21st Century funding enables Carver kids to participate in robotics competition in New Haven

Carver’s after school programs at West Rocks and Ponus Middle Schools and Side By Charter School fielded FIRST LEGO teams this past Saturday in New Haven to participate in the Elm City Robo Fest FIRST LEGO League (FLL) competition.

Carver is able to offer this enrichment opportunity to our students with support from the 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21st CCLC) initiative, the only federal funding source dedicated exclusively to supporting local afterschool, before-school and summer learning programs. The program was reauthorized in 2015 as part of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). Each state receives funds based on its share of Title I funding for low-income students. Carver consistently wins highly competitive 21st CCLC grants from the state that support local schools and community based organizations that provide afterschool and summer learning programs.

This recent robotics competition was an opportunity for our students to be immersed in real-world science and technology challenges. Teams designed their own solution to a current scientific problem and built autonomous LEGO robots that performed a series of missions. Carver kids developed valuable life skills and discovered exciting career possibilities while learning that they can make a positive contribution to society. And as the images here show, they had a lot fun all along the way on their journey.

In FIRST, Carver kids are part of a thriving community brimming with inspiration, creativity, and hope for a stronger, more sustainable future—one that’s built better together. FIRST LEGO League challenges kids to think like scientists and engineers. During this New Haven CITY SHAPER season, teams will choose and solve a real-world problem in the Innovation Project. They will also build, test, and program an autonomous robot using LEGO® MINDSTORMS® technology to solve a set of missions in the Robot Game. Throughout their experience, teams will operate under the FIRST signature set of Core Values, celebrating discovery, teamwork, and Gracious Professionalism®.

Carver’s after school STEAM programs such as this one receive crucial financial support from a 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21st CCLC) competitive federal grant. Here are similar stories about Carver FLL teams competing in 2017 and 2016. During the 2018/2019 INTO ORBIT FLL season, teams chose and solved a real-world problem. Throughout their experience, teams operated under the FIRST signature set of Core Values, celebrating discovery, teamwork, and Gracious Professionalism.

Carver STEAM after school projects are facilitated by certified teachers hired from within each of the Carver school sites. They deliver Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics programming through small group instruction using strategies consistent with CT’s Common Core State Standards for Mathematics and the CT’s Science, Technology Education and Arts Curriculum Frameworks.

The 21st CCLC grant is authorized under, Title IV, Part B of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (P.L. 107-110), as amended by the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 and reauthorized by the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) of 2015. The 21st CCLC grant is administered by the Connecticut Department of Education and provides funding for the establishment of community learning centers to provide students with academic enrichment opportunities. In addition to academics, 21st CCLC permits Carver to offer students a broad array of other services and programs as well as support for parents.

The Carver community gathers for the Annual Meeting

Carver conducted its 2019 Annual Meeting yesterday evening at the Carver Community Center.

See all the photos here in our Facebook album.

Here is the Annual Meeting program booklet with reports from each area of board governance, from the board president to the board treasurer.

As we enter into the busy holiday season, this annual meeting of the Board of Directors is also a time each year that Carver reviews its previous year's achievements, elects board members, and shares the organization’s financial health.

We celebrated the years-long inspiring leadership of outgoing board president, Diana Napier pictured above, and welcomed Phil Butterfield as Carver's new board president.

Mr. Butterfield came to first know Carver as a member of Social Venture Partners/Connecticut, which has been providing Carver transformational advice and guidance over the past several years. Now a Wilton resident, Mr. Butterfield served as Chairman of HSBC Bank Of  Bermuda from May 2012 to December 2015. Prior to this, he held the position of CEO of the Bank from February 2004 until May 2012. He was COO of the Bank of Bermuda (prior to the acquisition by HSBC) from 2004 to 2012 with responsibility for Global Operations, Systems, Human Resources, Audit, Compliance and Legal Affairs. He joined the Bank of Bermuda in 2004 as Chief Administration Officer.

Holiday season days of giving!

Join us for our community annual meeting TONIGHT!

Patriot Bank offers free financial seminar to the Carver community, Wednesday, 12/4, at 6PM

Give gifts to Carver kids in time for us to wrap them for our annual Holiday Party

Carver among first inductees into the FCCF Center for Nonprofit Excellence Hall of Fame

Members of Fairfield County’s Community Foundation and Hall of Fame honorees celebrate the 10th anniversary of FCCF’s Center for Nonprofit Excellence held at the Westport Library. Center: Carver’s Novelette Peterkin standing next to FCCF President and CEO, Juanita James.

Fairfield County’s Community Foundation honored Carver and several other nonprofit organizations when it kicked off the 10th Anniversary celebration for its Center for Nonprofit Excellence this past Wednesday evening at The Westport Library.

Read about the event here as reported in The Hour.

Ten years ago, Fairfield County's Community Foundation (FCCF), also a consistent financial benefactor of Carver’s work, introduced its vision to strengthen, support, train, expand, and fortify the region's nonprofit community. This vision took shape in 2009 with the establishment of FCCF's Center for Nonprofit Excellence. Dedicated to capacity-building and professional development, this community resource has served 3,282 nonprofit leaders, staff, and board members, from 1,142 local nonprofits over the past decade.

"As we celebrate this 10-year milestone for the Center for Nonprofit Excellence, we are reminded of how much our nonprofit organizations contribute to making Fairfield County a better place for all our communities and residents," stated Juanita James, President and CEO of Fairfield County's Community Foundation. She continues, "We are deeply grateful to each of the generous individuals, local businesses, family and corporate foundations, our region's elected officials, our FCCF Board members and volunteers, and so many others whose support of the CNE allows us to innovate and expand our program offerings and offer high quality programs at affordable prices to the nonprofit sector."

During the 10th Anniversary celebration at The Westport Library, the first inductees into the new FCCF Center for Nonprofit Excellence Hall of Fame were announced, honoring the achievements of nonprofit organizations, leaders, and benefactors who have benefited from the CNE and made important contributions to Fairfield County's vibrant and vital nonprofit sector and the broad spectrum of issues, causes, communities, and people served.

FCCF's Center for Nonprofit Excellence Hall of Fame inaugural honorees include Bank of America; The Carver Foundation of Norwalk; CIRI: The Connecticut Institute for Refugees and Immigrants; Harvard Business School Club of Connecticut Community Partners; JPMorgan Chase & Co.; Dan Levinson; Newman's Own Foundation; Pro Bono Partnership; The Center for Nonprofits at Sacred Heart University; and SoundWaters.

FCCF's Center for Nonprofit Excellence (CNE) helps nonprofit leaders, staff, board members, and volunteers increase their knowledge, improve their effectiveness, cultivate collaboration, and deliver greater impact to the people and communities collectively served throughout Fairfield County and beyond. Each year, through free and low-cost educational workshops, webinars, expert coaching, professional development resources, fundraising support, and networking opportunities, the CNE supports hundreds of local nonprofit organizations.