Winter Book Sale
COLUMBIA — The Friends of the Saxton B. Little Free Library will hold a used book sale to raise funds for the library. Most items are priced from $0.50 to $5. Over 5,000 sorted books are for sale and 60-percent of them are hardcover. All proceeds directly fund library materials and programs.
The preview sale is Friday, Feb 7, from 5 to 8 p.m. Admission is $5 for non-members and free to members of the Friends of the Library. On Saturday, Feb. 8, the sale is from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Admission is open and free to all.
On Sunday, Feb 9, the special discount day is from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. All books are half-price. Admission is free. The book sale will be held at the Chapel on the Green, Route 87, right next to the library. For more information, call the library at 860-228-0350.
Eversource Programs Help Manage Energy Bills
AREA — With the start of a new year, Eversource is reminding customers of the various options available to help them manage their energy use and bills. Recognizing it can be difficult for some customers to pay their energy bills, the company offers several assistance programs, such as Budget Billing, Winter Protection, Matching Payment or New Start – which helps reduce or eliminate past-due balances.
“We understand the effect high electricity prices can have on our customers, particularly those facing difficult financial circumstances, and we want to help if they’re struggling to pay their energy bill,” said Eversource Senior Vice President and Chief Customer Officer Penni Conner. “Like our customers, we have no control over fluctuating energy prices, but the variety of programs we offer can help people manage their energy bills and reduce energy consumption. We encourage all of our customers to see if one of our programs is right for them.”
Eversource offers several financial assistance programs and energy efficiency solutions to help customers: Billing and Payment Programs: For all customers. Budget Billing: Customers pay a predetermined monthly amount based on their average monthly bills to avoid drastic peaks during months of high energy use.
Payment Plans: Customers with a past-due balance or late with a payment can set up a payment arrangement and should contact Eversource to do so.
Hardship Programs: For income-eligible customers. Winter Protection: Customer’s account is protected from service disconnection Nov. 1 through May 1, regardless of bill payment status, with no late payment charges.
New Start: Customers can reduce or eliminate their outstanding balance in as little as 12 months when they make on-time monthly payments and Eversource will make up the difference.
Matching Payment: Customers apply for the Connecticut Energy Assistance Program (CEAP), then determine the amount of money they can afford to pay each month and set up a payment arrangement with Eversource. For every dollar a customer pays toward their bill by the agreed-upon time each month, a dollar will be credited to their past-due amount.
Customers are encouraged to call the energy company at 800-286-2828 or visit “Help Pay My Bill” on Eversource.com to find out more about these programs.
Eversource also recommends customers take advantage of the company’s energy efficiency offerings which can help reduce energy usage and help keep energy bills down year-round. Customers are encouraged to do the following.
Sign up for Home Energy SolutionsSM: A certified technician checks a customer’s home to identify places it can be tightened up to save money and energy. The technician makes on-the-spot improvements such as sealing up drafty doors and windows, closing air gaps around pipes and upgrading to LED lighting. This service is available to income-eligible customers at no cost.
Create an online energy savings plan: Customers can better understand and manage their energy usage and costs. Customers should visit Eversource.com to create an energy savings plan.
Fidelco Fundraiser
AREA — Yun Li-Potter, member of the Glastonbury Centennial Lions Club, presents a fundraiser for the Fidelco Guide Dog Foundation. For a donation of $10, participants will receive an Asian Moments discount card that provides up to 10-percent off per visit at the following businesses, valid for six months.
The participating businesses are: Bonchon Storrs, 1232 Storrs Road, Mansfield; Chosen 1 Cajun Seafood 2074 Park St., Hartford; Chuan Du Hot Pot, 27 Temple St., New Haven; Gourmet Wok 2856 Main St., Glastonbury; Ichiro Hibachi & Sushi, 962 Farmington Ave., West Hartford; Feng Chophouse, 93 Asylum St., Hartford; Royal Buffet & Grill, 410 Middle Turnpike W, Manchester; Sichuan Pepper 435 Hartford Turnpike, Vernon; Tang, 33 Wilbur Cross Way, Storrs; Taste of China, 954 Chapel St., New Haven; Thai Palace, 18 Wintonbury Mall, Bloomfield; Nummy, 1160 New Britain Ave., West Hartford; Uncle Chow Asian Bistro, 179 Park Road, West Hartford; Wang Palace 1914 Silas Deane Hwy, Rocky Hill; and Natural Nails & Spa, 2047, 45 Welles St., Glastonbury.
Obtain the card at restaurants by cash donation or check, payable to Fidelco Guide Dog Foundation, Inc. Visit https://www.fidelco.org/donate to make an online donation.
The fundraiser is sponsored by the Glastonbury Centennial Lions Club & ?????:????. Discounts and promotions vary per restaurant. Each Asian Moments Card will be valid for six months. You may purchase additional cards when expired.
Cemetery Restoration Project Making Progress
HEBRON — Hebron Historical Society’s Cemetery Restoration Project is making progress. After five years of work, all of the stones in the Old Cemetery have been cleaned. Gravestones previously unrecorded have been located and added to the database.
Biographies of those buried there have been researched and will soon be available to researchers. GPS markers are available for most of the stones and are being mapped to allow genealogists the ability to locate their ancestors’ final resting places. Many of the leaning and fallen stones have been reset. This coming year we plan to complete the resetting of the leaning and fallen stones.
However, the site still has no location marker. It is hard to believe that this valuable resource is unknown to most of the town’s citizens. In addition, many of the gravestones are broken and being covered by nature.
A fundraiser is in progress, a portion of which involves the sale of the book, “Hebron, Connecticut…Wilderness to Revolution – 1708-1783,” written by town resident Mary-Ellen Gonci. The book sells for $20 and $10 of each sale goes directly into the fundraiser.
The book makes an important addition to collections since it covers Hebron’s military history, listing members of Hebron’s first militia, veterans of the French and Indian and Revolutionary wars, including battles.
The books are available at the Town Clerk’s office at the Town Office Building and at the Colonial Country Store in Ted’s Plaza.
Garden Club Scholarship
EAST HARTFORD — The East Hartford Garden Club is offering one $1,000 scholarship to any full or part time student who is a resident of Andover, Bolton, East Hartford, East Windsor, Glastonbury, Manchester, Vernon and Windsor Locks, who is majoring in horticulture, floriculture, landscape design, conservation, forestry, environmental sciences, botany and other allied subjects.
Applications with the submitter instructions are available at the Guidance Department of the student’s attending school. All completed applications must be received by April 1, to be considered.
AHM Teen Jobs Available Through CHORES
AREA — AHM Youth and Family Services announces jobs available for local teens who are interested in helping local seniors through the CHOREs program. CHOREs is a partnership between AHM and the town senior programs in Andover, Hebron, and Marlborough.
With fall weather upon us, there are plenty of outdoor work projects to take care of, but that is not always easy for local seniors. Right now there are a number of local seniors waiting to have help with outdoor projects, and this is a great opportunity for local teens to earn some extra spending money, add practical work experience onto a resume, and most important of all, a chance to do something nice to help a local senior in need.
Youth workers help with chores that the seniors can no longer do on their own comfortably or safely. AHM assigns local youth to each senior for limited periods of time and in the process, workers provide services such as light house cleaning, weeding, gardening, raking and other household tasks.
Teens who are at least 15 years old can apply to work in the CHOREs program. Teens that are interested in working in the CHOREs program may contact Kate Graham at the AHM offices at 860-228-9488.
Positions for CHOREs youth workers are available on a limited basis. These are paid positions. Youth workers have to follow certain standards and are expected to complete jobs in a timely and courteous manner.
AHM raises all of the funds for CHORES. There is no cost to the seniors that use this service, but donations are certainly welcome to help keep the program running. Seniors interested in the CHOREs program need to connect with their senior directors in their community in order to determine if they meet federal guidelines to access the program. Special thanks to the North Central Area Agency on Aging, Church of the Holy Family in Hebron, Marlborough Congregational Church, St. Peter’s Episcopal Church in Hebron and the senior coordinators in Andover, Hebron, and Marlborough for partnering with AHM to help make the CHOREs program possible for our area seniors.
AHM Offers Recovery Group
HEBRON — Do you have a son, daughter, grandchild or loved one struggling with an addiction? AHM Youth and Family Services is offering a support group to assist in your child or grandchild’s journey through recovery.
Through a grant from Wheeler Clinic, the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services and the Department of Children and Families, AHM staff are now trained to help parents, grandparents, and friends who are helping a child or teen coping with addiction. The program is called SMART Recovery.
The friends and family group is held every Thursday evening from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at the AHM offices, located at 25 Pendleton Drive. This group provides a structured curriculum that allows members to give each other feedback and support. Participants learn skills that can help practice self-care, set boundaries and learn strategies to communicate with loved ones struggling with an addiction.
In addition to the family and friends group, through a partnership with RHAM High School, AHM also offers a school-based teen recovery group. This program has a similar structure and provides an opportunity to get feedback and increase motivation for the teen to look at their substance use, vaping, or drinking. A teen does not have to be in full recovery to participate in this group. Members have an opportunity to learn coping skills and participate in positive peer group activities. This group is ongoing and held at the school.
The summer schedule for this group will follow the Friends and Family group, meeting on the third Thursday of each month at 5:30 p.m . at the AHM Family Center, 25 Pendleton Drive.
There is no cost to participate in either program. AHM provides a welcoming and confidential setting at its center for the family/friends group and the teen SMART Recovery group at RHAM. For more information about the SMART RECOVERY program, contact Megan Aldridge at megana@ahmyouth.org or 860-228-9488.
ADHD Parent Support Group
HEBRON — AHM Youth and Family Services is starting a parent support group for parents of children with ADHD and/or ODD, Oppositional Defiant Disorder. The purpose of the group will be to connect with other parents, share ideas and support one another.
The group will be led by Megan Aldridge, LMFT, AHM’s Clinical Director, and will meet from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. on the second and fourth Wednesday of each month. There is no cost to participate. The group will meet at the AHM Community Center, 25 Pendleton Drive. For more information, contact: Megan Aldridge at megana@ahmyouth.org or call 860-228-9488.
