Getting Cheesy Over VISTA 50!

On Tuesday, July 14th we were honored to be a part of Connecticut's celebration of VISTA's 50th Anniversary. Taking place in Hartford, Connecticut - one of the very-first VISTA service locations in the 1960s - the event brought together over 100 alumni, current members, and lovers of national service from throughout the state.

We were joined by Hartford Mayor Pedro Segarra, who thanked the VISTAs who had served and announced plans to place AmeriCorps VISTA members in support of the newly-rewarded Promise Zone designation of Hartford's North End. Also giving their thanks were MC End Hunger Connecticut! Executive Director (and VISTA Class of 1980 alum) Lucy Nolan, currently-serving PAVE New Haven VISTA Brittany Groat, and our very-own Chapter Leader Tina Lindstrom.


Hartford Mayor Segarra thanks VISTAs from
five decades for their service.

In addition to serving on the event's planning committee, we were honored to have helped provide food for the event through our new partnership with Cabot Creamery Cooperative and the Gratitude Grill. Cabot treated attendees to a hearty and delicious meal of homemade Legacy Mac & Cheese alongside a delicious fresh salad and cookies. 

Thank you to chefs Jimmy Kennedy and Cindy Stoker for making sure our bellies were full, and to Carolyn Kingston for coordinating the details. It was tremendous to work with everyone and a great pleasure to get to meet one of Cabot's Coop Farmers, Amanda Freund of Freund's Farmer's Market in East Canaan - we love that the cheese we buy can help support our local farmers (and taste so, so good!).

As a cooperative, Cabot Creamery is dedicated to giving back to the community and honoring all of the volunteers who help get things done. Reward Volunteers is an initiative that makes it easy to keep track of the time you spend making your community a better place and allows you to earn rewards, not only for yourself but also for the organizations you serve. For more information click here: http://www.rewardvolunteers.coop/about.php.