This year’s annual Danbury Schools and Business Collaborative (DSABC) breakfast was a celebration of lasting connections and lifelong friendships. For more than 25 years, the non-profit organization has matched students in the Danbury Public Schools and Henry Abbott Regional Technical School with mentors. There are currently 250 mentoring volunteers.
Twenty area employers were represented at the breakfast held May 18 at the Amber Room Colonnade. There were 28 mentors honored for their longevity from five to 25 years, and 12 graduating students received scholarships. Former DSABC director Mary Arconti Gregory, who stepped down in February, was honored for 11 years of service.
“Upon reading the graduates’ reflections, the theme of mentors making a difference in the lives of the students was apparent throughout,” said DSABC’s new director Ellen Meyst. “Students today are facing greater challenges, and the benefits of a one-one-one relationship with a caring adult are significant and long-lasting.”
As an example of a mentor’s impact, Meyst shared that a longtime mentor recently heard from a student he mentored 20 years ago through social media and that the student, now a father, realized how much having a DSABC mentor changed his life. He wrote: “Just wanted to let you know how much I appreciate you and what you did for me when I was younger. You were a positive male role model since the first day you came into my life . . . In many ways, you taught me how to be a man.”
Meyst, who was with DSABC for six years prior to being chosen as director, said the message exemplifies the work that the mentors do.
“The passion of our volunteers, the incredible support from our corporate and community partners, the dedication of the Danbury Public School staff as well as the commitment of our Board of Directors is truly an inspiration and together, you’re making a difference,” Meyst said.
Mentors honored for their years of service were George Collins and Peggy Wilczewski for 25 years; Rick Hoddinott, Glenn Martin and Ana Perdigoto for 20 years; Robin Shepard, Dawn Sturgill and Rosanne Mancini for 15 years; Sherry Cheng-Dexter, Edward Dayton, Frances Hendrickson, Marsha Holland, Ileana Rodriguez, William Rogers, Joyce Sands and Janice Thomas for 10 years; and Nercida Fernandez, Emily Pogers, Laura Garza Lopez, Arthur Sinclair, Ava Guastella, Kelley Troccolo, Glyn Lipham, Andrea Whitcher-Johnstone, Madeline Wilczewski, Lorraine McInerney, Deolinda Moniz and Elisa Pica, five years.
The 20 employers represented were: Belimo, Boehringer Ingelheim, Branson Ultrasonics Corp., Cartus, City of Danbury, Comcast, Crown World Mobility, Danbury Public Schools, Duracell, Federal Correction Institution, IBM, Newtown Savings Bank, Pitney Bowes, Praxair, Savings Bank of Danbury, Union Savings Bank, UTC Aerospace Systems, Webster Bank, Wells Fargo, and Western Connecticut State University. There are many individual mentors from the community as well.
The mentors of this year’s graduating seniors and their students shared how they felt about the opportunity given to them through DSABC.
Senior Allen Quade has had the same mentor, Sally Conroy, for the past 12 years.
“Sally was one of the only adults I could count on to not force their opinions on what I should do but would always be there when I needed guidance,” said Allen, who will attend the University of Connecticut Storrs in the fall to study psychological sciences. “I can say with the utmost certainty that between all of our meetings, I wouldn’t be the person I am today without Sally.”
Carl Zinn has mentored Ramel Barnes for the past seven years.
“Ramel has changed my life and helped me in ways I never thought possible,” Zinn said. “I hope I had one-tenth the impact on his life that he has had on mine. The love for life that he has is something that I will always be thankful for. Being around him has made me love life more and more. I am very proud of him.”
Edward Dayton has been Luis Rodriguez’s mentor for eight years.
“Honestly Ed has always been there for me in everything I do. I do not see him as a mentor, I see him as a friend instead,” Luis said. “I will keep in contact with him even after high school because he is a good friend of mine. He is the most awesome and coolest person I know.”
Dayton said: “Luis has grown into a tall, strong young man both in physique and character and I am very proud of him. It has been my pleasure and honor to watch Luis grow and mature over these 10 years. And in just four short weeks, I’ll sit on a bleacher and watch this young man I have grown quite fond of walk across Danbury High’s athletic field, receive the diploma he so deserves and walk off into his future.”
Michael Ferguson, DSABC board chair, presented the DSABC Service Awards, and Dr. Sal Pascarella, Danbury schools superintendent, presented scholarships to 12 graduating seniors.
Pascarella, in thanking the mentors, talked about the mental health of students and the proven success of programs such as DSABC.
“Those connections – you can’t replace them,” Pascarella said. “Legacy and connection are what this program is all about. When a student says you made a big difference in my life – that’s what legacy is all about.”