C.H. Booth Library’s Newtown Nonprofit Council (NNC) hosted its virtual monthly meeting, on March 21, for local organizations to share news and upcoming events.

John Boccuzzi, Sr, of Friends of Newtown Seniors (FONS), spoke first and said that it has been a “busy month” for the organization.

He said FONS is working on affordable housing, its transportation initiative, and applying for grants. It is also hosting a social event at Barnwood Grill on Wednesday, March 31, to which “all are welcome, all ages,” Boccuzzi noted.

There are also plans for an Earth Day yard cleanup event for local senior citizens on Sunday, April 24, and a paper shredding event on Saturday, May 7.

Friends of the Edmond Town Hall Chair Stacey Olszewski informed the council that her group is trying to raise money for multiple events planned for later this year and next year.

“We’re still looking for more people to volunteer,” she added. Olszewski mentioned that internships are also available.

When listing different ideas for events, Olszewski brought up how she would love to do a tag sale and Melissa Houston, of Newtown Historical Society, eagerly said that she would be interested in joining forces on that event.

Houston also said the historical society is looking for a public relations person to help out.

She shared the news that Newtown Historical Society received the two grants it applied for, which will go to help archive items and to create a new website to meet its growing needs.

Houston added there will be an open house at the Matthew Curtiss House on March 27 that will feature a blacksmith on-site. The open houses for April and May will fall on the third Sunday of the month.

She said that for all three open houses, people are welcome to take self-guided tours of the building or be led by a docent for a “more formal tour.”

Another key item Houston brought up was that Newtown Historical Society’s History Camp will take place the week of July 11 for ages 8-10.

Houston also mentioned she looked into when the Annual Second Grade Walking Tours were going to be happening this spring, and said she learned they would not be happening this year due to an inability to find a teacher to coordinate it.

Many nonprofit members on the call jumped in to offer advice and how to make it work. They began devising a plan for how to proceed.

Niki Giordano, of EverWonder Children’s Museum, announced that they have “sold 400 tickets in 10 days” for their egg hunts in April. They have volunteers signing up to participate through the NNC website. The museum is also planning what to do for Earth Day and summer camps.

Giordano informed the group that June 11 is Connecticut Museum Day (also referred to as Connecticut Open House Day). EverWonder will have staff at Holcombe Hill Wildlife Preserve for a free “EverWonderland” community program and tea party being planned.

“It’s busy and exciting,” Giordano said about the upcoming activities.

Steve Bennett represented multiple groups during the meeting, including Newtown Congregational Church, when he reminded everyone about the tag sale date change from June 4 to now June 11.

Then, representing Newtown Lions Club, Bennett said the club is still looking for volunteers for the annual Lose the Litter Earth Day event planned for Saturday, April 23. Volunteers can sign up through the NNC, and head to Newtown Middle School the morning of the event to participate.

Newtown Lion’s Club’s annual duck race is returning on June 25 and tickets will be available soon, Bennett announced.

“The Lions are also starting the Mustang raffle,” he said, and described the vehicle as being a bright red 2019 Mustang convertible.

Bennett also spoke on behalf of Families United in Newtown (FUN), saying they will be having its big fundraising concert on April 30 at Newtown Congregational Church.

“We have a lot of local musical groups participating, including a lot of kids who have autism who will be performing with us,” he said.

Glen River, of River Art Museum, spoke to the council about how his group has recently been working with a local therapist “who has volunteered to do a series of interviews going over issues relevant to artists and their families.”

They are hoping to do a similar concept regarding the topic of legal advice for artists and their families. The group is looking for someone to lend their expertise for it.

River said the organization is also interested in possibly having a permanent site at Fairfield Hills.

Website Growth

Sarah Patafio, reference assistant and volunteer hub project coordinator for C.H. Booth Library, reported on library news.

The library is launching a Get Healthy Newtown initiative, in partnership with the National Library of Medicine.

“The purpose of it is to provide the community with access to health resources and bring awareness to the resources provided by the National Library of Medicine,” she said.

Patafio also gave an update about its volunteer website Get Connected, Newtown! through Galaxy Digital.

“Since we last spoke on February 21, four organizations have joined — bringing our total to 31. That is Newtown Earth Day, Newtown Parks & Rec, Families Network of Western Connecticut, and Trinity Church,” she said.

There have also been 29 new users and 32 volunteer responses.

“That is growth,” Patafio said. “The previous period, January 24 to February 20, we had no new organizations, 11 new users — compared to the 29 we just got — and 27 volunteer responses.”

The next Newtown Nonprofit Council meeting to review technical aspects of the volunteer site will be on Monday, March 28. The next regular meeting is scheduled for Monday, April 18, at 10 am, via Zoom.

To learn more or create an account on Get Connected, Newtown!, visit newtownnc.galaxydigital.com.

To contact Patafio with questions about the volunteer site, e-mail spatafio@chboothlibrary.org.

Reporter Alissa Silber can be reached at alissa@thebee.com.