Care Closet donation drive welcomes your help

TORRINGTON — Donations are needed for the Torrington High School Care Closet. The drive is being overseen by Tim Gaffney of Litchfieldcountysports.com.

“When I heard that 1 in 8 students at THS are considered at risk when it comes to their living and food situations, it stunned me,” Gaffney said. “The Care Closet is doing pretty well in the clothing department but needs food certificates to hand out to students in need so they can get a hot meal.”

On Tuesday, Dec. 18, before and after the Torrington High School boys’ basketball games against Holy Cross, Gaffney will have a table by the gym entrance to collect more donations.

“Stop by on Tuesday before or after the game to help out,” Gaffney said.

Gaffney’s “Drive to 100” has set a goal to collect 100 food cards by Dec. 20 to give to the Care Closet, so young people in need can have them to use during Christmas vaation. To date, Gaffney says he has close to 70 cards. He has received matching gift cards from Jimmy’s Store and Alfredo’s Deli, both in Torrington. “I will be hitting the streets over the next couple of days looking for more matching funds,” Gaffney said.

For information, email Tim Gaffney at tgaffney@litchfielcountysports.com or call 860-480-5776.

Senior center program receives critical needs grant

TORRINGTON — The Assisted Medical Transportation Program, administered by the Sullivan Senior Center, Torrington, has received $1,500 through the Critical Needs Grant funded by The Draper Foundation Fund, a fund of the Northwest Connecticut Community Foundation.

The program offers medical related rides Monday-Friday to seniors who are ambulatory or wheelchair bound; these individuals do not have the means or ability to drive due to age related or illness issues. This grant will allow the program to provide an additional 75 round trip medical visits. Over that last several years need for these rides has increased and funding has been level or reduced. Increasing available rides is critical to the programs goal of keeping seniors in the comfort of their own homes.

Free business classes to be held

WINSTED — The Entrepreneurial Center at Northwest Connecticut will offer two free classes. "How does SEO works, Why it is important for your business and The first steps in generating $100K worth of website traffic,” will be held Dec. 12. The second seminar on Dec. 13, will teach how to create a SEO strategy and the latest techniques for SEO. Register at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/generate-websitetraffic-worth-100k-with-searchengine-optimization-seo-tickets52271442291?aff=utm_source%3Deb_email%26utm_medium%3 Demail%26utm_campaign%3Dnew _event_email&utm_term=eventurl_text

Quit smoking in 2019

TORRINGTON — Charlotte Hungerford Hospital (CHH) is holding its “Freedom From Smoking” cessation program in Torrington as part of their ongoing efforts to help smokers kick the habit and live smoke free.

The free program features discussion and skill sessions led by a trained, certified American Lung Association facilitator who understands the motivations and rationalizations of smoking, and uses a positive behavior change approach that teaches people how to become permanent non-smokers. Participants attend eight interactive classes with “Quit Day” midway through the session.

The program will be offered in Torrington on Wednesdays, 4-5:30 p.m. in the Lab Conference Room on the second floor of CHH, 540 Litchfield Street, Torrington, from Jan. 2 to Feb. 20. As a special incentive, the $75 program fee will be waived for all participants. Call 860-496-6538 to register or receive more information. Space is limited.

According to the American Cancer Society, tobacco use remains the single largest preventable cause of disease and premature death in the US, yet millions of Americans still smoke. For information about smoking and its dangers, visit the American Cancer Society website at www.cancer.org.

Museum won’t be open for tours this year

TORRINGTON — The Torrington Historical Society has announced that the Hotchkiss-Fyler House Museum will be closed for the 2018 Christmas season.

In announcing this temporary suspension of holiday tours, Gail Kruppa, Assistant Director/Curator stated “We are sorry to take a hiatus from holiday tours this season especially knowing how much the public enjoys this beautiful historic home, but rest assured, we will re-open for the 2019 Christmas season.”

During the winter months, the museum staff will concentrate on collections care and re-organization of storage facilities and archives. The Hotchkiss-Fyler House Museum will re-open for its regular season in mid April of 2019. At that time, the newly restored Hotchkiss Bedroom will be unveiled to the public for the first time.

The John H. Thompson Memorial Research Library and the archival collection of the Society will undergo re-organization during the winter months. To accomplish this, the library and archives will suspend regular hours during December, January and February.

Researchers interested in using the library are asked to schedule an appointment by contacting the Society at torringtonhistorical@snet.net or 860-482-8260.

VITA volunteers needed for tax season

The Connecticut Association for Human Services (CAHS) in partnership with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), United Way and community groups manages the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) campaign at 50 + sites spanning across Fairfield, New Haven, New London, Middlesex and Litchfield counties for households earning less then $55, 000 per year at no cost.

In 2018 CAHS VITA Volunteer tax preparers: file 16,600 returns, processed more than $25 million in refunds, and helped taxpayers get over $8 million in Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC)

There are many benefits to becoming a VITA volunteer.

Receive free training by experienced and knowledgeable facilitators utilizing IRS materials to help you develop a lifelong skill and build your résumé

Volunteer at a variety of locations, dates, and times convenient to your schedule

Earn a Certificate of Recognition & Letter of Appreciation from the IRS at the end of the tax season

Gain personal satisfaction from providing an important service to your community.

For more information on volunteering visit: http://www.cahs.org/ freetaxprep, or contact Takima Robinson, Program Coordinator VITA/Asset Building trobinson@cahs.org .