Monthly Archives: September 2020

High Hopes Announces New Member to Board of Trustees

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Nancy Bulkeley

OLD LYME — Nancy Bulkeley, Senior Community Affairs Representative for Dominion Nuclear Connecticut, has joined the board of trustees for High Hopes Therapeutic Riding in Old Lyme.

“High Hopes is thrilled to have Nancy joining our Board.  Her familiarity with not only the mission and services of High Hopes but the surrounding community will be a tremendous asset,” says Kitty Stalsburg, Executive Director at High Hopes.

Stalsburg continues, “Nancy’s commitment to helping both organizations and individuals is visible in her long history within southeastern CT.  She is a champion for many causes that will enhance our well-being.  We are excited to work with her to build additional collaborations and strategic alliances within the area to ultimately improve not only access to services but also to maximize the impact of those services.”

Bulkeley has been in the Nuclear Industry for 24 years, in the areas of human resources, communications and public affairs.  In her current position, she is responsible for representing her company and its policies and programs in the community.

Bulkeley is the primary interface to local governmental and community groups not only in nuclear related discussions but as a key interface for the local charities that are part of Dominion’s focus as a responsible member of the community.  She supports education programs through tours, community outreach, special events, and establishes and promotes minority outreach programs.

Having served on committees and boards for several non-profit organizations in her community, Bulkeley currently serves as Southeastern CT Cultural Coalition Board Chair and is on the CorePlus Credit Union Board of Directors.

“I am truly looking forward to working with the dedicated board members and staff who are making a difference is so many lives,” says Bulkeley.

Local Residents Form ‘Lyme-Old Lyme Partnership for Social Justice’ to Support Education Reform, Affordable Housing, Police Accountability

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LYME/OLD LYME – A group of nearly two dozen area residents – consisting of both students and adults – have gathered together to form the Lyme-Old Lyme Partnership for Social Justice to energize local efforts aimed at supporting education reform, affordable housing and police accountability in Lyme, Old Lyme and New London. 

The all-volunteer group’s mission is to educate residents on important topics of social justice and call attention to opportunities where citizens can support local, state and national social- justice efforts. The partnership has formed four task forces so far: 

  • The Task Force on Education Reform is working with school administration and the school board to assist in these groups’ efforts to foster changes in curricula, provide diversity training for school staff, recruit teachers of color, establish a zero-tolerance policy for racism and create a diversity committee of staff, parents and students. 
  • The Task Force on Affordable Housing is focused on increasing the availability of affordable housing. 
  • The Task Force on Police Accountability is focused on supporting regional and state efforts to reform the criminal justice system. 
  • The Task Force on New London Partnerships is focused on establishing an ongoing working network between the partnership and New London-based organizations. 

The group plans to: 

  • arrange informative monthly seminars, meetings and/or webinars to educate area residents on social justice issues; 
  • appear before appropriate town boards and commissions that oversee issues of social justice; and 
  • forge an active network of residents willing to contact their elected officials by phone, mail or email on issues of importance; and submit letters to the editor to local media. 

The group can be found on this Facebook page and reached by email at LOLPartnership4SJ@gmail.com.

New members are welcome to join.

Old Lyme Children’s Learning Center Launches Urgent Fall Fundraising Campaign

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Old Lyme Children’s Learning Center on Lyme Street has launched a fall fundraising campaign.

OLD LYME — The Old Lyme Children’s Learning Center (OLCLC) on Lyme St. has announced a fall fundraising effort, saying in a letter from the board to supporters and friends, which is also posted on their website, “As a non-profit organization, we have certainly felt the impact of COVID-19 at the Center these past few months.”

The OLCLC board comprises Kristen St. Germain (president), Nicole McCarthy, Marie Ryan, and Elizabeth Sked.

The board continues in their letter, “We recently reopened our doors on Aug. 3, after temporarily closing due to the health crisis in our nation. We are slowly gaining our parents and families back but, unfortunately, not without a huge financial strain on the Center.

Thanks to the dedication of our OLCLC community, we continue to offer the best child care services to our families. The legacy of Constance Pike carries on through the hard work of the OLCLC Board of Directors, the directors, the staff, as well as through the support of the families and friends of the Center who continue to back our facility and programs each year.

As we continue to work hard to stay above water and to support the many essential workers who need quality child care for their children, we are reaching out to our current and former patrons hoping you will all consider us in your donations this upcoming school year.

We do not take it lightly that for over three decades, parents have placed their trust in OLCLC to provide safe, nurturing programs for their children. Of course, this caliber of care comes with a price tag.”

The letter notes that due to COVID-19, this year’s planned Holiday Home Tour fundraiser has had to be cancelled. The Tour, of which LymeLine.com was proud to be a sponsor, typically raises over $10,000 towards OLCLC’s funding.

Explaining how they have managed to maintain their funding to date, the letter states, “Because we were fortunate to receive one of the federal payroll grants, we were able to maintain most of our staff through this crisis, but now have to dip into our savings to continue to run effectively. Those staff members we did lose left us for teaching positions or because of their own health reasons …

… On top of all this, we are also facing licensing restrictions under COVID-19, so our normal revenue has been drastically impacted. We have been fortunate to get a licensed RN on board to assist us with our COVID-19 protocols and we are thrilled to report that our safety measures in place continue to make the Center a safe place for all of our children and families.”

Finally, the board asks, “We reach out to you today with a plea to help us through these difficult times so we can maintain the wonderful programs that Connie Pike started and made a reality for families in Southeastern Connecticut. The daycare industry as a whole has been impacted terribly through this ordeal and although we have a dedicated Board of Directors, directors, staff, and families helping us in any way they can, we are going to need more financial support to get back up and running comfortably again.

Please consider a contribution to our Special Fund that we hope will allow us to continue to be an asset to families who are certainly struggling to find care for their children and find themselves having to go back to work again. Please visit our website if you can make a contribution to our Center. We have a donate button established that will allow you to make a donation immediately.

Alternatively, online donations can be made at this link. We will also, of course, accept donations via the mail.

We are grateful for any consideration you may give to helping us get back on our feet. With your help, we will hopefully be able to keep OLCLC a fundamental part in the development of our community’s children for many more years to come, even through the pandemic we are all facing.“

Editor’s Note: The OLCLC is located at 57 Lyme Street Old Lyme, CT 06371. Contact the Center at (860) 434-1728 or visit www.olclc.com.

Lyme Land Trust Earns National Recognition

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The beautiful Banningwood Preserve is protected and managed by the Lyme Land Trust.

LYME — The Lyme Land Trust has been protecting open space in Lyme since 1966. In August 2020, the Land Trust was awarded renewal of accreditation by the Land Trust Accreditation Commission.

This distinguished award signifies that the Lyme Land Trust has demonstrated, as part of a network of over 400 accredited land trusts, that it is committed to professional excellence and to maintaining the public’s trust in its conservation work.

The Lyme Land Trust first earned accreditation in December 2014, after being carefully vetted and certified to meet the highest standards of excellence. The granting of renewal affirms the Land Trust’s ongoing commitment to permanent protection of its conserved lands.

Accredited land trusts now steward almost 20 million acres – the size of Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island combined.

Lyme Land Trust protects more than 3,124 acres. For public access, it hosts more than 13 miles of trails on 651 acres. In addition, the trust manages over 70 private conservation easements. Popular preserves like Banningwood and Brockway-Hawthorne will be protected forever, making Lyme a great place for lovers of open space.

For more information and for trail maps of all the Lyme Land Trust Preserves, visit lymelandtrust.org.

The Land Trust Accreditation Commission inspires excellence, promotes public trust and ensures permanence in the conservation of open lands by recognizing organizations that meet rigorous quality standards and strive for continuous improvement. The Commission, established in 2006 as an independent program of the Land Trust Alliance, is governed by a volunteer board of diverse land conservation and nonprofit management experts.

For more, visit www.landtrustaccreditation.org.

Death of Richard Sagan Announced; Old Lyme’s Citizen of the Year in 1999, Past President of Federation of OL Beaches

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RICHARD G. SAGAN, SR. passed away on September 3, 2020. He was 92 years old and the son of the late Charles and Christine Sagan. He was married to Elizabeth (Betty) Ferris Sagan for almost 70 years. With his brothers, he owned and operated the well renowned and popular Sagan Cafeteria in downtown Hartford for twenty years …

… He was a past president of The Federation of Old Lyme Beaches, served as a governor of the Point O’ Woods Association, past Harbor Master when the Harbor Commission was first formed, Old Lyme Visiting Nurse Association, Republican Town Committee, Old Lyme Cemetery Association. In 1999, Mr. Sagan was selected and honored as Citizen of the Year in the Town of Old Lyme …

Editor’s Note: We worked with Mr. Sagan on several town projects. He was a kind, compassionate, and caring man full of good ideas and objective thinking. We extend our deepest sympathies to his family.

Visit this link to read Mr. Sagan’s full obituary published Sept. 6 in the Hartford Courant.