Tayler Shea has been named interim executive director of Northeast Opportunities for Wellness, Inc. (NOW).
Shea has been a part of the NOW organization since May of 2018, first serving as an intern before accepting a Wellness Leader position in September of that year. Most recently, Shea was promoted to Programming Coordinator, leading all NOW outreach programs in the community before being tapped to take on the interim executive director role.
She is a graduate of Eastern Connecticut State University (’19), Summa Cum Lade, with a degree in child psychology. In addition to her time with NOW, Shea has had extensive experience working with children in clinical settings, has been published in multiple scientific research journals, and is a member of the National Psychology Honor Society (PSI CHI).
Shea will step into the position following the departure of the organization’s first Executive Director, Sarah Wolfburg. Over the past month, Shea and Wolfburg have been working closely to prepare for the transition of responsibilities. Wolfburg, who has served as executive director since 2015, said: “As I move on to new opportunities, I could not be happier to see Tayler take on the interim executive director role with NOW. Since her time as an intern, Tayler has continued to impress both me and our board of directors with her professionalism, hard work, optimism, creativity and connection to the NOW mission of promoting youth wellness in our community. Tayler has grown so much and I look forward to seeing her lead this organization in the months and years to come.”
NOW President Gene Michael Deary said: “Tayler has proven herself to be a dynamic talent. The depth of knowledge Tayler possesses about NOW programs and scholarships will be an asset to her as she becomes the new face of NOW.”
Dec. 1 Shea will begin managing the organization’s day-to-day operations and will continue to expand wellness programs to serve more children and families in northeastern Connecticut. One such program that will expand over the coming months into 2021, is a whole-body wellness outreach program in conjunction with local schools and fellow non-profit organizations. NOW will produce monthly educational and activity packets focused on a variety of wellness topics, including general nutrition, snacking on a budget, hygiene, fitness, mindfulness, managing emotions, and more relevant topics.
Shea said: “It has been a wonderful experience working for NOW in my previous roles of Wellness Leader and Programming Coordinator. My time working directly with the youth population NOW serves has allowed me to see the positive impact our programs can have on children in our community. I am thrilled to become interim executive director and to work together with the NOW board of directors to expand the number of children and families NOW can reach with new programs, education, and scholarships.”
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Hearts Flourish
Pomfret Community School students and staff are showing their appreciation in an artful way this year. The halls are lined with hand-drawn hearts as a way to show their appreciation to the essential workers in their lives and more. Art Teacher Ana Lameiro coordinated the project. Article and photos by Phyllis La Belle.
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Thomas A. Borner, president of the Putnam Area Foundation, announced the award of $7,500 in grants to three local organizations with missions providing critical support to the residents of Putnam and the surrounding areas. The organizations awarded the grants are TEEG, headquartered in Thompson, Daily Bread in Putnam and Project Pin in Plainfield.
Both Tim Kettle of Project Pin, and Karen Osbrey of Daily Bread, expressed appreciation on behalf of their respective organizations for the grants being made at a crucial time. Anne Miller, executive director of TEEG, said, “This year has shown us the very worst of what a pandemic can mean, but it has also shown us the very best of the generous spirit of northeastern Connecticut. We are very grateful for this gift as it will allow us to help with the increase in demand that we have experienced in both our programs, and our pantry.”
Earlier this year the Foundation made a $5,000 pledge to the Pomfret Library Building Campaign in addition to a pledge in the amount of $30,100 to the Hale Family Youth and Family Center for the installation of a swim scoreboard, which will serve to allow the expansion of swim team competition.
Borner said, “We are pleased to be in a position to provide meaningful support, now and for years to come, to organizations that help make northeastern Connecticut such a great place to work and live”.
He said the Foundation, originally organized in 1999, has a mission in supporting northeastern Connecticut philanthropic organizations. “The charitable organization under the IRS Section 501 (c) (3), and continues to be to provide support for not-for-profit groups, institutions, schools and other organizations operating in the community as a way of adding to the quality of life in northeastern Connecticut”, said Borner. The independent Foundation targets its areas of investing in the communities which relate to education, health and human services, art, cultural and youth programs. Grant applications and requests will be considered on a semi-annual basis and may be obtained by contacting Thomas A. Borner, P.O. Box 166, Putnam, Connecticut 06260.
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