Paddle for Hope June 7
BROOKLYN — Neighbors Against Cancer is holding its second annual Paddle For Hope starting at 10 a.m. June 7 at Riverside Park. There is no registration fee, but we ask that those attending, please make a donation. The rules are simple. 1-PFD is required for all participants. 2- This is an event for all types of non-motorized watercraft. 3- This isn’t a contest. The length of the paddle is up to participants. Registration opens at 8 a.m. For info: 860-974-1202. For infor about Neighbors Against Cancer: 860-933-2935 or Vice President Gail Erskine at 860-933-2936. Neighbors Against Cancer is a 501(c)3 non-profit.
This is a great way to help your neighbors diagnosed with cancer. Neighbors Against Cancer assists individuals and families with expenses many take for granted: mortgage, rent, food, insurance, gas to get to treatments and more.
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Interact Club finishes 1 busy year
PUTNAM — Paige Perry and Gabriell Cerasiello, seniors at Putnam High School, rang the Interact bell for the last time at its award and Induction celebration May 26.
Perry and Cerasiello were this year’s Putnam Rotary’s Interact Club co-presidents. They finished one busy year!
In their presentation they listed all the events and activities the club took part in throughout the school year. In August the club: Volunteered at the Kid’s Zone in Rotary Park, distributed backpacks and school supplies to families at TEEG and worked in TEEG’s community garden; September: Worked on their scarecrow for the Scarecrow contest in Rotary Park; October: Collected Halloween costumes to distribute at TEEG’s fall fest, had a booth set up at the Great Pumpkin Fest where they collected canned goods and donations for Caitlyn’s Cupboard at Day Kimball Hospital.
In November: Created ornaments for the elderly shut-ins, organized a food drive at WINY, and participated in the Camp Quinebaug Turkey Dip; December: The club’s 29th year bell ringing for the local Salvation Army office; January: Salvation Army Kettle campaign pizza party and made Valentine cards for the shut-ins; February: Participated in the Fire and Ice festival carving an ice block into a soup can to remind people of food insecurity.
In March: Volunteered at the QVR Rotaract Trivia Night and made St. Patrick Day cards; April: Volunteered at the YMCA Healthy Kids Day, and held a food drive at WINY. In May they volunteered at the Putnam Rotary Club’s Noe Poulin Fishing Derby.
Rotarians Kayla Morin and Roberta Rocchetti, Interact advisors, gave awards to students who volunteered at many of the Interact club’s activities. This year’s top award went to Paige Perry for 84.5 hours of community service to the Interact club.
Rotary Club President Kathy Kirk awarded the new Interact Club co-presidents, Calleigh Levesque and Mabel Perreault, Interact pins. She said she was “So proud of the club because they really live up to Rotary’s motto ‘Service Above Self’.”
Levesque and Perreault, both from TMHS, said their upcoming year will focus on education and literacy. They plan to work with the Putnam and Thompson libraries and they want to continue to work with TEEG and the Salvation Army as well. Alyssa Davis will be the new historian for the club.
The club’s first meeting for the 2026 -2027 school year will be at 6:30 p.m. Sept. 8 in the Putnam Public Library. For info:
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caption:
Interact
From left: Alyssa Daniels, Ava Tucker, Paige Perry, Gabriell Cerasiello, Billie Lewis, Mabel Perreault, Calleigh Levesque, Estella Freitas. More photos on our FB page on Wed. night.
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Hilb Group building transformation
PUTNAM — Hilb Group (formerly Gerardi Insurance Services) May 21 celebrated the renovation and expansion of its downtown Putnam office with a well-attended ribbon cutting and open house.
Woodstock Building Associates was the design/build team that partnered with Hilb Group to make this noteworthy project happen. In addition to renovating the existing building at the corner of Pomfret and Canal streets, WBA built a nearly 6,000-square-foot addition that can house up to 25 additional employees.
The completed renovation and expansion project modernized the familiar brick Gerardi building on the corner with significant interior and exterior improvements. Renovations included adding a new café, updating office configurations, and converting existing conference and breakroom areas into additional office space plus new flooring and refreshed finishes.
The expansion on the south side of the building replaced the old American Legion building on Canal Street with an addition that includes two new conference rooms, three executive offices, and three staff offices. New ADA-compliant restrooms, parking, and improved ramp access offer enhanced accessibility and convenience. The new main entry features soaring cathedral ceilings and a glass façade that adds a modern, sophisticated look to downtown Putnam.
“WBA’s professionalism and attention to detail was amazing,” said Managing Director and Regional Growth Leader Matt Desaulnier. “They kept us on time, on schedule, and were a pleasure to work with from start to finish.”
“This project represents Hilb Group’s growth, commitment, and continued investment in the vibrant community of Putnam,” said WBA Team Member Steven Keene.
“We were thrilled to partner with the Hilb/Gerardi team to bring this vision to life.” Keene commended the clear vision of Desaulnier, Director of Commercial Insurance Jay Long, and Operations Manager Beth Frost for understanding what the space needed to be for their employees and clients, which made WBA’s job so rewarding.
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Graduates
PUTNAM — Moe Coderre and Pam Zamagni Coderre announced that two of their grandchildren earned college graduate degrees in May. Emily Coderre received her PhD in social work from Fordham University (Bronx, N.Y.), and Owen Coderre received his MEd in physical education: Advanced pedagogy from Springfield College (Springfield, Mass.). Emily and Owen are the children of Lance Coderre, formerly of Putnam, and Lisa Tonnessen. They live in Waterford.
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