Creativity Connects Darien: Meet Janet King Executive Director of The Community Fund of Darien

Creativity Connects Darien

What fuels a vibrant, connected, and creative community? What makes people feel good about living in Darien?

When locals share the creativity that they uncover in the nooks and crannies of their community it brings about connectivity and makes us all feel good. Believe it or not, you discover creativity every day as you walk, shop, work, and play in Darien. 

Creativity connects us. 

Meet Janet King Executive Director, The Community Fund of Darien.

How does creativity connect you to Darien?

Darien offers loads of experiences to be creative where one can connect different ideas:  beautiful beaches, music in Grove Street Plaza, Darien Arts Center art and talent shows, Mather Homestead, British Theater Group of Darien’s Panto, inviting restaurants and cafes, Museum of Darien’s fashion displays, Geary Gallery exhibits, bucolic parks (Selleck’s Woods is a favorite), historic architecture (there’s a Richard Meier house in town), the charm of Pip’s Path, American Revolution history, and, most importantly, Darien offers a warm and welcoming community. Of the places I’ve lived, I have felt most at home in Darien. I met a Darien resident who told me ‘I have an adventure every day in town’ and that is truly possible.

Is there a person or organization using creativity to provoke change in Darien?

Of course, I’m going to say The Community Fund of Darien! We make an effort to use our creativity to inform residents of the social service needs in our community of Darien, Norwalk and Stamford. We build awareness around what our community’s most pressing needs are to name a few: hunger, homelessness, and mental health. We inspire change by opening hearts to our neighbors who need help. At TCF we serve, connect, and support to change lives.

Any place in town where you go for inspiration and creativity?

It doesn’t matter where I am as long as I’m in good company with friends and family who inspire my mind to expand and be creative; it could be attempting to cook a challenging recipe and testing it on friends, discovering a new walking route, listening to a new artist, trying a new book genre, mastering a yoga pose, or enjoying a fine wine; the simpler, the better. I’ve always been an art and culture enthusiast and I cherish sharing cultural experiences.

 Is there an organization in town that makes you feel good?

 I feel right at home at the Darien Library probably because my sister is a librarian and I grew up reading the entire Nancy Drew series at the library where I grew up in Ohio. I’m a longstanding Summer Reading Club joiner. It’s the place I go where everybody knows my name, what I’m reading, and what I’d be interested in. The staff and their programming continuously exceed my expectations.

Finish this sentence: When I think of creativity in town I think of …

Theater 308 at Darien High School. Both of my sons were on stage crew and I was always surprised and delighted by the professionalism, talent and inventiveness of the students and their advisors. Theater 308 is a little jewel of talent right in town.

Creativity Connects Darien is made possible by LIFEWTR.

If you have local creativity to share and would like to be featured in this series, feel free to email  CreativityConnects@HamletHub.com 

The views and opinions expressed above are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of HamletHub or LIFEWTR. 

D
Submitted by Darien, CT

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