Category Archives: Organizations

The Gift Of Giving

Posted on December 1, 2025 | 19 comments

‘Tis the season to be jolly.

And to give.

Despite high egg prices, this was a good one for many Westporters. As we buy presents for loved ones, friends, and people whose good graces we need to keep, we should also think about helping others.

Give what you can.

(Of course, helping them can also ease our own tax burdens next spring. This is still a great country!)

But who to give to?

Far be it for “06880” to say. So here is a list of some worthy local organizations. Each one has a clickable link 🙂

I know I’ve missed some. Rather than bite my head off (too un-Christmas-y), please mention them in the “Comments” section. I’ll add them to this list.

And please: Keep your suggestions local (southern Fairfield County). There are way too many very worthy national and international groups to include. Thank you!

Animals

Christine’s Critters: Rehabilitation of big birds
Connecticut Humane Society: Wilton branch
Save Our Strays: Animal rescue
PAWS: No-kill animal shelter
Red Leash Rescue: Provides refuge, love and care to abandoned, homeless, surrendered or discarded dogs
Rising Starr Horse Rescue: Gives at-risk horses a second chance at life
TAILS: Spaying and neutering
Westport Animal Shelter Advocates: Care, shelter and adoption of homeless dogs
Wildlife in Crisis: Preservation and emergency help

Arts and history

Artists Collective of Westport: Creativity, education, shows, forums and more
Cultural Alliance of Fairfield County: Supporting cultural organizations, artists and creative businesses
Levitt Pavilion: More than 50 nights of free entertainment
MoCA Westport: Exhibitions, concerts, education and more
Music on the Hill: Offers opportunities for choral musicians, handbell ringers and instrumentalists to participate in performances, workshops and festivals
Music Theatre of Connecticut: Musical theater education for youngsters ages 4 through high school
Weston History & Culture Center: Discovering, collecting and preserving Weston’s heritage
Westport Community Theatre: Thought-provoking and entertaining productions since 1956
Westport Country Playhouse: 94-year-old cultural institution. They survived a near-death experience this year, and are coming back refreshed and revitalized.
Westport Museum for History & Culture: Exhibits and education
Westport Public Art Collections: Bringing art to schools and public spaces

Community aid

Bridgeport Rescue Mission: Fighting poverty, offering help
Center for Family Justice: Provides services to fight domestic, child and sexual abuse
Connecticut Institute for Refugees and Immigrants: Service and advocacy for immigrants, refugees and survivors of human trafficking and torture
Housing Development Fund: Helps facilitate affordable rental and homeownership opportunities
Integrated Immigrant & Refugee Services: Resettlement agency
Lifebridge Community Services: Bridgeport youth development behavioral health and family resources organization
New Neighborhoods: Develops, preserves and manages affordable housing and resident-centered services
Norwalk Hour: Aid to families in need
United Way of Coastal and Western Connecticut: Access to food, shelter, transportation and childcare
VFW Joseph J. Clinton Post 399: Helping veterans, servicemembers and their families
Westport Department of Human Services “We Care”: Many options, including financial help with school supplies and heating costs
Westport PAL: They do it all: college scholarships, youth sports programs, fireworks, ice rink, etc., etc., etc.
Westport Weston Family YMCA: Help in many ways.
Westport Uniformed Firefighters Charitable Foundation: Philanthropic arm of the Westport Fire Department

Community-building

06880: This blog — now a non-profit — sponsors community-wide events. Projects include the Holiday and Summer Strolls, the Lyman Ukraine sister city project, collaborations with the League of Women Voters, Westport Library and more. “06880” publishes this daily blog, to help create community.

Disabilities

Abilis: Provides vital services and supports for individuals of all ages with special needs and disabilities
Catch a Lift: Westport supports veterans through fitness programs
Circle of Friends: Teens work with children with disabilities
CLASP: Group homes and opportunities
Club203: Provides fun, engaging activities for adults with disabilities
MyTEAM Triumph:  Road race support for children, adults and veterans
New Canaan Mounted Troop: Youth development and therapeutic equestrian center serving children and adults with disabilities, and giving horses a second chance
STAR Lighting the Way: Support for all ages
Sweet P Bakery: Provides jobs for adults with learning disabilities

Education and youth

A Better Chance of Westport: Education and support for outstanding minority boys
Achievement First: Schools provide Bridgeport families of color with a high- quality education at no cost
Adam J. Lewis Academy: High-quality experience for Bridgeport youngsters
Big Brothers Big Sisters: Connecticut’s largest volunteer mentoring network
Builders Beyond Borders (B3): Engaging teenagers in work projects that improve local and global communities
Carver Foundation: K-12 pre- and after-school programs in Norwalk
Center for Children’s Advocacy: Legal aid for education, healthcare, housing and the juvenile justice system
Child & Family Guidance Center: Counseling and support for youth and families
Kids in Crisis: 24-hour support, including emergency housing and crisis counseling
Neighborhood Studios: Arts education for Bridgeport youngsters
Piston Foundation: Helping young people acquire the education and hands-on training to build a career in the collector car industry, through trade school scholarships, apprenticeships and advocacy
Ralphola Taylor Community Center: Bridgeport organization offers leadership development, educational workshops, field trips; holiday store rewards youngsters for good behavior — they “buy” gifts (for points) for their families
Smart Kids with Learning Disabilities: Helping fulfill potential; support for parents too
Staples Tuition Grants: Need-based scholarships for Staples High School students and alumni
The Susan Fund: Scholarships for young people affected by cancer
Wakeman Boys & Girls Club: Southport organization serving area youth in a variety of academic, athletic and social ways
Walter Luckett Foundation: Mentorship, test preparation, STEAM, job prep for Bridgeport youth; partner with Westport Library

Environment

Aspetuck Land Trust: Preserving open space; maintaining 45 preserves
Connecticut Audubon Society: Protecting birds, other wildlife, and their habitats through conservation, education and advocacy
Earthplace: Education, wildlife exhibits, and a 62-acre sanctuary
Friends of Sherwood Island: Preserving, maintaining and enhancing our state park
Lachat Town Farm: Offering environmental education and cultural experiences for all ages in Weston
Norwalk River Valley Trail: Maintaining 30 miles of open space 
Save the Sound: Protecting Long Island Sound
Sustainable Westport: Helping our town become Net Zero by 2050
Wakeman Town Farm: Sustainability center, with plenty of programs
Westport Farmers’ Market: Food, education, programs and more

Food and shelter

Filling in the Blanks: Providing weekend meals for children in need
Food Rescue US: Helping volunteers pick up and deliver excess food
Homes with Hope: Supportive housing, food pantry, food distribution and more
Open Doors Shelter: Aiding Norwalkers in need
Person-to-Person: Food, rent help, clothing and more

Grant-giving and foundations

100 Women Who  Care of Fairfield County: Raising funds to give them away!
Fairfield County Foundation: Philanthropy to strengthen communities
Near and Far Aid: Fighting poverty in Fairfield County
Newman’s Own: Okay, they’re global — but they’re headquartered in Westport!
Westport Rotary: Noontime chapter meeting of Rotary International
Westport Sunrise Rotary: 7:30 a.m. chapter meeting of Rotary International
Westport Woman’s Club: Raising funds for charitable, educational, cultural and public health services
Women’s League of Westport: Building community through volunteerism and social activities

Health and Safety

Al’s Angels: Help for children and families battling diseases and hardships
Breast Cancer Emergency Aid Foundation: Funds for non-medical expenses
Domestic Violence Crisis Center: Help for victims and families
Fairfield County House: End-of -life facility, providing hospice and palliative care in a home-like setting
In a Heartbeat: Cardiac screening for youngsters
Mission: Helping survivors create lives after cancer
Pink Aid: Financial aid and services to woman and families facing breast cancer
Rach’s Hope: Addressing the challenges families face during and after a child’s critical illness, requiring an extended stay in intensive care
Westport Volunteer Emergency Medical Service: Providing staffing, supplies and apparatus to keep the town safe

LGBTQ+

PROUD Academy: New school for LGBTQ+ students and allies, proving a safe, affirming learning community
Triangle Community Center: Providing programs and resources for the LGBTQ+ community
Westport Pride: Our town’s own LGBTQ+ organization — sponsors of the June festival, and much more

Literacy

Mercy Learning Center: Life skills training for low-income women
Read to Grow: Promoting children’s literacy from birth, supporting parents as babies’ first teachers
Westport Book Sales: Providing employment for people with disabilities — and offering books, while providing funds for the Westport Library
Westport Library: They do it all!

Mental health and addiction 

Laurel House: Mental health and recovery resources
Positive Directions: Treatment and prevention for addictive behaviors

Seniors

Friends of the Westport Center for Senior Activities: Support for the Senior Center (below)
Mozaic Senior Life: Skilled nursing and other care

Sister City

Ukraine Aid International: Founded by Westporters Brian and Marshall Mayer, UAI ensures that donations go directly to Westport’s sister city of Lyman, Ukraine. Click the “I want to support” box; then select “Support for the City of Lyman.” Scroll down on that page for other donation options (mail, wire transfer and Venmo.)

Women and girls

AWARE: “Assisting Women through Action, Resources and Education”
Dress for Success Mid-Fairfield County: Empowering women by providing professional clothes and other support
LiveGirl: Leadership development and mentoring for females, grades 5 through college
Malta House: Shelter and programs for young pregnant women and their babies

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Posted in Education, Environment, Organizations, Westport Country Playhouse

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Warmth Of The Season: Neighbors Still Need Help

Posted on November 30, 2025 | Leave a comment

November began with terrifying news, for SNAP (food stamp) recipients in Westport and elsewhere.

The government shutdown meant the loss of benefits. How would they feed themselves, and their families?

As in communities across the country, residents rode to the rescue.

Homes with Hope, Rotary Clubs, Staples Service League of Boys, Scouts and other organizations swung into action. Donations of food and funds poured in. Pantries were filled; extra meals were served. No one went hungry.

Homes with Hope food pantry volunteers. 

But food insecurity is not over.

“As we head into the holiday season, many Westport households are quietly struggling to put food on the table,” says Department of Human Services director Elaine Daignault.

“It’s a silent struggle  — one marked by isolation and worry —that often goes unseen in a community like ours. We are extraordinarily grateful for the Westport residents and organizations who step up year after year to support families who might otherwise go without.”

Several households receiving assistance expressed deep appreciation for programs that allow them to participate in the holiday without fear of stigma.

One parent said, “I never imagined needing help, and it was so hard to ask. The fact that everything is handled privately made it possible for me to say yes. My kids had a real Thanksgiving because of this community.”

Another resident noted, “The support comes quietly and respectfully. It reminds me that I’m not alone—and that this town truly cares.”

Staples High School’s AWARE Club helps make Thanksgiving joyful for local families.

In the past year alone:

  • The Westport Woman’s Club provided $11,000 in grocery gift cards to 144 households for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Hannukah, enabling families to purchase foods most meaningful to them.
  • The Club’s food closet also plays a vital role year-round. So far this month alone, it distributed over $2,500 in groceries and gift cards to Human Services beneficiaries.
  • The Westport Senior Center partnered with the Friends of the Senior Center, Westport Woman’s Club and Calise’s Food Market to ensure that homebound older adults and adults with disabilities receive special catered holiday meals.
  • Dozens of Senior Center volunteers help serve lunch, and warmly greet guests, every day.
  • Coleytown Middle School held its annual Giving Assembly. Students and staff contributed $1,695 in gift cards, plus 55 bags of Thanksgiving foods and breakfast staples.
  • Coleytown Elementary School and Stepping Stones Preschool created heartfelt Thanksgiving cards for Senior Center participants.
  • Temple Israel’s Early Childhood Center donated 70 pies, shared among Human Services, Homes with Hope and the Westport Housing Authority.
  • As “06880” reported earlier, the Westport Firefighters Charitable Fund donated 1,000 turkeys to Bridgeport residents; A&S Fine Foods prepared Thanksgiving meals for dozens more, while residents added pies to the meals; Homes with Hope oversaw efforts that provided Thanksgiving dinner to more than 2,500 local residents.
  • Gault donated 10 turkeys to local families.

“These acts of kindness mean that many Westporters — who may be overlooked or too hesitant to seek assistance — will feel seen, supported and included this holiday,” Daignault says.

Still, this is just the start of the winter.

Throughout the next months, Daignault says, her department will “remain focused on basic needs such as heating assistance, food resources, and the added pressures families face when school is out and children are home.”

Assistance with fuel costs is important for some local residents. 

Up next: Westport’s Holiday Giving Program. It will support over 150 children from 90 families (and counting). The assistance helps parents provide a few meaningful gifts, and adequate food during the holidays and school break.

Residents can click here to make a tax-deductible contribution. Select a program or cause to support — or give to the area of greatest need. 100% of all donations go directly to Westport residents.

Questions? Call 203-341-1050, or email humansrv@westportct.gov.

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Non-Profits Suffer; Westporter Builds A Bridge

Posted on November 21, 2025 | 3 comments

For months, non-profits across the country have been battered.

The Trump administration has slashed funding — or eliminated it entirely — for a vast array of services: youth, international aid, health and wellness, immigration, environmental, civil rights, housing, food, education, arts.

Some organizations have severely cut programs, and/or laid off staff. Some have closed entirely.

Many Americans want to help. But it’s hard to know which groups are affected.

There has been no central resource to identify exactly which programs  need help.

Until now.

Charity Bridge Fund is a new non-partisan initiative. It closes the gap created by reduced federal funding.

And one of its key players is a Westporter.

Content and communications manager Isabelle Pieper — a Staples High School Class of 2014 graduate — has a background in strategic planning and analysis. In her higher education career, she managed high-level donor and board operations, and generated campaign strategy.

Isabelle Pieper 

She is excited by her new opportunity at Charity Bridge. It’s a way to combine her interest in charitable giving, with her work in technology.

It’s also a chance to work with the organization’s founder and executive director, Kendall Webb. The Weston resident also started More.com, an early e-commerce sites, and Just Give, one of the internet’s first non-profit donation platforms.

Pieper talks to individual donors and donor advised funds.

She does outreach too to organizations across the country. They’re all sizes — from large ones like Save the Children, to much smaller ones like a tribal electrification project.

The Underground Railroad Education Center in Albany, New York has lost employees, and seen programs halted.

Charity Bridge is also working with 2 media outlets: New York Public Radio and Rocky Mountain Public Media.

Pieper is excited that, though still in its nascent stage, the fund has secured a matching grant. All donations up to $10,000 will be equaled, through November.

The first distribution of funds will be made next month.

Charity Bridge already lists 68 projects. Donors can search the site by category to find one or more that resonate, or seem particularly noteworthy or needed.

There is no fee to be listed.

“We’re a non-profit ourselves,” Pieper notes. Charity Bridge will apply for grants to cover their own operational expenses. Donors can also tip Charity Bridge, during the checkout process.

The biggest challenge — one familiar to every non-profit — is finding donors, and getting them to respond.

Meanwhile, whatever funds they raise for non-profits in need will not be enough.

“People will see the effects of the services they’ll lose very quickly. Non-profits make a difference in every community,” Pieper says.

“The current cuts will cause a ripple effect for generations to come,” she adds.

And those ripples will continue to spread. The Trump administration has signaled that more cuts lie ahead, in the next fiscal year.

(To learn more about Charity Bridge Fund, click here.) 

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Posted in Organizations, Politics

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Domestic Violence: Westport Is Not Immune

Posted on November 18, 2025 | 3 comments

Domestic violence is real.

One in 4 women, and 1 in 7 men, experience it in their lifetime. In Connecticut, 19 people died in family violence homicides last year alone.

Westport is not immune. In fiscal year 2025 the Domestic Violence Crisis Center — a counseling and advocacy organization serving victims and their children in lower Fairfield County — conducted 23 “lethality assessments.” 26% were identified as high danger, prompting immediate intervention by DVCC and law enforcement.

Nearly every week, Westport Police report an arrest prompted by a domestic argument.

Dr. Wendy Levy is a member of the Westport Domestic Violence Task Force, and a DVCC Advisory Council member.

She says, “Domestic, or interpersonal, violence happens regardless of gender, ethnicity, religion or socioeconomic  status.

“It happens here in Westport, but is sadly underreported or acknowledged due to stigma, shame or economic realities.”

DVCC CEO Suzanne Adam notes, “Domestic violence is a process, not an event.

“It’s a pattern of power and control that develops over time. Understanding that complexity is critical to helping survivors find safety and healing.”

Leaving an abusive relationship seems simple or immediate.

However, advocates say it often takes several attempts before a survivor can safely and permanently leave.

In fact, leaving can be “the most dangerous time for a survivor,” Adam says.

DVCC provides comprehensive support before, during and after that decision.

DVCC counselors say that not every survivor wants to end their relationship. Sometimes, they simply want the violence to stop. The organization “supports their choices, and helps them build safety and stability on their own terms.

“Victims are the experts in their own lives. Our job is not to tell them what to do, but to equip them with the tools and information to make empowered decisions.”

Westport Police Captain Jill Cabana — who heads our town’s Domestic Violence Task Force — has sat on DVCC’s board.

She calls the non-profit “a group of committed and passionate individuals, truly doing God’s work.”

Westporter Stacy Reilly, a DVCC volunteer and Advisory Board member, is a former witness of domestic violence toward her mother, and inappropriate conduct toward herself,

She works with DVCC to “help foster a safer, more compassionate community, and help men, women and children rebuild their lives, giving them the chance to start again.”

Since 1980, the DVCC has done that, through education and support.

Their services include 24-hour crisis intervention through a hotline, the Lethality Assessment Program, 2 emergency safe houses, legal advocacy, trauma-informed counseling for adults and children, housing and financial sustainability support, and prevention education.

All services are multicultural, multilingual, free and confidential. DVCC’s annual budget of $3.9 million includes nearly half raised from private donations.

The average shelter stay is now 104 days — a vast increase from the 19-day average before the pandemic. Housing scarcity and financial instability keeps them in shelters, as they work toward independence.

DVCC’s counseling services include child enrichment services at the safe house.

Legal support in FY ’25 involved 2,779 victims. Advocates help victims obtain orders of protection, and are present at arraignments and criminal hearings. Consultations also cover child support, custody, divorce and alimony.

Financial assistance includes housing, employment and credit support services.

Education is a key component of DVCC’s work. In Westport alone, 1,052 students learned how to recognize unhealthy relationship dynamics, and provides tools to intervene safely.

The Westport Domestic Violence Task Force, meanwhile, covers a wide range of services. They collect supplies for victims (including gift cards from salons), raise awareness and provide information.

October was Domestic Violence Awareness Month. But Fairfield County’s Domestic Violence Crisis Center, and the Westport Domestic Violence Task Force, work 24/7, 12 months a year.

To learn more, click here for the DVCC, or email the Westport group: wdvtf06880@gmail.com. The DVCC hotline is 203-588-9097.

In October, then-1st Selectwoman Jen Tooker (front, 2nd from left) proclaimed “Domestic Violence Awareness Month” in Westport. She posed at Town Hall with DVCC CEO Suzanne Adam, members of the Fairfield County and Westport organizations, and other officials.

 

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Running The Marathon, In A Positive Direction

Posted on November 16, 2025 | 1 comment

Robin Moyer Chung reports on culture, and more, for “06880.” She writes:

On the morning of December 7, 1967, Westporter Marie Fitzsimmons woke up and, after years of hard drinking, made the decision to never drink again.

Four years later, her brother died of alcoholism.

Back then people were largely dismissive of alcoholics. Fitzsimmons says, “People felt weakness was a sin, a moral issue.” Those who drank excessively were an embarrassment to friends and family, so the affliction was ignored.

She took immediate action — 12 years before Betty Ford opened her own clinic.

For 10 years, without compensation or help, she raised funds, counseled individuals, and managed its administration.

Over 50 years later, Fitzsimmons’ organization — now Positive Directions — continues to offer professional therapy and substance abuse counseling to anyone who needs it, regardless of their ability to pay.

As a non-profit, the organization relies on individuals, businesses and others for support. This year, they found an intriguing way to do that.

Positive Directions was selected to be a charity partner of the New York Marathon. 

Brian McGarvey and former Staples High School track star Cam Gaylord — both Westport residents — and Gianna Affi all ran the marathon for their first time. Using it as a fundraiser, they collected over $19,000 for Positive Directions.

From left: Brian McGarvey, Cam Gaylord, Gianna Affi.

By raising awareness of mental health, PD normalizes and de-stigmatizes the need to receive services that save lives, both physically and emotionally.

By training and running for a marathon, Brian, Cam and Gianna did a lot for their own physical and emotional health too. To learn more about Positive Directions — including programs and services offered, and how to donate — click here. 

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Homes With Hope: In Tough Times, Town Came Through

Posted on November 12, 2025 | Leave a comment

It’s been a tumultuous time, for people who rely on SNAP benefits to eat.

But when things looked bleak, Westporters responded to their neighbors.

Homes with Hope — the non-profit focused on ending homelessness and hunger in Fairfield County — says:

In the midst of uncertainty, our community once again proved what makes Westport so special.

Over the past 2 weeks, as many families faced the difficult reality of a government shutdown and a pause in SNAP benefits, your support helped us keep our shelves full and our neighbors nourished.

We’re happy to share some good news: SNAP benefits have been reloaded, providing much-needed relief for many of the individuals and families we serve. But even during the most challenging moments, you showed up in every way imaginable.

Beyond the basics, Homes with Hope personnel offer fresh foods like fruit, and much more. 

From the incredible team of volunteers at the Gillespie Center Food Pantry, to everyone who donated, your kindness has been the driving force behind our response.

Thank you to everyone who made monetary donations, purchased from our Amazon Wish List, and delivered groceries and supplies directly to our pantry.

We’re deeply grateful to those who organized food drives across town, including Westport & Sunrise Rotary Clubs, Coleytown Middle School, Saugatuck Elementary School, Tend Dental, Staples Players and the Westport Country Playhouse.

Westport Rotary and Sunrise Rotary Clubs organized a successful food drive, at Stop & Shop.

Thanks to you, we were able to meet an unprecedented level of need last week.

In just one week, there was a 70% surge in good pantry demand.

Over 700 bags of groceries were collected, during food drives. In addition, the Westport community donated over $20,000. And more than 500 Amazon wish list boxes were bought, and delivered.

Westporters ordered hundreds of boxes, through Amazon’s wish list.

1,100 adults and children benefited from pantry services, in just 4 days.

It’s been a challenging month, but your generosity turned it into a story of hope and resilience. Every can, every dollar, every delivery made a difference.

From all of us at Homes with Hope — thank you for helping us ensure that no one in our community goes hungry. 💙

PS: If you’d like to continue supporting our work, click here to learn more about how to donate, volunteer, or otherwise help Homes with Hope.

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Y’s Women: Active, Fun, And Under The Radar

Posted on November 9, 2025 | 5 comments

Everyone knows the Y’s Men.

The 550-member group of retirees (and semi-retirees) enjoys speakers, social events, dozens of activities, and volunteer efforts.

Less well known are the Y’s Women.

They’ve been around for 33 years. They too are an active, fun group.

They are not affiliated with the Y’s Men (although many Y’s Women are wives or widows of members).

And although they (and their male counterparts) were founded at the Westport Weston Family YMCA, neither group is connected with the Y today.

Merle Spiegel is the group’s longtime communications chair. A 1965 Staples high School graduate whose mother was a Y’s Woman (and co-chair of their trips committee), Merle went on one to Kykuit, the Rockefeller estate near the Hudson River. She was hooked.

The other day, she talked about the organization. Members range from those who, like her, have deep roots in Westport, to women who moved here recently (often to be near grandchildren), and look to make friends and find community.

The Y’s Women meet twice a month, 11 a.m. on Mondays at Green’s Farms Congregational Church.

The Y’s Women’s spring luncheon.

Like the Y’s Men, the women boast an active speakers series. Connecticut Attorney General William Tong, Dr. Robert Altbaum and novelist Fiona Davis are recent guests. Soon to come: State Representative Jonathan Steinberg.

Sub-groups — books, movies, tai chi, mahjong, trivia, Scrabble, one dedicated to the New Yorker magazine — meet on their own. A “Solos” group, for women without partners, is very active too, including weekly summer potluck dinners at the beach.

Potluck dinner, at the beach.

One of the newest groups is “Jewels of Westport.” Led by Jilda Manikas, they’ve taken a backstage tour of the Westport Country Playhouse, and visited sculptures at town parks.

Y’s Women get out often, to art galleries, botanical gardens and more, up to 45 minutes away. Some members drive; their riders kick in for gas.

“This is an amazing group of women,” Spiegel says. “It’s a great way to learn, do interesting things and make friends.”

The Y’s Women welcome members from surrounding towns. For more information, click here.

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Remembering Russ Blair

Posted on September 29, 2025 | 5 comments

Russell Blair — who lived nearly all his life in Westport, and whose decades of volunteerism here included co-founding the Emergency Medical Service, and work on nearly every school building committee — died peacefully at his longtime home, surrounded by his family, on August 31. He was 96.

The Cincinnati native moved to Westport as a young boy. He spent many happy summers in the boat basin at Compo Beach, and sailing on Long Island Sound.

Russ attended Admiral Billard Academy in New London and the US Merchant Marine Academy in Kings Point, New York, earning his engineering degree in 1951.

He served on the USS Allagash for 3 years, rising to lieutenant before transferring to the Navy Retired Reserve.

Russ worked as an engineer for several companies before joining Slickbar in 1969. He became president in 1987, a position he held until retiring in 2001.

Russ’s devotion to community service began in high school during World War II, when he joined the civil defense fire crew.

Russ Blair

In Westport he gave generously of his time and talents, serving with the Volunteer Fire Department, co-founding Westport Emergency Medical Service, contributing to building committees that touched nearly every school in town — including the “new” Staples High in 2005 — and lending his care to various town and church restoration efforts.

Russ also spent 27 years in the Norwalk Hospital Emergency Department as an Emergency Medical Technician, offering steady hands and a compassionate heart. He received numerous awards, all of them with humility and grace.

Russ loved to repair, tinker and fix things. He always had a spare part, just waiting for its time to mend a broken object or machine.

Russ and his wife Isabel were married for 74 years. They shared a love for family, Westport, and traveling around the world.

He is survived by his wife Isabel; children Tripp (Nancy), DG (Bruce) and Laura; grandchildren Heather (Jamie), Lily (Andrew) Kate (Tim), and Maria (Travis). and great grandchildren Natalie, Christopher, Emily, Maddie, Oliver, Ryan, Drew, and Isabel

A celebration of life will be held October 25 (3 p.m.) at the Saugatuck Congregational Church.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Kings Point Merchant Marine Academy, or a local charity of your choice.

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Posted in Obituaries, Organizations, Staples HS

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It Was A Real Nice LobsterFest

Posted on September 21, 2025 | 11 comments

In just over a dozen years, LobsterFest has become one of the biggest, best loved and fun parties in town.

Yesterday, 1,500 folks of all ages celebrated at Compo. It’s the second biggest beach event of the year, after the fireworks.

They ate lobster and steak (plus a lot more). They drank beer and soda. They danced to a great band (Silver Steel). Hordes of kids climbed on a fire truck, went inside a police car, got tattoos and face paint, and had all the kind of fun we remember from our childhoods.

Politicians were out in force. But instead of politicking, they wore yellow volunteer shirts. They served beer, checked tickets and cleared trash. They looked like they had a blast.

RTM member Sal Liccione and man about town Dylan Curran.

And — thanks to the spectacular work of the Westport Rotary Club, and volunteers from many other town groups — LobsterFest raised nearly half a million dollars, for dozens of good causes.

In a few months the Rotarians will distribute large grants, to all those groups.

It’s a feel-good ceremony. Those funds will — literally — change lives.

But none of it would be possible without everyone who made LobsterFest happen yesterday. (Special kudos to whoever was in charge of the weather. You rocked it.)

PS: Tickets for LobsterFest ’26 go on sale next summer. As usual, they’ll sell out in minutes.

Towner Didier enjoys his first LobsterFest. (Photo/Steve Dodd)

What kid doesn’t enjoy a fire engine?

Friends from the Staples High School Class of 1982 dance to …

… the Silver Steel Band.

Parks & Recreation director Erik Barbieri, and operations manager Carmen Roda. 

Jodi Bell and Rob Simmelkjaer. He’s a Westporter, and CEO of New York Road Runners. Both are training for next month’s Chicago Marathon. After yesterday’s lobsters, they’ll run 22 miles today.

Chrissy Toeplitz, Bre Injeski and Danielle Dobin.

LobsterFest organizers take recycling and waste seriously …

… in more ways than one.

There were plenty of beverages …

… and here’s the money shot. (All photos/Dan Woog unless otherwise noted)

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Posted in Beach, Organizations, Westport life

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Remembering Jo Fuchs Luscombe

Posted on September 12, 2025 | 8 comments

Jo Fuchs Luscombe — a force of nature who, in a lifetime of work and volunteer efforts, accomplished everything from 5 terms in the Connecticut House of Representatives (including minority whip) and Westport’s 3rd selectwoman, to leadership (and boots-on-the-ground) service in nearly every major organization in town — died last weekend. She was 91.

An official obituary has not yet been released. But in 2017, “06880” hailed her as one of our first Unsung Heroes. I wrote:

If you’ve been in Westport for any length of time, you’ve probably heard — and met — Jo Fuchs Luscombe.

She’s been involved in every aspect of life here — politics, education, community service. If it needs doing, Jo has done it.

But how many people know her back story?

A Dallas native, she was just a year old when her father — an oilman — moved the family to Venezuela. Jo grew up speaking Spanish — and gaining an important, real-world view of life.

She went to boarding school and college in Texas, headed to Katherine Gibbs secretarial school, got married at 19 and had a child at 20.

Jo Fuchs Luscombe

Her husband was in oil too, so they headed to Libya. Jo learned Italian there, and was once more immersed in a very different culture.

In 1969, the family moved back to the US. Her boys were 13 and 10.

In her mid-30s, Jo and her husband divorced. Encouraged by Rev. Dana Forrest Kennedy, she threw herself into every aspect Christ & Holy Trinity Church. She became president of the Women’s Guild, served on the vestry, and ran fundraisers.

She got interested too in the Westport Historical Society. Jo was a driving force behind the acquisition and restoration of Wheeler House — owned at the time by her church — as the organization’s headquarters.

In 1980, Jo was asked to fill out an unexpired term on the Zoning Board of Appeals. Public speaking did not come easily. But — as with everything else in her life — she worked to master it.

She won a full term on her own, then was appointed to the vacant post of 3rd selectman.

In 1986, Jo headed up her friend and fellow Westporter Julie Belaga’s campaign for governor.

Jo’s next step was the state House of Representatives. She served 5 terms — from 1987 to ’97 — and rose to Republican minority whip.

Retirement from state politics did not slow her down. As a member of Westport’s School Building Committee, she helped oversee 5 major construction and renovation projects (including the new Staples High School).

Jo Fuchs Luscombe (Photo courtesy of Westport Woman’s Club)

Remarriage did not slow her down either. Jo has been president of the Westport Woman’s Club (where she helped run major events like the art show), and is active in Westport Rotary, Greens Farms Garden club, and countless others.

As a longtime Westport Family YMCA board member, she helped shepherd the new building on its long, torturous journey from downtown to Mahackeno.

Her husband John says there is one reason she accomplishes so much: “She doesn’t sleep.”

There’s one more thing: Jo Fuchs Luscombe is one of the nicest, most always-smiling people you’ll ever meet.

Congratulations, Jo. And thanks from all of us, for all you’ve done in so many ways.

(Hat tip: Bobbie Herman)

Cards can be sent to Jo’s son, Edward Fuchs: 52 St. James Drive, Palm Beach Gardens, FL 33418. A full obituary will be published when available.

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Posted in Local politics, Organizations, religion, YMCA

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