<p>Milford, CT – Academy of Our Lady of Mercy, Lauralton Hall invites you to Irish Night on Saturday, March 1, at 7:30 p.m. This cherished tradition celebrates the school's deep connection to Irish culture and hospitality, inspired by Catherine McAuley, who founded the Sisters of Mercy in Dublin in 1831. Irish Night honors Lauralton’s heritage while raising funds for scholarships.</p><p>Doors open at 6:45 p.m., welcoming guests with the stirring sounds of the award-winning Fairfield Gaelic Pipe Band before The Night Visitors take the stage. Formed after the retirement of the Highland Rovers, The Night Visitors continue the tradition of Irish music with a rock 'n' roll attitude. For the third year in a row, champion Irish step dancers from the Brennan-Lucey Irish Dance Academy will bring the spirit of traditional Irish céilis to life with their jigs and reels.</p><p>"One of the great things about Irish Night is that there is something for everyone," said Lauralton’s Director of Advancement, Kathleen Kearns Donahue ’80. "We draw guests from all over Fairfield and New Haven counties. The event also brings together the parent community, alumnae, and faculty and staff for an evening of fellowship. Most importantly, we raise much-needed dollars for scholarships."</p><p>Back again this year is the optional "Best Table" contest, where guests can showcase their creativity with themed table decorations. Coffee, tea, and a dessert buffet will be provided, while guests are welcome to bring their own beverages, ice, and snacks.</p><p>Tickets are $25 per person (ages 21+). A limited number of tickets will be available at the door, but this event often sells out—get yours today! For more information or to purchase tickets, visit <a href="www.lauraltonhall.org/irishnight" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">www.lauraltonhall.org/irishnight</a>.</p>

<p><span style="color: black;">The Network of Executive Women (NEW) was honored to be recognized by the Milford Regional Chamber of Commerce at their Annual Meeting and Awards of Distinction event in January. The organization was recognized alongside many other incredible individuals and businesses from the local community, receiving the Business Community Impact of the Year Award. For over 45 years, NEW has worked to address the common interests of businesswomen in the community and help them grow and prosper. </span></p><p><span style="color: black;">Being honored with this award reflects the hard work and dedication of their amazing members (past and present), as well as the unwavering support from the Milford Regional Chamber of Commerce and the local community. NEW’s President (July 2024 - June 2025), Danielle Rownin stated, “On behalf of the incredible women who empower and support one another—beginning with our visionary founder, Phyllis Holt—I am honored and grateful to accept this award on behalf of the Network of Executive Women.”</span></p><p><span style="color: black;">The organization which was founded in 1979 is excited to continue growing their network of incredible women and working to make an impact in their community. Stay up to date on ways you can support their ongoing efforts by visiting their website, </span><a href="https://networkofexecutivewomen.org/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: black;">networkofexecutivewomen.org</a><span style="color: black;"> or following them on </span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/networkofexecutivewomen/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: black;">Facebook</a><span style="color: black;"> or </span><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/3316024" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: black;">LinkedIn</a><span style="color: black;">. </span></p><p><strong style="color: black;">About Network of Executive Women</strong>&nbsp;</p><p><span style="color: black;">Network of Executive Women (NEW) is an organization that addresses the common business interests and issues of women in executive, professional and entrepreneurial roles through the exchange of ideas, information, and experiences.&nbsp;For more information visit, </span><a href="https://networkofexecutivewomen.org/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: black;">networkofexecutivewomen.org</a><span style="color: black;">.</span></p>

<p>Join the Milford Garden Club on Tuesday, February 11th&nbsp;for our program entitled:&nbsp;“Tips and Techniques for Effective Landscape Pruning” presented by Dan Dalton, Master Arborist and professor of Horticulture.&nbsp;Dan will demonstrate how to make your plants flourish with great pruning practices.&nbsp;Don’t miss this opportunity to learn from an expert.</p><p>Dan’s presentation begins at 1:00 pm and will be held at the DAR Chapter House, 55 Prospect Street, in Milford.&nbsp;The admission fee is $5.00. payable in cash or check.&nbsp;To reserve your table space, please text or call Membership Chair Bunny Elmore by February 9th&nbsp;at 203-848-7459.</p><p>The Milford Garden Club’s mission is to advocate for the preservation and restoration of our natural environment, and to beautify and educate our community through programs and civic projects.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;We meet monthly on Tuesdays from September through June.&nbsp;If you are interested in joining the Milford Garden Club please contact Bunny Elmore at 203-848-7459.&nbsp;</p><p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>Joan Cretella, Board Chairperson of Bridges Healthcare announced that applications are now being accepted for<strong> </strong>The Barry Kasdan Scholarship for the pursuit of a graduate or undergraduate degree in human services and The Stella Cretella Scholarship for those in pursuit of higher education through graduate or undergraduate degrees focusing on advocacy and policy reform in mental health services.</p><p><strong>CRITERIA FOR AWARDING THE SCHOLARSHIP</strong></p><p>Three $1,500 scholarships will be awarded.&nbsp;The successful candidates must meet the following criteria:</p><p>1)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Must be a Bridges employee, or spouse, child or grandchild of a Bridges employee, <u>or</u><strong> </strong>a resident of Ansonia, Bethany, Derby, Milford, Orange, Seymour, Shelton, Stratford, West Haven, or Woodbridge Connecticut</p><p>2)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Must be pursuing a graduate or undergraduate degree in human services; or must be pursuing a graduate or undergraduate degree in mental health advocacy / public policy</p><p class="ql-align-justify">3)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;For high school applicants, must be completing high school or have GED equivalent in the year the scholarship is awarded. Completed applications are due no later than March 31, 2025. Applications can be submitted online using the&nbsp;<a href="https://hipaa.jotform.com/build/243504246828156" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Bridges Healthcare Board Scholarship Application</a> which can be accessed at <a href="http://www.bridgesct.org/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">www.bridgesct.org</a>.&nbsp;</p><p class="ql-align-justify">Please contact&nbsp;<a href="mailto:scholarship@bridgesmilford.org." rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">scholarship@bridgesmilford.org</a> with any questions.</p><p>These scholarships were established by Bridges’ Board of Directors, the Board Endowment Fund Committee, and the Board Scholarship Committee in honor of Barry Kasdan’s 30+ years of leadership and service to Bridges Healthcare, Inc. and in memory of Stella Cretella’s 40+ years in advocating for mental illness health reform in Connecticut and her 10+ years serving on the Board of Directors at Bridges Healthcare, Inc.</p><p>Mr. Kasdan<strong> </strong>was appointed President and CEO of Bridges, then known as Milford Mental Health, in 1984. Under his leadership, the organization grew from a small mental health agency with 22 employees to an integrated healthcare system with 160 employees. Bridges Healthcare, Inc. continues to grow in size and scope serving over 5,000 area residents in Ansonia, Bethany, Derby, Milford, Orange, Seymour, Shelton, Stratford, West Haven, and Woodbridge.</p><p>Ms. Cretella<strong> </strong>was a firm believer in higher education, especially for women.&nbsp;She was a pioneer in mental health advocacy, awareness and treatment through her volunteerism on the board of directors for both Region II in Connecticut of the National Alliance of Mental Illness (NAMI) and Bridges Healthcare, Inc.</p><p><span style="color: black;">For more information about Bridges’ programs and services, visit </span><a href="http://www.bridgesct.org/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: black;">bridgesct.org.</a></p>

<p>Milestones Behavioral Services, originally known as the Connecticut Center for Child Development, was founded in 1995 by Roger and Suzanne Letso with a mission to apply the power of behavior analysis to improve the lives of people with developmental disabilities or other educational needs. After over 25 years of service, the company’s dedicated co-founders have retired, naming Lisa Gregory, former Executive Vice President, as the new Chief Executive Officer (CEO). The organization also appointed a new Chief Operating Officer (COO), Senior Vice President of Finance, and Vice President of School Services, as well as a new Board Chair and Vice Chair.</p><p>Lisa began her journey as CEO of Milestones on January 1, 2025, and has been with the company since 2003. With her certification and master’s degree in special education, as well as a Sixth Year Diploma in Educational Leadership and 092 Certification in Administration, she is highly qualified to take on this critical role. “Over the years, I have had the privilege of serving in various roles including Special Education Teacher, Special Education Coordinator, Vice President of Educational Services, and most recently as Executive Vice President,” Lisa stated and continued, “I am excited to embrace this new opportunity and continue working alongside our incredible team.”</p><p>As a part of this transition, there were several updates to the Executive Team. Theresa Bollmann, former Vice President of Operations, stepped into the role of COO after being with Milestones for over six years. Nicole Playford, who joined the organization in 2021 and was most recently the Vice President of Accounting and Finance, has transitioned to the role of Senior Vice President of Finance, and Tracy Sanford, the former Principal of Milestones’ School Program was recently promoted to Vice President of School Services, after being with the organization for over 20 years. Judy Palazzo will continue as the Vice President of Behavioral Services and has been with Milestones for over 25 years after joining in 1999 as the Clinical Director. Current Board members also transitioned into new roles. Anna Friedberg, the President and Founder of Tillid Group, was named Board Chair after serving on Milestones’ Board for five years. Paul Piasecki, Partner at The Innovative CPA Group, was named Board Vice Chair, after serving on Milestones’ Board for over 25 years. All have been instrumental in driving the growth of Milestones and will be an essential part of the organizations ongoing success.</p><p><strong>About Milestones Behavioral Services </strong></p><p>Founded in 1995, Milestones Behavioral Services’ mission is to apply the power of behavior analysis to improve the lives of people with developmental disabilities or other educational needs. As<span style="color: rgb(45, 106, 129);"> </span>practitioners of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA), Milestones is dedicated to advancing the field and sharing their learning to benefit the greater good.&nbsp;To learn more visit <a href="https://www.mbs-inc.org/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">mbs-inc.org</a>.</p>

<p>&nbsp;It’s the sweetest time of the year as the 2025 Girl Scout Cookie season kicks off in Connecticut.&nbsp;The 100% girl-led entrepreneurship program that develops the next generation of female business leaders officially launches on January 24th. The public is now able to order the delicious desserts from individual Girl Scout members – both in-person and online.</p><p>“The five fundamentals of the cookie program are goal setting, decision making, business ethics, people skills and money management,” said Elicia Pegues Spearman, Chief Executive Officer of Girl Scouts of Connecticut (GSOFCT).&nbsp;“Girls learn to work as a team to accomplish goals, while building confidence in their individual abilities and most importantly, they have fun while doing it!</p><p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Spearman notes that Girl Scout members received an educational immersion to ensure a successful 2025 cookie season at the Girl Scout Round Up: Cookie Rally and Entrepreneur Fair earlier this month, which offered a variety of helpful workshops on leadership, entrepreneurship, customer care, cyber security, and presentation skills.</span>To sweeten the deal, GSOFCT offers a reward system in which Girl Scouts earn prizes for selling a certain level of cookie packages.&nbsp;Incentives include patches, charms, a Lenovo Laptop, tickets to AdventurePark in Storrs and a plush stuffed panda, the official mascot of the 2025 cookie season.</p><p>The roster of tasty treats being offered this year includes&nbsp;Adventurefuls™, Thin Mints®, Samoas®, Tagalongs®, Do-si-dos®, Trefoils®, Lemon-Ups®, gluten-free Toffee-tastic® and Girl Scout S’mores®, which are officially retiring this season.&nbsp;Each variety costs $6 per package.</p><p>There are several ways to pre-order and purchase Girl Scout Cookies including:</p><ul><li>Contacting a registered Girl Scout to find out how she’s selling cookies, either in-person or through her individual Digital Cookie<span style="color: rgb(33, 37, 41);">&nbsp;®&nbsp;</span>online platform.</li><li>Visiting&nbsp;<a href="https://u7061146.ct.sendgrid.net/ls/click?upn=u001.b00YhNV2Nr0-2BaZn7eVNAdWk0D-2FZNWoRYVKhJpIohRAA-3DBxmu_Ij1XgsWtWeAdz0mTEGIcEh6byeAwrCr1n-2Fdtm09E61q1gufQgi3uo3sO5-2BIoQsNjgf4iqXmt9uazDd1G1KzkN40mGU08xegmnUeGbPY7bGBp1Ydh-2FRHiV88WH98wjE-2BT9cqaaXhBKL63RgPVFDdh3szbAdI2odiUdhPHYQ-2FxDA-2Bzl7bvPZDG4d-2BmSvxjb0sY3M-2FhyN8tVn-2FzzEmZncqE5TzGEymcFvmstvelUK5mwe85rQYHdLbJAC0jVvwFb7pnf7OjOzHix9S25xxlC0tHZnyLtQzmJEdz43evmJRcw9aHVp39d9PyVDdCWhaXj8mwsMh1G-2F7zlnbZpgU-2BamT5mA-3D-3D" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 255);"><u>www.gsofct.org</u></a><u style="color: rgb(0, 0, 255);">&nbsp;to find out how to order online,&nbsp;</u>or</li><li>Contacting GSOFCT’s Customer Care team at (800) 922-2770</li><li>Girl Scout Cookies will be delivered to Connecticut on March 22, 2025, at which time, all pre-orders will be fulfilled to customers, and troops around the state will set up cookie booths in their local communities through the end of April.</li></ul><p>For more information on the Girl Scout Cookie season, including how to find cookies or support the organization in other ways, visit&nbsp;<a href="https://u7061146.ct.sendgrid.net/ls/click?upn=u001.b00YhNV2Nr0-2BaZn7eVNAdWk0D-2FZNWoRYVKhJpIohRAA-3De418_Ij1XgsWtWeAdz0mTEGIcEh6byeAwrCr1n-2Fdtm09E61q1gufQgi3uo3sO5-2BIoQsNjgf4iqXmt9uazDd1G1KzkN40mGU08xegmnUeGbPY7bGBp1Ydh-2FRHiV88WH98wjE-2BT9cqaaXhBKL63RgPVFDdh3szbAdI2odiUdhPHYQ-2FxDA-2Bzl7bvPZDG4d-2BmSvxjb0sYR811WZS7jUGxheBfFSa0FmJi3DHgbSaeMu2X35WswLJZj0Wj7xnKB39zukmrwR7ZdoRgDJx8g6H-2Fjww7KCPpKe6nDjDlneocXBo95YjT9P-2Benpo84ht5o5Cjw6A8Vil677mUOEOnEZMzTgZIey22EQ-3D-3D" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 255);"><u>www.gsofct.org</u></a>.</p>