Morning Weather Report
Today
Sunny, with a high near 82. South wind 7 to 15 mph.
High Tides: 12:12 PM
Low Tides: 6:17 AM/6:35 PM
Tonight
Showers and thunderstorms. Low around 65. South wind 6 to 13 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.
Tomorrow
A 40 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 78. West wind 3 to 6 mph.
Tomorrow Night
Partly cloudy, with a low around 61. Calm wind becoming northwest around 6 mph after midnight.
Town of Westport Meeting Schedule
Catch a Lift Fund Heals Wounds from “America’s Longest War”; Families Welcome to Events in Fairfield County this Weekend
Catch a Lift FundStories from veterans through Catch a Lift Fund.
As America’s longest war comes to an end with the withdrawal of forces in Afghanistan, this nation will also be marking the 20th year since the attacks of September 11, 2001, the beginning of this war. Since 2010 the Catch A Lift Fund has been serving combat-injured veterans who served in Iraq and/or Afghanistan.
For the past 12 years, Catch A Lift (CAL) has witnessed the toll that war has taken on thousands upon thousands of service members. To watch them heal and find a new purpose in life, through physical, mental and spiritual wellness that our programs provide, is inspirational and pushes CAL to work harder to reach more of those in need.
“After my brother was killed in Afghanistan in 2009, I took his core beliefs of wellness (mentally and physically) and introduced that philosophy to our combat injured veterans who were returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. These men and women have life altering, catastrophic injuries, both seen and unseen. Catch A Lift's primary goal is to teach our veterans to heal holistically. Everyday we witness pain turn to purpose.” (Founder Lynn Coffland)
Dropping medication & substances, significant weight loss, finding a new purpose, breaking away from isolation and depression and learning to be part of a community once again is achieved; all through rigorous individualized programs, designed for combat inflicted injuries, taught and coached by CAL Veterans, (once in the program) and now giving back in service to their fellow brothers and sisters. The scientific correlation between physical fitness and mental health is staggering.
Catch A Lift Fund will be in Fairfield County, CT the weekend of Friday 9/10/21 through Sunday 9/12/21.
Events to register for:
Westport CT
Friday, September 10th, 5 pm-8 pm
Compo Beach Sunset Celebration & Remembrance Event
(outdoors patriotic celebration with food, drinks, music, and special tributes!)
Westport CT
Saturday, September 11th, 3pm
Community Workout with Veterans
(outdoors & for all levels, youth, and families too!)
Ridgefield CT
Sunday, September 12th, 9 am
(music, food, and meet and greet veteran inspiring guests)
Hear from our special Veteran VIP guest speakers:
Clayton Jensen (US Army Master Sergeant) Jensen supported numerous Counterterrorism and Counternarcotics operations as well as hostage rescue, personnel recovery, and national level intelligence collection and analysis. He has supported several combat operations to include Enduring Freedom-Afghanistan (4 deployments), Iraqi Freedom (2 deployments), OEF-CCA, OEF-X, Operation Willing Spirit, and the War on Drugs
Jason Livingston (US Army Sgt) Duty stations included 8-10 CAV 4th Brigade Combat Team 4th Infantry Division Fort Hood Tx , 3/81 Armor 194th Training Brigade Fort Knox Ky-Instructor, 1-91 CAV 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team Conn Barracks Schweinfurt Germany- Fire Team Leader, 6-8 CAV 4th Brigade 3rd Infantry Division Fort Stewart GA-Section Sergeant as well as the Rear Detachment First Sergeant. He deployed to Baghdad Iraq (OIF) December 2005 and again in 2010 to Logar Province Afghanistan (OEF), And was medically Retired in January 2014. Livingston is a Purple Heart award recipient who received national recognition in 2021 for continued service.
Interview opportunities are available with Founder and CEO, Lynn Coffland, coaches, team members, and veterans. Please email Jess Drew at jdrew@catchalfitfund.com for questions and/or scheduling.
Rev. William Henry West, 76, Died; Former Minister for Greens Farms Congregational Church, Director of Youth Services Commission
The Reverend William Henry West, of Old Saybrook, died peacefully at the Connecticut Hospice in Branford, on Thursday, August 26, after a long and valiant struggle with cancer. He was born August 9, 1945, the eldest son of William West, Jr, and Ruth Banford West of Manhasset, N.Y. He graduated from Manhasset High School, was awarded a Bachelor of Arts degree from Alfred University in l967, and earned a Masters of Divinity from Andover Newton Theological Seminary in Newton Center, Mass.
He began his work as a clergyman as a student minister at West Parish Church in Andover, Mass., and served as an assistant minister at the Greens Farms Congregational Church in Westport, Conn. He served several years as the director of the Youth Services Commission in Westport, a board of adults and students that seeks to accommodate the needs of young people in the community. For a number of years, Bill worked in the private sector, owning and operating his own business, Custom Printing and Graphics. Ultimately, he gravitated toward organizations that served the interests of the disenfranchised and the needy. He worked for the United Way and Literacy Volunteers of America. Focusing on the needs of the residents of the inner city, Bill volunteered for Habitat for Humanity and Operation Hope of Fairfield and Bridgeport.
Ultimately, he returned to his real passion, working one-on-one with individuals in need. After earning certification as a chaplain from Hartford Seminary, he served as a protestant chaplain, first at St Francis Hospital in Hartford and then at Saint Raphael’s in New Haven. In addition to his duties as a chaplain, he counseled men suffering from drug and alcohol addiction at the Relapse Prevention Program at Chapel Street in New Haven. He retired in 2018.
If his legacy is his unswerving commitment to others, Bill will also be remembered and cherished for his smile, his welcoming demeanor, and his compassion. Both patients and staff at St Raphael’s and Yale-New Haven repeatedly cited his very presence as comforting. He loved his work even as he was loved by those he served and those with whom he worked.
Reverend West was predeceased by his parents and his wife, Margaret.
He is survived by his daughter, Elizabeth, and grandsons, Theo and Quinten Ewasko of Newtown; and his brother, Robert, and sister-in-law, Gail, of Farmington, Conn. He is also survived by nieces Melissa Alder and Abigail Blanchard, nephew John West, and grand-nieces and nephews. Additionally, he leaves behind cousins and numerous friends and colleagues.
A service in his memory will be held at the First Congregational Church, Deep River, Conn., on September 25, at 1 pm.
In lieu of flowers, the following organizations were near and dear to Bill’s heart. Donations can be sent to: Yale Cancer Center and Smilow Cancer Hospital’s Closer to Free Program, at yalecancercenter.org/gifts, or mail to Office of Development, PO Box 1849, New Haven CT 06508; First Church Congregational in Deep River, at deeprivercc.org, or mail to DRCC, PO Box 246, Deep River CT 06417; or Dylan’s Wings of Change “Wingman Program,” at dylanswingsofchange.org/donate, or mail to Dylan’s Wings of Change PO Box 3489, Newtown CT 06470.