Suicide Survivor Shares Hope and Support during Suicide Prevention Month; “especially among our struggling youth”
United Way of Connecticut:
Steve MacHattie, LCSW and Owner of the Charter Oak Family Center in Manchester, has lived experience - he began experiencing suicidal thoughts and survived his first suicide attempt when he was six or seven years old. “I remember being in my bedroom alone. I had a suicide plan that I thought would work and I tried to carry that plan out. After some amount of time, I realized what I was doing wouldn’t work and went downstairs to find my mother. The conversation I had with her, which simply dismissed my experience as a childish incident, was just the beginning of a battle with depression and suicide that would last for decades.”
Suicide does not discriminate. In 2022, to date 110,792 Connecticut residents have reached out to United Way of Connecticut’s 211 mental health crisis team via 988, Action Line and 211 Option 1 for mental health and addiction resources, which are provided thanks to a close partnership with the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (DMHAS) and the Department of Children and Families (DCF). These residents, your neighbors, were equally male and female, but nearly 12,000 were under the age of 18!
More than 40 years after Steve first experienced mental health issues, an award-winning mental health guide supported by United Way of Connecticut, Gizmo's Pawesome Guide to Mental Health, is available to support social emotional learning and mental health education. The Guide helps kids identify when mental health needs attention, daily activities for coping, and how to connect with trusted adults. Gizmo’s Guide was recognized by AMCHIP (Association for Maternal and Child Health Programs) as an “Emerging Practice” on their Maternal and Child Health (MCH) database. Gizmo’s Guide, featuring Gizmo and his fellow therapy dog and K9 First Responder friends, introduces youth to what can be a challenging subject for adults to discuss and for youth to understand, in an age-appropriate way, with the hope that they may keep and apply what they learn for a lifetime to help them stay healthy and safe.
Even though resources like Gizmo’s Guide were not yet available, Steve began his journey of recovery, little by little, with the help of those around him. He shares that his “struggles with my illness resulted in my illness often being my first reaction to life. If I had a bad day or week, depression was right there to remind me who I was. I feel like I internalized the stigma of mental illness from those around me. Even as things were going better and I progressed in my recovery, I still held myself back. I spent years, literally, hiding from people. My need to hide started when I was a child, though it gained strength as I got older.”
Shortly after Steve’s father passed away, he was struggling with suicidal thoughts while driving to a meeting. He pulled over and called 211 because “I needed to connect with someone who cared.” In a moment when he thought no one cared, he said the contact specialist who answered his call was patient, not rushed, really listened and cared. “Being able to talk through it helped me feel less anxious and angry. Having someone listen decreased my suicidal urges. She reminded me that there were still things in my life I wanted to do – that I had a future with hope and goals.”
Having experienced 211 as a lifeline, Steve, now a clinical social worker, pays it forward by sharing his experience, strength and hope with his clients and by referring them to 211 when in crisis.
Steve says that faith and hope are an important part of his story, and he isn’t hiding any longer. He joined a suicide prevention board, specifically, the Board’s lived experience committee. He’s taking singing lessons, and he puts himself up front and center teaching at the college level and loves it.
According to Steve, “Mental illness may be chronic, but it does not have to be terminal. We can still accomplish great things. Life comes with challenges, stresses, sorrows, even successes. Life is full of surprises, and I don’t have to allow those surprises to define me or stop me. My hope is that by talking about mental illness and my struggles with mental illness, I will help open a door that others will be able to walk through. I also hope that people with mental illness can learn to not judge themselves as harshly as I have been known to do.”
If you are struggling and need crisis and suicide prevention assistance, call 211. In Connecticut, 211 is the point of entry for all crisis intervention in Connecticut (988, National Suicide Prevention Lifeline [1-800-SUICIDE or 1-800-273-TALK (8255)], the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Service’s “Action Line” (1-800-HOPE-135) and the Youth Mobile Crisis Line through Connecticut 211.
MoCA Exhibit “From The Pen To The Knife” Opens October 15
Artwork by Marian Christy.MoCA [Museum of Contemporary Art] Westport announces the premiere showing of the From The Pen To The Knife exhibition, featuring close to 300 watercolor paintings by the ground-breaking artist Marian Christy. Christy was a pioneer of the Knifed Watercolors® style, a process that shatters the traditional method of creating watercolors by using only palette knives and puddles of paint.
From The Pen To The Knife will be on view at MoCA Westport from October 15 - November 27, 2022. An opening reception for the exhibition will be held on Saturday, October 15, 2022 from 5 – 7 p.m. at the Museum. The reception is free and open to the public.
The exhibition was curated by Ruth Mannes, Executive Director of MoCA Westport; Liz Leggett, MoCA Westport’s Director of Exhibitions; and visual artist Tom Berntsen.
Christy was an award-winning journalist for the first chapter of her life. She was an accomplished writer for The Boston Globe at a time when women had limited journalistic opportunities. Her writing garnered two Pulitzer Prizes and was considered innovative in the areas of fashion and celebrity reporting.
She considers her time as an artist as a second chapter of her life, a time where she pivoted from “the pen to the knife.” She explains of her Knifed Watercolors process, “No drawing. Just the splash. My focus is to make this unique signature a 21st century contemporary style, elevating watercolors to new depths and dimensions. I want to pull the viewer into the image, arouse curiosity but, most of all, to make an emotional connection silently, one-on-one.”
“I paint most scenes of our outer life. The scenes are metaphors for our inner selves. The landscapes are full of these messages. To give the viewer a broad print, I detail the feelings with a title that is a kind of code about emotions that connect us all,” Christy added.
Christy, now age 90, did not receive formal training, and has been working for the last fifteen years in her basement, sitting at an ordinary easel, held firm by used bricks to sustain her forceful palette knife strokes. Christy does not work on site nor use the plein air process of "direct observation and painting outdoors with the artist's subject in full view." All of her paintings are process driven. Images and figuration emerge from her imagination, with no direct reference materials.
Christy’s relatively recent return to her art—originally discovered as a child—comes decades after she was discouraged from making as a youngster who was female. The sheer number of works, as well as the sensational palette and varied surfaces and textures, relay not only Christy's rekindled joy in artmaking, but illustrate a literal and metaphorical creative explosion after her long-awaited return to painting. Granting oneself permission to express “our inner selves” as Christy describes, is essential to every work and the artist’s unique history.
“Marian Christy is someone who has always pushed boundaries – as a woman, as a journalist and as an artist. She was not deterred by what others expected of her and she forged her own path,” stated Ruth Mannes, Co-Curator and Executive Director of MoCA Westport.
“We are honored to have the opportunity to share Christy’s watercolors with the public. These specific paintings have never before been viewed together as a collection, and we are thrilled to give her work the exposure it deserves,” added Mannes.
The exhibition is on view during MoCA Westport’s Fall Gallery Hours: Wednesday 12 - 4 | Thursday 12 - 7 | Friday - Sunday 12 - 4 PM.
The exhibition is generously sponsored by Hofstetter Baron Group at Wells Fargo Advisors.
For more information on the exhibition, contact Liz Leggett, Director of Exhibitions for MoCA Westport at liz@mocawestport.org or 203/222-7070.
Superintendent’s Update as School Begins: “I am most optimistic”
Superintendent Thomas ScariceGood afternoon,
I always say that we are not perfect, but beyond some operational challenges mentioned below, we have had a very successful start to the year!!! There is renewed energy and a positive vibe in the school culture, something that was challenging as we confronted the pandemic.
Back to School Nights are underway, the summer heat has subsided, and as we complete our second week of the school year, I want to emphasize that we intend to sustain the early momentum we have experienced.
Our primary focus has been to reestablish a positive, inviting school climate for all in our school communities. You will notice additional efforts and gestures to this end. Engaging our kids in the learning process, while maintaining child-centered practices is a high priority.
A great start does not guarantee a great school year, and my responsibility is to support our team in delivering on our promises. I am most optimistic after these first two weeks. We have problems to confront, but with a strong school culture, I have no doubts that we will meet those challenges, some quite formidable.
And on with some updates…
22-23 School Calendar Changes
The Westport Board of Education voted on Tuesday, September 6, 2022, to revise the existing 2022-2023 student calendar. (See attached and linked here) The changes to the calendar are as follows:
Schools will be closed on Monday, January 2, 2022, to mark the observance of New Years Day. Students and staff will return from the winter recess on Tuesday, January 3, 2022.
The last day of school will now be Thursday, June 15, 2022.
The five built in snow days will now be June 16, 20, 21, 22 and 23.
The Westport Public Schools will be closed on Monday, June 19, 2022, to mark the observance of Juneteenth. This closure will only go into effect if two or more snow days cause the school year to extend beyond June 15, 2022.
It is important to note that the built in snow days could potentially move the last day of school to Friday June 23, 2022. Therefore, please keep in mind, when making summer recess plans, that schools may be in session from June 20 - June 23.
Transportation
Unfortunately, transportation continues to be a disappointment. The students and parents who are impacted by issues in transportation are highly frustrated. We share that frustration.
I can assure you that our team is working feverishly to resolve these challenges. We have experienced modest success in thinning out some dense rides in order to shorten the overall bus ride and increase reliability in pick up and drop off times. We will continue to apply similar interventions to other routes where possible.
The unfortunate truth is that we continue to be at a disadvantage due to the driver shortage. We ordinarily operate with approximately 58 drivers and we are currently functioning with approximately 51. We have not approached the level of disruption that some other CT districts have experienced as one CT district had to close school this week due to insecure transportation routes.
That said, we have identified specific buses that we are targeting for further intervention to increase reliability and assure pick up and drop off times. Additionally, we have tightened up our communication protocols to get messages to parents as soon as possible about any changes in routes. Finally, the “WheresTheBus” app is scheduled to go live in the next couple of weeks. As much as we would prefer to go live immediately, it would be a significant error to activate the app while some routes remain in flux as we intervene, and until we are certain the app is accurate and useful.
Again, students and parents who are impacted by these issues have every right to be frustrated. We share that frustration. As I mentioned last year when speaking about facilities, we have an expectation of a certain standard for our schools. We have some facilities below that standard that warrant remodeling or new construction. Likewise, the current level of transportation service is below the standard we expect in our district. We will continue to work to improve this level of performance until it meets the community’s expectations.
COVID
As we continue the start of the school year, the District is operating as close to pre-pandemic practices as possible. The District Health Team will employ thoughtful mitigation strategies, monitor COVID-19 cases, and implement respiratory prevention strategies as necessary. Project COVID DeteCT (weekly monitoring), the use of the COVID dashboard, the COVID hotline and daily notifications to classrooms will no longer be in effect. We ask that COVID cases be reported to the school nurse.
In the event that there is a cluster or outbreak with several cases of respiratory illness including influenza or COVID-19 in one class, parents/guardians will be notified through a classroom letter. We will continue to follow guidance from both the CDC and the State Department of Public Health and will adjust mitigating measures as indicated.
Vaccinations continue to be the most important line of defense in preventing respiratory diseases like influenza and COVID-19. Updated COVID boosters are now available and recommended for people 12 years and older and can be found at Vaccines.gov - Find COVID‑19 vaccine locations near you.
The Aspetuck Health District also has available appointments for influenza and updated boosters and can be found on their website at Aspetuck Health District – Public Health Services and Information. Additional information on State DPH guidance can be found at Link to DPH/CSDE/OEC guidance.
For more specific information on isolation and other COVID specific guidelines please see our Return to School Plan for the 2022-23 School year at Return to School Plan.
Successful Start With New “Healthy Use of Technology” Approach
In full candor, we held our collective breath as we implemented a “healthier use of technology” approach. It is not perfect, but I am proud to report that the initial implementation is very positive. Teachers report significantly more dialogue between students in transition times, before and after class, as well as during interactive instruction.
Though they might not admit it, we believe that many students are relieved to some degree. I’ve personally watched the insidious comparisons on social media compromise the happiness and welfare of my own children. This phenomenon is pervasive. We will not halt this phenomenon due to these changes, yet, we are seeing positive signs in our schools and classrooms by limiting distractions and restoring much of the humanity that was lost over the past few years.
This is only one strategy that we have employed in restoring our school culture and encouraging healthy interpersonal development, but the early feedback has been very positive.
Respectfully,
Thomas Scarice
Superintendent of Schools
Westport Property Transfers: August 22nd-25th; Highest Sale on Riverside Ave at $16.5 Million
Westport Town Clerk’s Office:
Total Conveyance Tax: $94,852.78
Total Sales: $37,941,114.00
Highest Transfer Price: 33 Riverside Avenue: $16,500,000
Lowest Transfer Price: 11 Marilane: $125,000
Transfers:
33 Riverside Avenue: $16,500,000
15 Stoneboat Road: $3,100,000
15 North Ridge Road: $2,200,000
40 Bauer Place Extension: $2,150,000
29 Bonnie Brook Road: $2,011,000
86 Clapboard Hill Road: $1,900,000
6 Sandy Hill Terrace: $1,850,000
8 Coach Lane: $1,826,114
3 Blue Coat Lane: $1,675,000
17 Terra Nova Circle: $1,325,000
152 Regents Park: $1,225,000
9 Marilane (War Deed): $450,000
9 Marilane (Trustee Deed): $450,000
26 Pin Oak Court: $705,000
19 Crescent Park Road: $449,000
11 Marilane: $125,000
Westport COVID-19 Cases Up 6; State Positivity Rate 9.85%
The State Department of Public Health reported 6 more COVID-19 cases in Westport over the past day. The State positivity rate was up to 9.85% while 358 people are hospitalized around the State.
Westport total positive or probable cases: 5,786 cases.
Westport total COVID-19 Deaths: 39 deaths
State Daily Test Positivity: 9.85% [up from 9.81%]
Morning Weather Report
Today
Patchy fog before 8am. Otherwise, sunny, with a high near 80. Northeast wind around 6 mph becoming southeast in the afternoon.
Tonight
Clear, with a low around 60. Calm wind.
Tomorrow
Sunny, with a high near 85. Light and variable wind becoming southwest around 5 mph in the afternoon.
Tomorrow Night
Partly cloudy, with a low around 64. South wind around 6 mph.
High Tides
10:58 AM / 11:20 PM
Low Tides
5:41 AM / 6:04 PM
Westport COVID-19 Cases Up 10; State Positivity Rate 9.81%
The State Department of Public Health reported 10 more COVID-19 cases in Westport over the past day. The State positivity rate was up to 9.81% while 357 people are hospitalized around the State.
Westport total positive or probable cases: 5,780 cases.
Westport total COVID-19 Deaths: 39 deaths
State Daily Test Positivity: 9.81% [up from 9.70%]
Mary “Tookie” Banning Died; Former Westporter
Mary "Tookie" Banning passed away peacefully on August 26th. A sweet southern girl from Morristown Tennessee, Mary thrived on nurturing her family, friends, and relationships. She paid attention, remembering the details of other's successes and tribulations, and was always asking for updates on the latest events in their lives.
The daughter of George "Buck" James and Ruth White James, she was always "Tookie" to everyone. She met the love of her life, Clarence "Sonny" Banning, at the University of Tennessee. The couple settled in Sonny's hometown, Memphis, and had two lovely children: Mary Katherine and James Winthrop. The family moved to Westport Connecticut where Sonny worked for IBM, and where Tookie stayed after her husband's death until moving back to Memphis in the late 1980s.
Tookie is survived by her daughter and husband, Katherine Banning Lintz and Richard Lintz, two grandchildren, Allison Banning Mangin and James Christopher Lintz, their spouses, and four great-grandchildren. The Banning family has also always stayed close to Sonny's sister's family, the late Mary Ann and Tom Frazier, their five sons, wives, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.
A graveside service will be held at Memorial Park Cemetery at 11:00am, Saturday, September 17th, with a lunch and walk in the Botanical Gardens following the service. In lieu of flowers, donations are appreciated to The Foundation for Barnes Jewish Hospital: Neurosciences (www.foundationbarnesjewish.org), Equipping Servants International (www.esionline.org), or a charity of your choice.
Judy A. Edmonds (Copp), 78, Died; Former Westport News Typesetter
Judy A. Edmonds (Copp), age 78, of Fairfield, formerly of Westport, beloved wife of the late Robert J. Edmonds, passed away peacefully on Sunday, September 4, 2022 at St. Vincent's Medical Center.
Born in Nantucket, MA, and raised in Candia, NH, the daughter of the late Charles and Genefrede Lewis. She had been a Fairfield resident for over 30 years. She was a graduate of Manchester High School and received her nursing degree and worked at Mass General Hospital. Judy later worked as a typesetter for the Westport News, worked for HBO, and later as an assistant account executive at Hub International Northeast.
Judy loved gardening, knitting, cooking and entertaining her wide circle of friends. She belonged to a knitting club as well as a ladies golf league. Above all else, her greatest joy was spending time with her cherished grandchildren. Survivors include her children and their families, Paul Copp and his wife, Anna Cui, and their daughter, Claire, of Chicago, IL; and Lynn Copp and her son, Miles McPherson, of Salt Lake City, UT; and also several nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by two brothers, Charles Schlund and Roger Lewis.
Friends may greet Judy's family on Sunday, September 11, 2022 from 2-5 p.m. in the Spear-Miller Funeral Home, 39 South Benson Road, Fairfield. A prayer service will conclude the visitation. Interment will be Private in Oak Lawn Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, please consider sending a gift to the Fairfield Fire Fighter's Charitable Foundation ( https://fffcf.org ).
As Summer Comes To An End Fairfield County Celebrates Labor Day
In Greenwich, fireworks lit up the skies at Tod's Point and Binney Park on Saturday. Sunday saw a major car and truck show in Danbury, and on Monday, Newtown's annual Labor Day Parade returned for it's 60th year after a two-year absence due to COVID.
Photos By J.C. Martin For WestportLocalPress.com Click on an image to enlarge and open gallery.
This being political season, Governor Lamont joined local candidates at the Danbury Car Show in viewing exotic, modern and antique cars, monster trucks and exceptional works of art.
A Fairfield County favorite, the Newtown Labor Day Parade saw both Governor Lamont and local Democrat candidates marched as well as Republican candidates including gubernatorial candidate Bob Stefanowski who handed out candy to enthusiastic children along the parade route.
Photos By J.C. Martin For WestportLocalPress.com Click on an image to enlarge and open gallery.
The Labor Day Parade in Newtown drew hundreds to enjoy pirates and Polynesian dancers, firefighters and tractors, beauty queens and Shriners driving mini-cars and lots of wide-eyed children taking it all in once again this year after the two year absence due to COVID.
Photos By J.C. Martin For WestportLocalPress.com Click on an image to enlarge and open gallery.
