But less than 2% of venture capital funding goes to female-only founded companies.
Shocked by those statistics, Danya Herman — an aspiring business founder herself — vowed to do something about it.
She created Future Girl Entrepreneurs, a platform for connecting aspiring young creators with experienced female mentors.
Danya Herman
The centerpiece is a contest for females ages 14-20. They submit business ideas. Ten finalists gain access to training focused on accessing capital, including help creating a pitch deck.
Five winners are chosen from that round. They receive mentorship from female VCs and/or entrepreneurs — and earn the chance to pitch to a panel of female VCs via Zoom.
Future Girl Entrepreneurs is an important concept. It’s executed brilliantly.
What’s even more impressive is that Danya Herman is just 16 years old.
Next week, the Westport resident begins her junior year at Greens Farms Academy. She founded the school’s Entrepreneurs Club. As a member of Westport’s Youth Commission, her current project is a student hackathon at GFA on October 5.
But it is through FGE that she is making her mark globally.
At 12, Danya developed a prototype for her own business: an app for teens interested i decorating their rooms.
But she learned how much it would cost to build. So — like any good entrepreneur — she pivoted.
The budding company founder became someone who would teach other potential business owners how to overcome the barriers so many females face.
Her first challenge was finding mentors willing to help. She researched female entrepreneurs, then contacted them via email and LinkedIn. Many were willing to help — and to introduce her to others
Some of the mentors on the Future Girl Entrepreneurs site.
Mentors include Myra Hart, retired Harvard Business School professor and co-founder of Staples, the office supply store; Maura Connor, founder and CEO of Catalytic Solutions, and Maria Gotsch of the Partnership Fund for NYC.
As for Danya’s global impact: That’s not hyperbole.
This summer, she interned with Fen Ventures. The Santiago, Chile-based firm fosters early-stage startups in Latin America.
Danya attended a VC conference in Patagonia.
Actually, she did more than “attend.” She gave a presentation about the US venture capital ecosystem.
In Spanish.
Danya Herman, giving her Patagonia presentation.
It’s daunting enough for a 16-year-old to present to adults. To do so in a second language is even more impressive.
“I’m so interested in this, I didn’t want to shy away,” Danya says.
Spoken like a true entrepreneur.
Of any age. Or gender.
For a story (in Spanish) on Danya’s presentation, click here.
(“06880” often highlights the remarkable achievements of young Westporters. If you enjoy these stories — or any others on your hyper-local blog — please click here to support our work. Thanks!)
The Westport Country Playhouse’s gala fundraiser, celebrating WCP alumni Kristin Chenoweth and Mary-Mitchell Campbell — featuring their performances of Cy Coleman’s greatest hits, plus a roster of special guests — is a great draw.
But Harold Baily, Jr. and Bernicestine McLeod Bailey’s many friends have another reason to attend.
The couple — longtime Westport residents, and volunteers in a wide array of local activities (including the Playhouse) — will be honored with Leadership Awards.
The event is Saturday, September 14 (7 p.m.). Click here for tickets, and more information.
The popular Village Pediatrics doctor partnered with health influencer Dr. Tania Elliott on her most recent — and very timely — post: “4 Things Every Parent Should Know About Back to School.”
As a new school year begins, it’s a great time to be a Scout.
Or join a troop.
Middle school boys and girls are invited to learn about Scouting’s “family, fun, friends and a lifetime of adventure,” including camping, hiking, biking and backpacking.
Troop 139 (girls) and Troop 39 (boys) typically meet together once a week. There is at least 1 outing per month, and community service projects throughout the year.
The Troops host a welcome campfire at Greens Farms Congregational Church on Tuesday, September (7 p.m.) for 6th-8th graders to learn more.
Westport Police made 7 custodial arrests between August 21 and 28 — including one following the motor vehicle accident that closed the Merritt Parkway, and a search for fleeing suspects, near Clinton Avenue on Sunday.
That arrest — of an 18-year-old from Waterbury — began on July 14, with the theft of an unlocked Mercedes Benz from an open garage in Westport. A warrant was issued for that person’s arrest.
On Sunday, the same person was in another stolen vehicle that crashed. He fled the scene, was apprehended, and taken to Norwalk Hospital for injuries sustained in the crash. He was charged with evading responsibility, burglary, larceny of a motor vehicle, and conspiracy to commit larceny of a motor vehicle.
He was released on a $75,000 bond, and is due September 18 in Stamford Superior Court.
A 32-year-old Westport resident was charged with risk of injury to a child and disorderly conduct, after he and a family member were involved in an argument with pushing and shoving, while the other person was holding a child. He could not post a $100,000 bond.
A 36-year-oldl Greenwich man was charged with assault and breach of peace, after an incident at La Plage Restaurant. The complainant reported that the man was intoxicated, and assaulted him for no apparent reason. He then attempted to assault other patrons, and was restrained until police arrived.
A 23-year-old Norwalk man was charged with reckless driving, traveling unreasonably fast, engaging police in pursuit, failure to obey stop sign, failure to display lights and reckless endangerment, following an investigation into a July 25 incident after police attempted to stop a vehicle after a minor motor vehicle violation on Greens Farms Road near Hales Road. The driver refused to stop, and began driving erratically and aggressively attempting to elude police. The officer disengaged, but obtained the license plate. The driver posted a $25,000 bond, and has a September 13 court date at Stamford Superior Court.
A 37-year-old Stamford man was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol, following too closely, failure to obey a stop sign, and illegal operation of a motor vehicle with a suspended license and without insurance, following investigation into a January accident with injuries at Greens Farms Road and Hales Couort.
A 59-year-old Queens man was arrested for failure to appear, following a 6 a.m. disturbance Tuesday on Wilton Road. When police arrived, he was found to have an active re-arrest warrant.
A 36-year-old Philadelphia man was charged with larceny and identity theft, following an investigation into an October report that 2 checks were stolen from the blue USPS box outside the Playhouse Square post office, altered and deposited. He posted a $25,000 bond, and has a September 30 date at Stamford Superior Court.
Westport Police also issued these citations:
Traveling unreasonably fast: 24 citations
Failure to comply with state traffic commission regulations: 15
Operating a motor vehicle without a license: 7
Operating a motor vehicle under suspension: 4
Operating an unregistered motor vehicle: 4
Distracted driving: 3
Failure to obey traffic control signals: 3
Disorderly conduct: 2
Speeding: 2
Operating a motor vehicle without minimum insurance: 2
Improper use of markers: 2
assault: 1
Criminal mischief: 1
Passing a standing school bus: 1
Transporting a child 2-5 years old, under 40 pounds without restraints: 1
Improper passing: 1
Following too closely: 1
Failure to register a commercial motor vehicle: 1
Failure to renew registration: 1
Children two to five years old, or weighing less than 40 pounds, must use a child restraint with a 5-point harness. It’s the state law!
And finally … Today is the 100th anniversary of the birth of Dinah Washington. The 1950s jazz vocalist was born in Tuscaloosa, Alabama in 1924. She died just 39 years later, in Detroit.
(You can make a difference in our “06880” day. Please click here, to support our work. [It’s tax-deductible.] Thank you!)
Like many Westport kids, Adam Diamond loved summer camp.
His was Echo Lake. His era was the 1980s.
At the Adirondacks camp owned by Morry and Amy Stein, Diamond had fun, made lifelong friends and learned many life lessons.
The Staples High School Class of 1991 soccer player, wrestler and percussionist went on to become an Echo Lake counselor. He stayed an extra week, after the boys and girls went home.
Inspired by Morry, Diamond volunteered for the program, which served 70 youngsters from New York City.
Adam Diamond
“Morry believed that every kid should have a chance at camp, no matter what their economic circumstance,” he says.
Diamond’s Staples classmates had included a few students from Bridgeport.
But that extra week at Echo Lake “punched me in the nose,” he recalls. “I knew something like that had to be part of my life.”
Diamond earned a degree in economics from Harvard University. He worked in strategic planning and theme park development for Disney. He then spent 15 years with Starwood Hotels (and got an MBA from Harvard too).
Eight years ago he and his wife, Dr. Beth Fishbein, moved back to Westport with their 3-year-old twins. He pivoted careers, and bought a Pizza Hut franchise.
Today Diamond owns 200 Pizza Huts, and 15 Taco Bells, throughout the South.
But he has never forgotten Echo Lake, or his experience with its after-camp program.
Morry Stein
In 1994, Morry died in a plane crash. He was on his way home from an American Camping Foundation conference in Indiana.
Morry chaired the organization, which had already raised over $1 million to send children from under-resourced communities to summer camp.
The next year, friends, colleagues and Echo Lake alumni launched Morry’s Camp, in his memory. It fulfills Morry’s dream: giving under-resourced boys and girls a chance for summer camp.
Over nearly 30 years, Morry’s Camp has grown from a rented facility on Long Island, to another rental on the Delaware River. A non-profit group now owns that camp, near Port Jervis, New York.
But that’s only a small part of Project Morry.
Summer camp has grown into a year-round program, focused on academic enrichment and leadership development — and serving each member for a full decade. They come from Bridgeport, Stamford, Port Chester, Elmsford, North Amityville and New York City.
Children begin in 5th grade. They stay with Project Morry through middle school, high school, and their first year of college or work after graduation.
A staff of 20 oversees the 350-plus young people a year. Chief program officer Deb Cederbaum Jones is a Staples graduate.
As middle schoolers, they meet with Project Morry staff members monthly. They work on goal-setting, confidence building, and social and emotional learning.
The staff is in constant contact with parents, teachers and guidance counselors, forming a true support network.
A monthly Project Morry meeting.
In high school there is a concentration on college and career readiness. There is more of a focus on academics — and on building relationships between all participants. They meet once a month at Rye Country Day School.
And of course they’re all together each summer for several weeks, at camp. In addition to the traditional camp activities, an educational component includes economics, geography, math, science, reading, writing, cooking, digital media and music.
Project Morry offers academic and leadership training.
Project Morry continues after high school graduation. For a year, staff members help the young men and women with a bridge to adulthood, including academic, and social and emotional support.
The program works. 95% of participants graduate from high school on time. 85% enroll in college; 77% of them are the first in their families to do so. The other 15% go to vocational school, work or the military.
Success stories abound. Project Morry alums work on Wall Street, and in healthcare. They teach, found companies, lead non-profits, write plays, create art, win Fulbright Scholarships. One is on Senator Chris Murphy’s staff.
Several are Project Morry staffers themselves. Two serve on its board.
Click here to read profiles of some of these remarkable graduates.
Enjoying camp — one more part of Project Morry.
As Project Morry enters its 4th decade, one goal is to add more participants each year.
Another is to offer even more to them: financial aid, mental health services, support beyond the first year after high school.
Project Morry will continue to invest in its camp facility too.
All that takes money. The operating budget is $3 million.
Like any non-profit, Project Morry continually fundraises. One excellent source is other summer camps. Over 40 run swim-a-thons, carnivals and fun runs each summer, as well as year-round giving days, social media appeals and event sponsorships.
Another is an annual gala. This year’s is set for October 29, at The Lighthouse at Chelsea Piers in Manhattan. Click here for details.
Adam Diamond, at last year’s Project Morry gala.
Area residents contribute to Project Morry. But Diamond hopes they will do more.
25% of the students come from Bridgeport and Stamford. “If we can get Connecticut giving commensurate to New York, we could be at $4 million,” Diamond — now the president of the Project Morry board — says.
“Westport understands that these kids are in our backyard. The more people here learn about this program, the more they’ll support it.” Click on Project Morry.org to help.
Aiding just a few people — 350 a year — “can feel like a pebble in the ocean,” Diamond knows. “But the ripples go on and on.”
Just like the one that started more than 40 years ago, when Adam Diamond first attended Camp Echo Lake. And first met Morry Stein.
To learn more, click here, or email adamhdiamond@gmail.com.
Michael Rapaport is well known across the country, as an actor, advocate and comedian.
Westporters know him as our neighbor.
On September 15, we won’t have to travel far to hear him speak. He won’t have too far to go either.
That night, Rapaport headlines a United Jewish Federation event at Stamford’s Rippowam Middle School.
He’ll speak candidly — and humorously — about his Jewish heritage, and how it’s shaped his life and career. A Q-and-A will follow.
Tickets are $75 through September 3, then $100. Sponsorships (including cocktails, light bites and a meet-and-greet) are $500 per couple. Click here for tickets, and more information. Questions? Email dianesloyer@ujf.org.
Michael Rapaport
=================================================
Anyone can use any of the Westport Library’s many (VERY many!) resources.
And anyone can attend any of the Library’s “Anyone Can Use…” classes. They provide basic instruction, in a wide range of areas, on Wednesdays from 11 a.m. to noon.
No one has to pay. They’re free! But … registration is required.
Upcoming classes include
Anyone Can Use: Candid Foundation Directory (September 4): Unlock the potential of your nonprofit’s fundraising efforts by learning how to use the Foundation Directory, a powerful tool with more than 265,000 grant-maker profiles. You’ll also learn how to enhance your organization’s visibility through the GuideStar platform. Click here to register.
Anyone Can: Save Money on Streaming with Your Westport Library Card (September 18): With your card, you can install Hoopla, Freegal and Kanopy, and their many movies, TV shows and music. Click here to register.
Anyone Can Use: Social Media for Marketing (October 2): Join a hands-on workshop exploring the nuances of Facebook, Instagram, X and TikTok, along with cutting-edge creator tools like Canva, CapCut and ChatGPT, to elevate your brand’s online presence and storytelling capabilities. Click here to register.
Anyone Can Use: Nexis Uni (October 16, 11 am-12 pm): Nexis Uni is a trove of information spanning centuries and continents, offering everything from Supreme Court rulings to contemporary corporate insights. Click here to register.
Westport Animal Shelter Advocates rescued one of them yesterday evening. Two more were found in a trap at 10:30 p.m.
WASA has set traps, monitors them every hour, and is fostering the kittens. They’ve gotten great help from the Westport Fire Department, which moves the heavy grates.
WASA is still working to save the remaining 2 kittens, and their mama.
(Photo courtesy of Westport Fire Department)
==============================================
Many companies are aware of the importance of cybersecurity.
Many non-profits are not.
But the threat of disruption to services, damage to the people they serve, and the erosion of public trust is as real to organizations as they are to corporations.
A special “Cybersecurity for Non-Profits” meeting is set for the Westport Woman’s Club on October 9 (breakfast networking 7:30 a.m., program 8:30 a.m.).
Bill Siegel — co-founder and CEO of Coveware, a cyber incident response firm — will speak.
For nearly a decade, Westporters have been generous supporters of Catch a Lift.
The non-profit was founded in memory of Army Corporal Chris Coffland, who was killed in Afghanistan in 2009. The organization has helped over 13,000 combat-injured veterans from Afghanistan and Iraq regain mental and physical health through gym memberships, home gym equipment, personalized fitness and nutrition programs, and a peer support network.
Giving money, time and personal support, Westport has welcomed Catch a Lift to town. They’ve visited our gyms, our police and fire station, the VFW, and our homes.
The 10th annual Connecticut fundraiser is September 9 (Patterson Club). The golf event is sold out, but tickets are still available for the after-golf event (4:30 to 7:30 p.m.).
You’ll be inspired by Catch A Lift Fund veterans, as they describe their triumphs over significant obstacles, on their journey to healthier futures.
Click here for details. Questions? Email jdrew@catchaliftfund.com.
Catch a Lift veterans and volunteers, at Birchwood Country Club.
Recent elections have shined a light on the importance of administering fair and transparent elections.
Some states play games with the democratic process.
Connecticut is not one of those.
Even in light-voting elections — like the August 13 primaries — state officials watch closely, to ensure fairness.
This month, our Secretary of the State — Norwalk’s own Stephanie Thomas — randomly chose 39 precincts to audit results.
Westport’s District 136-1 is number 39. All ballots cast in the Republican primary will be hand counted, to ensure that tabulators did the job accurately.
Fortunately, that’s not too labor intensive. Only 30 or so votes were cast.
If a district in our town is randomly chosen in November … well, that will take quite a bit longer.
Waiting for voters. (Photo/Dan Woog)
================================================
We don’t know whether this guy overstayed the 60-minute limit, got nailed for parking beyond the sign, or both.
But the message is clear: No matter what kind of car you drive, you can’t escape The Law.
Former Y’s Women president Arlene Bloom died Monday. She was 91.
The Massachusetts native earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Boston University, and embarked on a career in education.
After 20 years in the classroom, she focused on teaching teachers how to accommodate differences among students in the classroom, without making anyone feel as if they did not belong.
She and her husband Herb lived in Massachusetts and Illinois, before setting in Westport. In every new place, Arlene made connections, started bridge groups, enhanced speaker series, and attended plays.
Her family calls her “a devoted and passionate friend,” who spent hours on the phone listening to and helping others. She had “2 abiding characteristics: the love of friends and family connections, and the importance of urging young people to aspire, reach high and know they can create worlds of betterment and impact.”
In addition to her leadership with Westport’s Y’s Women, Arlene was president of her Illinois chapter of the League of Women Voters, and an avid bridge player.
Arlene is survived by her daughter Sarah (Jamie Raskin), son Kenneth (Abby Meiselman), and grandchildren Hannah (Hank Kronick), Tabitha (Ryan Vogel), Phoebe and Lily. She was predeceased by her husband Herbert and grandson Thomas Bloom Raskin.
And finally … today is the 61st anniversary of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King’s momentous “I Have a Dream” speech, at the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs & Freedom.
How far have we come? And how far do we still have to go?
(From Michael Rapaport to “Elf” auditions: If it happens here, or involves Westporters, “06880” will let you know. Please let us know you appreciate our work. Just click here to donate. Thank you!)
On September 2, Diane Benke will run 11 miles on a rocky trail, from one end of a Swedish island to another.
But that’s not the half of it.
Or even 1/46th.
The cross-island run is just one element in the day-long Ötillö Swimrun World Championship.
The endurance sport combines open-water swimming and trail running. Two competitors — tethered together — swim from one island to the next. They clamber ashore, untie themselves, run across that isle, then jump in the water to do it again.
The Ötillö event in the Stockholm archipelago involves 46 transitions: water to land, and vice versa. She’ll race across 24 islands in all.
I’m exhausted just writing about it.
Swimming in the Ötillö swim run …
For Diane — a Westport mom of 2 teenage boys — it will be a walk in the park.
Well, maybe not quite. But Diane is not plunging into this unprepared.
The Short Hills, New Jersey native swam in high school. She got into marathons and triathlons as “an outlet, and something social” while building her career in marketing and consulting.
Her coach introduced her to a Marine he’d served with, Blake Benke. They had a mutual interest in endurance sport: He was an Ironman competitor.
They married, moved to Danbury for his job, then 15 years ago came to Westport.
The Benkes discovered this is “an amazing, active community for athletes.” They run, swim and bike with friends.
And, Diane notes, “Westport has its own triathlon, point-to-point open water swim, and summer running series.”
… then transitioning to an island …
Diane loved the open water swimming portion of triathlons. But though she wold emerge from the water in the lead, she was soon passed by bikers.
When a triathlon friend told her about swimrun, she thought, “Perfect! No bikes!”
She did her first swimrun in Boston Harbor before COVID. She was intrigued that — in contrast to triathlon, with its “hardcore competitors and fancy bikes” — this was “more about the environment, being in nature, with lots of camaraderie.”
Though fast-growing, swimrun is still in its infancy, Diane says. The community is “tight and friendly, from all over the country. We get a lot of joy from this.”
As a wife and mother with many responsibilities, leading a fast-paced life swimrun is “uniquely mine,” Diane says.
The physical demands are great. But so is the mental aspect. She must focus hard, on ever-changing tides, currents, weather, shipping lanes, “things you can’t control” — and of course the grueling, quick transitions from water to land, then back again.
… and trail running.
Competitors must carry everything they need. In Maine, she lost a water flash when she forgot to zip up her wet suit.
Earlier this month, to prepare for the Swedish swimrun, Diane headed to Casco Bay, Maine. She felt good.
But, she notes, that event was only half the distance of the upcoming one. In Sweden she’ll swim 5.6 miles, and run 38 miles.
They’ll start around 6 a.m. Cut-off points are at 9 and 11:15 a.m. If a competitor has not reached that spot, they cannot continue. Everyone must finish by sunset; if they don’t, their swimrun ends then.
After tearing a hamstring in March, Diane has been training more than 15 hours a week, all summer. She runs all over Westport and Fairfield — often wearing a wet suit — and swims and runs from Compo Beach to Sherwood Island, then back.
She trains with Pete Roper, a Fairfield resident who is also going to Otillo.
But he’s not Diane’s partner. She’ll run and swim with Chrissy Halioris, who lives in Louisville, Kentucky.
Diane Benke (right) with her partner Chrissy Halioris, at the Casco Bay Swimrun earlier this month. (Photos courtesy of Ötillö USA)
“She does mostly lake swimming. She doesn’t have cold water and ocean experience,” Diane says. “But she’s a very strong runner.”
The women met for the first time at a swimrun this past November, in Austin, Texas. Since then they’ve developed a friendship — and a high level of trust.
Diane will bring 3 different wet suits to Sweden. The Baltic Sea can be cold, and she has no idea what the weather will be like the day of the event.
She’ll be buoyed by her husband Blake.
Blake Benke
He’s no slouch in the endurance sports world himself. Click here to read an “06880” story about his 2013 adventure: a 153-mile (that’s right) Spartathlon race in Greece, tracing the epic journey of Pheidippides from Athens to Sparta.
Benke — with 2 young kids, and a full-time job on Wall Street — finished in 28 hours, 29 minutes and 34 seconds. He was the top US finisher (13th overall).
This time, he’ll be in a support role. He’s recovering from hip resurfacing in June.
Their 2 sons — Max, a sophomore who runs cross country at Staples, and Alex, a Hopkins 8th grader — will stay home, for school.
“I think they like what I do. It keeps me from bugging them about other things,” Diane says.
“They’re used to what Blake and I do. It seems pretty normal in our household.”
So normal, in fact, that sometimes on a training run, Diane will see Max with his Staples track teammates.
She has prepared well for next month’s 24-island, 13-hour swim-and-run in the Swedish archipelago.
But she is realistic.
“My goal is to not die, and finish happy,” she says.
“Look. I’m over 50. I’m 5-foot-nothing. I’m just treating this as an epic adventure.”
It sure is.
Good luck, Diane Benke. We’ll be following your Ötillö swimrun avidly.
From the comfort of our homes.
(To learn more about the Ötillö swimrun, click here.)
(Where else but “06880” would you learn about remarkable Westpoters like these? Please click here to support our work — and keep stories like this one coming. Thank you!)
Lisabeth Comm — a beloved and innovative educator who impacted thousands of Westport students, and was also a world traveler and arts aficionado — died Friday in Florida, from complications of Alzheimer’s. She was 76 years old.
The Ohio native loved her role as an educator, in all forms.
She was a highly respected English teacher and department chair at Staples High School. Her leadership and vision changed the lives of countless students and colleagues.
Lis Comm
Over her 44-year career in Westport, Lis inspired generations of students with her passion for literature, and her commitment to expanding their horizons through a wide array of English courses.
She was particularly proud of 2 she designed: Mythology and Bible, and Women in Literature.
She was an early advocate of integrating literature from diverse cultures, including Native American, Asian, Black and Latin American — into the traditional English curriculum.
Lis was also instrumental in introducing feminist literary criticism to the Staples English Department.
Lis Comm and her husband, Math Department chair Frank Corbo, promoted reading for pleasure at Staples. The book they chose was, appropriately, “Romeo & Juliet.”
Her love for education extended beyond the classroom. After retirement Lis volunteered as a docent at the Baker Museum in Naples, Florida, where she shared her passion for art and culture with visitors. Her warmth, knowledge and enthusiasm enriched the lives of many.
Lis is survived by her husband Frank Corbo, former head of the Staples math department, with whom she shared 38 wonderful years. Together, they visited all 7 continents, including a final trip a year ago to Norway.
Lis Comm, on one of her many journeys.
Frank calls Lis “the most incredible, beautiful, brilliant partner anyone could have. I’m an extremely lucky man.”
Lis is also survived by her sisters Julie Kireta and Clare Comm, and brother James Comm.
A celebration of Lis’s life will be held in Westport at a time and place to be determined. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America.
Click here to help support “06880” via credit card or PayPal. Any amount is welcome, appreciated — and tax-deductible! Reader contributions keep this blog going. (Alternate methods: Please send a check to “06880”: PO Box 744, Westport, CT 06881. Or use Venmo: @blog06880. Or Zelle: dwoog@optonline.net. Thanks!)
GET THE “06880” APP
The “06880” app (search for it on the Apple or Android store) is the easiest way to get “06880.” Choose notifications: whenever a new post is published, or once or twice a day. Click here for details.
