Westport Teen Wins National “Call for Kindness” Competition
Press ReleaseLocal Connecticut young leader, Leigh Foran, 16, wins national Call For Kindness competition sponsored by Riley’s Way Foundation that encourages young leaders to apply for grants that fund initiatives that strengthen their communities and inspire kindness.
Foran is the founder of Inclusion and Diversity through Education and Awareness (IDEA), an organization whose goal is to spread awareness surrounding empathy, respect, and inclusion through early education. By leading various lessons at local libraries and preschools, IDEA teaches children to appreciate the differences across their peers and communities through activities such as read-alouds and hands-on arts and crafts sessions.
The national Call For Kindness Competition builds on Riley’s Way’s work to invest in a youth-led kindness movement, providing young people with the programs, support and inclusive community they need to thrive as changemakers. To date, Riley’s Way has awarded hundreds of inspiring young leaders across the country with up to $3,000 each to fund their projects. In addition to funding, Foran will join the Riley’s Way Fellowship, consisting of mentorship, professional development, and peer-learning.
“The 2023 Call For Kindness winners reflect critical issues top of mind for young people today,” shared Dr. Christine O’Connell, Executive Director of Riley’s Way. “They have answered the call to make a difference in their communities, adding to a national movement for kindness.”
“Being part of the Call For Kindness makes me feel empowered to make a difference in my community,” said Foran, one of forty nationally-recognized 2023 Call For Kindness Winners. “I am so thankful for the support from the Foundation, which will continue to guide me in achieving my goal of creating a more inclusive world.”
"The Call For Kindness inspires and draws in exceptionally gifted young leaders who are driven by a deep passion to make the world a better place," expressed Ian Sandler, Co-Founder and Board Chair of Riley's Way. "These remarkable young leaders hold the key to tackling the world's most pressing issues, and we believe that by investing in them, we can help them turn their ideas into reality. Whether they are just beginning to explore their ideas or have advanced plans, we strive to support and encourage them to imagine a better future and work tirelessly toward it."
About IDEA
IDEA creates unique lesson plans that each take a multi-step approach to thoroughly explain important topics regarding belonging and kindness with students, such as respect, empathy, and inclusion at various CT preschools and libraries. By having a multi-step, engaging teaching strategy guided by the help of professional educators, IDEA hopes to effectively and appropriately reinforce these inclusive ideas with the children they work with. After receiving encouraging feedback from parents, teachers, and community members, IDEA is confident that they will create a deep sense of belonging and acceptance both today and far into the future.
About Riley’s Way Foundation
Riley’s Way is a national nonprofit that invests in and supports the next generation of kind leaders. They provide young people with the programs, support, and inclusive community they need to thrive as changemakers, including seed funding for social impact projects, coaching and skill-building, networking opportunities, and a peer community. Riley’s Way supports young leaders around the country to envision change and achieve it. Mackenzie and Ian Sandler established Riley's Way in 2014 in memory of their daughter Riley Hannah Sandler, whose kindness and friendship undergird its work. Three flagship programs implement the mission: The Call For Kindness, Riley’s Way Councils, and an annual Youth Leadership Retreat. Since its founding, Riley’s Way has supported more than 3,000 young leaders across the US with over $2M in grants, workshops, and programming.
Staples Boys Tennis Shuts Out St. Joe's Of Trumbull 7-0
The Wreckers won each match on Thursday May 4th, however three scheduled matches were unable to proceed as St. Joe's did not have their full roster able to compete resulting in defaults wins for Staples.
Photos By J.C. Martin For WestportLocalPress.com Click on an image to enlarge and open gallery.
Singles Results:
Junior Hayden Frey defeated Billy Kibbey in straight sets. Junior Jared Even, Sophomore Sheryas Gorre and Senior Henry Matar were each awarded the win by default.
Doubles results:
1. Senior Captain Alex Guadarrama & Sophomore Lucas Ceballos-Cala defeated St. Joe's Guenther Bartolone & Mark Berlen 6-0, 6-0.
2. Sophomores Mattie Guadarrama & Clint Graham defeated Daniel Lee & Dylan Lehnring, 6-2, 6-0.
3. Freshman Patrick Tesoriero & Senior Captain Holden Dalzell defeated Dominic Bray & Tommy Rizzitelli, 6-3, 6-0.
The Wreckers will face the Senators of Brien McMahon High School in Norwalk on Monday May 8th at 4:00PM
Photos By J.C. Martin For WestportLocalPress.com Click on an image to enlarge and open gallery.
Staples Girls Lacrosse Defeated By New Canaan
The Staples Girls Lacrosse team (4-7 overall) faced powerhouse New Canaan (11-1 overall) at home Thursday and although fighting hard the entire game, were defeated 15-2. The Rams held the Wreckers scoreless in the first half and found the net time after time. Both Wreckers goals came in the second half.
Photos and Story By J.C. Martin For WestportLocalPress.com Click on an image to enlarge and open gallery.
Said Coach Nicole Gerosa, "With a tough schedule this year in a season where we have faced a lot of unforeseen circumstances losing key players to injuries we are so proud of the team for keeping a positive outlook and continuing to cheer each other on. We have younger players that have stepped up and are filling major roles on the field especially on defense." Among those younger players are Sophomore Katie Fitzgerald, #17 and Anna Petrosino, #5 each of whom have started all season.
Coach Gersoa added, "There is still a lot of work to do and we’re setting some high goals for the team for the remaining regular season games. Senior Captain Jaden Mello and Junior Keira Best, committed to play collegiately at Davidson, have continued to be consistent threats on offense contributing at least one point in every game this season. There is still a lot of work to do and we’re setting some high goals for the team for the remaining regular season games."
Staples scorers were Jaden Mello and Keira Best with 1 goal each. Goalkeeprs Clair Sandhaus had 4 saves with Athina Sarmiento adding 6 saves.
The Wreckers face the Spartans of Amity Regional High School, Woodbridge at home on Saturday, May 6th at home.
Photos and Story By J.C. Martin For WestportLocalPress.com Click on an image to enlarge and open gallery.
Westport Business Gathering Celebrates Cinco De Mayo
Photos By J.C. Martin For WestportLocalPress.com Click on an image to enlarge and open gallery.
The Westport Weston Chamber of Commerce held their annual Cinco de Mayo Business After Hours on Thursday, hosted by Brown Harris Stevens Real Estate. The event provided the opportunity for some great conversation and networking at the end of the work day.
Over 40 members of the business community enjoyed delicious Mexican food including empanadas, tacos and of course guacamole, salsa and chips sourced from numerous local venues as well as wine, Sangria and Margaritas at the Chamber of Commerce's monthly early evening networking event.
Over 40 members of the business community enjoyed delicious Mexican food including empanadas, tacos and of course guacamole, salsa and chips sourced from numerous local venues as well as wine, Sangria and Margaritas at the Chamber of Commerce's monthly early evening networking event.
Next month the event will be held on the patio of La Plage at the Longshore with it's beautiful views of Long Island Sound in collaboration with the Fairfield Chamber of Commerce on Wednesday June 21st.
Photos By J.C. Martin For WestportLocalPress.com Click on an image to enlarge and open gallery.
Morning Weather Report
Today
A 40 percent chance of showers, mainly after 8am. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 57. Southwest wind 5 to 8 mph.
Tonight
A 40 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 43. Light and variable wind becoming north around 6 mph after midnight.
Tomorrow
A 50 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 57. Northeast wind 9 to 11 mph.
Tomorrow Night
A 20 percent chance of showers before 2am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 43. North wind 3 to 5 mph.
Osprey Pair Make Longshore Their Home
A pair of Osprey soared above the Longshore golf course and the inlet leading to Gray's Creek on Sunday.
Photos By J.C. Martin For WestportLocalPress.com Click on an image to enlarge and open gallery.
A pair of Osprey soared above the Longshore golf course and the inlet leading to Gray's Creek on Sunday. They seemed to be enjoying the high winds which allowed them to glide effortlessly yet rapidly, keeping an eye trained on the water searching for an unsuspecting fish. They paused momentarily to perch on branches as the photographer walking on the drive which exits the park interrupted their routine. One began vocalizing which it kept up for some time, perhaps giving the the annoying cameraman an earful.
They most likely have nested on one of the two platforms at Longshore and hopefully will soon be caring for a new brood of chicks.
Photos By J.C. Martin For WestportLocalPress.com Click on an image to enlarge and open gallery.
06880 Authors Sign Their First Book - 06880: Pick Of The Pics
First Selectwoman Jen Tooker and Ted Horowitz, one of the contributing photographers presented their copies of the book to Lyah Muktavaram and 06880 editor Dan Woog to be signed on Sunday at Savvy + Grace, Main Street, Westport.
Photos and Story By J.C. Martin For WestportLocalPress.com Click on an image to enlarge and open gallery.
Virtually everyone who has lived in Westport for more than a minute is familiar with 06880, Where Westport Meets The World, the very popular blog founded and lovingly run by Dan Woog, one of Westport's most well know local celebrities. Most of it's regular viewers see his "Pic Of The Day" feature which he began running on April 17, 2017 with a photo by local photographer Lynn Untermeyer Miller of a scene behind Westport's famous watering hole, the Black Duck in Saugatuck.
With such a collection of wonderful photographs, Woog decided to take the advise of his readers to create phonebook. He reached out to Staples’ superb Senior Internship program and enlisted the help of senior Lyah Muktavaram an Inklings (Staples school paper) editor with a passion for journalism who graduated in 2022 and now attends Wesleyan University.
On Sunday, Woog held a Launch Party at Savvy + Grace on Main Street and alongside Lyah signed copies for a long line of 06880 fans
Woog commented on his pet project, saying, "every night since, at 9 p.m., I’ve posted an image of Westport. Some are recognizable and relatable; others are artistic, whimsical or surprising. All are new, and fresh. Every day since — over 2,100 times — I’ve posted a Pic of the Day. Prominent photographers have sent in shots; so have people who never published a photo. Some are in their 90s, like Lynn’s father Larry Untermeyer; others are teenagers."
Many local photographers of note have contributed their work to this collection including John Videler, Ted Horowitz and even WestportLocalPress editor and photographer Jamie Bairaktaris and WestportLocal lead photographer J.C. Martin.
With such a collection of wonderful photographs, Woog decided to take the advise of his readers to create phonebook. He reached out to Staples’ superb Senior Internship program and enlisted the help of senior Lyah Muktavaram an Inklings (Staples school paper) editor with a passion for journalism who graduated in 2022 and now attends Wesleyan University.
Lyah took to the daunting task of reviewing thousands of images and creating the concept and layout for the 132 page phonebook. Woog commented, "She quickly showed she had an eye for picking the best ones — the prettiest, the most compelling or colorful or whatever — and laying them out in a clever, striking and thematic way." He continued, "Lyah taught herself production. She emailed each photographer for permission. She handled all the back-end publishing stuff with professionalism, promptness, and an intuitive understanding of what “06880’s Pics of the Day” are all about. Lyah’s work coincided with “06880”‘s move to non-profit status. Our mission is to “create a community for Westporters old and new, near and far, through sharing stories, news, events, history and perspectives, uniting all who love our hometown.”
06880: Pick Of The Picks can be purchased through Amazon, https://www.amazon.com/06880-Pick-Pics-Dan-Woog/dp/B0BCZSQRWX
Photos and Story By J.C. Martin For WestportLocalPress.com Click on an image to enlarge and open gallery.
Return Of The Oystercatcher
At least one Oystercatcher has taken up residence on Compo's South Beach, perhaps part of the pair that nests in this spot each year
(see WestportLocalPress: https://westportlocal.com/news/q4z4sergykq7kvnvb7qxyavqi9wrff ).
CT DEEP in cooperation with CT Audubon erects "fencing" wire and post signs warning people not to disturb the timid bird to allow it space to feel safe and hopefully lay and hatch eggs later this spring. These beautiful birds with their long orange bills and golden eyes are stellar attractions for bird lovers and are Compo Beach favorites. It is important to not go beyond the fence lines so as to not frighten them.
Photo By J.C. Martin For WestportLocalPress.com
UNDAUNTED!
These two intrepid windsurfers tried their best to overcome the challenges of staying upright off Compo's South Beach on Sunday. High winds made for some fast action on the water, but they also made for some rough chop which combined with intermittent driving rain.
These two refused to let the challenging conditions stop them from enjoying the benefits the wind velocity provided and they got back up on their boards repeatedly after being dumped in the frigid water.
Photos By J.C. Martin For WestportLocalPress.com Click on an image to enlarge and open gallery.
Dazzling Longshore Cherry Blossoms
The resplendent blossoms of these Japanese Flowering Cherry Trees offer a beautiful location for a tranquil moment at the ladies tee at the Longshore Golf Course on Sunday.
Photo By J.C. Martin For WestportLocalPress.com