Because I Had To…
…WRITE. I am educated and “degreed” in the field of accounting, although I do have a minor in English. I am aware that this is somewhat of an unusual combination, in particular since I received my business degree from a “business focused” University, making my zestful pursuit of 400-level English classes rather challenging. By trade, I am an entrepreneur, having decades of experience in restaurants. My decades of LIFE experience, however, have rendered me with the knowledge that at heart, I am a writer. Putting words to paper, or rather, ink, which tell a story or create a feeling or elicit a giggle, simply stated, makes me happy. And when you have an opportunity to, again, simply stated, do work which makes you happy, you DO IT!
Currently, I work as a freelance writer. I do not yet earn enough to pay for not only my occasional shopping splurges or dinners out, but also, I do not yet earn enough to pay for my bills. So, I solve this problem by having another job. It’s sort of like having the major and minor in college; one gives you the real job with the real pay and the other contributes to your well-being. An intrinsic benefit of sorts. I don’t mind working 50 plus hours a week, as long as I can eke out even 5 of those working hours for writing because the writing work never ever feels like work even though I completely treat it like work. Writing is a part of who I am. It doesn’t matter if I am writing a promotional piece for someone else’s business or a thoughtful note of regret in someone’s card, I feel a sense of pride and accomplishment for each piece of writing I produce. I was copy editor for my high school yearbook eons ago (okay, that is a slight exaggeration). When I look back on the short one-line captions I helped to compose, I chuckle today. I still remember where I was and what frame of mind I was in when I wrote them. Those quips, however, were not my first published work. My first newspaper publication came when I was in the fourth grade. It was a poem I wrote for my Mother for Mother’s Day. My second newspaper article was an opinion piece I wrote when I was 16 about Bill Buckner’s bauble… YES, you read that correctly.
I am beyond excited to now have a space and, more importantly, an opportunity, to share on a regular basis, my love of writing and storytelling. My column will be aptly named “Because I Had To…” because there are many things, on a regular basis, I HAVE to do. These things range from the basics like eating and sleeping to the specific, as in my tale here, of why writing is personal to me. But as diverse as these things are that I, personally, have to do, I can assure you, that I will craft a short tale of interest, education, wit and candor that will resonate with a diverse population of readers, generally, and, perhaps, with a bit of luck, to you, specifically.
Kathy Naumann, possessor of NATURALLY curly hair and the understanding that you can’t control everything!
Wed. May 23
Artist Show
POMFRET --- The Northeast CT Art Guild is having an Artist's show through May 31 at the Vanilla Bean Café. Art is available for purchase. Free. All welcome during restaurant hours. www.NECTAG.ORG
Art Exhibit
N. GROSVENORDALE --- The Friends of the Thompson Public Library will present Art @ the Library --- Thompson Spring Student Art Showcase through May 29. www.thompsonpubliclibrary.org
Art Exhibit
POMFRET --- The Connecticut Audubon at Pomfret Center will present “Focus on Birds: Featuring David Stumpo & Nancy Barrett” through May 31 at the Grassland Bird Conservation Center on Day Road. 860-928-4948.
Fri. May 25
Blood Drive
POMFRET CENTER--- The American Red Cross will hold a blood drive from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the First Congregational Church of Pomfret on Rt. 169. 1-800 RED CROSS.
Blood Drive
POMFRET --- The American Red Cross will hold a blood drive from 11 a.m. - 4 p.m. in the First Congregational Church of Pomfret on Rt. 169. 1-800-RED CROSS.
Sat. May 26
Acorn Adventure
POMFRET --- The Last Green Valley Ranger Jean Pillo will lead an Acorn Adventure, “Underwater Exploration” from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at Mashamoquet Brook State Park for kids 12 and younger but all ages are welcome. The water will likely be cold and waterproof boots are recommended. Meet at the Acorn Adventure sign after you pass the parking area for the swimming pond. Free --- sponsored by Putnam Bank.
Mon. May 28
Exercise Group
WOODSTOCK --- The Woodstock Senior Exercise Group will meet from 9 to 10 a.m. every Monday and Wednesday in the Woodstock Town Hall large meeting room on the lower. Minimum fee. Local seniors welcome. Please check the town website www.woodstockCT.gov for current schedule or call 860-928-6595.
Memorial Day Parade
EASTFORD --- The Eastford Memorial Day Parade will be held at 9:30 a.m. starting at the Elementary School. A ceremony and award program will follow the parade at the Eastford Veteran's Memorial. Military salutes and services will precede the parade starting at 8:30 a.m. at the General Lyon Cemetery and 9 a.m. at the Grove Cemetery. All welcome.
Tues. May 29
Blood Drive
DAYVILLE --- The American Red Cross will hold a blood drive from noon to 5 p.m. at the Dayville Fire Company. 1-800-RED CROSS.
Blood Drive
N. GROSVENORDALE --- The American Red Cross will hold a blood drive from 11:15 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. at the Thompson Community Center. 1-800-RED CROSS.
Wed. May 30
Library Program
POMFRET --- The Pomfret Public Library will present “Genealogy Workshop” at 3:30 p.m.
Thur. May 31
Library Program
POMFRET --- The Pomfret Public Library will present “Writing Workshop: Love and Heartbreak” at 7 p.m. at the Old Town House. Register at pomfretlibrary.org.
Victorian Days
WILLIMANTIC --- Willimantic Victorian Days will be held May 31 through June 3. Music, history, tours. victorianwillimantic.org
Trivia Challenge
PUTNAM --- The Putnam Lions will sponsor a Trivia Challenge at 7 p.m. at the Crossings Restaurant. Benefits the Special Olympics.
Fri. June 1
Golf Tourney
PUTNAM --- The Putnam Rotary Club’s Ronald P. Coderre Golf Tournament will be held at Connecticut National Golf Club.
First Fridays
PUTNAM --- The Putnam Business Association will present First Fridays --- African American Heritage from 6 to 9 p.m. around downtown Putnam.
Paddle for Cure
BROOKLYN --- The eighth annual Paddle for a Cure will be begin at 10 a.m. at Riverside Park. Benefits facility and technology needs at the Cancer Center at Day Kimball Hospital. For info and pledge forms go to daykimball.org/paddle .
Sat. June 2
Bull Hill Hike
WOODSTOCK --- The Last Green Valley’s Spring Outdoors program and the Wyndham Land Trust will offer a free hike of the Bull Hill Forest Preserve from 10 a.m. to noon. Bull Hill Road is located off Senexet Road. Drive respectfully & cautiously to the end of Bull Hill Rd, and park at the gate.
Open House
POMFRET --- The Windham-Tolland 4-H Camp Open House will be held from 2 to 4 p.m. June 2 and 3 at the camp on Taft Pond Road. From 1:30 to 2 p.m. June 2 an informational Parent Panel will be held. www.4hcampct.org.
Greek Festival
DANIELSON --- The Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church on Water Street will present a Greek Festival from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. June 2 and from noon to 6 p.m. on June 3. Free.
Yard Sale
DANIELSON --- The Westfield Church on Main Street will hold its annual yard sale from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., rain or shine. No early birds.
Library Celebration
N. WOODSTOCK --- The North Woodstock Library will celebrate 175 years from 11 am. To 3 p.m. at the library on Rt. 169. It is being held in collaboration with the Woodstock Historical Society and Elaine LaChapelle. There will be visual display from the buildings school days to the present as a library, old class photos, historical artifacts and share your memories and refreshments.
Fun Ride
HAMPTON --- The Quiet Corner Chapter of the New England Mountain Bike Association is holding its annual Goodwin/Natchaug Epic Fun Ride starting at 9 a.m. at Goodwin State Forest. Three loops offered. All welcome. Benefits the purchase, build and installation of a new bridge within Goodwin State Forest. www.nemba.org/chapters/qcnemba.
Bottle Drive
KILLINGLY --- Pet Pals Northeast, a local animal welfare organization, will be collecting redeemable bottles and cans to help homeless and needy animals from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Killingly Town Garage on Rt. 12. Dry cat food needed, Purina brands preferred. Cash donations always welcome. 860-317-1720.
Spring Program
EASTFORD --- The Last Green Valley will present a Nipmuck Trail Hike from 9 a.m. to noon at Barlow Mill Road and Boston Hollow Road. Hike limited to 20 people with limited parking at the trail head on Barlow Mill Road. Rain cancels. Sign up: 860-774-3300.
Ribbon Cutting
The Northeastern Connecticut Chamber of Commerce was honored to welcome new member and business, Runnings Stores, at its formal ribbon cutting last week. Left to right are: Owner Adele Reed, Corporate office Sal Nielsen, Assistant Store Manager Danielle Lefevre, Store Manager Donovan Lee, owner Dennis Reed, Chamber President Kevin Merchant and Putnam Mayor Barney Seney. Courtesy photo.
HARTFORD — Gary Wolff of Woodstock received the 2017 Robert C. Knox Jr. YMCA Distinguished Leadership Award at the YMCA of Greater Hartford’s recent annual meeting.
This award honors the memory of the late Robert C. Knox Jr., a Hartford insurance executive who was a key volunteer leader and contributor to the YMCA in the 1960s and 1970s.
Gary Wolff, a lifelong Hartford YMCA participant, exemplifies the very best of the community, and truly embodies the values that RC Knox winners should have, YMCA officials said. Wolff grew up going to the Hartford YMCA to swim, and made sure that his children, Jonathan and Kristina, got the same wonderful experience at the Indian Valley Family YMCA. Now, he and his wife, Eileen, live in Woodstock and enjoy swimming and exercising at the Hale YMCA Youth & Family Center.
In 2010 he was awarded the Indian Valley Community Leader of the Year award due to his contributions to that facility. Wolff is president of Wolff Wealth Advisors, and works with small business owners every day. Much like the award’s namesake, Robert C. Knox Jr., who was an insurance executive, Wolff uses his intelligence and knowledge to help those in the community. And it is Wolff’s business and fiscal acumen that make him so valuable as a member of the YMCA Board of Directors who serves as chair of the Endowment Development Committee and Finance Committee. He also uses his skills as co-chair of the Indian Valley Family YMCA’s capital campaign, where he is an exceptionally successful fund-raiser.
Wolff said: “I am so honored to receive this award, and to be able to contribute to helping our Y community. At the YMCA of Greater Hartford, we provide millions of dollars in financial assistance to make our programs and services affordable. I love watching children work all summer so that they are prepared for school in the fall; I am proud to see older adults participate in our Silver Sneakers program; and I am emboldened to see the positive impact of exercise on the lives of cancer survivors in our LIVESTRONG program. I believe that you get more than you give when you know you made an impact on someone’s life, and I know that when others succeed, it helps us all.”
YMCA of Greater Hartford President and CEO Harold Sparrow said, “Gary’s commitment to our Board and to the greater Y community is unparalleled. He dedicates his time to serving on several committees, but it is his passion that separates him from the pack. The good he has done has benefited so many lives in the 52 town and communities we serve, and I am thrilled to see his dedication being honored.”