Roundup: Vaccine, Leah Rondon, Rotary $$ …

===============================================

The latest COVID news, via Kerry Foley and Facebook’s “Westport Coronavirus Info” page:

  • “Tens of thousands” of additional doses should be added to the system this week. That means appointment slots will open up soon.
  • If you have a vaccine appointment in  April May or June, you should be able to get an earlier date in the next 3 weeks. If you do get an earlier date, cancel your later appointment.
  • The state is on target to open appointments to the 45 to 54 age group on March 22.

======================================================

For several years, a Birthday Bash in honor of Leah Rondon raised money for several scholarships. It honored the 6-year-old daughter of Bedford Middle School teacher Colleen Rondon, who was killed when struck by a car while playing at a friend’s house.

COVID canceled the most recent event. But the show goes on — literally.

This Saturday (March 6, 6 p.m.), a cabaret with young performers from around the globe will be livestreamed on Triple Threat Academy‘s Facebook and YouTube pages. Triple Threat founder/noted “Fame” actress/Staples High School grad Cynthia Gibb co-hosts, with Leah’s mom Colleen.

Performers – most of whom train with Triple Threat in Westport and Hollywood — include Makayla Joy Connolly of Broadway’s “Harry Potter,” and Westport’s own Jamie Mann, of Netflix’s new show “Country  Comfort.”

Leah’s brother Sam joins on sax, Cooper Sadler tears it up at the Levitt Pavilion, and Sophie Walther sings her heart out from the UK.

The family-friendly benefit relies on donations from viewers and supporters. Click here for the link; click for the livestream via Triple Threat’s Facebook Live and YouTube pages.

=======================================================

It’s been a tough year for non-profits. In-person fundraising has suffered, while demands for their services has spiked.

But thanks to one organization, another can continue its work.

Westport Rotary Club recently donated $1,075 to Homes with Hope. The funds will provide transportation for children living in supportive housing to HwH’s After School Academic Program, where they receive food, tutoring and mentoring. It’s especially important with the rise in online learning, and the widening academic gap for children without a parent to assist them.

Westport Rotary will distribute all of the funds donated by the community to its 2020 LobsterFest Charitable Giving fundraiser. More grant recipients will be announced soon.

Rotary meetings now held virtually 3 Tuesdays a month (12:30 to 1:30 p.m.). For more information, click here.

======================================================

March is Women’s History Month. For 25 years, Winged Monkey has been a woman-owned Westport business.

To celebrate both the month and their 25th anniversary, the popular Post Road East shop is offering — yes — 25% sales. There are other promotions all month long too.

=======================================================

And finally … 3 big birthdays today. They represent a wide range of genres.

Karen Carpenter was born March 2, 1950. She died in 1983.

Jon Bon Jovi was born today in 1962.

And happy 50th birthday to Method Man.

5 responses to “Roundup: Vaccine, Leah Rondon, Rotary $$ …

  1. Celeste Champagne

    Actually Karen Carpenter was born in 1950:-)

  2. Celeste Champagne

    Sorry, I thought the date for Karen was listed as 1930. Mea Culpa.

  3. The information I had posted to facebook yesterday came from Gov. Lamont’s press conference. If you’ve ever wondered what “retired” PTA people watch when they no longer have to watch BOE meetings . . .

    I shared what I had learned with the hope that it will help people feel a little less anxious about getting an appointment, after seeing quite a bit of worry and frustration in my facebook feed yesterday. For better or for worse, the system wasn’t set up to register all 500k+ people in the current group on the same day because many appointments are only added to the registration system when allotments are confirmed — which, in some cases (e.g. pharmacies), is only a week in advance. After having helped to register older relatives in the prior groups, my experience was as relayed at the press conference: it was significantly easier to obtain appointments after the crush of the first week. Because this group is larger, it may take a little longer to reach the point of seeing “slack” in the system. It will also depend on how quickly predicted dose allocations actually ramp up and how good CT was at predicting the number of people in the group, which with the broad definition of school/childcare staff makes it less predictable than a strictly age-based group. But the models have been pretty accurate so far, such that in the days before the next group opens, there has been an abundance of available appointments. So everyone in the current group should feel fairly confident that they’ll be able to be vaccinated in the next three weeks give or take if they want to be. (And, yay! for so many people wanting to be.)