Nearly every day, life-saving supplies are delivered to Lyman.
The latest shipment to our sister city in Ukraine: room furnaces.
Room heater in Lyman. (Photo/LIz Olegov)
They are sorely needed. Much of the town is without heat, following 5 months of Russian occupation.
“They heat rooms so quickly, they are run only a couple of hours a day,” reports Liz Olegov, of Westport’s on-the-ground partners Ukraine Aid International and Alex 21.
That’s great news. Electricity is still spotty in Lyman.
The heaters are part of the $252,000 Westport raised for our new sister city.
Officials there have plenty to do. When the Russians fled, they left chaos and carnage behind.
But leaders took time out to thank Westport, and our leaders.
This proclamation to 1st Selectwoman Jen Tooker is on its way to Town Hall:
The next phase of our sister city partnership will involve students. Groups at Staples High School, and Bedford and Coleytown Middle Schools, are preparing projects involving Lyman students.
Other opportunities for Westporters will be announced soon.
After sold-out performances in January, Play With Your Food returns February 14-16.
Audiences will be treated to star power. Theater, film and TV actors Patricia Kalember and Daniel Gerroll take on Tom Stoppard as they perform a scene from his Tony Award-winning masterpiece, “The Real Thing.”
Also on the menu: Tony Award winner John Patrick Shanley’s “The Red Coat” and Craig Pospisil’s “Dissonance.” In honor of Valentine’s Week, the 3 plays tackle the complexities of love new, old and somewhere in the middle.
Tickets are nearly sold out for the February 14 performance at MoCA Westport, but are available for February 15 (Pequot Library, Southport) and 16 (Greenwich Art Council). All begin at noon, and are followed by a talkback with the cast and director. Audiences can stay for fresh boxed lunches.
Tickets are $60 each. For more information and tickets, click here or call 203-293-8729.
The Westport Weston Family YMCA is seeking candidates for 2 junior board of director positions.
Junior board directors enjoy full voting rights and participate actively in the governance process. They have the chance to share ideas, learn from older directors who provide insight and perspective into non-profit management, and become aligned with the Y’s mission to strengthen community.
Candidates must be rising high school juniors with a minimum 3.5 GPA (unweighted), active Westport Y members, able to attend monthly board meetings, and commit to a 2-year term, starting this June.
Current junior board members Ava DeDomenico and Riley Twiss will graduate this year from Staples High School. Ava has been involved with the gymnastics program, while Riley is a competitive swimmer on the WRAT team.
Click here for the application. The deadline is February 27.
Riley Twiss and Eva DeDomenico.
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The Denver Broncos are not in the Super Bowl.
But because Walrus Alley does not have a cocktail named for a Chief or Eagle, they’re offering this recipe for one their most-loved drinks: The White Bronco.
Owners Joseph and Angela Farrell suggest it for your Super Bowl party (which they could also cater). The recipe below creates 20 drinks.
1 L your favorite silver tequila
375mL Chinola passionfruit liquor
500mL fresh lime juice
250mL rresh orange juice
100mL agave
50mL Bittermens Hellfire Habanero Shrub
Combine all ingredients. Shake and serve 4 ounces onto rocks, garnishing with a lime wheel.
Connecticut’s 8-30g regulation may be in for a change.
House Republicans have proposed a “technical adjustment” to the affordable housing law that allows developers to bypass most local zoning restrictions for new developments. unless a municipality has at least 10% of its stock designated as “affordable” under strict guidelines.
Westport’s housing stock includes “affordable” units that were built before 1990, but are not included in the formula because that is the law’s start date.
The proposed adjustment would “put many Connecticut towns well over the threshold that exempts them from potential legal action if they deny developers’ proposals for certain affordable housing — without any new housing going up or changes to zoning policy,” the CT Mirror reports.
It would add would add properties that are not deed restricted, but are affordable to people whose income is up to 80% of the area median income.
Westport Police made 5 custodial arrests during January 19-25.
One — for burglary, larceny, conspiracy to commit larceny and failure to appear — dated back to an April 11, 2020 burglary at a residence. Approximately $70,000 in jewelry and personal effects were taken.
Another arrest for larceny and conspiracy to commit larceny was connected to a January 25, 2022 incident in which checks worth over $28,000 from a local business were altered and fraudulently cashed.
A woman was arrested for third degree assault, following an incident on December 7, 2022 in which she bit the arm of someone in the Walgreens parking lot.
A man was arrested for operating a motor vehicle under the influence of drugs or alcohol after he was seen speeding and driving erratically on Post Road West. When an officer caught up with him, he was driving extremely slowly in the left lane.
A man was charged with breach of peace after he took a neighbor’s cat.
On Tuesday, people got out of 2 vehicles in the Westport Weston Family YMCA parking lot, then smashed the windows of several cars and snatched laptops, credit cards and other items.
The Westport Police responded promptly, but no arrests have yet been made. The license plates on the vehicles were obscured; the thieves wore hoodies, and the car visors were down to further obscure their faces. They most likely made their getaway on the adjacent Merritt Parkway.
The Y offers this advice to members (but it applies to everyone):
Before you exit your vehicle, make sure:
Your personal items and valuables are out of sight – including phone, cash, laptop/laptop bag, small electronic devices, briefcase, shopping bags, etc. Items visible on the seat, dashboard, floor may elicit unnecessary interest.
You always lock your doors and close windows (including sunroof).
Since graduating from Staples in 2003, Jesse and Sefra Levin have been on a mission: preparing people around the globe to survive. They bring “readiness skills” to the veteran, disaster response and entrepreneurial communities.
Their company — Tactivate — outfits customers with gear, and offers advice and training, for every conceivable emergency. They call themselves “bespoke readiness outfitters. For a while, they had a pop-up shop on Church Lane.
They have been in Ukraine since February. They’ve assembled a team of 20 people, focused full time on efforts there and throughout Eastern Europe.
This Sunday (January 29, 7 to 9 p.m.), they’re hosting a “medical kit” maker space event at The Readiness Collective, in Norwalk’s SoNo Collection.
The goal is to build 600 kits, to be hand delivered next month to front-line units.
Everyone is welcome to help create the kits. Questions? Email jesse@tactivate.com.
There’s a special, behind-the-scenes look this Saturday at the development and pre-production of “The Team Room” — a new play about Army Special Forces immediately before, during and after 9/11.
The sneak preview is set — very appropriately — at VFW Joseph J. Clinton Post 399 (Saturday, January 28, 3:30 p.m.).
Playwright Bill Raskin and producer Michael Hare will discuss the production and premiere in Washington, scheduled for this coming October.
The 501 (c)3 show will raise awareness for veterans’ services. Following the run, all net proceeds will be donated to the Special Operations Warrior Foundation.
Saturday’s event is free. The production team is excited to share their story, and raise awareness of the show. Click here for more information.
Generations of Westporters remember the Country Playhouse kids’ shows. For many, those weekday summertime events were their first introductions to live theater.
They’re still around — in a different form. Three family-friendly shows are on tap on weekends, to liven up the long (if snow-less) winter.
They include:
“Woof Woof” shadow theater; grades pre-K and up (Sunday, February 12; 1 and 4 p.m.).
“Pete’s Big Hollywood Adventure”; grades pre-K and up (Sunday, February 26; 1 and 4 p.m.).
“Scaredy Kat Presents”; grades 6-10; Sunday, March 5, 2 p.m. Click here for details.
All tickets are $25. Click here to purchase, and for more information.
CronArt — a cool little pop-up gallery — enlivened Bedford Square in 2018.
Artist/owner Ryan Cronin is back in New Paltz, New York. But his many Westport fans may want to know that his “Obama” painting has been accepted into the Obama Presidential Center’s permanent art collection in Chicago.
The curatorial process took a year and a half. But now Ryan’s work lives forever.
Staples High School Class of 1979 graduate David Halsey died unexpectedly in his sleep earlier this month. He was 61, and lived in New Canaan.
His family said in his obituary that he died of natural causes, and was active, healthy and happy in the days before his death.
The Kalamazoo, Michigan native spent much of his life in Westport. He was described as :a voracious reader with wide-ranging interests,” and “an avid rock hound.” He loved the outdoors, animals and music.
Dave is survived by his mother, Carol Halsey of Knoxville, Tennessee; Karen and brothers John and Peter. He was preceded in death by his father Philip B. Halsey of Underhill, Vermont.
Rev. Demetrios Recachinas of Westport, protopresbyter of the Ecumenical Throne, died Sunday. He was 74.
Born on the island of Lefkada, Greece, he came to Washington in 1966. He graduated from Hellenic College and Holy Cross School of Theology in Brookline, MA. Father Demetrios earned a master’s of theology from Princeton University School of Theology. He attended Catholic University, working towards a Ph.D. program
Father Demetrios was ordained as a deacon in 1977 and ordained into holy priesthood at Saint Paraskevi in Greenlawn, Long Island, four months later. He was assigned as Assistant Pastor at his home parish of Saints Constantine and Helen.
Father Demetrios served on several committees in the DC area, including the National Conference of Christian and Jews Executive Committee, the White House Conference for the Elderly and the President Reagan Inaugural Committee for the International Sector, Catholic University and Maryland University Ethnic Studies Committee, and the UN Environmental Program Committee. He represented the Archdiocese in many official capacities as well.
In 1983 Father Demetrios was appointed pastor of Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church in Bridgeport. His emphasis in his ministry was on youth. He served as president of the Orthodox Clergy Association of the Greater Bridgeport Area. He was a member of the Archdiocesan Youth Commission and the Advisory Board of Sacred Heart University, and a chaplain at St. Vincent’s and Bridgeport Hospitals.
Father Demetrios served on the Board of Trustees and Executive Board of Hellenic College and Holy Cross School of Theology and also served on the Board of Trustees of St. Basil’s Academy.
Father Demetrios represented the church at the Ecumenical Patriarchate during the Third Millennium first World-Wide Orthodox Ecumenical Conference, and represented the Archdiocese at the World-Wide Biennial SAE Conference in Thessaloniki, Greece.
In 2001, Father Demetrios was bestowed with the highest honor awarded to a married clergyman of the Greek Orthodox Church, “Protobresbyter of the Ecumenical Throne,” by Patriarch Bartholomew on his visit to Holy Trinity.
In addition to his wife Eleftheria he is survived children, Tassos Recachinas, Katerina (Daniel) Pergola and Emmanuel (Paige) Recachinas; grandsons Christopher, James and Nicholas; brothers, Dion (Laura) Recachina and Andrew (Sophie) Recachinasl sisters, Sophia Espanopoulos and Christina Plotas; sister-in-law, Haido Neda, and many nieces and nephews.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Holy Trinity Church. Click here for online condolences.
Harold Gross died peacefully at his Westport home on Tuesday. He was 96.
Born in the Bronx, he graduated from high school in 1944, then proudly served as an Army paratrooper in World War II. He remained in Japan with the occupational forces, and lived there for 13 years.
He saw the world through his work, selling medical and dental equipment and supplies to countries in need. He became fluent in Japanese and Portuguese.
Harold is survived by his wife Francine Schweiger; son David Grosz, stepson Jordan Schweiger (Wendi) and their children Chase, Mason and Sloane Schweiger and son-in-law Michael Collins; grandson Nick Grosz and nephew Daniel Gross. He was predeceased by his daughters Diana Gross and Debbie Collins, grandson Brian Grosz and brother Joseph “Lenny” Grosz.
A memorial service will be held tomorrow (Friday, January 27, 11:30 a.m., Abraham L. Green & Son Funeral Home, 88 Beach Road, Fairfield). Shiva will be observed immediately following services at Francine Schweiger’s home in Westport. For more information and to share a condolence message, click here.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Jewish National Fund to plant trees in Israel.
Downtown Westport is compact: Main Street and the Post Road, plus the Saugatuck River.
But there’s a lot to see. And there’s no one who captures it better than Lynn Untermeyer Miller.
The Westport native and 1971 Staples High School graduate sees it all: the natural beauty. The shops and shoppers. And the hidden sights the rest of us walk right past.
Here’s what Lynn sees:
Imperial Avenue footbridge
Riverwalk, east side of the Levitt Pavilion
Riverwalk, behind the Levitt
West bank of the Saugatuck River
Riverwalk lights, near the Library
Westport Library
Arezzo restaurant and National Hall
Pedestrian walkway and Gorham Island, off Parker Harding Plaza
Village Square
View from Anthropologie
Alley between Post Road and Church Lane
WEST boutique
Taylor Place
Cold Fusion
Brandy Melville
A relic from the Y’s downtown days. (All photos/Lynn Untermeyer Miller)
By now, most Westporters know that Staples students are SLOBs.
The acronym stands for Service League of Boys. It’s the largest club at the high school, and all year long they’re at work. SLOBs clean parks and the Gillespie; staff events like the Rotary Club LobsterFest, and partner with organizations like the Senior Center and Library.
Girls have never been SLOBs.
But now they’re SLOGs.
The Service League of Girls was an idea waiting to happen.
Alex Gordon, Kira Tomoda, Abby Friedman and Emma Morris were lead busy lives. They play sports (swimming, water polo, cross country, track and lacrosse). They are involved in clubs like AWARE, and work after school (Offline clothing store, JL Rocks, Village Bagels).
Independently, two pairs (Abby and Kira, and Alex and Emma) saw a need to for a SLOB-like group for girls. They got together, and slogged through the process of starting a club.
SLOGs leaders (from left): Alex Gordon, Abby Friedman, Emma Morris, Kira Tomada.
Their mission statement notes: “We strive to provide an inclusive environment, and foster a sense of compassion, empathy and social responsibility in those who participate.”
SLOGs debuted with a booth at the school’s club fair this fall. They created an Instagram page, and told friends.
They found plenty of members. Then they needed jobs for them to do.
Staples SLOGs, at this month’s meeting.
There’s no lack of opportunities. In its first few months SLOGS:
Ran a winter clothing drive for the Open Doors community closet in Norwalk.
Wrapped gifts with the Carver Foundation. The next day, they handed them out.
Helped at the Westport Weston Family YMCA’s “Pizza with Santa” event.
Wrapping gifts for the Carver Foundation.
In the works:
A fundraiser for the Boys & Girls Club of America
A packaging event with Filling in the Blanks, the Norwalk weekend meals program for students.
A spring program at the Senior Center.
There are many ways to describe Staples students. Among the most worthy: SLOGs and SLOBs. (Hat tip: Amy Schafrann)
(“06880” is proud to highlight the great work of Westport’s youth. Please click here to support your hyper-local blog. Thank you!)
Yesterday’s storm was tough on Westport. Power was out. It was cold. Our lives and routines were disrupted.
Now think of the 13,000 people in Lyman, Ukraine. When the Russians fled in October, after nearly 5 months of occupation, they left behind utter devastation. Over 150 of the 240 homes lacked roofs, windows, even walls. There was no electricity, water or heat.
That’s our new sister city. And we can help.
Our goal is to raise $250,000 — by tomorrow. Within 3 days, our partners on the ground — Ukraine Aid International (founded by Westporters Brian and Marshall Mayer) and Alex 21 can supply building materials to repair all those homes — plus a generator for each. And a water filtration system for the entire town.
Right now, we are near $160,000 — 60% of the way to our goal. There are 2 days left.
Sure, we’re in tough shape. A major storm, followed by frigid temperatures, right before Christmas is not fun.
But our sister city of Lyman has endured far more, for far longer. They need our help.
As Rev. Heather Sinclair of the United Methodist Church of Westport & Weston tells her congregation: “This is a great opportunity to put our prayers into action!”
Pleaseclick here. Click the “I want to support” box; then select “Support for the City of Lyman.” Scroll down on that page for other tax-deductible donation options (mail, wire transfer and Venmo). You can also donate directly, via Stripe (click here).
PS: Don’t forget our fundraising auction. Our friends in Marigny, France — our other sister city — have provided an oil painting of their town. The highest bidder wins it. with all funds going to Lyman.
Click “Comments” with your bid (starting at $1,000). You do not have to use your real name — but be sure to include your email when prompted. The auction ends at 11:59 p.m. tonight.
This Marigny scene by Roger Potier is being auctioned to the highest bidder.
And finally … on this day in 1914, the World War I “Christmas truce” began.
According to Wikipedia:
In the week leading up to 25 December, French, German and British soldiers crossed trenches to exchange seasonal greetings and talk. In some areas, men from both sides ventured into no man’s land on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day to mingle and exchange food and souvenirs. There were joint burial ceremonies and prisoner swaps, while several meetings ended in carol-singing. Men played games of football with one another, creating one of the most memorable images of the truce. Hostilities continued in some sectors, while in others the sides settled on little more than arrangements to recover bodies.
The following year, a few units arranged ceasefires but the truces were not nearly as widespread as in 1914; this was, in part, due to strongly worded orders from commanders, prohibiting truces. Soldiers were no longer amenable to truce by 1916; the war had become increasingly bitter after the human losses suffered during the battles of 1915.
On Wednesday, a community menorah was celebrated near the front steps of Anthropologie.
It was a joint effort of Westport’s 4 Jewish congregations: Beit Chaverim, Chabad, Temple Israel and The Conservative Synagogue. The candles were lit by Bill Mitchell, a longtime participant in our town’s interfaith efforts.
It’s been nearly a decade since that handsome Tudor building in the center of town has been a go-to spot for furniture, clothes and home items.
Newcomers may not realize that for over 80 years — beginning in 1923 — the spot for our annual community menorah was the site of our town’s YMCA.
You know: the Young Men’s Christian Association.
(Photos courtesy of Dick Foot, former Westport YMCA executive director)
Westport’s 17th annual Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. celebration next month will be one of its most memorable.
Author/creative artist/filmmaker/playwright/multi-dimensional performance artist Junauda Petrus will be the special guest here.
Petrus’ work spotlights “Black wildness, laughter, futurism, ancestral healing, sweetness, spectacle and shimmer.” Her debut novel, “The Stars and the Blackness Between Them,” received the 2020 Coretta Scott King Book Award. She is writing a screenplay adaptation of the book.
Petrus’ visit to Westport will focus on “reimagining community diversity, engagement, and civility.”
On Friday, January 13 she will present at area schools. On Saturday, January 14 Petrus will visit the Westport Library for an experiential workshop with local artists (click here for more information), followed by a panel discussion with them (click here to register).
The 3-day celebration culminates on Sunday, January 15 with her 3 p.m. keynote address at the Westport Country Playhouse. Copies of her book will be available for purchase, with Petrus signing copies after her talk. The program is free with registration (click here), and includes a dance performance by the Regional Center for the Arts.
The Martin Luther King Jr. celebration began in 2006, coordinated by the Westport/Weston Interfaith Council and Westport/Weston Interfaith Clergy. Since 2016 it has been hosted by those 2 organizations, the Westport Library, Westport Country Playhouse, and TEAM Westport.
Tuesday night was magical at Wakeman Town Farm. 120 members of Club 203 gathered for their first-ever holiday party.
The organization offers great social opportunities for adults with disabilities. They’re uplifted by strong community support.
For this week’s festivities, the tent was sponsored by the Riverside Realty Group. Motivators came from TAP Strength. The art project in Tim’s Kitchen was hosted by MoCA.
The hot cocoa bar and snacks were Gold’s, Rye Ridge Deli, The Porch @ Christie’s, Fresh Market and Silverman Farms. The event space came courtesy of Wakeman Town Farm.
A few of the Club 203 party-goers at Wakeman Town Farm. (Photo/John Videler for Videler Photography)
For the second year in a row, all 22 Kings Highway Elementary School classes participated in the Connecticut Education Foundation’s Holiday Bear program.
Each class received information about a child in our area who might not receive gifts for the holidays. Families shopped for items on the youngsters’ holiday wish lists. They ranged from toys and crafts to necessities like coats, hats, gloves and pajamas.
Students worked with their teachers and parent volunteers to wrap each gift. ,
In addition, KHS teachers banded together to sponsor an additional child on their own.
Earlier today, CEF picked up all 23 Holiday Bear duffle bags, bursting with wrapped gifts from teachers, students and staff.
Congratulations to the Kings Highway Elementary School community. That’s the holiday spirit!
Kings Highway students, with a few of the 23 Holiday Bear duffel bags stuffed with gifts. (Photo courtesy of KHS PTA)
The Westport Domestic Violence Task Force had its own successful holiday drive.
For the past week, they collected gift cards, to benefit the Domestic Violence Crisis Center safehouse and community clients.
Residents donated $3,250 in cards to department specialty, and grocery stores. Survivors purchase what they most need or want for their families this season.
This can be a dark time for victims of domestic violence. The WDVTF thanks all who help make it a bit brighter.
In 2015, the Westport Weston Family YMCA received a large and unexpected gift from the estate of Ruth Bedford.
The granddaughter of Edward T. Bedford — who founded the Y — she had died the previous year, at 99. The board of trustees established the Ruth Bedford Social Responsibility Fund. Its endowment supports grants to organizations that provide direct or supplemental educational opportunities in Fairfield County.
This week, the Y honored the 31 recipients for 2022.
Representatives from each group described how their grants would be spent. For example:
The Carver Foundation of Norwalk serves 2,500 K-12 students. Funds will towards supporting its middle school program.
Homes with Hope will help housing insecure people get back on their feet.
Mercy Learning Center of Bridgeport will use the grant for its Early Childhood Education program.
New Beginnings Family Academy serves Bridgeport’s most vulnerable children. The donation will help “level the playing field.”
Wakemen Memorial Association (Boys & Girls Club) sponsors after-school and summer camp programs. They’re also building a second location in Bridgeport,
CEOs Marcie Berson (Greater Connecticut Youth Orchestra) and Novelette Peterkin (Carver Foundation) share a table at the Westport Y’s Ruth Bedford Social Responsibility Fund ceremony.
Staples High School’s December Students of the Month are seniors Zoe Webster and Mia Vindiola; junior Andrew Cerrito; sophomores Ethen Perry and Kensley Laguerre, and freshmen Benjamin Barger and Annabelle Katz.
The award recognizes students who “help make Staples High School a welcoming place for their peers and teachers alike. They are the ‘glue’ of the Staples community: the type of kind, cheerful, hard-working, trustworthy students that keep the high school together, making it the special place that it is.”
Students of the Month are nominated by their teachers, who are asked to think of “all-around good citizens” of the school.
Staples High School’s December Students of the Month. From left: Benjamin Barger, Zoe Webster, Annabelle Katz, Kensley Laguerre, Andrew Cerrito, Ethen Perry. Absent: Mia Vindiola.
This year — which despite economic headwinds, 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 a few months from now.)
But who to give to?
Far be it for “06880” to say. So here is a list — off the top of my head — of some worthy local organizations. Each one has a clickable link 🙂
I know I’ve missed some. Rather than bite my head off (very 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!
06880: This blog — now a non-profit — sponsors community-wide events. Projects include the Holiday Stroll, an educational seminar at the library, and a soon-to-be announced Westport/Marigny/Ukraine school project. “06880” also publishes this daily blog, to help create community.
Disabilities
Catch a Lift: Westport supports veterans through fitness programs Circle of Friends: Teens work with children with disabilities
CLASP: Group homes and opportunities Club 203: Provides fun, engaging activities for adults with disabilities MyTEAM Triumph: Road race support for children, adults and veterans STAR Lighting the Way: Support for all ages Sweet P Bakery: Provides jobs for adults with learning disabilities; supplies The Porch at Christie’s with delicious baked goods
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!
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
Christina Scherwin is a former Olympic athlete — and more recently, a European masters champions.
She loves watching her javelin fly through the air. She knows that her efforts can be measured precisely, down to the centimeter.
Now, as the Westport Weston Family YMCA‘s new chief operating officer, she can combine her love of sports, her appreciation for the community, and her MBA-honed business acumen, to manage the organization’s operations as effectively and efficiently as possible.
The Aarhus, Denmark native came to the US at 23, to study at Moravian University. She competed at both the 2002 Olympics in Athens, and ’06 in Beijing. In between she placed 4th at the World Championship in Helsinki, and won a World University Games medal.
Scherwin was a Nike athlete in Eugene, Oregon, a track and field m mecca. She coached for 4 years at the University of Oregon, then coached privately for 4 more. One of her male athletes competed in the London and Rio Olympics.
In 2014, she came east to be closer to Denmark. She quickly embraced Westport. Of all the places she’s lived in the US, this feels most like home.
Christina Scherwin
Scherwin earned an MBA at Sacred Heart University. She consulted and did executive coaching with small businesses. In 2018 — spurred by her daughter, a gymnast training with Sally Silverstein — she joined the Y board.
When the COO position opened up recently, she realized it was her dream job. She could be back in sports, while helping people — members and staff — reach their potential.
Last week — just 4 days into her new role — Scherwin talked about her new role.
As with every business, hiring is difficult. There are more jobs available than people qualified or ready to fill them.
Meanwhile, COVID has hit every gym and fitness center hard. All are reassessing their business models.
Of course, the YMCA is not just a gym or fitness center.
“It’s a vital community resource,” Scherwin notes.
Her daughter’s gymnastics, son’s basketball and both children’s Camp Mahackeno experiences are only part of what the Y offers.
Scherwin points to initiatives like a movement group for Parkinson’s patients, and a LiveStrong program for people with cancer.
When camp is not in session, the Mahackeno Outdoor Center is open.
The Bedford Family Social Responsibility Fund, meanwhile, provides money for worthy organizations.
And, Scherwin says proudly, “We never turn anyone away from the Y.”
Scherwin is as active as ever. She works out in the Fitness Center (“you have to stay fit for life”), takes YMCA classes, and helps coach high school track and field athletes (including former Staples state champion Angus Fuori).
For years, the javelin circle was her home. Now it’s the Y.
“I want to make this a great place to work, and for everyone to know what a great community resource it is. We’re a welcoming space for all ages — little kids to seniors.”
She’d like to make the Y even more welcoming and important, perhaps adding blood drives and other events.
Scherwin measured her javelin success in centimeters. At the Westport Weston Family Y, she’ll be happy to see more programs, more members — and more smiles.
(“06880” is your hyper-local blog. Please click here to support our work.)
For nearly 30 years, Jill Franke has led exercise classes at the YMCA and Senior Center.
An aerobics, group and aqua fitness instructor, she helps members and clients achieve their goals.
Some are initially afraid to work out. Jill proudly watches them turn into “beautiful butterflies,” she says.
It’s an apt metaphor. She does exactly the same at home, with caterpillars. Jill nurtures them, as they turn into beautiful — and actual — monarch butterflies.
Her hobby began six years ago. She helps the eggs grow, from a milkweed plant to microscopic caterpillars. Jill watches as they eat for two weeks, getting “big and fat.”
The start: tiny eggs.
They climb to the top of her cage, hang by their feet for 1 to 2 weeks, then spend 24 to 48 hours turning into butterflies. Their wings are wet, and they are “exhausted” from the transformation.
They walk around the cage, drying their wings. After 1 or 2 days, Jill releases them. The day must be warm (the heat helps them fly), with little wind.
In past years, Jill released 25 monarchs. This year, she has freed only 15. “Builders have been ripping out milkweed,” she explains. “Pesticides hurt too.”
To help the cause, Jill worked with Oak Lawn Cemetery in Fairfield. She and a landscaper planted thousands of milkweed seeds. It’s a beautiful spot.
During COVID, groups met there to meditate. They continue still.
Jill feels a “spiritual connection” to monarchs — an endangered species. The other day, an injured butterfly landed at her feet. She fed it sugar water until it felt better, then watched it rise away.
Jill Franke releases a monarch butterfly.
“I’m passionate about helping them survive. I’m glad I can play a part,” she says. “It’s a miracle.”
When monarchs fly off, Jill adds, she feels as if she is watching an “ancestor.” Then, she says, “I trust them. They’re watching over me.”
In late October, most butterflies are gone. There are few plants, like zinnias, to feed on. Now, she spends more time with her human friends.
Monarchs need plants to thrive.
“I’m a helper,” she says. “When it’s helping people reach their fitness and nutrition goals, I get the same satisfaction as watching caterpillars turn into gorgeous butterflies.”
Some of her success stories fly away. Some stay on earth, and return for more classes.
Insect or human, all are important parts of Jill Franke’s world.
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Our goal is to raise $250,000 — by tomorrow. Within 3 days, our partners on the ground — Ukraine Aid International (founded by Westporters Brian and Marshall Mayer) and Alex 21 can supply building materials to repair all those homes — plus a generator for each. And a water filtration system for the entire town.
