Time Lapse of the Mural

CRT’s Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg Women’s Empowerment Center recently got a newly painted mural on the side of its 330 Market Street building.

Watch this incredible time-lapse video of the creation of the mural by Micaela Levesque.
The mural will serve as a beacon for women, young and old, in the community, increase awareness of the Women’s Empowerment Center, and support our collective vision for a future that will help all people, regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, income level, or social status achieve their potential.

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Ms. Horton Sheff with Fox61 at the Giving Tuesday Toy Drive

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Fox 61 aired coverage of CRT’s toy drive on Tuesday, November 29th, Giving Tuesday, with the Hartford Fire Department and CRT’s efforts to ensure each child has a toy or present during the holiday season.
CRT’s Director of Community Services, Elizabeth Horton Sheff, shared the needs among families receiving services from CRT because they are having trouble making ends meet this year.

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CRT’s Early Care and Education Program featured on K-LOVE’s ‘Closer Look’ in Hartford

Peter Kaye, host for K-LOVE Radio (106.9 FM) in Hartford recently spoke with CRT’s Dr. Leslie Giordano, Director of Early Care and Education. They talked about the importance of early childhood education, and how it helps young children get ready to learn and succeed when entering kindergarten and beyond.

Give a listen to this “Closer Look” interview.

Note: This interview originally aired on June 20, 2021, and has been replayed multiple times this summer.

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Painting Massive Mural to Honor the Legacy of RBG Begins at CRT Hartford Office, on NBC CT

The Community Renewal Team (CRT) will honor the legacy of the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg (#RBG) and other remarkable women leaders with a massive public mural at the Women’s Empowerment Center in downtown Hartford.

Local, award-winning artist Micaela Levesque began painting the mural this week. She spoke with NBC Connecticut about why this new mural featuring iconic women leaders is so important, and what it means to her.

Learn more about this new mural project.

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CRT Summer Youth Employment Program Intern Shares Experience Promoting Need for COVID Vaccine Among Fellow Teens

Rhaili-Em Lowe was one of more than 85 young adults who spent time this summer as an intern working with CRT’s Summer Youth Employment and Learning Program. This summer, the students dedicated their time to helping to educate others in the community – especially their peers – about the need for the COVID-19 vaccine.

Her efforts were featured on the front page of the Hartford Courant this past weekend.

As she told the paper: “I’ve been a remote learner for one-and-a-half years. I’m trying not to have it happen again,” said Lowe, a rising junior at the Connecticut IB Academy in East Hartford.

Lowe and the other young adults in the program worked to promote COVID-19 vaccine awareness through projects like creating hundreds of yard signs distributed citywide. They also hosted a Zoom panel discussion about vaccine hesitancy among teenagers and misinformation spread through social media.

As she went on to say: “We all miss each other,” she said of her friends. “I want to experience my junior year in some type of normalcy.”

Read the complete article in the Hartford Courant online.

Photo above: Rhaili-Em Lowe, 16, of Hartford, spent her summer interning with CRT’s Summer Youth Employment Program to promote COVID-19 vaccines to teenagers in the Hartford area. Photo by Sofie Brandt/The Hartford Courant.

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CRT’s Summer Youth Employment Program Run Civic Engagement Campaign to Boost Interest in COVID-19 Vaccine

More than 80 students enrolled in CRT’s Summer Youth Employment and Learning Program took part in a civic engagement project this summer to educate fellow students and people in Hartford about getting the COVID-19 vaccine. They created 370 handmade lawn signs that have been distributed throughout the city to encourage people to get vaccinated.

Other signs were created to let people know about the availability of rental assistance through Unite CT.

According to an article in the Hartford Courant this past weekend, “The signs are now spread across the city, including areas around Stonington Street, Market Street, Main street, and the Blue Hills neighborhood.”

CRT Program Manager Cynthia Baisden said the ongoing increase in COVID-19 cases inspired the vaccination campaign.

“The COVID vaccination is something that I truly feel very passionate [about] that our youth need to be vaccinated, especially now that Connecticut has become a hot spot,” Baisden said.

Read the full article in the Hartford Courant online:

Hartford youth cover the city in signs in campaign to boost vaccination rate

Photo above: Rhaili-Em Lowe, 16, of Hartford, spent her summer interning with CRT’s Summer Youth Employment Program to promote COVID-19 vaccines to teenagers in the Hartford area. Photo by Sofie Brandt/The Hartford Courant.

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Looking for a Good Job Helping Seniors in Need? CRT’s Meals on Wheels Seeks Drivers, on Fox 61

The Community Renewal Team (CRT) spoke with Julia LeBlanc from Fox 61 about opportunities to join the agency as a driver for our Meals on Wheels program in Central Connecticut.

If you’re qualified, and want to help serve your community, please apply today!

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You Can Help Support Homebound Seniors with CRT’s 20th Annual Meals on Wheels Golf Classic, on Fox 61

Do you want to support homebound seniors in need in your community? The Community Renewal Team (CRT) is hosting its 20th Annual Meals on Wheels Golf Classic on Monday, Sept. 13, 2021 at Tunxis Country Club in Farmington, CT to raise funds supporting the Meals on Wheels program for Central Connecticut.

CRT spoke with with Julia LeBlanc from Fox 61 about how people in the community can get involved in this annual event.

Find out how you can support CRT’s 20th Annual Meals on Wheels Golf Classic.

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CRT Ensures Homebound Seniors are Safe During Heatwave with Meals on Wheels, on Fox 61

We’re in the middle of another summer heatwave here in Connecticut, so it is important to check in on the most vulnerable among us, especially homebound seniors. CRT’s Meals on Wheels program helps to deliver hot, nutritious meals each weekday and provides valuable wellness checks to make sure seniors in our community are safe.

CRT spoke with Julia LeBlanc from Fox 61 about this important program.

More information is available on the Fox 61 website.

To find out how you can support CRT’s Meals on Wheels program, please visit the Donate page.

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Learn the Value – and the Power – of Financial Literacy with CRT, on NBC Connecticut

At this time, Connecticut doesn’t require financial literacy courses for students in the state, but lawmakers may change that. However, you can become financially literate for free thanks to CRT’s annual Financial Literacy Institute. On the last day to sign up for the class taking place this fall, CRT’s Jason Black spoke with Dan Corcoran from NBC Connecticut about why it is so important to learn these valuable life skills.

The full report is available on the NBC Connecticut website.

More information about this valuable adult-learning program is available on the Financial Literacy page.

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