For The People

We're talking taxes, and if you owe any here in Connecticut - how you can wiggle out of any outstanding penalties and a good amount of the interest you may owe as we speak with state Dept of Revenue Services Commissioner Mark Boughton about the 2021 DRS Tax Amnesty Program. Then we'll celebrate the latest round of Connecticut communities that have become SustainableCT certified, with that agency's director - and learn how SustainableCT is providing training, leadership, and guidance to every town and city in the state. And we're checking in with the President and CEO of United Way about workforce support - as Connecticut companies and employers are working to build back, beef up, and retain good workers, you'll find out the many ways that United Way of CT has got your back. 

Each year, Farm Aid board members Willie Nelson, Neil Young, John Mellencamp, Dave Matthews and Margo Price host a Farm Aid festival to bring together a wide variety of artists, farmers and fans for one mission: keeping family farmers on the land.  For the second time in its nearly quarter century run, Farm Aid came to Hartford, and for the 5th time, the award-winning For the People was invited to cover the festival and meet some of the folks involved. So tune in as we head to the Home Grown Village to talk with farmers, activists, agency representatives, and the executive director of Farm Aid about why it's so critical that we continue to support our local and family farms here and across the nation.

Meet a veteran music educator who saw the need for arts and cultural programs in our schools and communities and founded Arts In CT - a non-profit academy serving anyone statewide who wants to engage in a variety of performing and visual arts experiences. Then, we're circling back with the Connecticut Data Collaborative to find out the latest information that agency is crunching - including important data details that are emerging from the 2020 census. Then, the Connecticut Yankee Council CEO drops in talking about scouting, the many opportunities that scouting offers to adolescents, teens, and young adults, and how to get involved.

As we move through October - Domestic Violence Awareness Month, we'll circle back with the leader of the Domestic Violence Crisis Center to learn how that agency is doubling down to help educate communities to prevent domestic violence and supporting those who are impacted by it. Then we'll visit with the Western CT Area Agency on Aging to get an update on their CHOICES initiative and why it's so important to work closely with this network during Medicare open enrollment which started this week. And we'll touch base with A Promise to Jordan and learn why the nonprofit was just awarded a grant by Voices for Non-Opioid Choices to educate community members about potential federal policy changes to help combat the opioid crisis.

You've been hearing about it on 'For the People' and today we're going to provide all the background on two clinical trials going on right now at the Anxiety and Mood Disorders Program at the Yale Child Study Center. If you have or know of a child or teen suffering from anxiety, participation in one of these trials may provide relief, so stay tuned. Then we'll hear about a grassroots effort to support the Dan Cosgrove Animal Shelter. We'll meet the person in charge of the shelter, and the organizer of an family-friendly benefit called Mullets For Mutts - to learn how you can get involved. And since it's National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, we'll close with a breast cancer survivor representing the American Cancer Society, cluing you in on the upcoming Making Strides Against Breast Cancer event coming up October 17 in Westport.

We're replaying a few encore segments and starting off with a reminder  that there are hundreds of kids involved with the Boys & Girls Village Foster and Therapeutic Foster care programs looking for a caring person or family to help them feel at home again. So stay tuned, learn more and see if you can get involved. Then we'll replay a conversation promoting FrontlineCT - a nonprofit supporting first responders experiencing the stress of long shifts, high demand, and continuing pandemic-related situations. And we'll close circling back to remind you about UR Community Cares a non-profit serving Connecticut with an an online platform matching hundreds of volunteers with seniors or disabled residents seeking much needed assistance.

We're digging into some important news to help you connect with your gardens and landscape - while serving your community through the UConn Master Gardeners Program. We'll tell you all about it and how to get signed up for their next round of certification training. Then, meet a southern Litchfield County nonprofit that's bringing unique and successful equine therapies to folks on the autism spectrum. Saddle up with us and learn more about Little Britches Therapeutic Riding Program, and how you can get involved. Finally we're checking in with the Shoreline Arts Alliance, which is involving and supporting all kinds of artistic projects and artists throughout the region. And if you're a photographer, we'll explain how to enter your best work in the alliance's IMAGES Photography Exhibition & Competition.

Check out the second of a two-part conversation here during September which is National Suicide Prevention and Awareness Month with Dr Kathleen Chapman of the CT Psychological Association and the CT Advisory Board for Suicide Prevention on how to recognize warning signs, and immediately engage a person you believe might be considering ending their own life. Learn why the US Dept. of Agriculture awarded 10 key Connecticut farms and rural businesses grants to build or improve renewable energy infrastructure and to help lower energy costs through the USDA's Rural Energy for America Program. Meet an inspiring couple who endured the tragic loss of a child, and then started a nonprofit to fund research for Neimann Pick Type C disease, also known as 'childhood Alzheimer's - and about their upcoming DART To The Finish walk.

Check out the first of a two-part National Suicide Prevention and Awareness Month conversation with an authority representing the CT Psychological Association and the CT Advisory Board for Suicide Prevention, talking about this public health crisis that is tragically increasing among teen girls and kids as young as middle school age. Then learn more about the Center for Family Justice and the Norma Pfriem Breast Center at Smilow Cancer Hospital - two of the 23 nonprofits benefiting from the 34th Annual Bigelow Tea Community Challenge.  And we're talking nutrition and the kitchen with a nutritionist leading a series of free cooking classes for children age 3 - 17. Find out how to get your young ones involved in the Wheeler community health network's 'Healthy Kids in the Kitchen' program.

We're circling back with the Housatonic Resources Recovery Authority to learn how that agency is transforming a successful pilot program promoting glass recycling to include the entire region, and how bringing the program statewide can make a huge and positive environmental impact. Then we'll catch up with a primary researcher from the Yale-Griffin Prevention Research Center in Derby to talk about the proven health and heart benefits of extra virgin olive oil.  Then, meet a rep from AARP-CT who is reaching out to community groups and municipal agencies about the 2021 AARP Livable Communities Grant Program to help neighborhoods, towns and cities be great places to live for people of all ages. 

In Connecticut, 1 in 7 people, including 1 in 6 children are at risk of hunger. So we'll chat with the CEO of Food Rescue US about how it is working with the Connecticut Food Bank / Foodshare to incorporate Feeding America practices for Food Rescue US volunteers at four new locations. Then we'll circle back to the topic of lead poisoning, which is affecting countless children across Connecticut - with a physician at The Hartford Regional Lead Treatment Center at Connecticut Children’s about what you need to know to eliminate the risk whether you are a parent, caregiver, or landlord. And we'll meet a state spokesperson for The National Association For Amateur Radio, which counts hundreds of HAM radio operators among its members who stand ready during times of disaster to provide a vital backup communication network to emergency responders.

Meet a truly grassroots neighborhood organization, learn how the Stratfield Village Association of Fairfield got behind a number of important community improvement efforts - and how its founders are ramping up plans for a day of tribute, family fun, food, vendors and live music at its September 11 'Lincoln ParkaPalooza. Then, hear from the director of New Haven's Neighborhood Music School (NMS) - the largest non-profit community arts organization in Connecticut and one of the ten largest in the country where students of all ages receive individual and group instruction in music, dance, drama, and film. And given the looming humanitarian crisis developing right now in Afghanistan, we're closing replaying a segment from earlier this year with Immigration Help - a regional grassroots organization making immigrating to the United States easy, safe, and free by combining the power of technology with attorneys to help everyone who is qualified achieve the American dream.

As we hit the midpoint in the Connecticut-wide Yoga In Our City movement that's continuing through mid-October we're replaying a spring segment introducing listeners to free virtual yoga classes to stay in shape and achieve peace of mind from the comfort of your home, or the 2021 season of outdoor community yoga classes designed by Civic Mind, and sponsored by ConnectiCare. Then we'll let you in on how easy it is to get back to, or begin exploring possible future careers with our regional community colleges. We'll talk about what's in store if you're heading into or returning to community college in a few weeks, and a convenient way to to take care of all the registration processes at the August 21 'Enroll In A Day' event. And we'll close combining one of the state's newest cutting industries, drone production and pilot training, and learn how Aquiline Drones is aiming to not only bring drone production back to the US, but how the company is helping municipal public safety agencies like fire departments obt

This 'Special Report' on workforce development puts the focus on team members at the Northwest Regional Workforce Investment Board. We'll hear all about possible new careers, job training, and other information about special fields like plastics and advanced manufacturing - and how the board can help you connect with a high paying job as well as getting the training necessary to succeed, even if you are as young as middle school, or considering a new career or job change in your 50s. Then, as we celebrate National Community Health Center week, we'll hear from the Norwalk Community Health Center about all the programs that agency is offering throughout central Fairfield County, to help protect and improve the health of everyone in the greater Norwalk region.

We've got a program we know will touch a lot of people today, because cancer touches so many of our lives here in Connecticut - so we'll kick things off  with our friends for Circle of Care discussing all the great work and support they are providing to pediatric cancer patients and how to get involved in their incredible Art From The Heart initiative. Then get ready to ride Closer to Free - and meet a trio with unique to Smilow and the Yale Cancer Center. We'll talk with an oncologist and the son of a Smilow cancer patient both participating in this year's Closer to Free Ride, and a patient who is surviving her second battle with cancer thanks to the team at Smilow being supported by the ride. We'll close our cancer themed program with an invite to a different kind of music festival called Boobstock - this regional music fest is coming up in mid-September with great tunes, food, and proceeds benefiting Breast Cancer Patients at Smilow in New Haven and Middlesex Hospital's Comprehensive Breast Center.

We're reminding you about The 15th annual Swim Across America Fairfield County, an open water swim  in Long Island Sound, and encouraging all swimmers, boaters, kayakers and those interested in being on land volunteers to participate in this huge annual fundraiser for Connecticut's Alliance for Cancer Gene Therapy. We're checking in a researcher and community educator from the Yale School of Medicine Substance Abuse Center to discuss paid research studies with cigarette smokers to help health authorities better understand the appeal of e-cigarettes and other tobacco products.    And we're circling back to get the latest news from UR Community Cares a non profit serving Connecticut with an an online platform matching volunteers with seniors or disabled members in the community seeking much needed assistance.

We're happy to be reconnecting with the director of Connecticut Folk - that's coming back in a big way for 2021. We'll hear about their debut concert, and clue you in on where you can check out some of the coolest folk shows happening anywhere in the region at a brand new site. Then we're going to pick up on a conversation we started during National EMS Week with a brand new  nonprofit called FrontlineCT that's working to help support first responders as those critical front line workers debrief & decompress from tragic on the job experiences. And we'll circle back with the CEO of Abilis, which is expanding its services into Darien and already striking up partnerships with a number of organizations in town. We'll also hear about some of the other programs Abilis is facilitating to connect its special needs clients with opportunities in other communities.

We're circling back to replay a  segment with Operation Hope - zeroing in on this nonprofit's efforts to educate folks who may be at risk of losing their home due to foreclosure - and we'll chat with Senator Tony Hwang about how he planned that effort at home, and in the statehouse. Then - whether you are an employer looking for qualified and motivated workers, or someone who is looking for a job - we've got the resource for you as we replay an interview with the COO from Career Resources -  connecting people to jobs they need. And we'll wrap our encore segments re-introducing another boutique Connecticut nonprofit connecting young people to STEM education and careers - Random Hacks of Kindness Junior, which is providing young people a hands-on learning experience where they apply technology to achieve social good.

Summer's here and kids should be having a blast, but there are hundreds of kids involved with the Boys & Girls Village Foster and Therapeutic Foster care programs who are looking for a caring family to help them feel at home again. So stay tuned, learn more and see if you can get involved. Then we're going to talk about data - who uses it, why, and how data can be accessed and applied to improve your academic project, nonprofit, community agency, journalism initiative and more - as we welcome and discuss how you can be part of the Connecticut Data Collaborative. And if you're a veteran or somebody who cares about a vet who was  refused support services because of a non-qualifying discharge, we're going to connect them for help from the New Haven based National Veterans Council for Legal Redress.

It's been awhile since we touched base with the Bridgeport Child Advocacy Coalition, and the recent release of the agency's State of the Child 2020 Report is a perfect reason to reconnect and discuss this important online publication. Then, as we do each June - we'll celebrate pride month promoting resources for the region's LGBTQ community - this year welcoming the director of the Triangle Community Center which serves more than 5,000 LGBTQ community members in greater Fairfield County and beyond. And finally, we'll connect with the Arts Alliance of Stratford hosting Make Music Stratford at the Shakespeare Theater Park on June 21, and planning a number of interactive events in the coming months to promote and grow the arts - hopefully with our listeners' support!