That’s A Lot of Socks! Huge thanks to Laura Fish-Kelly and her team at Heirloom Private Wealth in Glastonbury for organizing their annual sock drive for WAIM! This year, they donated 2,033 pairs of new socks that we will distribute throughout the year, surpassing last year’s mark of 1,800 pairs! Donations like these are especially helpful … Read more
Photo by The Tampa Bay Estuary Program Charlie Godfrey is a Board Member with Windham Area Interfaith Ministry with 25 years in operational excellence, differentiated customer experience design, and ROI analysis. Designing a Win-Win Scenario Collaborating with business leaders to design the right steps for improving their operation or broader customer experience was something I … Read more
The ROI of Volunteer Team Building Photo by RDNE Stock ProjectBusinesses have a profound impact on their communities, employees, and the bottom line when they promote volunteerism among their staffs. Charlie Godfrey, a member of WAIM’s board of directors, wrote an awesome blog piece about this, highlighting WAIM’s work as a frequent host site for … Read more
Partners in Independence Program Seeks Mentors & Mentees Photo by Monica Melton on UnsplashThe Partners in Independence Program is WAIM’s adult peer mentoring program. We are seeking both volunteer mentors and learning partners! Mentors support the self-identified goals of their learning partners. Goals might include securing employment, improving budgeting skills, getting a GED, improving self-care, … Read more
WAIM Back on WILI Huge thanks to Connecticut State Representative Susan Johnson for having WAIM’s Executive Director, Dwayne David Paul, on her WILI podcast, “Let’s Talk about It.” It was an awesome conversation about WAIM’s mission to help working-class eastern Connecticut residents meet their basic material needs, and to promote civic engagement for all people. … Read more
Have Fun & Support WAIM’s Mission! The Knights of Columbus, Council 4313 of Coventry, is hosting its annual Autumn Classic Open charity golf tournament. This year, most of the funds will benefit WAIM! Participant registration is open until Monday, September 14, and spaces are filling up fast! There are a diverse array of corporate sponsorship … Read more
Dear friends, Last month, I met Sampson, a new Willimantic resident and UConn PhD student from Nigeria. Sampson’s research focuses on improving cancer survival rates among older adults. Sampson learned that WAIM’s Bikes for Windham Program distributed free bicycles, helmets, and locks and came to our offices in search of a reliable mode of transportation … Read more
WAIM x Pedal Power Thanks to Bill (left) and Gary (right), owners of Pedal Power in Middletown and Essex, for their continued partnership. Two years ago, they provided much of the professional equipment we use in our Bikes for Windham Program shop, and recently they provided tires, tubes, parts, and used bikes. Through the Bikes for Windham Program, … Read more
Free Fitness Opportunity: Second Saturdays Donation Pickup I’ve got some good news, some bad news, and some more good news: The good news is, WAIM’s second Saturday large donation pick-up day on June 13 was a huge success! The bad news? Well, it was a huge success. Our awesome community is excited to donate goods … Read more
Hasta Luego to Our Pheonix Academy Colleagues! On June 10, we said “see you soon” to our colleagues in the Pheonix Academy’s Assisted Work Program. Twice a week, rain or shine, these young men and their coordinators worked at WAIM during the schoolyear. If you’ve ever donated items to WAIM at our Riverside Drive entrance, there’s … Read more