Meet the incredible women of Carver's Board of Directors

In honor of Women’s History Month, we would like to express our gratitude for the diverse network of women who so graciously serve on Carver’s Board of Directors. Though our CEO, Novelette Peterkin, and each of our female board members are highly accomplished professionals, this month we celebrate them for being the all-around amazing people they are in both their individual careers and beyond. Their dedication to Carver’s mission and commitment to assisting their communities are remarkable in their own right. We also celebrate Carver’s immediate past board president, Diana Napier, a senior manager at The Workplace who serves as an ex officio member of our Board of Directors today.

Sandra Faioes serves as Vice-President on Carver’s Board. She is Director of School Improvement for the Norwalk Public Schools District, after serving as Principal of Norwalk’s Brookside Elementary School for four years. During her tenure there, she successfully completed a RELAY fellowship as a member of Norwalk’s first cohort and was selected to work closely with the district’s Chief of School Operations. Sandra is fluent in Spanish, Portuguese, and Cape Verdean Creole.

Valerie Watson is Secretary of Carver’s Board and Vice President & Manager at Patriot Bank N.A., which has been a steadfast Carver partner since 2002. She has managed the Norwalk branch for over 14 years while being actively involved in local community affairs through efforts such as offering free financial literacy seminars at Carver to educate individuals on money and credit. In addition to her role on Carver’s Board, she serves on the Boards of the Human Service Council in Norwalk, The WorkPlace, and her church.

Kimberly Gaddy, a Carver alumna, is the Director of Reporting & Analytics at Gartner. She directs and manages all aspects of enterprise business intelligence data warehousing and enterprise integration strategy for Gartner Global Consulting Strategy & Operations. Prior to Gartner, she worked for Yale University as the Director of Information Systems and Decision Support in the Yale School of Medicine/Yale Medical Group. She is Chairperson of the Finance Board at Friendship Baptist Church and serves as a national committee member for the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority’s Leadership Academy.

Inwha Huh works for IBM as a Partner & Practice Leader for Banking & Financial Markets, Cognitive Process Transformation, across corporate & institutional banking, retail and transaction banking. Throughout her career, she has been an active diversity forum leader, serving as Executive Sponsor for the Financial Women’s Association, among many others. Inwha is currently the Executive Sponsor of IBM’s Asian American Advisory Council and a Board member of Ascend Leadership.

Rose Lanard founded Lanard Consulting, LLC after her last corporate role as S&P Global’s Chief Diversity Officer. As an experienced leader in Diversity & Inclusion (D&I), senior executive and employee engagement, women’s leadership initiatives, and mentoring programs, she helps organizations create highly diverse and inclusive work environments. Her recognitions include Black Enterprise’s Top Corporate Executive in Diversity & Inclusion and Tri-State Diversity Council’s Most Influential Woman, among others.

E. Suzanne Small is a Director in Credit Management at TD Securities, USA, where she underwrites loans and manages them over their lifetime. During her 20-year career in investment banking, she worked for UBS as an Executive Director overseeing portfolio risk management and corporate lending and was VP & Director in structured finance at TD Securities. On top of her position on Carver’s Board, she serves as Treasurer for Rowayton Yacht Club’s Board of Directors. Sue has been an ardent Carver supporter for the last 12 years.

Novelette Peterkin is Carver’s Chief Executive Officer. Since joining Carver in 2004, she has led the transformation of Carver’s reach and impact from a vibrant community center to a citywide network of before- and after-school and summer programs delivering equitable learning opportunities to K-12 students in 19 schools. Novelette is a recipient of numerous awards such as the Women of Distinction Award (Darien YWCA) and The Elizabeth Roberts Changing the Odds for Children Award (United Way of Coastal Fairfield County). She is also a member of the National Black MBA Association and the Maritime Aquarium’s Board of Directors.

Carver celebrates Women's History Month

The Carver community joins the Library of Congress, National Archives and Records Administration, National Endowment for the Humanities, National Gallery of Art, National Park Service, Smithsonian Institution and United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in commemorating and encouraging the study, observance and celebration of the vital role of women in American history!

Like with our students, we treasure more than measure the women who lead Carver initiatives. Though our CEO, Novelette Peterkin, and each of our female board members are highly accomplished professionals, this month we celebrate them for being the all-around amazing people they are in both their individual careers and beyond.

And then there are our Carver alumna. They are making their mark in the fields of law, government, medicine, finance, entertainment, professional sports, technology, education, entrepreneurship, and the creative arts, among many other professions. They are ambitious critical thinkers who understand that achievement is not a destination but an ongoing and exciting journey. You can read some of their inspiring stories here.

Before women had the whole month, the U.S. recognized Women’s History Week; before that, a single International Women’s Day. Dedicating the whole month of March in honor of women’s achievements may seem irrelevant today. But at the time of the conception of Women’s History Week, activists saw the designation as a way to revise a written and social American history that had largely ignored women’s contributions.

Women’s History Month is a dedicated month to reflect on the often-overlooked contributions of women to United States history. From Abigail Adams to Susan B. Anthony, Sojourner Truth to Rosa Parks, the timeline of women’s history milestones of course stretches back to the founding of the United States.

The National Women’s History Alliance designates a yearly theme for Women's History Month. The 2021 theme is a continuation of 2020's: "Valiant Women of the Vote: Refusing to Be Silenced." This theme recognizes the battle for women's suffrage, which was gained with the passage of the 19th amendment in 1920. For almost 100 years, women had been fighting for the right to vote: They made speeches, signed petitions, staged demonstrations and argued over and over again that women, like men, deserved all of the rights and responsibilities of citizenship.

Registration is now open for Summer 2021 Programs!

This summer we are using this one online registration application for all our summer programs.

You will be asked in which program you are enrolling your children once you are filling out the online application.

For questions about our Summer Enrichment Programs at the Carver Community Center, Columbus Magnet School, and Side By Side Charter School, please contact our Chief Program Officer, Brian Alert, at (203) 838-4305, ext 105; brian@carvercenterct.org.

For questions about the middle and high school after summer transition programs, please contact our Manager of School Based Programs, Mary Martini, at (203) 838-4305; ext 119; mary@carvercenterct.org.

Read more about all our summer programs here.

Camp provides children with a community of caring adults who nurture experiential education that results in self-respect and appreciation for human value. All of the outcomes — self-identity, self-worth, self-esteem, leadership, and self-respect — build personal competencies. For years, campers' parents have reported that when their children return home from camp they are more caring, understand the importance of giving, are more equipped to stand up for what they know is right, and are willing to be more responsible.

Children are at less risk at camp where they have a sense of community, develop intergenerational relationships, and learn through first-hand experiences. Trained, caring adult role models help children feel loved, capable, and included. Camp helps children grow by providing a supervised, positive environment that has safety as a primary commitment.

The Carver community names the gymnasium after Dick Whitcomb

The Zoom-hosted ceremony yesterday gathered some 100 devoted friends. Social media came alive among family and friends in sending greetings and well wishes. Here are a few of the many comments on Zoom during the call.

Dick Whitcomb has been a stalwart and inspirational Carver volunteer, donor, advocate and board member for decades! Without question, Carver’s year after year growth and successful programming would not have been possible without Dick’s leadership in so many ways and times. As a celebrated athlete throughout his high school and college years, and as a coach for many sports at St. Luke’s School, it is most fitting that the Carver Board of Directors named the refurbished Carver Community Center gymnasium after Richard Whitcomb.

Since its opening in 1975, the Carver Community Center has served Norwalk through events and programs that build the mind, body, and spirit for all. The most vital space in the community center is the gymnasium where events ranging from basketball tournaments to career fairs and even memorial services have met the many needs of Norwalk youth and families.

This effort to deepen Carver’s impact in our community is a top priority and also a fitting opportunity to recognize the tremendous example and countless contributions Dick Whitcomb has made and is making to advance the Carver mission.

Dick Whitcomb did not just take up his career in education and sports to make a living. He did it because he could not imagine living any other way. That passion took Dick from Vermont to the pinnacle of his profession in Connecticut.

In 1961, Dick Whitcomb began preparing students for success in life at St. Luke’s School in New Canaan. In 1980, after serving as the school's athletic director and football coach, Dick was named Headmaster and was pivotal in the growth and stature of the school where he remains Headmaster Emeritus. In 2002, Dick retired and then founded a scholarship fund to enable economically challenged students, many from Norwalk, an opportunity to attend St. Luke’s School.

In late 2010, Dick founded the Richard and Barbara Whitcomb Foundation to extend his philanthropy to many others, especially to the Carver community. For many years, Dick’s unofficial office has been the conference room in the Carver Community Center. In addition to general operating support, Dick is especially committed to financially supporting Carver’s college scholarship fund.

Since his earliest years at St. Luke’s School, Dick and his students have been volunteering at Carver. In 2010, Dick formed Carver’s Strategic Planning Group, which brought many new resources and leaders to the Carver community. Dick also recruited the significant financial and in-kind support necessary to renovate the Carver Community Center’s exterior and classrooms, which had not benefited from such thoroughgoing renewal since the building’s construction in 1975.

Carver awarded Dick its Lifetime Achievement Award in 2013, Carver’s 75th anniversary year.

Join us for the virtual Grand Opening of the Richard Whitcomb Gymnasium TODAY at 4PM!

Save the Date for our 7th Annual Golf Classic! Monday, 6/21/21

Win a trip to the UN Youth 4 Climate Conference in Milan!

Apply for the #Youth4Climate: #DrivingAmbition event today! You’ll have the chance to win a fully-funded ticket to Milan, Italy to discuss the issues that are important to YOUth directly with the ministers attending #PreCOP26 Deadline 14 Mar http://un.submittable.com/submit

Why Are So Many Kids Nationally Missing Out on Aftershool? Hear Key Insights from the Wallace Foundation

National survey finds high demand for after school programs, but cost, transportation and other factors prevent access, especially for low-income families. That is why Carver offers free transportation and 70%+ of Carver students are subsidized by our donors.

See the entire transcript here at The Wallace Foundation.

For the past few years, participation in afterschool programs has dropped precipitously. ​Families of 24.6 million children—an ​​increase of 60 percent since 2004—are una​​ble to access a program and many report cost as a barrier, according to a new survey from the Afterschool Alliance.

The study, America After 3pm: Demand Grows, Opportunity Shrinks, identifies trends in afterschool program offerings and shares overall parent perceptions of afterschool programs. With responses from more than 30,000 U.S. families, this survey builds on the household surveys conducted in 2004, 2009 and 2014. While it offers a pre-pandemic snapshot of how children and youth spend their afternoons, it also includes findings from a separate survey of parents conducted in fall 2020, to capture the pandemic’s impact on afterschool. 

The Wallace Blog caught up with Jennifer Rinehart, Senior VP, Strategy & Programs at the Afterschool Alliance, to discuss the implications of the survey and what they might mean for a post-pandemic world. 

This is the fourt​​h edition of America After 3PM. Why did you start collecting these data and what is the value in continuing to do so?

America After 3PM was the first research undertaking at the Afterschool Alliance and continues to be a pillar of our work. In the early 2000​s, we realized very quickly that there wasn’t a data source that provided a comprehensive view of how kids in America spend their afterschool hours, and we set out to remedy that. As a field building, policy and advocacy organization, we recognized that having good research and data would be critical to our success in helping all young people access quality afterschool and summer programs. And we knew it wasn’t enough to have just a national snapshot. We’d need families from every state, families at all income levels and all races and ethnicities, to really tell the story of who has access to afterschool and summer programs, who is missing out, and why. Through the fourth edition of America After 3PM, we surveyed more than 31,000 families to capture this in-depth and detailed portrait of the afterschool hours across the U.S.

Unmet demand for afterschool programs continues to be a major issue, but access and availability of programs is still a concern. Can you talk more about this?

America After 3PM paints a picture of the huge unmet demand for afterschool programs, with the heaviest burdens falling on low-income families and families of color. The families of nearly 25 million children are unable to access a program. That’s more than ever before; for every child in an afterschool program in America, three more are waiting to get in.

More families report that cost and transportation, as well as overall lack of programs, are barriers today than in 2014, and that is especially the case for families with low-income and families of color.

Carver celebrates International Women's Day

International Women's Day, each year on March 8th, isn’t about making women strong. Women are already strong. It’s about changing the way the world perceives that strength. We celebrate women and girls every day here at Carver.

Every day is a great day to celebrate the amazing women in our lives, but International Women's Day gives us an extra reason to do just that.

Celebrated every year on March 8, on this day we are encouraged to actively choose to "celebrate women's achievements, raise awareness about women's equality and lobby for accelerated gender parity.

Celebrating achievement at Carver

The holiday first came about in the early 1900's. In 1908, women had begun agitating for greater equality and less oppressive working conditions with women taking to the streets in New York City demanding shorter hours, better pay and voting rights. The first National Women's Day was celebrated in 1909 and while Women's Days were marked in various countries for the next 100 years, the online portal was launched in 2001 to re-energize their efforts and bring them all together in one virtual place. 

Boys & Girls Club of Stamford CEO Rowena Track will moderate conversations with distinguished local women leaders including Indra Nooyi, Former Chairman and CEO of PepsiCo; Margaret Keane, CEO of Synchrony; Kathleen Silard, President and CEO of Stamford Health; Juanita James, President and CEO of Fairfield County Community Foundation. They will celebrate and reimagine women's futures in leadership at this free virtual event on March 8, 2021, at 7 p.m. See the registration link below.

This year's international theme is #ChoosetoChallenge, calling on us all to think critically about our own thoughts and actions and how we can celebrate women's achievements.

Click on the image above to go to the virtual event registration page.

Girl Powered Robotics at Carver!

With the generous financial support of FIRST®, an international robotics community, Carver’s after-school programming incorporates the FIRST® LEGO® League initiative to promote STEM education amongst our students. This is particularly important for our female students, as women are historically underrepresented in STEM fields due to gender bias that underestimates their abilities. Beginning in elementary school, girls are steered away from science and math, minimizing their confidence and limiting opportunities to develop their skills in these areas.

First LEGO League promotes STEM learning and exploration while teaching Carver kids the value of teamwork, inclusion, innovation, and discovery. Our male and female elementary students partake in hands-on activities that require them to develop solutions to real-world problems using LEGO bricks and engineering fundamentals. Prior to the pandemic, Carver middle schoolers also participated in FIRST LEGO League’s robotics competitions, which entail building and programming a LEGO robot.

We encourage all of our students, regardless of gender, to engage in STEM learning. Carver’s mission is to close opportunity gaps for all children; doing what we can to address the gender gap in STEM education naturally aligns with Carver’s efforts to promote equity for our children and youth.