Job at West Hartford Public Library

West Hartford Public Library seeks qualified applicants for a full-time position in adult circulation
department. Details here. 

Department of Cultural Affairs needs volunteers for New Haven Tree Lighting Dec. 2

Help is needed between 4-6pm. Duties include dressing up as a holiday character.  Rain date: Dec. 3. Please contact kfutrell@newhavenct.net or 203-946-7172.

Guidelines for New Haven Promise--Start with Student pledge, due November 30!!

Click here for details about getting in line for this important new scholarship open to New Haven public high school students.  Step One—NHP Student Pledge form  must be filled out to enroll in program by Nov. 30 of Freshman Year.

Click here for Nov. 27th New Haven Register article about New Haven Promise.

Shopping for electronics? Please keep the end in mind....

Electronics Takeback Coalition’s annual report card rates different consumer electronics and computer companies on their efforts to take back and recycle electronics, information to consider before making a purchase. Note: No company, in any category, received an “A” grade. Read more...

Finding a fair value for used goods

When you want to sell a used good, figuring out how much to sell it for can be a laborious process involving checking multiple sites and sources online.

Enter WorthMonkey ... a new site that compiles the research and delivers a great price, a fair price and an excessive price.  Read more.

Volunteers needed for Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program

Greeters, screeners, tax preparers, quality reviewers, and clinic coordinators are needed to help low-income working families and senior citizens prepare their taxes.  The committment is from January through April, requiring a min. of 4 hours per week. If interested please contact rkaiser@newhavenct.net or 203-946-8605.

Join China Trade Mission?

The emergence of new markets in China creates opportunities for Connecticut companies, and the China Trade Mission will assist participants to enter the Chinese market. Participants will visit Beijing Feb. 21-23 with optional travel to Shandong Feb. 24-25.

Experts engaged in the Chinese market will lead the trade mission, and there will be opportunities to interface with Chinese business counterparts and potential trade partners. Get details here or call U.S. Commercial Service in Middletown: 860-638-6950.

Design New Haven offers update on Elm City Market progress at 360 State Street

Read a brief update about Elm City Market, a full service grocery store set to open this spring at 360 State St., New Haven.

CT Transit updates for Thanksgiving weekend

On Friday, November 26, 2010, a reduced Commuter Connection service schedule will be operated.


Commuter Connection Sargent Drive and Downtown buses will meet the Shore Line East morning train arrivals of 6:37AM, 7:42AM, 8:37AM and 9:37AM at the State Street Station.

CTTRANSIT will operate a Sunday schedule with NO Commuter Connection or Union Station Shuttle service on Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, November 25, 2010.


CTTRANSIT will operate a Regular schedule (except Commuter Connection, which is reduced), including Regular Union Station Shuttle service the day after Thanksgiving, Friday, November 26, 2010.

Click here for latest RFPs listed by Foundation Center

City of New Haven posting for Administrative Assistant

Position is in Office of Commission on Equal Opportunities. Deadline to apply: Nov. 22.

Click here for 10% off coupon for Yale Peabody Museum store

Click here for info about daytime lane closures in the New Haven Port area Nov. 19-Dec.

Technology Trends for Nonprofits in 2011

How important is it for nonprofits to understand and keep up with the new trends in technology? NTen's report might come in handy in planning 2011 technology strategies.

Over 90% of surveyed nonprofits use email marketing and social media in their engagement strategies. On the other hand, only 16% of the surveyed nonprofits plan on having mobile websites in 2011, while 19% plan on having Smartphone Applications. Relative to the email and social media engagement strategies, it appears that nonprofits still have a long way to go in tapping into the quickly and exponentially growing mobile audience. Read more...

Call for Photographers

The owners of BSC Photo & Design in New Haven would like to partner with local photographers to create a Help-Portrait event on Dec. 4 in New Haven in which photographers and stylists donate their time and services to take pictures of disadvantaged residents.  Details here or lindsay@bscphoto.com.

CT Commission on Culture & Tourism offers Artist Fellowships

The Artist Fellowship program provides grants for artistic development of Connecticut's finest creative artists. Artists working in the following categories may apply: Choreography, Fiction, Film/Video, Music Composition, Playwriting and Poetry.  Artists must have lived and worked in Connecticut for a minimum of one year at the time of application and are current full-time residents of the state. Deadline to apply is Dec. 17. Details: 860-256-2720 or tamara.dimitri@ct.gov

Eli Whitney Museum Supports Scholarships for Children of IRIS

The Museum will sell classic German breads crafted by Whole G, New Haven's new artisan bakery. Net proceeds will fund Eli Whitney Museum scholarships for the children of IRIS, a New Haven nonprofit that supports refugee and immigrant families. Details: 203-777-1833.

Insurance Insider Talks About Health Care at West Hartford Public Library Nov. 17

Wendell Potter, author of DEADLY SPIN: An Insurance Company Insider Speaks Out on How Corporate PR Is Killing Health Care and Deceiving Americans, will dicuss his book at 7pm on Nov. 17.There is no charge.

In June 2009, Wendell Potter made national headlines with testimony before the Senate panel on health care reform. The former head of public relations at CIGNA explained his view that health insurers make promises they have no intention of keeping, how they flout regulations designed to protect consumers, and how they skew political debate with multi-billion-dollar PR campaigns designed to spread disinformation.

Interview with Wendell Potter: http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/07102009/profile.html

From the book: The health insurance industry today is dominated by a cartel of large, for-profit corporations. By necessity and by law, the top priority of the officers of these companies is to "enhance shareholder value," and also to maximize executive's personal compensation... In 2007, the CEOs of the ten largest publicly traded health insurance companies collected an average compensation of $11.9 million each.

Details: 860-561-6990.

Fundraising dinner in Stamford supports education advocacy

The Board of Directors of the State of Black Connecticut Alliance (SBCTA) will hold a fundraising dinner, “Building Blocks of Educational Excellence Campaign,” at the Hilton Stamford  on Dec. 16. Tickets are $125.

SBCTA advocates for public policy that address structural and systemic inequities in education, and  designed a culturally responsive curriculum to educate, engage and mobilize parents into action-oriented activities that support student achievement. For details contact Ros Williams at 203-843-7272.

Want to donate used furniture to a nonprofit?

New Haven Home Recovery's Furniture Co-op needs donations of gently used furniture, especially  mattresses, dressers, kitchen tables and chairs. For the month of November, they are offering free furniture pickups in our immediate area, and reduced pick-up fees for people outside the area. Click here for details.

Historic Rehabilitation Tax Credits from CT Commission on Culture and Tourism

CCT will host  the following public information sessions on its historic rehabilitation tax credits for industrial and commercial property owners as well as private homeowners. Information on each program will be provided as well as valuable strategies on incorporating building sustainability while maintaining historic integrity.  All sessions take place 8-10 am.


Nov. 17 at New London Harbour Towers, 461 Bank St, New London

Dec. 3,  at Waterbury Development Corporation, 24 Leavenworth St, Waterbury

Dec. 13, in Wilcox Room of Middle Oak Building, 213 Court St, Middletown

RSVP 860-256-2762 or Julie.carmelich@ct.gov

Click here for Job Listings from the Foundation Center

Not much in Connecticut, but in this economy the net must be cast more widely!!

New Haven's newest gallery is 11" x 11" inches x 17"

Aren't you intrigued?
Creative Arts Workshop is opening its third gallery space: the Tiny Gallery,  located in the lighted column in front of the Workshop at 80 Audubon St.  The gallery's inaugural exhibition runs Dec. 2-Jan. 3 and features Shoveling Chairs by K. Levni Sinanoglu. An opening reception will be held Thursday, Dec. 2, 5-8 pm.

"We believe that the Tiny Gallery may be the smallest gallery in the entire country," says Lesley Holford, CAW Communications Director. "Diminutive works have long been overlooked in more spacious galleries, overshadowed by their larger and splashier counterparts. For itsy bitsy artworks, the time has come."

New Haven Symphony Orchestra Community Orchestra Weekend March 25-27, 2011

The NHSO Community Orchestra Weekend will bring together amateur musicians from across the Northeast to work with conductor William Boughton and members of the NHSO. The orchestra will perform an ambitious program of music that goes beyond standard community orchestra repertoire to challenge participants’ instrument technique and overall musicianship. The weekend culminates in a performance of Mahler’s Symphony No. 1 on March 27 in New Haven.

100 amateur musicians who currently perform with a community orchestra and/or band are invited to apply to participate. In addition to rehearsals and performances, the participant fee of $150 includes a guided tour of Yale University, a New Haven Pizza Night, and visits to the Collection of Musical Instruments and Yale's Beinecke Library.

Application deadline is Jan. 31, 2011. Details here or contact dkinsman@newhavensymphony.org or 203-865-0831 x 13.

Holidays at Shore Line Trolley Museum

Shore Line Trolley Museum presents Santa on the Trolley Nov. 27-Dec. 19.  Each child receives a gift. Features toy train lay-outs and refreshments for all. $4-$8. Details: 203-467-6927 or  http://www.bera.org/.

Vote for Gateway play space

Gateway Community College is one of 10 finalists for five play space improvement grants from KaBOOM!, a national nonprofit; Mott's; and NFL PLAY 60. The winners are determined by online voting through Nov. 30. Click here to vote!

Click here for breaking news about New Haven Promise: in-state tuition scholarships for qualified City students

New Haven Promise announced at press conference this morning by William Ginsberg, President and CEO of Greater New Haven Community Foundation; Reginald Mayo, Superintendent of New Haven schools; Richard Levin, President of Yale University; and New Haven Mayor John DeStefano.

The scholarship will cover tuition (for up to four years) for any New Haven resident that graduates from a New Haven public school (including public charter schools), who goes to a Connecticut in-state public 2- or 4-year college or university. New Haven Promise is currently available for the graduating classes of 2011-2015.

The New Haven Promise will create opportunities for individuals who attend New Haven public schools and their current and future families. Studies [of other cities that have adopted this model] have shown that there is a strong correlation between overall academic achievement and a community’s economic vitality and quality of life.

Read more here.

Popular NPR "Selected Shorts" comes to New Haven--and library patrons get special discount!

Selected Shorts, the award-winning, one-hour radio program featuring readings of classic and new short fiction, will be presented on Long Wharf's Mainstage Monday, Nov. 15, at 8 pm.

Hosted by Isaiah Sheffer and produced for radio by Symphony Space and WNYC Radio, this show includes Tony winners and television stars B.D. Wong (Madame Butterfly, Law&Order: SVU) and Denis O’Hare (Take Me Out, new Broadway show Elling, True Blood) performing surprising and funny tales about identity, race, guilt and understanding by contemporary American writers Sherman Alexie,  Percival Everett and  John Biguenet.

Regular price for tickets is $25, but library patrons who mention LIBRARY SHORTS code pay half price, $12.50!!!  Box Office is 203-787-4282.

Jewish Family Service of New Haven Offers Unemployment Support Group

This group focuses on the emotional needs and issues of the unemployed/underemployed and  is open to people of all faiths and backgrounds. There is no charge.

The Wednesday sessions will take place at Temple Beth Sholom, 1809 Whitney Ave., Hamden in the Synagogue Library from noon–1 pm, on Nov. 10, 17 and 24.

RSVP to group facilitator Rabbi Hesch Sommer, 203-389-5599 x117.

Neighborhood Music School now offers Early Childhood Music and Movement classes in Hamden

7-week classes are offered in partnership with the Hamden/North Haven YMCA and are designed for ages 6 months-4 years. Dates: November 9–December 21. Classes are also available in New Haven, Guilford and Madison. Details about Early Childhood program: Gerry Parent, 203-624-5189 x 18 (gparent@neighborhoodmusicschool.org) or bpatella@neighborhoodmusicschool.org.

‘Creating a Web Presence for Your Business’ 3-night seminar starts Nov. 15 at Gateway, North Haven

Seminar will be held Nov. 15,  22 and 29, 6:30-9:30 pm. Cost is $99. Participants will learn how to register a domain name, make a site visible to search engines, incorporate PDFs, embed streaming video like YouTube, and create blogs to showcase a business or expertise. Details at 203-285-2323; class code is CRN 4121.

Citywide Youth Coalition seeks youth created visual art work to display at Youth Arts Celebration December 7

Citywide Youth Coalition is looking for organizations to submit art work that can be displayed by hanging that their youth have previously completed for other projects. If interested  please contact Rachel Heerema, rachel@cwyc.org by November 12.

"I Love Greater New Haven Nonprofits" Holiday Storefront

Thirty nonprofit organizations will have the opportunity (first come first serve) to display information on a 2 foot x 2 foot square about what your organization is doing in the community.  
Laptops will be set up in the storefront for online giving through Give Greater, The United Way, and participating nonprofit websites. "I Love Greater New Haven Nonprofit" cards will also be available for those who donate to a participating nonprofit. In exchange for this opportunity we are asking all participants to commit to staffing the space for 2 three hour shifts. During your shifts you will have access to high speed wireless internet through The Grove as well as coffee and tea. Staffing the project is also a great way to connect with people who come into the store.

Project is scheduled to launch on November 18, to be open 11am-8pm Wednesday through Saturday through December 31. Please commit by November 5 and have your 2x2 square to us by November 12.
Location: 71 Orange St., with approximately 350 sq ft. The sidewalk traffic for the space is about 15-20 persons per hour, heaviest during lunch and dinner hours.

The holiday storefront is a collaboration between The Grove, Project Storefronts, The I love Greater New Haven Nonprofits Campaign, Greater New Haven Chamber of Commerce, and regional nonprofits.

For more information contact Slate Ballard, slate@groundworksonline.com

Coming Dec. 3: Yale SOM Philanthropy Conference: Fostering innovative ideas for social change

All-day conference will be held at Lawn Club in New Haven.

Keynotes:
Antony Bugg-Levine, Managing Director, The Rockefeller Foundation
Mark Kramer, Founder & Managing Director, FSG Social Impact Advisors

Panels:
Cross Sector Partnerships to Promote Social Innovation

• Sheila Cavanaugh, SVP Community Relations, Fidelity Investments
• Amy Chung, Social Investment Manager, Living Cities
• Marlene Ibsen, VP Community Relations, Travelers Foundation
• Kristi Ragan, Chief of Party, DAI, Inc (Global Development Alliances group)
• Leslie Payne, Director, Arabella Philanthropic Investment Advisors, moderator

Philanthropy 2.0: The Role of Digital Media, Technology and Networks

• Ken Berger, President and Executive Director, Charity Navigator
• Claire Lyons, Global Grant Portfolio Manager, PepsiCo Foundation
• Michael Smith, Vice President, Social Innovation, Case Foundation
• José Zamora, Journalism Associate, Knight Foundation
• Paul Connolly, SVP, TCC Group, moderator

Effective Philanthropic Models for Driving Innovation

• Howard Buffett, Jr., Former Policy Advisor, White House Office of Social Innovation
• Matthew Klein, Executive Director, Blue Ridge Foundation
• Meghan Murphy, Director, Alliances, X PRIZE Foundation
• Chris Keevil, Managing Director, Wellspring Consulting, moderator

Click here for information and to register.

Nice Graphic Comparing Demographics of Facebook to Twitter

Where To Vote; What’s At Stake