The Community Fund of Darien renews its generous support of Carver youth

Elsie Lopez, Carver’s Executive Administrator, received this year’s grant to Carver from Janet King, Executive Director of the Community Fund of Darien (TCF), at the TCF Investment Awards celebration last week. Elsie was joined by over 75 local nonprofit representatives, local dignitaries, TCF board, staff, and volunteers who review the many proposals TCF received this year seeking support.

Carver’s generous and faithful friend, the Community Fund of Darien (TCF), just renewed its support of Carver’s mission and work. For Carver and many fellow nonprofits in Darien, Norwalk, and Stamford, TCF initiates solutions, builds collaborations, and implements and supports programs to strengthen youth, adults, and families. Since its founding in 1951, TCF has distributed more than $20 million.

Carver’s work is possible because of our many donors who believe in and are committed to the success of our youth. Each of our donors is precious to us. TCF is special because this community fund represents many donors and influencers and its grants follow a rigorous vetting methodology that involves a smart and deep investigation into Carver’s program integrity and financial health. TCF’s significant support is as much about the size of its financial impact as it is about how our crucial partnership with TCF makes Carver that much more self-aware, transparent, and effective.

TCF initially raised $30,000 to support eight local social service organizations in 1951. That first year, more than 95% of Darien's residents contributed because they knew this was their "community fund". Since then, thousands of donors and hundreds of businesses have contributed to The Community Fund to improve the lives of Darien’s families, friends, and neighbors.

Thank you, TCF, for counting Carver kids among your friends and neighbors!

All eligible families need to benefit from the Expanded Child Tax Credit

Americans are now receiving the concrete effects of the American Rescue Plan show up in their bank accounts, as the expanded child tax credit goes into effect for one year.

This blog post is written especially for those families that need to let the IRS know they exist and qualify for this benefit. Here is the IRS link to sing-up.

Through this program, the Child Tax Credit increased to $3,000 per child aged 6 to 17 and $3,600 per child under 6. All working families will get the full credit if they make up to $150,000 for a couple or $112,500 for a family with a single parent.

The government sent payments for almost 60 million children yesterday, totaling $15 billion.

In America, one in seven children lives in poverty. This measure is expected to cut that poverty nearly in half. Studies suggest that addressing childhood poverty continues to pay off over time, as it, for example, helps adults achieve higher levels of mobility.

The United States provides big tax incentives to encourage people to work, to buy a home, to save for retirement. But the government provides less money than almost every other developed nation to help people raise children. Last year, the tax credit for buying an electric car was almost four times as large as the tax credit for having a child.

Another challenge is reaching the very people who most need the help.

Sending money to middle-class families is easy. Their addresses and often their bank account information are on file with the Internal Revenue Service. The government estimates that 86 percent of recipients are getting the payments by direct deposit.

But the administration estimates more than four million children live in households that are eligible but aren’t on the I.R.S. mailing list. In the early 2000s, the government mounted a successful campaign to increase the use of food stamps by allowing states, which administer the programs, to make it easier to apply and qualify for them. Participation rose to 85 percent of eligible households in 2016, from just 54 percent in 2002.

There is a difference between celebrating a program as an attack on child poverty and ensuring it helps as many poor children as possible. We write today’s blog post to help our community achieve both outcomes.

Carver campers visit Silverman's Farm in Easton!

Pop-Up Vaccination Clinic at Carver on Tuesday, August 17th, 9AM-5PM

Carver kids are fully engaged in our nine summer learning programs

Our summer learning programming is more important than ever this year. Our nine summer programs are adapting and innovating to ensure children and their families can access quality summer learning opportunities and critical supports.

Carver kids are right now enjoying our two Summer Enrichment Camps at the Carver Community Center and Columbus Magnet School, the new Summer Learning Program at Side By Side Charter School, and our summer transition programs for rising 6th graders at Norwalk’s four middle schools, and the summer transition programs for rising 9th graders at Norwalk and Brien McMahon High Schools.

Carver joins the National Summer Learning Association (NSLA) in celebrating National Summer Learning Week, a celebration dedicated to elevating the importance of keeping kids learning, safe and healthy every summer; ensuring young people return to school ready to succeed.

During July 12-16, each day of Summer Learning Week is devoted to a different critical summer issue, from the enriching possibilities of STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) to arts programming to summertime programs that strengthen career development skills for young people.

Zaila Avante-garde, a 13-year-old, Becomes First African American Spelling Bee Champion

Zaila Avante-garde last Thursday night correctly spelled "murraya," which is a genus of flowering plants found in Asia, Australia and the Pacific Islands. The correct spelling won Avante-garde the 2021 Scripps National Spelling Bee championship.

Avante-garde, a 13-year-old from Harvey, Louisiana—a southern suburb of New Orleans—became the first African American student to win the prestigious championship.

After Avante-garde correctly spelled the word "M-U-R-R-A-Y-A" she was greeted by an astounding, "That is correct!" Avante-garde jumped and completely turned a 360 in celebration, and then stood still as a barrage of confetti shot from the air. She twirled again as the newest champion.

8th grader Zaila Avant-Garde also holds 3 Guinness World records related to basketball!!!

A song for Dick Whitcomb, the man who made us fearless, our hero.

Dick Whitcomb was a mentor and advocate for many Carver youth and Gabi Pierre-Louis was one of them.

Here they are at the University of Bridgeport where Gabi is studying.

This cover song of Alicia Keys song "Good Job" and live performance video for our recent virtual Celebrating Courage gala was recorded and produced at Factory Underground Studio.

The lyrics and the heart Gabi gives to the song perfectly match our feelings for our most faithful and inspiring friend who we lost several days ago.

“There's no way to ever pay you back, Bless your heart, know I love you for that, Honest and selfless…” are just a few of the things we want to say to Dick during these hours and days of mourning.

This music video also features pianist Steve Sasloe who is musical director for Jose Feliciano.

Gabi is a former "Carver kid," who is working on completing her education and achieving a lifelong dream of becoming a dentist.

Gabi is part of the proud Haitian community of Norwalk, CT. She had originally approached Factory Underground about helping her family raise money and food to send to Haiti for post-earthquake relief. She had previously gone to Haiti to help her uncle, who is a dentist, provide dental care to the poor.

What you're hearing in this recording is one single take, no overdubs, no tuning, and no backing vocals. Just raw talent delivered with a lot of love from the heart.

Here’s our song for Dick Whitcomb

You're the engine that makes all things go
And you're always in disguise, my hero
I see your light in the dark
Smile in my face when we all know it's hard
There's no way to ever pay you back
Bless your heart, know I love you for that
Honest and selfless
I don't know if this helps it but

Good Job
You're doing a good job, a good job
You're doing a good job
Don't get too down
The world needs you now
Know that you matter
Matter, matter yeah

You're doing a good job, a good job
You're doing a good job
Don't get too down
The world needs you now
Know that you matter
Matter, matter yeah

Six in the morning
As soon as you walk through that door
Everyone needs you again
The world's out of order
It's not as sound
When you're not around
All day on your feet, hard to
Keep that energy, I know
When it feels like the end of the road
You don't let go
You just press forward

You're the engine that makes all things go
Always in disguise, my hero
I see a light in the dark
Smile in my face
When we all know it's hard
There's no way to ever pay you back
Bless your heart
Know I love you for that
Honest and selfless
I don't know if this helps it but

Good Job
You're doing a good job, a good job
Good job
You're doing a good job
Don't get too down
The world needs you now
Know that you matter
Matter, matter yeah

It's a good job
You're doing a good job, a good job
Good job
You're doing a good job
Don't get too down
The world needs you now
Know that you matter
Matter, matter yeah

The mothers, the fathers
The teachers that reach us
Strangers to friends
That show up in the end
From the bottom to the top
The listeners that hear us
This is for you
You make me fearless

You're doing a good job, a good job
You're doing a good job
Don't get too down
The world needs you now
Know that you matter
Matter, matter yeah

The Carver community has lost a most faithful and dear friend.

Dick Whitcomb.

Having named our gymnasium and a scholarship fund after him, after giving Dick our Lifetime Achievement Award, and after decades of service as a Carver volunteer, donor, and board member, there is no need to recite his countless achievements. Richard Whitcomb is legendary.

This song is for you, Dick. It is “Good Job” sung by Gabi Pierre-Louis, a Carver kid whose life you blessed with your mentorship and advocacy.

In remembering and honoring Dick’s life, we celebrate life’s contradictions that he made incandescent. In contradiction and paradox, Dick had a lively way of finding and revealing the truth.

After retiring as headmaster of St Luke’s School, Dick made the Carver community one of his top commitments and almost daily destinations. Education for Dick began with the solution of the student-teacher contradiction, by reconciling the poles of the contradiction so that both are simultaneously teachers and students. If Carver were a restaurant, Dick was at once a captain and a waiter.

As opinionated as he could be, especially about Carver programs and strategies, he was just as open to considering other points of view. Contradiction did not mean defeat; it was the first step toward progress.

Dick was successful by any measure, but he insisted that his achievements were never his own; he was indebted to many benefactors and kindnesses along the way. He shared his teaching philosophy and methodologies with us when he began to work on his book at Carver. His message could be summed up by this: no child was beyond reaching, igniting, launching. Grades were of less importance than the intrinsic value of each kid. He would say that he saw himself as a Carver kid.

Even attempting to write that book was partly a contradiction in terms. Dick’s strengths as a teacher, coach, headmaster, and Carver board member were expressed spontaneously. It was always in the moment that he transformed lives and organizations. That’s that inner light of love; not something you pick up in a book.

He gave mighty financial gifts to Carver, but what he gave of himself is what lives on in us. He showed us that everyone does indeed die, but not everyone lives. He showed us how to live.

To serve, for him, was not a duty but a privilege. He received boundless joy in changing the trajectory of the lives of our youth. He did not merely act on requests for help. He passionately sought out ways to give to Carver and sought out the kids who most needed his trust and assistance. The more he gave, the more grateful and animated he became. Life’s blessed contradictions.

If you’re lucky, you know someone like Dick Whitcomb who radiates that inner light. You often catch them looking after other people and as they do so their laugh is musical. They are not thinking about what wonderful work they are doing. They are not thinking about themselves at all.

Dick was that person. When he burst into our community center with a hearty greeting to one and all while making his way to his office (our board room), his presence brightened everyone’s whole day. Not infrequently he befriended Carver kids passing in the hallway and then all bets were off as to what doors of opportunity he’d begin opening to them, including the doors to their own belief in themselves.

No matter what level of success any of us achieve, we may come to realize that we have not yet achieved Dick’s generosity of spirit, or his depth of character. As much as it was impossible not to love him, Dick’s example could also make us feel a bit uneasy.

We prepare Carver kids for college and careers. But Dick’s example reminds us that they also need moral adventures that produce his kind of goodness. In addition to the skills we want our students to learn, we also teach our youth to be kind, brave, honest, and faithful -- the qualities we all need to radiate Dick’s sort of inner light.

The more he gave of himself, the more he received because his riches were invested in those he gave himself to. His love spilled outward and upward. Dick taught us how to build community, to not only do good but be good.

Dick showed us that success is a process of commitment making. Character is defined by how deeply rooted we are and developed by the deep connections that hold us up in times of challenge and push us toward the good. Dick taught us a good life is embedded in a web of unconditional loves.

Dick was committed to tasks and dreams that can’t be completed in a single lifetime. Paraphrasing Vince Lombardi (Dick was a celebrated athlete and coach), Dick didn’t lose the game; he just ran out of time.

Dick passed away July 6 at the age of 85. His beloved wife Barbara, son Jon, and daughter Andrea were at his side when he passed. Dick is also survived by eight grandchildren – and many thousands of Carver youth, alumni, parents, and staff.

We miss you, Dick. But heaven knows your light lives on in us.

Carver Summer Camps open today!

All Carver summer camps and programs begin today, July 6th!

The full roster of Carver's summer programs includes:

- Summer Enrichment Camps at the Carver Community Center and Columbus Magnet School

- After the Summer Bell Enrichment Program at Kendall Elementary School

- Summer Program at Side by Side Charter School

- Summer Transition Programs for rising 6th and 9th graders at Nathan Hale, Ponus Ridge, Roton, West Rocks, Brien McMahon, and Norwalk High School

Summer enrichment camps end August 13th; all other summer programs end August 6th. Click here to learn more about Carver's summer programs

Registration for fall after-school programs began on July 1st!

Amazing Carver students received their scholarship awards!

Trinity McFadden, a third-year student at Rochester Institute of Technology, spent last summer and fall semester working as a campaign intern for newly elected Colorado Sen. John Hickenlooper. As the internship progressed, she was placed on a committee focusing on African American and veteran efforts in Colorado.

Here is a story about Trinity’s first year as a criminal justice major. She was among the school’s inaugural group of Maguire Scholars. Trinity also made the Dean's List with a 4.0 GPA, and she was invited to join the school’s Honors Program. Trinity learned Russian sign language as an elective and traveled to Russia for three weeks as part of the curriculum.

We celebrated the achievements of our seniors and college students yesterday and awarded them $111,000 in college scholarships.

20 of the 27 scholarship awardees earned GPAs of 3.3 or above, 4 of these 27 students earned a GPA of 2.6, and 3 of the 27 students earned a GPA of 2.0 to 2.5.

Four students were awarded the Athena Scholarship. One college student received a renewal of the annual $10,000 scholarship, and three new students were each awarded $20,000 over the next four years.

Scholarships (explained below) also include the D’Andre Parks Scholarship for students with the highest GPA; the Whitcomb Scholarship for students with a GPA of 3.3 or higher; the Fuller Scholarship for students with a GPA of 2.6 to 3.3; and the Serenbetz Scholarship for students with a GPA of 2.0 to 2.5.

The 27 awardees: Nikayla Ashley; Kayla Alvarado; Lakia Brayboy; Genesis Butler; Alexis Bynum; Michelle Chacko; Liberty Corbett; Angee Cruz; Eric Day; Alexis Fazzino; Jadyn Grant; Luis Guaillas; Camisha Hines; Christie Lefevre; Sandy Maxelix; Trinity McFadden; Karen Sofia Martinez Coronado; Brianna Mendoza Carrillo; Shaniya Mesilin; Carla Romeus; Myles Russell; Evan Townsend Henry; Jennifer Veliz; Nicea Nerette; Mandie Romeus; Samuel Emile; and Dejanah Lorthe.

SERENBETZ SCHOLARSHIP

Awards range from $2,500 to $4,000 and are awarded to Carver students who earn a GPA of 2.0 to 2.5. The Serenbetz family has generously supported Carver for many years and is especially committed to the Carver scholarship program. Thelma Serenbetz, the matriarch of the family, was one of the readers of the Carver scholarship essays each year. Her first job after college was as an editor, but more importantly, she knew the inestimable value of a college education. Thelma and her family went on to support many organizations and schools through the years to help young people thrive and achieve their goals. When we learned of Thelma’s passing in August 2019, we wanted to honor her memory and legacy, particularly her commitment to our students. This scholarship honors Thelma’s life and all that she gave to and made possible for Carver students through the years.

FULLER SCHOLARSHIP

The Fuller Scholarship is presented to Carver students ranging from $3,000 to $4,000. The Fuller Scholarship was created to honor Carver’s longtime Executive Director, Richard N. Fuller Sr., upon his retirement in 2004. Mr. Fuller served Carver students for 26 years. He was an educator, trusted community leader, and strong advocate for Norwalk families. The City of Norwalk renamed Academy Street, where the Carver Community Center is located, Richard Fuller Way. Countless Carver alumni credit Mr. Fuller for giving them the example, inspiration, and motivation to succeed in life.

WHITCOMB SCHOLARSHIP

The Whitcomb Scholarship ranges from $3,000 to $4,000, awarded to Carver students who have demonstrated exemplary academic achievement of a GPA of 3.3 or higher. The scholarship was established in 2018, in honor of Richard (Dick) Whitcomb, who is one of the most influential individuals in the life and growth of the Carver community since its founding in 1938. Mr. Whitcomb was involved in Carver since the 1960s when he’d bring St. Luke’s School students to volunteer at the Carver Community Center. Novelette Peterkin joined the Carver community in 2004. She met Dick in 2006, and by 2008 they set out on the bold journey to expand Carver’s after-school and summer programs to almost every school in Norwalk. Dick served on the Carver board for many years and today serves as an ex officio advisor to the board. Dick is also Headmaster Emeritus, St. Luke’s School. Dick was given Carver’s Lifetime Achievement Award on the occasion of Carver’s 75th anniversary.

DARIEN ROTARY SCHOLARSHIP

This $3,000 award this year is presented to a Carver student attending Norwalk Community College. This student is highly engaged in the Carver community, demonstrates grit and determination, and demonstrates an exemplary willingness to succeed.

DEANDRE PARKS SCHOLARSHIP

This $5,000 award is given to the student with the highest GPA. It was established to honor the profound contributions of this former Carver board member. Mr. Parks was one of the founders of Carver’s annual Child of America Gala, Carver’s largest event that consistently brings national prestige to our local organization. Mr. Parks remains a major Carver donor and champion even after all these years.

ATHENA SCHOLARSHIP

An anonymous donor established the Athena Scholarship in 2017 with a pledge of $40,000 over four years to a Carver student who demonstrates a diligent work ethic, resilience in the face of challenges, and a strong commitment to graduate from a four-year college within four years. This year, that same donor added three four-year $20,000 scholarships to this program on the same terms. Scholarship awardees must maintain strong academic performance and provide yearly updates to receive the yearly scholarship renewal.

We hope more Carver donors will want to create their own named scholarship funds in the years ahead.