Celebrations
The Den for Grieving Kids wins statewide award for excellence
The Connecticut Coalition to Improve End-of-Life Care has honored the Den for Grieving Kids, Family Centers’ bereavement support program for children and their families, for clinical excellence.
At its annual awards ceremony last month, CTEOL President Eileen O’Shea presented The Den with its Safe Passage Award for Outstanding Clinical Care. Chelsea McGee, Family Centers’ manager of clinical services, and Julianne Green, coordinator of The Den for Grieving Kids, accepted the honor.
“This award is validation that what we are doing at The Den is important, needed work,” said McGee. “We are continuously striving to provide support and create a safe place for the families who come to us during very difficult times in their lives. This award honors and recognizes this special grief community.”
The Connecticut Coalition to Improve End-of-Life Care, founded in 1999, is a statewide coalition that seeks to improve care for the dying and their families and to ensure that everyone has information about and access to compassionate, quality end-of-life care.
The Den for Grieving Kids provides a safe, caring place for children, teens and families to explore their feelings about the loss and begin the journey toward healing. Free biweekly evening support groups meet at Family Centers’ Greenwich offices, and student support groups are offered in several schools across Fairfield County. For more information, visit www.familycenters.org/ The-Den-for-Grieving-Kids.
Family Centers is a private, nonprofit organization offering heath, education and human services to children, adults and families in Fairfield County. Visit www.familycenters.org for additional information.
Pet Pantry Warehouse launches fundraiser for 75th anniversary
GREENWICH — Pet Pantry Warehouse has embarked on a $75,000 fundraising effort in honor of the 75th anniversary of the family-owned and communitybased business.
Executive Vice President Adam Jacobson announced the launch of the yearlong celebration at the PPW location at 1191 E. Putnam Ave. in Riverside.
The community outreach theme for this milestone anniversary is inspired by Pet Pantry founders, World War II Army Air Forces servicemen, Mort Davis, and Jac Cohen.
“We are living proof that independent retail is not a thing of the past,” said Jacobson. “A company’s success is not measured by the money it makes but by the difference it makes in the wellbeing of its customers and community it serves.”
Jacobson said his team evaluates every product sold at the seven retail locations and provides pet food and products that support animal health and well-being. The PPW staff is trained and tested in animal nutrition.
“In our world pets should thrive and not just survive,” he said.
The event was attended by nonprofit partners, which included Adopt-a-Dog, Guiding Eyes for the Blind, and the Greenwich Police Department K-9 Unit.
“We celebrate and applaud your 75 years in business. We know that you’ve been a success because you’re an intricate part of our local community,” said Marcia O’Kane, president of the Greenwich Chamber of Commerce.
First Selectman Fred Camillo, a PPW customer, said, “We’re working on making Greenwich a more pet-friendly place and we will be reaching out to you to partner moving forward . ... I wish you success for the next 75 years.”
The first fundraiser of the year at Pet Pantry Warehouse, called Paws for Love, started Feb. 1 at all PPW locations to support Adopta-Dog.
For more information, visit the Pet Pantry Warehouse website at ppwpet.com.
Local student named to Dean’s List at West Conn
Juztin Lord Reyes, a student from Greenwich who is majoring in accounting, was named to the Dean’s List at Western Connecticut State University in Danbury for the fall 2019 semester.
Local residents make the Dean’s List at Sewanee
The following local students have been named to the Dean’s List at the University of the South in Sewanee, Tenn., for the Fall 2019 term. To earn a spot, a student must earn a minimum grade point average of 3.625.
The honored students are Alice Murray Belshaw of Greenwich; Lily Georgia Fox of Greenwich; Madeleine Clare Hitel of Riverside; and William Jamie Hitel of
Riverside.
Dean's List honorees for Emerson College
The following local students have been named to Dean’s List for the Fall 2019 semester at Emerson College in Boston. The honor requires a grade point average of 3.7 or higher that semester.
The honored students are: Ramsey Frank of Greenwich, who is majoring in media arts production and is a member of the class of 2023; Diana Bravo of Old Greenwich, who is majoring in journalism and is a member of the class of 2021; and Francesca Polistina of Riverside, who is majoring in marketing communications and is a member of the class of 2022.