Trust & Collaboration
Carver students win big at two robotics competitions this past Saturday!
Here is our first report about Carver students performing well in the initial FIRST Lego competition this year at Greenwich Academy. Carver fielded robotics teams from Nathan Hale, Ponus, Roton, and West Rocks Middle Schools, as well as Side by Side Charter School.
In coordination with the CAIS commitment to enhancing STEM initiatives, Greenwich Academy, along with FTC 5017 RoboEpic, hosted its eighth annual ROBOnanza! event on Saturday, May 13, 2017.
The theme was Forensics Frenzy! This CSI-themed robotics exposition was open to students of all ages (target age is lower and middle school students ages 7-12) who share an interest in robotics. At this exposition, students showcased their skills and expressed their creativity in a variety of ways. There were three levels of friendly competition, as well as a showcase opportunity where students showed off their unique robotic creations. Doug Rendell & Gail Sestito are the Co-Directors of Robotics at Greenwich Academy.
Carver’s Ponus middle school students won a first place in senior division for the "Bowling for Burglars" challenge, as well as completing all four obstacles in "Follow the Line", including "Getting out of the box" activities. Side by Side Charter School students also performed well!
Carver students also just returned from the New Haven Athletic Center this past Saturday from the annual CPEP STEM Education expo with a few awards!
The Side by Side Charter School students from the Carver program won third for battery powered car and first for roller coaster design. The Ponus middle school team won the award for most creative designs!
At ROBOanaza, the Follow the Line competition included “Chalk-Outline,” “Fingerprint,” and “Magnifying Glass” assignments. Students had to have their robots follow outside of the shape/line using a light sensor. The JailBreak! (Get out of the Box) assignment required the robot to leave the box after being randomly placed inside the box.
And back by popular demand, “Bowling for Burgers” involved the robot being the ball! The robot must travel down the lane and knock over as many burglar (pins) it can in a 5-frame game. Each robot hade two chances per frame (just like in regular bowling) to obtain the highest score. Depending on the number of participants and time, one to two rounds may occur. The robot with the highest score for 5 frames won!
The Impact Vine & Carver's Crowdfunding Project
Community Fund of Darien Launches New Crowdfunding Site
The Community Fund of Darien has launched their new, free, crowdfunding site for nonprofits called The Impact Vine.
See Carver's current campaign at The Impact Vine here.
See The Darien Patch article that follows here.
By Jamie Wilkins (Patch Staff) - May 11, 2017 3:07 pm ET
From the Community Fund of Darien: The Community Fund of Darien has launched their new, free, crowdfunding site for nonprofits, The Impact Vine (www.TheImpactVine.org). The Impact Vine is an online giving platform which allows donors to support projects they care about, and provides a platform for local nonprofits to use as a tool to raise funds for socially impactful projects in the community.
This initiative, developed by The Community Fund of Darien with support from sixteen “Founding Funders,” including Fairfield County’s Community Foundation, Social Venture Partners, and Lone Pine Capital, resulted from a 2014 needs-assessment which identified online giving as key to growth for nonprofit agencies.
“We are thrilled to introduce The Impact Vine to the greater community,” said The Community Fund of Darien Executive Director, Carrie Bernier. “The Impact Vine is one-stop shopping to help meet critical local needs. Pick a project that resonates with your giving values and support it! Or create your own project. The best part is that this initiative is local, so once people find a project they care about, they can learn more, donate, and then volunteer,” she continued.
New Canaan resident Susan Serven, Project Director of The Impact Vine, noted, “Another terrific aspect of The Impact Vine is that it’s a simple way for anyone to raise funds for nonprofit projects they care about. The Impact Vine’s simple interface allows nonprofit staff to develop a project, but also allows volunteers, student groups, supporters, other individuals to “Create a Project” as well! We invite everyone to participate, visit the site, create a project supporting an organization you’re passionate about, and share with others!”
Darien resident Shedd Glassmeyer, Chair of The Community Fund’s Impact Vine Committee, noted, “The Impact Vine promotes and builds awareness of the critical work nonprofits do, right in our backyards. Many of us bank, shop, and even socialize online, so we’re more likely to give online. It’s the place to go to help solve social issues in our community. We trust that everyone will get behind this platform, support the projects and consider providing an optional donation to The Impact Vine to ensure that the site will be self-funding,” he said.
“We’ve been able to launch with the support of local businesses and donors. This is a great corporate giving tool and a way to promote employee giving. We hope others will see the possibility of leveraging a gift to help build a giving tool that will pay off for years to come,” Glassmeyer continued.
New Canaan resident John Straus, said, “As an Advisory Board member of The Community Fund of Darien, as well as a Board member of Family Centers, it was gratifying to see The Impact Vine in action - connecting donors and their passions with the needs in our community. Family Centers needed a new dental chair for one of our clinics and The Impact Vine helped them raise the funds in a manner that increased awareness for Family Centers and expanded our donor base. Most importantly, we will be able to provide dental services to local children who would otherwise would not receive the care they needed,” he continued.
Weston resident Don Kendall, Co-founder and Chairman, Social Venture Partners Connecticut, and Executive Committee member, Board of Directors, Fairfield County’s Community Foundation, concurred. “I was pleased to help bring this impactful crowdfunding tool to the Lower Fairfield County community. It will help mobilize giving in many sectors and will allow donors the opportunity to engage with social causes they care about.”
Darien resident, David Upson, said, “The Impact Vine is taking nonprofit organizations and the philanthropic community to a new level in Fairfield County. The founding team at The Impact Vine have done a remarkable job of harnessing technology and the internet to enable nonprofits to more fully engage with their donors. Donors will now be able to target specific needs within their favorite causes and stay more fully engaged with these organizations. It is remarkable stuff and I urge those interested to learn more at www.TheImpactVine.org”
Kristy Jelenik, of Fairfield County’s Community Foundation, who is participating as Onboarding Chair of The Impact Vine, said: “Empowering our community of givers to easily learn about and support local programs strengthens our entire community. And after the success we’ve had with our annual Giving Day, offering the nonprofits a platform to use throughout the year will really boost their impact. It’s win/win for all.”
Novelette Peterkin, Executive Director of the Carver Foundation, Norwalk, concurred. “The Impact Vine team invested time and thoughtful effort before launching this new community-giving platform – and it shows! For Carver, The Impact Vine positively influenced and inspired new and current donors to enthusiastically support our robotics for kids STEM education project. The Impact Vine’s special form of relationship marketing and its use of trust-building social channel tools and techniques ensure the site’s long-term and vital role in community-building for the benefit of all participating nonprofits.”
“Person-to-Person appreciated the opportunity to participate in the “Friends and Family” launch of The Impact Vine crowdfunding platform. Having staged other crowdfunding efforts, we were quite pleased with The Impact Vine user interface and functionality,” said P2P Executive Director Ceci Maher. “Best of all, we were able to reach new donors and fully fund the P2P project within the deadline. The new digital camera is already being put to great use documenting the powerfully positive impact P2P has on Fairfield County families – each and every day.”
The Community Fund of Darien is an independent, results-oriented, volunteer-driven nonprofit organization that addresses health and human services needs in Darien and our surrounding towns of Stamford and Norwalk. We are dedicated to building a healthy community by:
- Identifying and prioritizing critical local needs
- Strategically investing funds to meet local goals
- Measuring results and evaluating effectiveness
- Fundraising cost effectively
- Fostering collaborative efforts to identify solutions to local needs
For more information on The Community Fund of Darien, please visit www.CommunityFundDarien.org.
For more information on The Impact Vine, an initiative of The Community Fund of Darien, please visit www.TheImpactVine.org .
At-a-glance principles of successful after school arts programming
Carver Volunteer Grant Cellar to be honored by The Community Fund of Darien
Grant Cellar, a Darien student, will be honored during The Community Fund of Darien's thirty-eighth annual Volunteer Recognition Day for your outstanding contributions to the Carver Foundation of Norwalk.
The Community Fund of Darien celebrates Darien's community spirit of volunteerism for individuals and projects that have made a significant difference in the area over the past year. Nonprofit agencies and organizations involved in the Darien community were invited to select a volunteer or project to honor at their luncheon and Carver chose Grant. We are pleased that Grant will be honored during this special day.
The event will be held on Tuesday, May 23rd at the Darien Community Association. They will honor the volunteers and then have a special presentation by their guest speaker, author and entrepreneur, Jonathan Fanning. Fanning has spoken in over 45 states and on 3 continents. His recent TED Talk won best speaker at the conference. He will also be signing copies of his book Who Are You Becoming? A light luncheon will be served.
“I am an 8th grader at Middlesex Middle School in Darien CT. My favorite subjects are math and science. The sports I play are lacrosse, basketball, and football. My favorite basketball team is the OKC Thunder and my favorite football team is the NY Giants. One of my passions is giving back to the community. In addition to working with the kids at Carver, I have volunteered with The American Red Cross and The Bridgeport Rescue Mission. My favorite organization to volunteer at is the Carver Center. It is my favorite because I love the kids that I help, they are very kind and always let me help them. At their young age, they need role models to look up to and I try my best to be one of them. ”
Here is Grant today helping our students in our technology center.
Since 2005, 100% of Carver seniors graduate high school on time
Juneteenth to be celebrated at Carver
Juneteenth, also known as Juneteenth Independence Day or Freedom Day, is a holiday that commemorates the June 19, 1865 announcement of the abolition of slavery in Texas, and more generally the emancipation of slaves throughout the Confederate South. Celebrated on June 19, the word is a combination of "June" and "nineteenth". Juneteenth is recognized as a state holiday or special day of observance in most states.
The holiday is observed primarily in local celebrations. Traditions include public readings of the Emancipation Proclamation, singing traditional songs such as "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot" and "Lift Every Voice and Sing", and readings by noted African-American writers such as Ralph Ellison and Maya Angelou. Celebrations may include parades, rodeos, street fairs, cookouts, family reunions, park parties, historical reenactments, or Miss Juneteenth contests.
On Saturday, June 10, 2017, the Carver community will be inviting everyone near and far to join us for the celebration at the Carver Community Center! Please join us!
Support Carver's summer camp campaign at The Impact Vine!
See our campaign at The Impact Vine crowdfunding site to send 40 Carver summer campers on the schooner SoundWaters for a scientific adventure: we need to raise $1,095!
Summer programming at the Carver Community Center and at Columbus Magnet School is among the most affordable and high-quality programs available to Norwalk students ages 5 through 13 years old.
The summer literacy program, facilitated by certified teachers, uses the Lexia Reading Core 5 software to provide personalized learning. Certified teachers also teach math sessions. Summer camp program partners include Girl Scouts, The Center for Contemporary Printmaking, Norwalk Grassroots Tennis and The Norwalk Seaport Association. Field trips reinforce learning, e.g., Peabody Museum, CT Science Center, Discovery Museum, NBC Studio Tour, Stamford Nature Center, Beardsley Zoo, Bishop Orchards, New York Botanical Gardens and Maritime Aquarium.
And now with your help we would like to add the schooner SoundWaters to our field trips!
From their web site, “The Schooner SoundWaters is The Teaching Vessel of Long Island Sound. A representation of a 19th century sharpie schooner, the SoundWaters is an ideal platform for learning and experience for both students and adults.
For students, this three-masted, 80’ ship, typically serving forty students, is a teaching platform for the Science of the Sound, a hands-on, science-infused learning experience aboard the Schooner SoundWaters.”
Carver kids will experience the Long Island Sound, and schooner SoundWaters educators will lead students through grade-appropriate on-board labs focused on Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (S.T.E.M.) data-collection activities. Carver summer campers will learn science by using real scientific equipment to perform experiments while connecting to the natural world.
Cost to send 40 Carver summer campers on the schooner SoundWaters for a scientific adventure: $1,095
Norwalk Daily Voice: Top-Rated Carver Foundation of Norwalk Raises $420,000 for Kids' Programs
See the article here by Meredith Guinness at Norwalk Daily Voice
See our blog post here with all the details about the 16th annual Child of America gala.
NORWALK, Conn. — The Carver Foundation of Norwalk, recently ranked among the state’s top nonprofits, raised $420,000 at its 2017 Child of America Gala.
The event, held at the Wee Burn County Club in Darien, honored Marcus Mabry of CNN and Austin McChord of Datto.
Lead by gala co-chairs Leah Glover and Jacqueline Novotny, the event included cocktails, hors d’oeuvres and fellowship, as well as dinner and exciting live and silent auctions conducted by Michael Nuzzo.
Gala committee members were Wendy and Rich Baskin, Alexandra and Rich Baudouin, Erin and Sean Berry, Marilyn Altman Fider, Craig Glover, Joan and John de Regt, Margaret and Patrick Steele, Mary Ellen Walsh, Meggan and Joe Warren and Barbara and Richard Whitcomb.
Carver is the largest provider of after-school programs for middle and high school students in Norwalk. Carver’s college-prep Youth Development Program is conducted in the Carver Community Center, in Norwalk’s four middle and two comprehensive high schools and in Side by Side Charter School.
On May 1, Charity Navigator announced Carver as one of 41 Connecticut nonprofits to receive its highest rating, exceeding industry standards for financial health, transparency and accountability for donors.
Only 17 charities in Fairfield County received the 4-star rating. Nationwide, fewer than 25 percent of rated nonprofits receive 4-star status.
Carver also received GuideStar’s Platinum Seal for organizational transparency and performance measurement. GuideStar is the world’s largest source of information about nonprofit organizations.
“These hard-won ratings will help demonstrate responsible programmatic growth to Carver’s donors, parents and to the general public,” said Novelette Peterkin, Carver’s executive director. “We understand that donors have many choices when it comes to giving funds to support important causes, and we want everyone to know that Carver uses all donations responsibly and with accountability.”