Category Archives: Organizations

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.)

3 Comments

Posted in Organizations, Politics

Tagged Community Bridge Fund, Isabelle Pieper

Domestic Violence: Westport Is Not Immune

Posted on November 18, 2025 | 4 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.

4 Comments

Posted in Organizations, Police

Tagged Domestic Violence Crisis Center, Jill Cabana, Westport Domestic Violence Task Force

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.

1 Comment

Posted in Organizations, Sports

Tagged Cameron Gaylord, Positive Directions

Homes With Hope: In Tough Times, Town Came Through

Posted on November 12, 2025 | Comments Off

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.

Comments Off on Homes With Hope: In Tough Times, Town Came Through

Posted in Organizations

Tagged Homes With Hope

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.

5 Comments

Posted in Organizations

Tagged Y's Men of Westport and Weston, Y's Women

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.

5 Comments

Posted in Obituaries, Organizations, Staples HS

Tagged Russ Blair, Westport Volunteer Emergency Medical Service

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)

11 Comments

Posted in Beach, Organizations, Westport life

Tagged Lobsterfest, Westport Rotary Club

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 94.

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 her mid-30s, after moving back to the US, 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 managed 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 assistant minority leader and Republican minority whip.

At the same time, she was involved in the League of Women Voters (1989-2011). She was a member of Westport Sunrise Rotary from the 1988 beginning, and was the first female president (1991-92).

Retirement from state politics did not slow her down. As a 10-year member of Westport’s School Building Committee (and chair) 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 was president of the Westport Woman’s Club from 2003-05 (where she helped run major events like the art show), and was active in the Greens Farms Garden club, and countless others.

As a Westport Weston Family YMCA board trustee from 1998 to 2015, she helped shepherd the new building on its long, torturous journey from downtown to Mahackeno. She earned a “Faces o Achievement” Award from the Y in 1999.

She was even a justice of the peace.

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.

8 Comments

Posted in Local politics, Organizations, religion, YMCA

Tagged Christ & Holy Trinity Church, Connecticut House of Representatives, Jo Fuchs Luscombe, Westport Rotary Club

Come To (Tom) Papa: Comedian Headlines Homes With Hope Benefit

Posted on September 5, 2025 | 1 comment

Tom Papa’s debut as a comedian was at a small New York club.

There were 10 people in the 5 p.m. audience. Five were his friends.

He told a few jokes he’d written. The tiny crowd laughed.

Papa was filled with intensity and excitement. He said to himself, “I belong here!”

Recently, he sold out the historic Beacon Theater.

“It was not lost on me that it took 30 years to go 5 blocks, from that first set to the Beacon,” he says.

Next month, Papa — who toured with Jerry Seinfeld, been a frequent guest of Jay Leno and David Letterman, performed on “A Prairie Home Companion” and “Wait, Wait … Don’t Tell Me,” hosts a Sirius XM radio show, and does dozens of live shows a year — brings his prodigious comedic talent to Fairfield University’s Quick Center.

The New Jersey native headlines “Stand Up for Homes with Hope.” The October 17 event — an annual fundraiser for the Westport non-profit that battles homelessness and food insecurity — is always a highlight of the fall calendar.

Tom Papa

More than a decade ago, Papa was one of the first comedians at a “Stand Up for Homes with Hope” show. He’s traveled far since then — metaphorically and literally.

Yesterday, he spoke with “06880” about his career, and next month’s gig. The night before, he’d done a private corporate show. In a couple of hours, he would be in a theater.

“You never know what you’re walking into,” Papa notes. “Every group has its own culture.” Fortunately, he says, “last night the lumber salesmen were great.”

Papa’s route to the stage began in 7th grade. He heard Steve Martin and George Carlin in the same week.

“Wow!” he thought. “Making people laugh can be a grown-up job. You can make money at it!”

From then on, he was “funny with a purpose.” In the cafeteria, he made his friends laugh. In the classroom … well, he learned that being funny sometimes “helped charm me out of situations.”

Of course, being funny takes work. “You have to write a lot, perform a lot, and fail a lot,” Papa says. “There’s a certain repetition in standing up in front of people who say, ‘Make me laugh.'”

He honed his style, which he calls “observational humor. It’s rooted in family and humanity — everyday relationships, the annoyances of being a human being.”

He does not do a lot of political humor. But his routines “brush up against current events.”

(In our interview, he acknowledged the current “kerfuffle” over NPR funding. “The ‘Wait, Wait …’ audiences are such nice people. They wear Birkenstocks and carry tote bags. These people are dangerous?”

(And although being on Joe Rogan was “fun for a while, things got weird.” He no longer appears on the podcast.”)

Looking back on his eventful career — and ahead to the Homes with Hope fundraiser — Papa says, “there is something special about comedy. When you leave a show, you feel a little less alone.

“And when you can connect comedy with a cause, you leave laughing. And you feel like you’re a good person.”

“Stand Up for Homes with Hope — An Evening with Tom Papa” is Friday, October 17 (Quick Center). Tickets are $200 (includes cocktails and supper, 6:30 p.m.) and $50 (performance only). Click here for tickets, and more information.