Norwalk Chamber March 2015 Report

In the Spotlight
Eleventh Annual Courage to Speak ® Family Night
Greater Norwalk area concerned citizens, parents, children,
prevention specialists, clergy, schoolteachers and
administrators, and law enforcement are invited to attend
the Courage to Speak ® “Empowering Youth to be Drug Free”
Family Night on March 16, 2015. This community event will
take place at 5:45 p.m. at West Rocks Middle School, 81 West
Rocks Road in Norwalk.
The event includes student speakers, a dynamic, riveting, and
thought-provoking Courage to Speak ® presentation combining
the intensely personal story of a family shattered by drugs with
the latest information and statistics on substance abuse and prevention.
In addition, the Courage to Speak Community Leadership,
Volunteer and Recognition Awards will be presented.
The Courage to Speak ® Foundation is dedicated to saving
lives by educating and empowering youth to be drug free and
encouraging parents to talk to their children about the danger of
drugs.
Ginger Katz, along with her husband Larry, travel and speak
to a variety of audiences and age groups at many forums around
the state and the country. With a team of experts, the organization
developed drug prevention education curriculum evaluated and
recommended by Yale School of Medicine. Many facilitators
and teachers across the country implement the Courage to Speak
Foundation student curriculum in elementary, middle, and high
schools as well as a multi-session program for parents called
Courage to Speak Courageous Parenting 101 ® , which gives parents
tools toward keeping their children safe.
The Courage to Speak Foundation's office is located at 71
East Ave, Suite M, Norwalk CT. For more information about the
evening or the organization, please call (203) 831-9700 or visit
www.couragetospeak.org.
Stepping Stones Museum for Children Celebrates 15 Years
at Kaleidoscope Ball
Stepping Stones
Museum for
Children’s flagship
fundraising social
event is returning to Norwalk
on Saturday, March
28. Balancing whimsy
and sophistication, the
Kaleidoscope Ball, a
black-tie optional, adultonly
affair, will feature
cocktails and hors d’oeuvres, dinner by Abigail
Kirsch, a unique auction, music, dancing, and a
special awards presentation to recognize leaders
within our community.
The highlight of the evening will be the presentation
of the 2015 Stepping Up for Children
Awards. Since 2006, the museum has been recognizing
individuals, nonprofit organizations
and companies that are committed to improving
and enriching the lives of children and families.
This year’s honorees are Andrew and Carole
Clarkson, founders of the Jeniam Foundation;
Matia Finn-Stevenson, Associate Director of the
Edward Zigler Center in Child Development
and Social Policy at Yale University and; Norwalk
ACTS.
Proceeds from the 2015 Kaleidoscope Ball
will help support the museum’s
Open Arms initiative.
This initiative makes
it possible for every child,
family, and school to enjoy
the museum regardless of
financial, language, or special
needs barriers. Reaching
more than 70,000 children,
caregivers, and
teachers throughout the region
last year, Open Arms offers Get Into It!
FREE evenings on the first Thursday of every
month, along with free of charge traveling exhibits
for schools and other educational experiences
for parents and children.
The Kaleidoscope Ball is sponsored by the
Foster Family Fund, GE Capital, Pepperidge
Farm, Pitney Bowes, First County Bank, and
General Growth Properties. Media support is
provided by Moffly Media and WEBE 108.
PALM Beer and Keno Graphics are providing
in-kind support. The event emcee is Jay
Michaels of WEBE 108.
For more information or to purchase tickets,
visit www.steppingstonesmuseum.org/kb or call
(203) 899-0606, ext. 217.
Dragons Afoot at the Maritime Aquarium
The Maritime Aquarium in Norwalk is
the only place in the United States where
you can see a baby black dragon – one
of only an estimated 31 in the country. The black
dragon and other “dragons” (animals that have
the word dragon in their names) are now part of
a new special exhibit, “Dragons! Real or Myth?”
The black dragon is a water-monitor lizard
that has a “melanistic” gene that makes it all
black (similar to what makes an albino animal
all white). You won’t find one in any other U.S.
aquarium or zoo; all other known black dragons
are privately owned.
“Dragons! Real or Myth?” lets Maritime
Aquarium guests also get close to such species
as dragon moray eels; a seahorse cousin called
the weedy sea dragon; fish called dragon
wrasses; and terrestrial lizards like flying dragons,
sailfin dragons, bearded dragons, frilled
dragons, and more.
Besides highlighting the unique characteristics
of these animals, the exhibit explores the
facts and fiction about mythological dragons
and their roles in cultures throughout time.
Guests are encouraged to find similarities
between the displayed live creatures and the
fire-breathing dragons of lore.
Entry into “Dragons! Real or Myth?” is free
with Aquarium admission. The Maritime Aquarium
is the only aquarium focused on Long Island
Sound presenting sharks, seals, river otters, sea
turtles, jellyfish, and more than 100 other species
from Long Island Sound and its watershed. It is
locates at 10 N. Water Street, Norwalk, CT. For
more information call (203) 852-0700 or visit
www.MaritimeAquarium.org. The Aquarium is
open from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. daily.
8 THE CHAMBER REPORT l March 2015