The Progressive Action Roundtable mission is to inform the greater New Haven community about the activities of many progressive groups, so that people may learn about them and become involved in discussions and actions on issues for the common good, such as peace, health, racial equity, justice, clean energy and the environment.
Promoting Enduring Peace will present the Gandhi Peace Award to Mayson Almisri and Dr. Zaher Sahloul, to honor Syrian rescue and medical workers. At this time, we have not set a date for the award ceremony. PEPeace.org
The Yale Community for New Haven Fund will support the delivery of healthcare, assistance to local businesses, community educational needs, and area not-for-profits focused on such pressing issues as the well-being of children and families, homelessness, and food insecurity. The fund will focus initially on agencies providing healthcare and basic-needs services to those most affected by COVID-19.
In these anxious, isolating and uncertain times, many people don’t know where to turn for resources and someone to talk with. The Clifford Beers Center has launched a warmline to help connect you with various programs for your needs. Also, if you want someone to talk with, have questions on how to get information about COVID-19, or need help, we are here with compassionate listeners who are trained in providing mental health guidance. Please call us for help! The number is (203) 287-2460.
Visit our website for more information and a listing of links for useful information at www.cliffordbeers.org/COVID-19-resources.
Coordinated Food Assistance Network has put together this online guide (English and Spanish). It is updated very frequently: https://bit.ly/nhvfoodCOVID
CFAN has also developed a pantry delivery system for low-income folks who can’t get out during this crisis. It’s called Pantry to Pantry. If you know anyone in need, they can call the hotline: 888-910-2960.
by Protect Our Care Connecticut
U.S. Sens. Richard Blumenthal and Chris Murphy and Rep. John Larson, Joe Courtney, Rosa DeLauro and Jahana Hayes took action to protect Medicaid and help people gain access to health insurance.
In April, Sens. Blumenthal and Murphy joined 35 of their Senate colleagues in signing a letter to Congressional leadership urging them to include “strong measures to secure continuity in health care coverage” for people who are currently uninsured or underinsured in the next relief package. The letter specifically highlighted the need to strengthen Medicaid, re-open ACA marketplace enrollment, and provide COBRA assistance to those who have lost their employer-sponsored health insurance.
Reps. Larson, Courtney, DeLauro and Hayes joined more than 150 members of the House in urging Congressional leadership to continue to require that states which accept higher Medicaid reimbursements from the federal government during the coronavirus crisis maintain their current Medicaid program without cuts to eligibility, known as “maintenance of effort” requirements.
Can you take a moment to thank and encourage them?
Sen. Richard Blumenthal (860) 258-6940
Sen. Chris Murphy (860) 549-8463
Rep. John Larson (1st District, CT) (860) 278-8888
Rep. Joe Courtney (2nd District, CT) (860) 886-0139
Rep. Rosa DeLauro (3rd District, CT) (203) 562-3718
Rep. Jim Himes (4th District, CT) (203) 333-6600
Rep. Jahana Hayes (5th District, CT) (860) 223-8412
Protect Our Care CT: jmcnichol@universalhealthct.org
Protect Our Care CT, 290 Pratt Street, Meriden, CT 06490
Runoff Art starts with 50 Fish!
Lots of Fish launches “50 Fish” in honor the 50th year of Earth Day
In confluence with the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, Lots of Fish (LOF) launches 50 Fish! The Runoff Art pilot program is working with a team of artists, scientists, and educators (Team Fish) to produce a multi-faceted Art & Environmental Education program, engaging citizens to reduce pollutants entering our waterways through stormwater runoff. May: Adapted to COVID-19 protocol, the education program will begin in New Haven Schools. July – Oct: fish art painting on 50 storm drains by youth & community groups.
50 Fish! kicks-off LOF’s Runoff Art pilot in New Haven. In coordination with the New Haven Dept. of Engineering, we are painting art on 50 storm drains throughout the city with local artists, schools, and Youth@Work. Runoff Art is a “Public Outreach & Education” campaign that helps the City of New Haven meet the EPA MS4 permit requirements by engaging citizens of all ages in activities that support the health of our local waterways. Sustainable CT is matching dollar-for-dollar all contributions to the 50 Fish! project and COVID-19 adaptation until May 1st.
The adapted program starts with school and online presentations and musical performances.
6 main components optimize community engagement:
1. Art with QR codes installed on 50 Storm Drains and up to 20 rain barrels
2. User-friendly map (GIS) to host a variety of informative and interactive experiences
3. COVID-19 Adapted – Educational presentations and musical performances
4. COVID-19 Lessons and Citizen Science activities for New Haven teachers
5. COVID -19 Adapted Surveys to quantify educational benefits and citizen response
6. NEW – COVID adapted EarthDay 50 celebration – “Did You Know? “ social media campaign.
https://lotsoffish.info/water promoting the hashtags #EarthDay50Fish #50WaterFacts #50FishFacts
About Lots of Fish: Lots of Fish (LOF) is an Art & Environmental Education project based in New Haven, CT. Initiated in 2018, LOF is the brainchild of artist and environmental advocate JoAnn Moran. Through her dedicated effort, LOF has been engaging and exposing city youth and community members through a series of environmental art and impact projects, events, presentations, and public awareness campaigns. Lots of Fish hosts school-year and summer youth employment programs to create “Artful projects that reduce pollution.”
Lots of Fish will be swimming on a billboard near you!
Barrett Outdoor has graciously donated a colorful fish-filled billboard.
Barrett Outdoor is happy to support Lots of Fish projects and the celebration of the 50th year of Earth Day!
For more info:
Lots of Fish (LOF)
LotsofFish.info
Contact JoAnn Moran – Artist /Director JoAnn Moran
(203) 298-2628
Art25LOF@gmail.com
Friend and neighbor Linda Schultz is coordinating a protective mask project and is asking for our help!
“Do you sew? Do you have a sewing machine and an iron?
Westville women and men have coordinated a home sewing program to produce Yale New Haven hospital masks. These pocket masks lengthen the use of surgical masks, and the design is approved by our New Haven hospital network. Patterns and materials are available. We are asking you to provide the cutting and/or sewing skill. As a community, we will be completing and distributing at least a hundred masks each week for our frontline medical personnel. Let’s do it!”
Linda already has a great team of volunteers who have begun work, but they could use more help. Please use the Google form: https://forms.gle/XRBy8WDEEpf6p8Cv8
if you are interested in helping.
Food Assistance Resources During the Coronavirus (COVID-19)
Coordinated Food Assistance Network has put together this online guide (English and Spanish). It is updated very frequently. https://bit.ly/nhvfoodcovid
CFAN has also developed a pantry delivery system for low-income folks who can’t get out during this crisis. It’s called Pantry to Pantry. If you know anyone in need, they can call the hotline: 888-910-2960.
by Sharon Lovett-Graff, New Haven Free Public Library
Although the New Haven Free Public Library is closed during the pandemic, here are some ways we are serving the community during the COVID-19 pandemic. The library has long served as a “second responder,” stepping up for the community during times of need. It has operated as a warming center when freezing weather struck and as a cooling center during heat waves. From weather events to school closings, the library has provided shelter, computer access, and social services as well as arts entertainment and cultural activities for adults and children in these times of need.
Librarians as “Maker Movement” leaders have quickly responded to the COVID-19 crisis. Our Tinker Lab staff have been putting the library’s 3-D printers and sewing machines to use manufacturing masks for the Yale New Haven Health Centers and the Public Works Departments of the City of New Haven, as well as for staff and volunteers serving meals to the homeless at the Downtown Evening Soup Kitchen and St Thomas Moore Chapel. Although closed to staff and public, the library had some of our 3-D printers and sewing machines moved temporarily to the homes of staff in order to print shields and masks. The library is donating its labor and the materials to this effort, including making sure makers and what they are making comply with specifications for the production of shields and masks.
Although library branches are currently closed, library staff are working hard to be a resource and continue to support the needs of the community. Staff have regular contact with patrons via phone and email, making sure that everyone is stocked up with things to read, watch, listen to, learn, and do. Below is a quick “top ten list” of all the services the library is providing at this time, just to give you a sample.
Top 10 Ways to Use NHFPL from Home
• Social distancing? Your electronic library card is your key to a world of online learning and entertainment for free! Questions? Need an e-library card? Call us and leave a message at (203) 946-8130 or email refdesk@nhfpl.org. For Young Minds and Family Learning call (203) 946-8129 or email youngminds@nhfpl.org.
• Get absorbed in a great story. We’re all in need of some escapist fiction these days! Ebooks, audio books, and graphic novels for adults, children and teens are all available on OverDrive, RBdigital, Freading, Hoopla, TumbleBooks, and TeenBookCloud.
• Enjoy a family-friendly movie night. Tons of films are available for free download with your library card using Kanopy and Hoopla. All you need is the popcorn!
• Start a daily art practice with Creativebug. Learn to sketch, draft a pattern for a new dress, embroider, knit, scrapbook, and so much more.
• Seek help with job hunting. JobNow provides many valuable resources including job coaching, resume preparation and live interview practice.
• New Haven time travel by perusing historic images of our city in the Local History digital collections.
• Research an alternate career path or gain new skills. Take a free course on Lynda.com and learn to be an Excel expert, digital marketer, bookkeeper, graphic designer, screenwriter or comic illustrator. The offerings are endless!
• Exercise! Hoopla contains workout videos, including yoga and aerobics, and dance lessons. Learn to fox trot, salsa or rumba!
• Meet (virtually) with a local entrepreneur! Our Entrepreneur-in-Residence Sammi Williams and Collab partners are offering one-on-one virtual appointments to support your small business or non-profit start-up.
• Need more family fun activities? Plenty of virtual engagement to explore with Young Minds and Family Learning! View Story Times with stories, songs and fingerplays, take a tour of the San Diego Zoo or Boston Children’s Museum, and get reading recommendations and homework help for all ages!
CRCJ’s Board of Directors is launching the search for a new Executive Director/Lead Organizer, and we ask that you help us spread the word to your colleagues and networks to ensure that we get a strong and diverse pool of candidates, who will be excited about this opportunity to lead the organization and carry the work forward.
The next Executive Director and Lead Organizer of CRCJ will guide a statewide organization committed to protecting the climate while creating good local jobs and working for justice. The new leader will replace the founding Executive Director who has guided the organization since 2012.
A short summary of the organization and position is located below. The complete position description and contact information for interested candidates may be found at: CTClimateandJobs.org/exec_search
We encourage you to send questions or suggestions of potential candidates or sources to John Harrity, Board Chair at exec.search@ctclimateandjobs.org. The search will remain open and active until filled, but initial interviews are anticipated to begin in early May. Thank you.
The Connecticut Roundtable on Climate and Jobs seeks a dynamic and passionate Executive Director and Lead Organizer who will take this innovative nonprofit to its next level. The new leader will replace the founding Executive Director, who has successfully led the organization since 2012.
Overview of the Organization: The Connecticut Roundtable on Climate and Jobs (CRCJ) builds alliances among diverse constituencies to combat climate change, create jobs and promote racial, economic and environmental justice. CRCJ embraces diversity as a source of power and engages in collective action to ensure that Connecticut provides leadership in creating a clean energy future.
CRCJ believes the climate crisis presents an opportunity to build thriving local economies that are not only more sustainable but also more just and equitable.
ctclimateandjobs.org/wpcontent/uploads/2020/04/CRCJ-Position-Description-FINAL2-Apr-2020.pdf
by John Besche, Yale Daily News, April 24, 2020
Nestled between West Rock and the West River, a plot of land on Valley Street is being transformed from nondescript park land into a memorial garden that will be the first of its kind in the US. The Memorial Garden for Victims of Gun Violence in New Haven, set to open late this summer, will be the first space to serve explicitly as a memorial garden for victims of gun violence, as a space to mourn, reflect and heal.
The cohort of mothers in New Haven who spearheaded this project wanted more than a cemetery to memorialize and honor their children who were taken by gun violence. They believe that this garden will be a gift not only for their children’s legacy, but to a city badly beaten by decades of bloodshed. They hope that it may even force people to lay down guns for good.
“As a mother, when you get the phone call that says your child has been shot and is on the way to the hospital, or if you make it to the hospital and they walk out and say, ‘We lost him,’ you’re hopeless,” Marlene Pratt, one of the women behind the memorial, said in an interview with the News.
To read the complete article, go to: https://yaledailynews.com/blog/2020/04/24/planting-a-nonviolent-future-new-haven-mothers-honor-victims-of-gun-violence.