“Jason Powers, volunteer fire fighter for the Gales Ferry Fire Company, is fulfilling his dream. “Fire fighting is not a job to us, it is our passion. We are a close knit community and we take care of each other.”

story & photo
by Maren Schober

As long as he can remember, Jason Powers, 26, of Gales Ferry yearned to be a firefighter.   It was his dream.  It was his passion. It still is. “ I had my first set of bunker gear, firefighting clothing, at four years old.  I used to set up my bunker gear next to my bed when I was little,” Jason explains.

“I am a fourth generation firefighter.  My father, George Powers, started in the fire service in the 70’s in Sterling.  My grandfather, Ray Williams, and my great-grandfather, Louis Leo Tuck, plus my uncle, Jeff Jones, and uncle, Doug Williams, were all involved with the fire service.  I remember many, many visits with my uncles at the their firehouse in Arizona as I was growing up. Dressed in my bunking gear, I would climb all over the fire truck, reaching up to push the air horn button and then sound the siren. I drove them crazy!”

“The first time my uncle took me along with him on a fire call, I think I was only six years old.  I was visiting him at the firehouse.  The alarm came in for a structure fire, and my uncle told me to hop on the engine.  I was pretty much sold on firefighting after that.”

Even at age 6 Jason Powers knew he wanted to be a firefighter: (l-r) cousin, Bobby Lee Williams, uncle, Doug Williams, and Jason

Jason was born in Mesa, Arizona and currently he is active duty Navy. “I am a volunteer fireman and I want to become a career firefighter upon completion of my Naval service in January of 2012.”

“I started EMS at Bangor Submarine Base in 2004 in Washington State and began working part time with Poulsbo Fire Department in 2005 in Poulsbo, Washington.  When I moved to Connecticut in 2007 I started with Gales Ferry where I made Lieutenant in 2008.”

“On duty nights at the fire station, we are responsible for checking the rigs at the start of every duty night, cleaning the firehouse, and whatever training the shift officer has assigned.”

What was Jason’s most memorable recent fire?

“I worked a fire in Ledyard and the stairwell to the attic was so small you couldn’t turn around to come down so I had to go down the stairs backwards. While I was going down the stairs my air pack got caught on a clothesline the owner had strung up.”

“I am learning that no one is invincible and you never know what can happen, so never leave anyone on bad terms.  Firefighting is not a job to us, it is our passion.

“We firefighters have a dry sense of humor.  We are constantly joking with each other.  I think that is the way we cope with some of the things we see as firefighters.  Brotherhood comes along with the service.  Our service is a very close knit community, and we take care of each other.”

Jason Powers is the recipient of many awards for his fire service.  “I am proud to work with outstanding firefighters in New London County. They are an elite group of men and women.”

Bookmark to:

Shannan Farr, disability support coordinator, United Cerebral Palsy, Quaker Hill, loans books and toys from this Tech Tot Library to children with disabilities. This is done through home visits. There is no cost for families participating in the program.

story & photo
by Maren Schober

The Tech Tot Library, sponsored by United Cerebral Palsy (UCP), Quaker Hill, is good news for parents who have a child with disabilities.  The good news is that the parents do not have to go to the library for toys and books, the library comes to them!  All it takes is a phone call to UCP to set up the home visit.

Shannan Farr, Disability Support Coordinator, UCP, is the one who does the lending through home visits.  This is a free service! “Our office has a large supply of toys and books available for loan to these children and we want to get them out to as many children as possible,” Shannon explains.

“The toys give the children an opportunity to play, interact with others and learn.  Many of the toys are adapted for use so that a child with disabilities learns how to use language, gain physical strength, develop cognitive skills, gain confidence and become more independent. The toys are ideal for preschool children through age 12.  They include puzzles, videos, balls, toys, and materials for older children.  I visit the child in his or her home, deliver the toy, interact with the child and I bring back any toy or book that needs to be returned.  It is very heartwarming to see the child learn to play independently.”

The toys are stimulating and motivating!  They can be musical, produce a breeze, or vibrate when touched or assembled correctly.  Some are action toys, clowns, animals or cars.

Peg Morrison, one of the Exec. Directors of UCP, tells a story about one of the musical toys. “One little girl used a piano mat through the library.  The mat made noise and music as she moved over it.  With the combination of therapy and adaptive toys, this girl began to move more and graduated from limited mobility to crawling to walking.  While the piano mat did not do this alone, the toy supplemented her therapy and allowed her to work on goals from home in a fun way.”

Peg continues, “The kids with disabilities have trouble playing with siblings and friends because they don’t have toys to play with independently.  These toys are things that the child can use independently, but are also toys that are fun for children without disabilities.”

The Tech Tot Library also offers a wide selection of switches to adapt many commercially available toys for children physically unable to handle conventional toys.  This enables the special needs child to fully enjoy them.

To receive a toy simply phone Shannan Farr at 860-443-3800 ext. 11.   The UCP of Eastern CT Tech Tot Library has a representative who will meet with the family and child or children to assess needs and preferences of the child and make appropriate toy selections. The representative will then return to exchange toys.

Bookmark to:

story & photo
by Maren Schober

(l-r) The hardworking kitchen crew, Debbie Rosen, Pamela Romagna, Rick McGrath,Beth Miezejeski, Amy Lewis, Francisco Mariano, Delci McGrath, Bob Bergdoll, Ann Edwards, Sheryl Lambert and Karrie Mattia, dish out pancakes, eggs, bacon and sausages at the September 18th Pancake Breakfast at St. John’s Catholic Church, Uncasville. The Breakfast benefits Guy and Karen O’Brien who lost their house to fire August 14th.

The Parish Hall at St. John’s Catholic Church, Uncasville, is filling up fast this morning, September 18,  as friends and neighbors of Guy and Karen O’Brien come streaming in through the doors.  About a dozen hardworking kitchen crew members are cooking the breakfast and dishing up pancakes, eggs, sausages, bacon and fruit as families come through the food line.  Representative Tom Reynolds and Montville Mayor Joe Jaskiewicz  are on hand offering their concern and support.  Tickets are being sold at the door and many busineses in town are donating their services and goods at the raffle tables. What is going on?

It all stems from the tragedy that occurred Saturday night, August 14th, in Uncasville. This is the neighborhood in which I live and what happened is unforgettable.

Around 8:30 p.m. an explosion was heard immediately followed by black smoke filling the sky just a block away from our house.  Neighbors streamed out of their houses as Montville and neighboring community fire trucks screamed up the street. Flames of fire could be seen for hours as the fire companies fought the battle.  Owners of the homes on either side of the burning house grabbed their garden hoses and sprayed water on their houses to prevent the spread of the fire.  Thank God there was no wind that night!  Otherwise…

The fire started in the kitchen. “Only my husband, Guy, was  home at the time,” Karen O’Brien  tells me. “We have five children.  None of them were in the house at the time. Guy called me at work and told me the house was on fire!”

When all was said and done the house was gone and the dog was missing. Guy and Karen  are now without a home. “We are so thankful we can live with my son and family while we wait to build a new house on the same property as the fire.  It is a wonderful neighborhood and we love our friends.  We want to move back.”

It is heartwarming to see so many neighbors come together to help. Amy Lewis is the neighbor organizing today’s Pancake Breakfast to benefit the O’Brien Family. “I don know them at all, but I know we need to help Guy and Karen,” Amy tells me. “ I live around the corner from their house.  It was frightening to watch the fire.  Many neighbors are volunteering their aid for set up, clean up, cooks and servers.  Volunteers are signing up to sell tickets and hang signs.”

A fund for the O’Briens is set up at Charter Oak Federal Credit Union.  Donations may be made at any branch for the O’Brien’s Fire Donation Fund. Anyone needing more information may call Amy Lewis at 860.625.6035.

Bookmark to:

story & photo
by Maren Schober

(l-r) Mystic VFW Post #3263 members, Eric Kleeman, Peggy Roberts, Mike Foley, president, Men’s Auxilary, Kathe Lewis,Ed Nichols and Terry Gillis along with the rest of the VFW, Men’s Auxilary and regular partrons raised $1185.00 for SERVE which sends hundreds of care packgages monthly to our soldiers in Afghanistan.

It all started one night a few weeks ago at the VFW,” Peggy Roberts tells me. “First a five dollar bill is tossed at me and then another five dollars was handed to me. From then, on the donations come flooding in until $185.00 is collected from our patrons.”

“It really starts with Eric Kleeman, who walks up to me holding the empty collection box for the men and women serving in Afghanistan. ‘Hey,’ says Eric. ‘This box is empty.  We ought to do something to fill it.’ Then Ed Nichols tosses me the first five dollar bill.  Next thing I know, more bills are handed to me. That was the start.”

The organization SERVE stations collection boxes in several sites in the area for our troops overseas. At the Mystic VFW one of the boxes is pink.
“That’s important,” Peggy tells me. “Not too many people remember the women soldiers.  They are so grateful for the feminine articles we send and they write letters to thank us.”

Bill Kitchens is the Commander of the Mystic VFW Post #3263 where $500.00 was collected by the Men’s Auxiliary and another $500.00 from the members of the VFW.  Altogether $1185.00 was donated by the VFW.  It was now time to go shopping, and shopping they did!

“Donna Foley and her daughter, Melissa, come with me, along with Terry Gillis and Kathe Lewis, all from the VFW,” Peggy explains. “We march into Ocean State Job Lot and spend hours buying the essential hygiene items for both men and women soldiers. Into the carts go toothbrushes, toothpaste, hand creams, hand lotions, personal feminine items, shavers, deodorants, shaving cream, powders, Chapstick, shampoo, hair conditioners, razors, soap; everything you can think of.  We even buy baby wipes.”

“My son, Chet, just got back form overseas,” says Terry. “He says to me, ‘Mom, don’t forget the baby wipes.  They really need them over there where it is so hot and dry. There is so little water. The baby wipes help to keep them wet.’”

Mike Foley, president, Mystic VFW Post #3263 Men’s Auxiliary, and a group of other members rounded up all the donated items and took them over to the UPS Store in Westerly where Tony Montalbano, vice president, SERVE, and his helpers package, wrap and ship the products to Afghanistan.  It is a big work project.  It could never be done alone. It takes lots of help.

Bill Grunow is one of the two directors for SERVE.  He tells me the details. “We have collection boxes at Mystic VFW, UPS Store Westerly, McQuade’s Hardware, McQuade’s Market in Mystic, Dime Bank, Eagle’s Nest, Ed Jones Investment and the Cooked Goose; all in Westerly. The personal hygiene products are best bought in the small traveling sizes. The soldiers also really need some unrefrigerated small food items such as ring top cans, such as: Chef Boyardee, powdered Kool Aid, Slim Jims, beef jerky and small cracker packages.”

“For money donations we have coin boxes stationed at UPS Store in Westerly, Cooked Goose, Westerly, Bogues Alley, Pawcatuck, Children’s Market, Pawcatuck, Grandpa Tom’s Deli, Pawcatuck, and Legends in Hope Valley.”

For information about how to donate and about SERVE planning meetings, call Tony at 401.322.5060. For information about upcoming baked goods collection for our troops call VFW Mystic 860.536.3682.  Ask for Peggy.

Bookmark to: