Good Things Happening for the week of Sept. 7, 2015: Fairfield Edition

Holly Hurd
Holly Hurd

 

Hurd publishes book for entrepreneurial moms

Holly Hurd of Darien, an entrepreneur and mother of three, published “VENTURE MOM: From Idea to Income in Just 12 Weeks,” a book to help mothers increase their earning power by recognizing the market value of something they love to do. Hurd is the founder and CEO of venturemom.com, an online resource and marketplace devoted to mom-owned businesses. She has interviewed hundreds of entrepreneurial moms and has partaken in numerous projects, ranging from financial to home décor.

Diana Mangannelli
Diana Mangannelli

 

CGC taps new chief

The Child Guidance Center of Southern Connecticut (CGC) named Diana Manganelli the city”™s chief of community and clinical services. Manganelli brings to CGC a background in managing programs that heal and empower youth, families and the communities. Prior to joining, she worked with the child and family services division, department of human services in Arlington County, Va., in multiple capacities for 24 years.

McGladrey employees volunteer for nonprofits

The McGladrey team at the Stamford Nature Center.
The McGladrey team at the Stamford Nature Center.

McGladrey LLP, an assurance, tax and consulting firm with an office in Stamford, held its sixth annual McGladrey Volunteer Day to benefit local and national nonprofits. More than 2,600 employees and clients joined forces nationwide to give back to their communities. Throughout New Haven and Fairfield counties, more than 45 employees volunteered time to help garden, paint, organize donations and cook for nonprofits, including Person-To-Person, Make-A-Wish, Inspirica, Stamford Museum and Nature Center and the Connecticut Food Bank.

”˜Hands for Life”™ calls for CPR trainers

The city of Stamford and organizers for this year”™s Hands for Life event, a free cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) training, are seeking community members interested in learning how to administer compression-only CPR and are willing to teach others. With the help of volunteer trainers, organizers aim to train 10,000 people in hands-only CPR and how to use automated external defibrillators (AEDs) at Hands for Life this month at Stamford schools.

Approximately 30 trainers are needed for each event and a “Train the Trainer” orientation session is scheduled for 7:30 p.m., Sept. 16 at Stamford EMS, 684 Long Ridge Road, Stamford. To register, visit handsforlife.org.

Third annual ”˜Dads Matter Too!”™ Day

The third annual “Dads Matter Too!” Community Awareness Day and 5K is scheduled for Sept. 19 in Waterbury at Library Park. This statewide event focuses on raising awareness about the importance of involved fathers in today”™s society. The State of Connecticut”™s Department of Children and Families, Region 5 Fatherhood Engagement Learning Team and the City of Waterbury are hosting the event. The day consists of the 5K-road race, community resource tables, kids”™ activities, giveaways, award ceremony, food and entertainment. To register, visit runsignup.com/dads.

Gallagher named ”˜Woman of FIRE”™

Robin Gallagher of Bedford, N.Y., senior vice president, commercial real estate for Waterbury-based Webster Bank”™s Stamford location, was named a 2015 “Woman of FIRE” ”“ finance, insurance and real estate, presented by “The Commercial Record.” Through Gallagher”™s work at Webster, the Victory Gardens Veterans Housing Development in Newington, and other affordable housing projects, were financed. As a result, 74 veterans and their families are no longer homeless or at risk of homelessness.

IICONN appoints Connor as new CEO

The International Institute of Connecticut (IICONN), the state”™s human service agency for immigrants and refugees with offices in Bridgeport, Stamford and Hartford, appointed Claudia Connor its new president and CEO.

Connor, an attorney, has more than 25 years of experience in legal representation, human rights advocacy, fundraising, policy analysis, strategic leadership and management in the nonprofit sector in the U.S., Africa and Southeast Asia. She currently serves as director of strategic foundation partnerships at Save the Children in Fairfield, where she organizes fundraising from private foundations.

Reynolds & Rowella hires five

Reynolds & Rowella LLP, an accounting and consulting firm with offices in Ridgefield and New Canaan, hired five new employees: Carolie Olkoski, Elena Vorotilina, Breanna Gabriel, Peter Walter and Ryan Rossetter.

Olkoski has 15 years accounting experience, having worked for 10 years with Pricewaterhouse Coopers and most recently with Marcum LLP”™s Greenwich office.

Vorotilina served 11 years as a tax professional. She holds a master”™s degree in applied mathematics from Kazakh State University in Kazakhstan.

Gabriel, Walter and Rossetter are recent graduates, joining the firm as associates. Gabriel is currently completing her MBA with a concentration in taxation at Fairfield University. Walter is a graduate of Southern Connecticut State University. Rossetter is a graduate of Bryant University. Both Rossetter and Walter studied accounting as undergraduates

UWWC holds three back-to-school drives

Students from New Milford sport items from UWWC”™s back-to-school program.
Students from New Milford sport items from UWWC”™s back-to-school program.

Danbury”™s United Way of Western Connecticut (UWWC) sponsored three back-to-school drives in August to support families in greater Danbury, greater New Milford and the city of Stamford. Collectively across these communities, nearly 950 children benefited and close to $204,000 in donated items were collected. The back-to-school drives were held, appropriately, at Ellsworth Elementary School in Danbury, at Kimberly-Clark in New Milford and at KT Murphy Elementary School in Stamford.

Annual gala honors Broadway”™s O”™Hara

Westport Country Playhouse, a nonprofit theater, is hosting a fundraiser titled “Something Wonderful: A Gala Evening Celebrating Kelli O”™Hara” to honor the Tony Award nominee, Sept. 21, 25 Powers Court, Westport. The evening also marks the presentation of the third annual Playhouse Leadership Award to John Samuelson, a decade-long trustee of the nonprofit and philanthropist.

Kelli O'Hara
Kelli O’Hara

Gala proceeds will benefit the theater, now in its 85th season, including its work on stage, with schools and throughout the community. The gala includes a one-night-only performance by Broadway talent to be announced at a later date and surprise guests.

A cocktail party begins 5:45 p.m., followed by the 7 p.m. performance. Dinner with the evening”™s artists and special guests is 8:30 p.m., with a silent auction held throughout the evening. The gala committee cochairpersons are Ania Czekaj-Farber of Westport and Jake Robards of Greenwich. Karen Parrella of Weston is auction chairwoman.

For more information, call 203-571-1293.