Wayfair awards Carver partner in Bridgeport with a "Dream Classroom"

Here is Tavares Pewrkins receiving an Inspiration Award from Bridgeport Public Schools in 2016

Wayfair, one of the world’s largest online destinations for the home, announced today the two winners of the 2nd Annual Dream Classroom Giveaway, a contest awarding U.S. teachers with brand-new classroom furniture, storage, and décor.

Travares Perkins, a teacher at the Classical Studies Magnet Academy in Bridgeport where Carver conducts its after school programming for almost al it students, was one of the two winners. The other winner was a teacher in Ohio.

Tavares Perkins, a fourth grade math and science teacher at Classical Studies Magnet Academy, has been teaching for 12 years. Beyond teaching, Mr. Perkins hosts an annual math carnival for the school and leads a group of students who perform community improvement projects around the city. His classroom makeover included individualized desks and chairs, ideal for social distancing but designed to come together for collaborative group work in the future.

“In an inner-city school like mine, opportunities like this don’t come along often. This type of community outreach and support from Wayfair Professional is the same type of real-world example that I strive to teach my students daily: love your community, help your community, be proud of your community, and be passionate about your community,” commented Tavares Perkins, after his classroom was updated by Wayfair Professional this fall.

Conducted by Wayfair Professional, Wayfair’s business program, nominations from the public were accepted through a contest website earlier this year. Winners were selected based on their meaningful impact on a student, class or community, or a particularly unique teaching approach.

“In a school year with much uncertainty, these two educators have been doing extraordinary work that will benefit their students and communities well into the future. Wayfair Professional is proud to announce Tavares Perkins and Brooke Herbert as the winners of this year’s Dream Classroom Giveaway,” said Margaret Lawrence, vice president of Wayfair Professional. “As a leading retailer of furniture, decor and more, Wayfair knows the impact one’s surroundings can have on their day to day, whether it’s at home, in the classroom, or for a business. We are excited for these teachers and their students to utilize their new educational furniture and supplies for many years to come.”

Wayfair Professional received over 1,100 submissions to the 2020 Dream Classroom Giveaway Contest and the winners were carefully selected by a panel of Wayfair Professional employees.

The contest winners received select products generously provided by leading education manufacturers and suppliers.

DACA is restored

Immigration officials have restored the Deferred Action Childhood Arrivals (DACA)program first created under President Obama to shield undocumented immigrants who came to the United States as minors from deportation.

Applications into the program are now being accepted for the first time in three years.

In compliance with an order of a United States District Court, effective December 7, 2020, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is:

• Accepting first-time requests for consideration of deferred action under Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) based on the terms of the DACA policy in effect prior to September 5, 2017, and in accordance with the Court’s December 4, 2020, order;

• Accepting DACA renewal requests based on the terms of the DACA policy in effect prior to September 5, 2017, and in accordance with the Court’s December 4, 2020, order;

• Accepting applications for advance parole documents based on the terms of the DACA policy prior to September 5, 2017, and in accordance with the Court’s December 4, 2020, order;

• Extending one-year grants of deferred action under DACA to two years; and

• Extending one-year employment authorization documents under DACA to two years.

USCIS will take appropriate steps to provide evidence of the one-year extensions of deferred action and employment authorization documents under DACA to individuals who were issued documentation on or after July 28, 2020, with a one-year validity period under the defunct policy.

Carver college student Trinity McFadden "has eyes on politics"

Trinity McFadden, pictured, is a third-year criminal justice major at RIT/NTID. Trinity worked as an intern for Sen. John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.) campaign this past summer and fall.

Read this Rochester Institute of Technology magazine article here.

Trinity McFadden is a third-year RIT/NTID student from Norwalk, Conn. A criminal justice major, McFadden spent last summer and fall semester working as a campaign intern for newly elected Colorado Sen. John Hickenlooper. Due to COVID-19, McFadden worked remotely for the Hickenlooper campaign. As the internship progressed, she was placed on a committee focusing on African American and veteran efforts in Colorado.

How did you learn about the internship?

The Hickenlooper campaign team reached out to Amy Stornello at the NTID Center on Employment in April. The description that hooked me was the chance to work in a different state. I applied within days of getting the application materials. I constantly looked at his campaign website to learn more about his goals for Colorado and the rest of America. I am so grateful that the opportunity presented itself, because I was not looking.

Have you always had an interest in politics?

I wasn’t always interested in politics. My first semester I took American Politics, taught by Professor Joseph Fornieri. To be honest, I studied extra hard for that class because history was never a strong suit of mine. All the hard work paid off, as I ended up with an “A” and a newfound interest in politics. Throughout my college career, I have found many ways where politics indirectly and directly affect the criminal justice system. From what police can arrest people for, to mandatory minimums for sentencing, and convicted felony rights, post-incarceration. But, the important thing is now I pay more attention to politics and I try to educate my family and friends.

What were some of your duties as intern for the campaign?

The best part about this internship was that we saw a direct reflection of our work throughout the campaign and in the media. It was really rewarding.

We did outreach throughout the state of Colorado including assisting in various projects, recruiting attendees to attend a slew of events, and conducting research into prominent figures, activist groups, legislators, and Democratic county parties in Colorado.

What were you looking to get out of the internship when you started?

I was just trying to enjoy the moment and find my potential career path. A criminal justice major is very broad. I chose politics because I constantly see how political actions play out in my everyday life and in the criminal justice system.

What have you learned from the internship?

I learned that I probably would like to intern for someone who already has a position in politics. The nature of campaigns is an unpredictable rollercoaster. Over the summer, there were many protests surrounding the killings of Black and Brown people by police. At the same time, thousands of Black and Brown individuals had disparate and negative outcomes when it came to contracting the COVID-19 virus. For these reasons, I really wanted to get an inside look at how people in power were treating this moment. While someone is in office, change is actually happening, and laws are being made.

A skill I developed was communication. I communicated with a lot of people and learned so much about the state of Colorado. I felt that I was able to become personable with the individuals I spoke to. Another aspect of communication that I improved on was communicating my feelings. Before this internship, I went through life not communicating my personal struggles and just persevering. However, I needed to be clear and communicate with my supervisors and peers what was happening in my mind.

What are your plans for the future?

My future career plans change every semester it seems like. I definitely would like to go to graduate school. I was recently accepted to the criminal justice BS/MS program and will be a master’s student in the Spring of 2022. I thought about running for a congressional seat, or maybe even more local, but it seems virtually impossible if you do not have the funds and/or incumbency. Hopefully, when my time comes, it will be easier to do so. I have explored other options such as law, research, and diplomacy. After working with the criminal justice department’s Center for Public Safety Initiatives (CPSI), I am leaning toward research and maybe obtaining a doctoral degree. By next summer, I want to have an internship in a law firm, in Congress, or with the U.S. Department of the State. If not, I might do some more research with CPSI or the McNair Scholars Program at RIT.

Winter Wonderland Holiday Virtual Talent Show, Friday, 12/18, 6 PM

Trusted partner Campbell's continues to bring holiday joy to Carver kids

December 2019 at the Carver Community Center

Campbell's Snacks employees usually come to Carver each December to wrap literally a mountain of donated gifts. These gifts are then given to hundreds of children in the community who visit the Carver Community Center with their families to experience the magic of the holiday season.

With this year’s COVID restrictions, the Campbell Soup Company instead gave us a generous check to help us fill our children’s arms with what’s on their wish lists.

The Campbell Soup Company is driven and inspired by its Purpose, “Real food that matters for life’s moments.” And for many years, the company’s employees and philanthropy have mattered in the lives of Carver families. Founded in 1869, Campbell has a celebrated heritage of giving back and acting as a good steward of the planet’s natural resources.

Just as Soup is their middle name, so too has Community been Carver’s symbolic middle name since our founding in 1938. And just as there’s much more to the company than soup, Carver too has grown to now include 19 schools in addition to the Carver Community Center. They are still Campbell, and we are still Carver, but we both are continually changing in new and exciting ways.

What remains a constant through the years and decades is our mutual commitment to Purpose. Making sure Carver kids experience the joy of the holiday season is one element of Purpose that we share.

Rowayton Fire Department's Annual Toy Drive results in mountains of joy for Carver kids

Joan and Mike at the Carver Community Center after bringing in all the gifts collected for Carver kids by the Rowayton Fire Department. These mountains of gifts will now be wrapped by yet more volunteers. Holidays at Carver are always community events!

As they do each year, the Rowayton Fire Department collected a fire truck full of toys and other gifts for Carver kids.

The co-founders of the annual Rowayton Fire Department Toy Drive, Joan DeRegt and Mike Barbis, delivered all the donated gifts to the Carver Community Center yesterday. These mountains of joy constituted this holiday season’s veritable “plum pudding stuffed with good things.”

Rowayton’s volunteer fire department has been bringing great fun and wonder to Norwalk’s children for nearly 20 years.

Gifts include toys, sporting equipment, books and gift cards.

This is love in action, something Carver volunteers Joan and Mike are about all year long. There are many stories through the years described on Carver’s website pages and in Carver blog posts that exalt their names.

The magic of this holiday season never ends, and its greatest gifts are friends like Joan and Mike and their generous team of Rowayton volunteers. Though the world has grown weary this past year, the love these volunteers put into their giving keeps us all young and hopeful!

Carver's Gift Giving Event, Friday, 12/18, 4:30-6:30PM at the Carver Community Center

Help us complete the wish lists for Carver kids this holiday season!

Alumna Shantasia Best is a mother, wife and teacher with a big soul

L-R: Nia (9), Joseph, Noelle (3), and Shantasia.

Shantasia Best is a 4th grade teacher in the Bridgeport Public Schools district. She graduated from Western Governors University with a B.A. in Interdisciplinary Studies with a focus in Elementary Education. But, of course, there is much more to her story than those milestones.

Bridgeport Public Schools, the largest district in the state, closed all in-person classes and moved to online-only learning on November 23rd.  This difficult decision came as COVID-19 cases spiked in Bridgeport and across the state, prompting school districts to grapple with their ability to safely host in-person classes as the virus spreads. All Bridgeport students have been provided with a device to use for remote learning and teachers trained for online classes. Teachers report to their school buildings to teach online from there, but the buildings remain closed to the public. Schools also provide to-go meals daily for students.

Whether remotely or in-person, teachers like Shantasia become impromptu social workers for their students, directing some families to food banks, acting as grief counselors for those who had family members die of COVID-19, and helping pupils work through their feelings of anxiety, depression and isolation. It’s also likely that for teachers with big souls like Shantasia’s, concern for one’s students comes at a cost to themselves.

“It was always my hope to serve communities similar to my own. I am very pleased that I can say I am indeed doing just that. In 2018, I started my career as an Instructional Interventionist in Norwalk. I was later given the opportunity to teach 4th grade in Norwalk Public Schools. I was given the opportunity to teach in Bridgeport in 2019, and I’ve been enjoying teaching in Bridgeport ever since,” Shantasia shared.

“I first realized my love for teaching children when working for Carver as a high school student. Running Carver’s Dance and Step teams gave me a foundation for teaching. Dance and Step are creative outlets that help me to connect to my students.” 

Shantasia is currently working toward earning a graduate degree in Curriculum and Instruction from Arkansas State University. 

“While I am proud of these achievements, I am most proud of being able to balance the demands of my career and the needs of my students with the joys and needs of my family.” Shantasia’s growing family (in the photo above) consists of Nia (9), her husband Joseph, and Noelle (3).

Coincidentally, Shantasia joined the Carver community in the 4th grade, in our CASPER after-school program at the Carver Community Center. And then she never left until leaving for college. During her high school years, in addition to teaching Dance and Step, Shantasia worked as a Carver summer camp counselor and as the gym coordinator at the Carver Community Center during each school year.

“Those were some of the best years of my life, because Carver as a community is a true family. Up until a few years ago, I stopped by Carver a few times each week, but my schedule eventually became too crowded. I miss regularly visiting and seeing the kids there. I think what I always loved most about Carver was being able to learn about and value my history, being engulfed in a nurturing culture with people who genuinely love and care for you.”

Most educators go into teaching not for fame or fortune but because of a passion to connect. Shantasia offers herself to her students — her energies, her gifts — with open-hearted generosity. 

In the midst of this pandemic, Shantasia offers her students hope and a sense of connectedness that is hard to find elsewhere. She builds on the truth that beneath the broken and threadbare surface of our society there remains a hidden wholeness.

Carver alumni are also our heroes. They take on impossible jobs and stay with them for the long haul because they live by a standard that is more important than mere effectiveness. The name of that standard may best be described as faithfulness — faithfulness to their gifts, faithfulness to their perception of the needs of the world, and faithfulness to offering their gifts to whatever needs are within your reach. For Shantasia, her faithfulness is to her students and her own young family.

“My advice for the next generation of Carver kids would be to keep pushing! You will not fail until you stop trying. And to stay in touch with the Carver family. it’s a community and family well worth keeping in touch with.” 

#GivingTuesday is next Tomorrow!

Giving Tuesday is tomorrow - December, 1st!

On #GivingTuesday, millions of people around the world will come together to support and champion the causes that are important to them and the communities in which they live. We hope you'll support Carver kids!

Your inbox is about to be full with alerts about #GivingTuesday. This global giving day is a response to commercialization and consumerism in the post-Thanksgiving season (Black Friday and Cyber Monday).

You are always generous to Carver kids. Thank you!

We promote Giving Tuesday because it’s a good thought and because we don’t want you to think we are not happy about this international giving day!