Donor drive

NEW LONDON — CCRstudies, a dedicated medical research facility on Montauk Avenue will be conducting a bone marrow donor drive Dec. 4 in conjunction with CorePlus Federal Credit Union. This “Be The Match” event will be held at the CorePlus branch located at 255 Rt. 12 in Groton and will run from noon-4p.m.  CCRstudies is a permanent site for Be The Match, which pairs eligible marrow donors with blood cancer patients in critical need of a bone marrow transplant. 

People who are between the ages of 18-44 who are interested in bone marrow donation can visit the donor drive and submit to a simple cheek swab to join the National Bone Marrow Registry through Be The Match. Paperwork will be on hand.   Visit www.BeTheMatch.org to learn more about the donor registry, or to register if you are aged 45 and older. For more info call 860-443-4567.

 

 

PUTNAM — Amanda Kelly has been named executive director of the Hale YMCA Youth and Family Center, now under construction in Putnam. Kelly was previously executive director of the Glastonbury Family YMCA.

“As we prepare to deliver programs and services to families of northeast Connecticut, Amanda will help us create a team with a shared passion for the Y’s mission to help people to develop their fullest potential in spirit, mind and body. At the Y, we help communities learn, grow and thrive. We thank Amanda for her service in Glastonbury and look forward to the impact of the new Hale YMCA Youth and Family Center,” says Harold Sparrow, president and CEO of the YMCA of Greater Hartford.

“I am in awe of what this community has done to build this YMCA, and I am honored that I have been chosen as the first executive director I am looking forward to the grand opening of the Hale YMCA Youth and Family Center,” said Kelly.

Kelly holds a bachelor’s in human services from Springfield College. She lives with her husband and 2-year-old son in Sterling.

Construction of the Hale YMCA Youth and Family Center is on schedule for a late winter 2016 opening, but is dependent upon timely completion of the Town of Putnam’s Regional Tech Park infrastructure.  The Y anticipates inviting the community for hard hat tours in early 2016.

The Hale YMCA Youth and Family Center houses two swimming pools, which will be used for recreational and competitive swimming, as well as YMCA swimming and water safety instruction. The facility will host a state-of-the-art health and wellness center, gymnasium, group exercise studio/multi-purpose room, and teen center, kids and child watch rooms (babysitting while in the facility).

The Hale YMCA Youth and Family Center will serve residents from the towns of Putnam, Killingly, Eastford, Thompson, Brooklyn, Pomfret, Woodstock and Plainfield.

 

 

PUTNAM — “Red kettles everywhere.  Red kettles mean The Salvation Army is once again at local stores during the Christmas season.  In Putnam. The Salvation Army is represented by the Putnam Regional Interact Club, a teen community service club sponsored by Putnam Rotary Club.  

The teens ring the bell at five local stores when enough volunteers are available.  The stores are: Putnam Supermarket, Price Chopper, Walmart, Super Stop and Shop and Kmart.  

The dates for this program are: Dec. 5, 12 and 19 and they ring the bell in three shifts beginning at 9 a.m. and ending at 5 p.m.

People in the Putnam area have been generous every year, remembering that those who are in need go beyond the Christmas season.  Many are in need of food, clothing, fuel oil, assistance with everyday bills and, of course, Christmas items.  

Money collected in the Putnam area is used to assist those in this area.  This is the motivation for assisting those in Putnam and surrounding communities by ringing the bell but, it is not enough.