer his time and talent when and where they’re needed. He’s a longtime member of the Men of Color Initiative, and a clinical associate professor of orthopedic surgery at the University of Connecti-cut. Earlier this year, he joined a team of other area doctors who flew to Haiti to offer their medical skills to the devastated people of that earthquake-ravaged country.

“I’m deeply humbled to receive the Hartford Business Journal’s Vol-unteer of the Year award,” said Dr. Schutzer following the presenta-tion ceremony. “Rather than focusing on me, though, I hope this recognition makes more people aware of what the Nutmeg Big Brothers Big Sisters brand of mentoring is capable of achieving, and how the organization needs the ongoing support of the many com-munities it serves.”

Laura Green, President and CEO of NBBBS said, “We were thrilled, but not at all surprised that Dr. Schutzer received this award. He’s consistent, caring and inspirational…everything an outstanding mentor should be. We’re extremely fortunate that he has chosen to participate in our organization, and that he continues to be so passionate an advocate for its mission of service to disad-vantaged children.” ☺

Under nearly cloudless late spring skies, Nutmeg Big Brothers Big Sisters hosted its much anticipated 18th Annual Invitational Golf Classic. It was held for the second time at the legendary Hartford Golf Club in West Hartford. This year’s event saw a record breaking number of golfers participating, with more than 200 players taking to the 114-year-old club’s superbly-conditioned fairways and greens.

In addition to a thrilling day of world class golf at an impeccably-maintained venue, attendees enjoyed a bar-b-cue lunch, on course contests, a cocktail reception, dinner, a raffle, player awards and live and silent auctions. The master of ceremonies for the program portion of the evening was NBC 30 news anchor Brad Drazen. Chairman of the committee that spent more than 5 months organizing the day long event was Tom Daily, a Nutmeg Board member and partner at the law offices of Reid & Riege. One of the after dinner speakers was veteran Big Brother Har-old Wolliston, who spoke from personal experience about how the Nutmeg Big Brothers Big Sisters brand of mentoring benefits communities, families and individuals.

The Platinum sponsor for Nutmeg’s 18th Annual Invitational Golf Classic was NorthStar Pulp & Paper Co., Inc. Gold sponsors were : Aerodynye Alloys; Aramark Corporation; The Travelers Companies, Inc.; and USA Hauling & Recycling. Silver spon-sors were: ConnectiCare, Inc.; Edwards, Angell, Palmer & Dodge; John Hancock; Reid & Riege; and Signal Service, Inc. Bronze sponsors were: CNC Software; FiberTech, LLM Capital Partners; McGann, Bartlett & Brown; Ovations Benefits Group; PPI Benefit Solutions; Ryan Business Systems; Stew-art Staffing Solutions; and Universal Connectivity.

“Thanks to our very generous sponsors and event attendees, we dramatically surpassed our financial goal for our 2010 golf fund-raiser,” said Laura Green, Nutmeg’s President and CEO. “This is really exciting news because it makes it possible for us to tran-sition more at-risk local children off our waiting list and into life affirming matches with caring adult mentors.” ☺

Tee Time for NBBBS Golf Classic

Posing for the camera are, left, Big Brother award recipient Dr. Steven Schutzer, an orthopedic sur-geon at the Con-necticut Joint Replacement Institute; and Laura Green, right, President and CEO at Nut-meg Big Broth-ers Big Sisters.

Enjoying a conversation during the reception por-tion of Nutmeg’s 18th Annual Invitational Golf Classic are, from left, Nathan Grube, Tourna-ment Director of the Travelers Champion-ship; and Laura Green, President and CEO of Nutmeg.

…little moments, big magic7

Donors Our thanks to the following organizations and individuals for their generous dona-tions, received from 5/1/10 TO 8/30/10.

Gifts of $50,000 and over Hartford Foundation for Public Giving Gifts of $10,000-$49,999 Big Brothers Big Sisters of America Bob's Discount Furniture Charitable Foundation, Inc. Central Connecticut State University Community Foundation of New Britain Department of Children and Families Department of Higher Education David Goodman Hartsprings Foundation, Inc. Maximilian E. & Marion O. Hoffman Foundation, Inc., Lincoln Financial Group Foundation Tow Foundation U.S. Department of Health & Human Services

Gifts of $5,000-9,999 Aramark City of Hartford Governor's Partnership to Protect Connecticut Workforce, Inc Governor's Prevention Partnership Kostin, Ruffkess & Co., LLC The Fund for Greater Hartford Gifts of $1,000-$4,999

Aetna, Inc. Bank of America Bristol-Myers Squibb Company Brownstone Exploration & Discovery Park LLC Community Foundation of Southeastern Connecticut Conn Acoustics Inc. Edwards Angell Palmer & Dodge Fibertech Networks, LLC Fidelity Charitable Gift Fund Freeman Spogli & Co. VI L.P. Harold L. Wyman Foundation, Inc. Invesco Kintera Main Street Community Foundation, Inc. McGann Bartlett & Brown Frederick Moseley NewAlliance Foundation Ovation Benefits Group, LLC Vanessa Powell PPI Benefit Solutions Prudential Foundation Putnam Savings Foundation Reid and Riege, P.C. Ryan Business Systems, Inc. SBM Charitable Foundation, Inc. Carolann Smith

Gifts of $500-$999

Aetna Giving Campaign Giving Express Online ING Eric Langshur

Mentoring Heritage Society

The Mentoring Heritage Society is comprised of individuals who have supported our endow-ment program through a variety of gifts. The endowment helps to insure that Nutmeg Big Brothers Big Sisters and its mission will con-tinue far into the future.

The current members of the Mentoring Society are:

Anonymous #1 The Arthur & Edythe Director Family Fund Walter E. Doak The Helen & Bernie Fields Family The Maximilian E. & Marion O. Hoffman Foundation The Sebastian E. Rosano Memorial Fund In Memory of Robert M. “Skip” Walsh

Gifts of $500-$999 (cont.) LexisNexis Cares Loel Meckel Orthopedic Associates of Hartford Pfizer United Way Campaign Solomon and Katie Wohl Foundation Town of Ellington United Technologies Willimantic Rotary Club

Gifts of $250-$499

Elizabeth D. Bailey Kathleen Browne Joanne Foss Glastonbury HS Key Club IBM Accounts Payable Center Albert W. Landi Northern Builders Pomperaug Ladies Nine Rockville Bank Rockville Bank Foundation, Inc. Trust Willimantic Waste Paper Co., Inc.

Gifts of $100-$249

Allstate Giving Campaign Aplus learning headquarters AT&T United Way Employee Giving Campaign Babson Capital Management Coe Bancroft Bank of America United Way Campaign Beth Barrett Paul Brehne Susan Carvalho CT Eagles Jared Dolphin General Reinsurance Corporation Glastonbury Barbershop, LLC David Guardia Health Consultants Group, LLC James Healy Jeffrey Hogan Carla Lamarr Catherine Lamarr Robert Loiseau Donna M. Martin Lisa Mayer Paul McDonough Alison Neary New England States & Eastern Canada Assoc.Aux.IBPOE of W Edward Noonan Linda Paganini Geraldine Schmidt W Schuyler Post Trinity College United Technologies Corporation University of Hartford Wareham and Associates Herb Wischow Brian E. Wolfenden

Friendship Circle (Monthly Pledges) Sherri Conroy Keith Lavigne United Way

United Way of Central and Northeastern Connecticut United Way of Dutchess County, Inc. United Way of Eastern Fairfield County United Way of Greater Waterbury United Way of Meriden and Wallingford, Inc. United Way of Naugatuck and Beacon Falls, Inc. United Way of Northwest Connecticut, Inc. United Way of Southington, Inc. United Way of West Central Connecticut

Due to space constraints, we regret that we do not include the names of those donors who gave us gifts of less than $100. We thank you for all gifts. ☺

Get the latest news and in-formation from Nutmeg Big Brothers Big Sisters.

Check out our new Face-book Page. Join the conver-sation.

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…little moments, big magicMain Office 30 Laurel Street, Suite 3 Hartford, CT 06106-1377 860.525.5437

“Big Hearts, Big Dreams, Real Hope” Gala Friday, November 12th, 2010 Avon Old Farms Inn, Avon with Scot Haney as Emcee

Contact: 860-525-5437, ext. 139, www.NutmegGala.Kintera.org

Foster Grandparent Celebrated On the final day of class in June at Hartford’s M.D. Fox Elementary School, students, teachers and staff came together enjoy some cake and to celebrate the 90th birthday of their friend Gertrude Blanks, who drives herself across town every Monday through Friday to serve at the school as an adult mentor in the Nutmeg Big Brothers Big Sisters Foster Grandparent Program.

Earlier in her career, Mrs. Blanks was an actress with the Hartford Stage Company. She also spent twenty-five years working as a story-teller and reader at the Hartford Public Library. In a specially-equipped van, she traveled to schools, nursing homes, museums, churches, parks and even the occasional laundromat to weave her unique brand of magic. At one point, she estimates, she was telling stories to 80,000 people annually. Her performance skills, upbeat personality and advocacy for the intellectual and social growth of young people have made Mrs. Blanks a living legend with generations of Hartford residents.

Mrs. Blanks has been a volunteer with Nutmeg’s Foster Grandparent Program since 1999. She’s been stationed at the Fox School for just a year, yet in that relatively short amount of time she’s made a definite impact.

“I won the lottery when Gertrude Blanks was assigned to my class,” said Rose Vouthounes, a second-grade teacher at the Fox School. “She has a way of sparking the creativity of the children and is always working to build on their reading skills. With her mesmerizing story-telling abilities, she never fails to command the attention of the students.”

Principal Michael D. Lorenzo said, “I haven’t known Mrs. Blanks for long, but I do know that I could use many more people with her pas-sion for education. She inspires not only her students at Fox, she inspires everybody here. And that includes me.” ☺