Yesterday, in an “Opinion” piece, “06880” reader Jamie Walsh stated that in the process of creating a new walkway, the Westport Museum for History & Culture had eliminated the personalized bricks donated in a fundraising drive a decade or so ago.
In fact, the Museum kept all the bricks, and reinstalled them alongside a new path, beginning on Avery Place.
Personalized bricks line the new pathway.
The post has been removed.
“06880” apologizes to the Westport Museum for History & Culture, and invites readers to see the bricks — and exhibits — for themselves.
Katerina Medina is the mother of 3 young girls. She writes:
When we moved to Westport in the summer of 2022, I could no longer withstand my daughters’ pressure to get a dog.
Our beloved Mishka is now a 1-year-old German shepherd. He is growing into his name, which means “Little Bear.”
A few short months back though, Mishka looked more like a fluffball who all humans wanted to pet — and some not very friendly dogs aggressively wanted to show him his place in the dogs’ hierarchy.
So with Mishka came not only joy, but also worries and responsibilities. After enjoying the local beaches last winter, we were forced to search for a new venue to walk Mishka in spring.
Mishka enjoys a Compo Beach sunset.
That is how we discovered Winslow Park. From the first glance it struck me as an underdeveloped gem in the middle of Westport.
While some may prefer to see Winslow the way it is now, underutilized and not well maintained, I could not help but think how this park would benefit from having an enclosed dog space where young puppies, small breeds, fragile old dogs with health issues or dogs still learning to come back on recall, would run and play safely.
There would be well-paved roads, and beautifully landscaped native shrubs and flowers; maybe even a playground in a corner field at the Post Road and Compo Road North, while leaving most of the park and its trails to the hikers and responsible dog owners who may stroll the park instead of having their pets play in a confined space.
This vision was reinforced by an aggressive dog, who bit Mishka.
While most dog owners and their pets were friendly and happy to provide dog training advice, a very few did not belong in an open play area.
Having fun at Winslow Park. (Photo/Mark Mathias)
I did not feel safe having curious young Mishka attempting to interact with their aggressive, imposing dogs. After seeing another puppy injured by the same dog that attacked Mishka, we stopped visiting Winslow Park until recently.
And while dog bullies are less likely to pick on Mishka now, I still think an option to separate vulnerable dogs from all others would be a great addition to Winslow Park.
If the above is not a convincing argument, think of public safety. There are no barriers at Winslow Park to prevent dogs from running away. It is not surprising to read about runaway dogs, or those saved from traffic by good Samaritans.
While we are lucky to live in such a caring community, safety measures must be in place.
An accident last month prompted me to share my concerns with the community.
My mother was visiting. She was driving home from Trader Joe’s when a dog running away from Winslow jumped on Compo Road North, right in front of her.
She swerved to avoid hitting the dog. She hit the curb instead, getting a flat tire.
While she was shaken by the experience, I thought of how this event ended in the least bad scenario of all possible ones.
What if she jumped a curb and hurt someone else, or damaged someone’s property? What if she ended up injured? What if a dog was killed?
Winslow Park (Photo/Laura Robinson)
It is my opinion that the town should apply all efforts to prevent these sorts of situations in the future. With the growing human population, the dog population grows too. While most dog owners are responsible and caring, we as a public cannot count on their pets always acting as directed.
Local authorities should consider putting an enclosed dog play area at Winslow Park, or redeveloping it altogether to accommodate a wider public while still allowing our beloved pets their space.
It’s been 10 years since the Westport Weston Family Y left downtown, for their new building by the Merritt Parkway.
Nearly a decade’s worth of newcomers live in Westport with no knowledge of what that area of downtown was like, from 1923 to 2013.
If you don’t know: the Y’s original Bedford building is now Anthropologie. It looks pretty much the same.
But Church Lane looked very different. The original main firehouse …
… was replaced in the 1970s by an expanded Y that managed to be as cramped and difficult to navigate as it was ugly.
David Waldman’s Bedford Square project took a couple of years to complete. The first step was moving the Kemper-Gunn House across Elm Street, to its present location (as Serena & Lily).
Kemper-Gunn House, at 35 Church Lane …
… and in mid-move. (Photo/Wendy Crowther)
Then came a couple of years of construction.
Church Lane, near the corner of Elm Street. The large structure is the old YMCA.
A fence hid much of the construction from sight. It was decorated by artists, with Westporters as models.
Here’s a view from a construction vehicle:
A construction crane hovered over downtown. Onlookers were fascinated by its many moves, and its length and height.
At Christmas, a tree dangled at the top.
36 Elm Street was the site of several restaurants. The last was Villa del Sol. It was demolished (photo below), and replaced by parking in front of and adjacent to Bedford Square. In return, new stores were built across the street, next to Brooks Corner.
(Photo/Jen Berniker)
Anyone who has moved to Westport since 2015 thinks that Church Lane always looked the way it does now.
Anyone who lived here before remembers a very different scene.
After a snowfall of over 7 inches of snow the night before, Elisabeth F.S. Solomon petitioned the town to build a new school for the disabled on 47 Long Lots Road, adjacent to Hall-Brooke Foundation.
She had taken over the former “sanitarium” — founded in 1898 — in 1964, as its director. A stern leader, she posted guards and guard dogs at the entry to the Long Lots Road property.
The facility had endured scrutiny after one patient fatally strangled another, another set fire to the Compo Inn, and numerous lawsuits were fired for malfeasance.
The establishment eventually fell into disrepair. Under severe government regulation, it was sold to St. Vincent’s Hospital in 2008.
Part of the Hall-Brooke Hospital property.
(“06880” covers Westport from yesterday to today, and on to tomorrow. Please click here to support our work. Thank you!)
One of the first compelling events of the new year is set for next Wednesday (January 10, 7:30 p.m.).
Chabad of Westport sponsors an evening of hope and inspiration. Esther Basch — the Honey Girl of Auschwitz — will tell her gripping story of survival and resilience. At 95, she is one of the world’s few remaining Auschwitz survivors.
Esther was transported to the death camp on her 16th birthday in a cattle car. she later faced a death march to the Salzwedel concentration Camp, where she was liberated by American soldiers in April 1945.
Despite the horrors she experienced, Esther’s unshakable faith and universal love for humankind helped her survive, then motivated her to share her story globally.
The event is part of Chabad’s new “Critical Conversation Series,” addressing contemporary Jewish and timely issues.
The RTM Long Range Planning Committee takes its charge seriously.
On the agenda for its next meeting (January 11, 7:30 p.m., Town Hall Room 201): “Overview of climate change and how it will affect Westport.”
In the past few years we’ve seen heavier rains and stronger winds than usual. That leads to greater flooding.
Still to come: rising sea levels. And who knows what else.
Hopefully, the RTM — and other town bodies — will help us be ready.
Parker Harding Plaza, in October. (Photo/Eliza Barr)
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Speaking of climate: Whatever snow we get this weekend probably won’t be enough to snowshoe in. The 3 sets that Earthplace rents ($10 an hour) will have to wait.
But the non-profit science, conservation and education center offers plenty more too, for children, teenagers, adults and families.
Their seasonal program guide includes information on their naturalist programs and events, plus camp offerings. Click here to view and register. Some sessions start next week.
A muffed punt with less than a minute to go almost cost Michigan its College Football Playoff semifinal game against Alabama on New Year’s Day.
But the play — involving Wolverine punt returner Jake Thaw, the 2020 Staples High School graduate who made the most of his walk-on success at UM — was described this way in yesterday’s Detroit Free Press: “Those on the outside saw a senior making a near-catastrophic play.
“Those on the inside saw a game-saving play that propelled U-M to the national championship game.”
In a conference call previewing next Monday’s title clash with Washington (January 8, 7:30 p.m., ESPN), quarterback J.J. McCarthy said: “I think it was tremendous the way (Thaw) handled the situation.
“The way he handled it and not freaking out once the ball was going towards the end zone and accidentally kicking it or muffing it again and making sure he didn’t fumble it when he got hit by those three guys.
“There’s a lot of good that he did in that scary situation that I feel like needs to be appreciated, and that’s just a testament to our training and the mindset that we’ve forged over the last year.” (Click here for the full Free Press story. Hat tip: Pete Wolgast)
Jake Thaw, just before fielding Alabama’s punt on Monday.
Lifelong Westporter Mary Ann Andronaco died December 31 at Yale New Haven Hospital. She was 76.
A graduate of Central Catholic High School in Norwalk, she worked at Morehouse Barlow in Norwalk, where she met her husband Joseph of 46 years.
She also enjoyed teaching religious education for many years at Assumption parish.
Mary Ann was a breast cancer survivor for over 30 years, and supported the Sherwood Island walk.
She is survived by her husband; daughters Toni-Ann, Tracey, Meghan Terwilliger (Christopher), and beloved dogs Molly and Cammie.
She was preceded by aunts, uncles, and pets Tabby, Rory and Maggie.
A funeral will be held Monday, January 8 (Assumption Church, 11 a.m. for a Mass of Christian Burial. Interment will follow in Assumption Cemetery on Greens Farms Road.
And finally … on this day in 1933, construction began on the Golden Gate Bridge.
When it was completed 4 years later, it was both the longest and tallest suspension bridge in the world,
Local connection: Richie Havens gave several concerts here, in venues like the Westport Country Playhouse and Westport Arts Center. Memorably, he filled in for the Blues Project at Staples High School, when the band was tied up for several extra hours in a New York recording studio.
(Every day, “06880” offers an intriguing mix of stories of our town’s past, present and future. Please click here to support our efforts. Thank you!)
The 8-24 (municipal review) request for the Long Lots Elementary School renovation project has been temporarily withdrawn.
In a brief email this morning to Planning & Zoning director Mary Young, with copies to town attorney Ira Bloom and Long Lots School Building Committee chair Jay Keenan, 1st Selectwoman Jen Tooker wrote:
I am withdrawing the current 8-24 application for 13 Hyde Lane.
Following a robust P&Z Commission meeting on 12/18/23, we would like to take into consideration the feedback of the commission members.
After discussing with Chair (Paul) Lebowitz, we have decided to review possible modifications to the application and will file a revised proposal to be heard at the 1/22/24 P&Z meeting.
It is still our goal to start the construction of a new Long Lots Elementary School before the end of 2024, so moving swiftly and decisively remains a priority.
The “robust P&Z Commission” meeting followed months of controversy. Questions have been raised by residents and town officials about various aspects of the project, including construction of new athletic fields and the possible relocation of the Westport Community Gardens.
The plan for Long Lots Elementary School. The next step in the process — an 8-24 hearing by the Planning & Zoning Commission — is on hold.
The longtime active member of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation in Westport won a lawsuit last year that allowed her — despite being a non-resident — to use the state’s medical aid in dying statute.
Lynda suffered from ovarian and fallopian tube cancer. Her condition worsened this week. Yesterday, her husband Paul drove her to a hospice in Vermont, where she had made arrangements for her death.
Lynda’s legacy will live on in many ways. She was a dedicated voice against gun violence. She has advocated for a Connecticut medical aid in dying law.
Lynda Bluestein yesterday, before traveling to Vermont. (Photo courtesy of News12 Connecticut)
Last year she helped place wind phones — disconnected telephones that allow loved ones and friends to “call” people who have died — throughout the area.
A ceremony at the Westport Library — the first such indoor space for a wind phone in the world — drew dozens of friends and admirers.
Here is the “06880” report of that event:
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Lynda Shannon Bluestein’s fight against fallopian tube cancer — and her battle to end her life on her own terms — has inspired many people.
Earlier this year, the longtime member of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation in Westport reached a settlement with the state of Vermont. She will be the first non-resident to take advantage of a law that allows people with terminal illnesses to end their own lives.
At 76, she is now in hospice care. Time is short. But Lynda continues to inspire friends and strangers, in many ways.
And — as she has done for decades — she continues to give back to Westport.
In a brief ceremony this Wednesday (December 13, 10 a.m.), the Westport Library will accept Lynda’s donation of 2 wind phones.
One will be housed in the Children’s Library. The other will be available through the Library of Things.
Lynda Bluestein’s wind phone at the Library of Things …
Wind phones are physical objects, but also very spiritual. Originally from Japan, they are disconnected phones — a way to stay connected to loved ones who have died.
Garden designer Itaru Sasaki created the first wind phone in 2010, to help cope with his cousin’s death. “Because my thoughts could not be relayed over a regular phone line, I wanted them to be carried on the wind,” he explained.
It was opened to the public the following year, after an earthquake and tsunami killed over 15,000 people. It has received over 30,000 visitors.
Since then, wind phones have been created in several US states, from parks to front lawns.
Lynda donated a wind phone in Ridgefield. Its plaque says:
This phone will never ring. It is connected by love to nowhere and everywhere. It is for those who have an empty place in the heart left by a loved one. Say hello, say goodbye. Talk of the past, the present, the future. The wind phone will carry your message.
Though wind phones are often located in nature, those donated by Lynda and her family to the Library are different: Both will be available to all to use, and check out.
The first ones to be placed in a library, they will be available early next year.
… and in the Children’s Library.
Lynda chose the Westport Library because “it feels like the heart of a community my husband and I have been part of for 30 years. When we moved to Connecticut from California, we gravitated here.
“But mostly, I was interested in doing something that has never been tried before anywhere in the world: a wind phone to check out from the Library.”
The solitude and accessibility of the library setting were also draws.
“So many wind phones in the US are in parks or on hiking trails in remote and often inaccessible areas,” she says.
“When people lose someone they love and have loved for decades, it feels strange to go out alone — except to a library, where that feels completely normal.”
The Library’s wind phones will be accompanied by recommended reading for both children and adults, plus a dedicated resource guide.
“It’s important that these wind phones be available and accessible to the community,” says Agata Slattery, the Library’s development director who worked with Lynda on the donation.
“We want these to be a source of comfort and solace, and of course a lasting testament to Lynda’s generosity and bravery.”
In February 2022, Lynda wrote an opinion piece in CT Mirror, urging Connecticut’s General Assembly to approve a Medical Aid in Dying law. She said:
My medical records declare that I am a cancer survivor – twice over no less. I got through treatment for breast cancer and malignant melanoma feeling confident and grateful. But in March 2021, I was diagnosed with late-stage Fallopian tube cancer. It is very rare. It is also the most lethal type of gynecologic cancer.
With my diagnosis has come a resolve to put in place a plan for living what I now think of as my ‘short shelf life.’
I am using what time I have left to do the things I’ve always wanted to do—and one of them is to advocate for medical aid in dying, aka MAID. I simply want the right to have a say in the timing and manner of my death when I reach the point where my disease or the pain and suffering it causes robs me of the quality of life that is essential to me.
I have witnessed bad deaths – my mom’s and my dad’s. My mother, who also had cancer, died in my arms, in a too-large hospital bed, suffering and frightened. Five years after mom passed, I sat at the bedside of my father as he gasped for air and went in and out of consciousness. Neither of my parents wanted their precious final hours to turn out the way they did. I don’t want that for me either.
It has taken me getting sick to realize that having agency over the circumstances surrounding my own death is going to require me to get busy. Really busy, because I live in Connecticut, a state whose lawmakers have turned their backs on this issue for two decades and I am running out of time.
Lynda Bluestein and her husband Paul. (Photo courtesy of NBC Connecticut)
Without passage of enabling legislation, I will have two choices when my life is near its end – stay in Connecticut and have no say in my own dying, or pack my bags and head to Vermont, establish residency, find new doctors, and arrange for hospice care and then complete the paperwork required to invoke Act 39, Vermont’s medical aid in dying law.
Recently, on February 1, my state representative and co-chair of the Judiciary Committee, Steve Stafstrom, held a 2022 Legislative Session Preview on ZOOM. I, of course, registered to attend since I know that for the 27th consecutive year there will be another attempt at getting a Medical Aid in Dying (MAID) bill to the floor of the Connecticut General Assembly for a vote.
One constituent ahead of me asked about this MAID bill. Steve responded by saying that yes, the bill would again be raised in the Public Health Committee. I then added a comment in the ZOOM chat regarding how the 2021 version of this bill had finally gotten out of the Public Health Committee for the first time in 26 years, but when it was sent to the Judiciary Committee that Steve co-chairs, it died, full stop.
Steve read my comment, then launched into an argument that opponents of medical aid in dying legislation use as a scare tactic that has no basis in fact – words to the effect that ‘peoples’ life insurance policies could be put in jeopardy if they die by suicide.’.
This is just a politically convenient way of “having concerns” about the proposed legislation which most people in Connecticut support. The truth is not complicated.
Fact 1: If there is a clear case of MAID (medical assistance in dying) where both health preconditions (terminal disease/palliative condition) AND legal requirements are met, life insurance companies will pay claims in full – it does not matter how long the policy was in place.
Fact 2: If a suicide (by any method or means) happens more than two years after getting a life insurance policy, the life insurance policy will pay out death benefit to the policy’s beneficiaries. State Representative Steve Stafstrom is either ill-informed about standard life insurance exclusionary clauses or is passing along information he knows to be inaccurate.
Representative Stafstrom is not only my state rep, but he’s also a neighbor. He has acknowledged his Catholic faith as part of his reluctance to support MAID legislation in Connecticut. But a lot of his constituents, me included, don’t share those concerns about end-of-life decision making.
I want the same choices that adults in 10 states and Washington, D.C. – 20% of the U.S. population – have now. This is about my life and my death — not his. Shouldn’t this also be my choice?
Though the Parks & Recreation Department has recommended that current Longshore Sailing School operator Jane Pimentel’s lease with the town be extended another 10 years, the Board of Finance last night asked for more time.
And for questions to be answered.
Heidi McGee and Jeff Manchester — Westporters who are involved in competing bids — challenged the transparency of the process, along with the low $5,000 rent proposed. She also said she would make a Freedom of Information Act request about the bid.
After much discussion, including remarks endorsing the current operators, Parks & Rec director Jen Fava’s request was tabled until the next Board of Finance meeting.
The longtime Westport resident and active Unitarian Universalist Congregation in Westport member left her Black Rock home yesterday.
News12 Connecticut reports that her husband Paul drove her to Vermont. Last year, she won a lawsuit to allow her — despite being a non-resident — to use the state’s medical aid in dying statute.
Lynda suffers from ovarian and fallopian tube cancer. Her condition deteriorated rapidly this week, News12 says. She was carried out of her home by her son Jake Shannon, and twin granddaughters.
Bluestein’s legacy will live on in many ways. She has been a longtime voice against gun violence. She has advocated for a Connecticut medical aid in dying law.
And last year, she helped place wind phones — disconnected telephones that allow loved ones and friends to “call” people who have died — throughout the area.
A ceremony at the Westport Library — the first such indoor space for a wind phone in the world — drew dozens of friends and admirers.
Click here for the full, loving report from News12’s Mark Sudol.
Lynda Bluestein, during yesterday’s News12 interview.
In November, “06880” reported that James Comey’s new book will be published in May.
The murder mystery novel from the former FBI director — and also former Westport resident — is about a “make-believe hedge fund called Saugatuck Associates, billed as the world’s largest.”
Aspiring authors are told to “write about what you know.”
Hmmmm … let’s see ,,, well, Comey was general counsel of Westport-based Bridgewater Associates.
Oh, yeah. The book’s title is “Westport.”
The cover has just been released. Look familiar?
If Comey has a book-signing here, we’ll let you know.
Perhaps at Barnes & Noble.
Or Bridgewater. (Hat tips: Sean McGee, Dick Lowenstein)
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Robin Moyer Chung sends this message to “06880” readers:
“As the editor of Westport Lifestyle magazine for the past 5 years, I’ve been fortunate to pen so many fascinating features of Westport and its residents.
“Every time I left an interview I couldn’t wait to tell the story (well, with one exception). I’d sit down at my laptop and write the first sentence: ‘This will blow your mind.’ ‘What she’s doing is amazing.’ ‘This guy is unbelievable.’
“Then I’d stop and re-examine the superlative. How can I best convey how amazing this person or story is without a ham-handed declaration of adoration?
“For 5 years I’ve loved this challenge. I’ve loved discovering and writing about the outstanding contributions of those who do so quietly and without seeking fanfare. Of those who sculpt our unique landscape of commerce, design, and entertainment. Of those who speak up, dress up, act out, and sing out loud.
“Regretfully, this January 2024 issue is my last one.
“I look forward to the next chapter of Westport Lifestyle, and hope it continues to reflect the dazzling community in which it lives.
“Thank you all! It’s been fabulous!”
Robin Moyer Chung
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The Westport Inn is gone.
A new boutique hotel — owned by the same company that runs the famed Delamar properties in Southport and Greenwich, along with La Plage restaurant and the soon-to-be-renovated Inn at Longshore — is rising in its place.
The target date is this fall.
Construction work on the new Delamar hotel.
Meanwhile, eBay is offering a remnant of the previous incarnation of the Westport Inn: this key from the original “New Englander Motor Hotel.”
Postage may no longer be “guaranteed.”
(Photos/JD Dworkow)
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Westport Police made no custodial arrests between December 27 and January 3.
In the same period, they issued these citations:
Traveling unreasonably fast: 7 citations
Failure to obey traffic control signals: 6
Improper use of markers: 6
Operating an unregistered motor vehicle: 5
Operating a motor vehicle without a license: 4
Operating a motor vehicle without minimum insurance: 3
Evading responsibility: 2
Failure to obey a stop sign: 2
Larceny: 1
Breach of peace: 1
Speeding: 1
Failure to yield right of way: 1
Failure to drive to the right: 1
Failure to insure a motor vehicle: 1
Failure to register a commercial vehicle: 1
Possession of an abandoned marker: 1
It’s no laughing matter: You can’t put an abandoned license plate on your car.
Ken Runkel — whose works are showcased regularly in “06880”‘s Saturday online art gallery — is the Westport Book Shop’s guest exhibitor this month.
He describes himself as “a digital photographer, photoshop artist, and AI explorer with an unusual imagination, and sometimes twisted sense of humor.” His work ranges from nature, landscapes and waterscapes to abstracts and surrealistic images.
Runkel spent 4 decades in advertising, corporate identity development and brand consulting with major international firms serving Fortune 100 clients worldwide.
After retiring in 2017 he focused on digital photography, and digital post-production editing. He now explores the power of artificial intelligence, and how it can expand visual creativity.
And finally … today was the birthdate, in 1838, of Tom Thumb. Born with dwarfism, he became a world-famous performer under the direction of P.T. Barnum.
Local connection: Tom Thumb (Charles Sherwood Stratton) was born in Bridgeport. After he died of a stroke at 45, Barnum placed a life-sized statue at his gravesite, Mountain Grove Cemetery in Bridgeport. His wife, Lavinia Warren, died more than 35 years later, and is buried next to him.
(Where else but “06880” can you read about old and new hotels, kart racing and digital art — all in the same place? If you appreciate this hyper-local blog, please click here to support it. Thank you!)
Throughout the holiday season, we heard it over and over: “It’s better to give than receive.”
Then we went back to opening our presents.
Laura Loffredo lives that mantra every day of the year.
On Tuesday she launched The Give Collective. It’s a curated selection of boutique-style gifts — women’s clothing, jewelry, accessories, household items, face and body, and kids’ — with a twist.
10% of every purchase goes to non-profits that “are making the world a better place.”
Loffredo is no newcomer to the give-back-to-others concept. Nearly a decade ago she formed The Adoption Hope Foundation.
It was a labor of love.
Loffredo is a child of Westport. Her father was the hard-working, generous owner-operator of Belta’s Farm on Bayberry Lane. Her mother helped out there too.
From childhood on she wanted to have kids, and be a mom like her own mother.
Loffredo first babysat at 14. She continued until graduating from Staples in 1995, then earned a BA in psychology at the University of Connecticut and a master’s in community counseling from the University of Bridgeport.
She worked as a mental health counselor and case manager, then went back to school for a 6th-year degree in education. She was a teacher, and volunteered with Big Brothers Big Sisters.
Laura Loffredo
As a youngster, Loffredo cried at TV commercials showing starving children in Africa. At 14, her parents helped her sponsor a little boy overseas. She still recalls his name: Saul Hormiga Donu.
When she got married, she and her husband John expected to have children right away. Instead they endured a 6-year struggle that included thousands of dollars spent on 8 failed fertility treatments, and a miscarriage.
“I prayed every night for a baby. The longing inside my heart was unbearable,” Loffredo says.
“I didn’t understand why God was denying me the one thing I wanted more than anything in the world. I was angry, bitter and heartbroken. I couldn’t breathe.” She calls this “the darkest time of my life.”
Laura and John Loffredo, with their daughter.
When the couple finally made the decision to adopt, it was “like a light in the darkness.” For the first time, she felt hope.
The first time she held her minutes-old daughter in her arms, Loffredo was overcome with emotion. All the pain washed away.
“At that moment, I understood the reason for everything,” she says. “This little girl was always meant to be ours. It just took her a while to come to us.”
But she agonized over all the people who did not have $40,000 to adopt a baby. The thought of not being a mother was overwhelmingly painful.
So Loffredo adopted a new cause: adoption advocate. She began forming ideas for what is now the Adoption Hope Foundation. Its mission is to provide grants to people who hope to build families through adoption.
Since 2016, they’ve awarded over $350,000 in grants to help families in 13 states complete their adoptions.
John and Laura Loffredo, with their family.
Loffredo continues to fundraise for her foundation. But she also wanted to do more, for other worthy non-profits.
The Gift Collective will do that.
Every other month, the Adoption Hope Foundation will receive 10% of every purchase. Six other organizations have been selected, for the 6 months of the coming year.
They are the Joshua Hermsen Heart Fund, Kevin’s Afterglow, The Stew Leonard III Water Safety Foundation, Greenfield Hill Congregational Church Shalom Ministry, St. Paul Christian School, and The Cancer Couch Foundation.
The Give Collective website went live earlier this week. Products are sourced from Faire.com, an online wholesaler with over 100,000 brands.
Many are small businesses supplying other small businesses.
“Our collection is thoughtfully put together,” Loffredo says. “The items really ae beautiful and fun..”
She has already begun shipping orders. The Give Collective also offers pick-up in Fairfield, and plans trunk shows and pop-up markets.
Click here to shop — and give back. For more information, email thegivecollective@gmail.com.
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On Tuesday she launched 
