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Two of our Cheshire agents, Carol Loehmann & Chris Baillie, are participating in the "99.1 WPLR Radiothon" to benefit The Tommy Fund for Childhood Cancer at Yale-New Haven Children's Hospital. Radiothon is going on Wednesday, August 5th and Thursday, August 6th. Call 877-87-TOMMY (877-878-6669) to donate or go online  http://wplr.com/radiothon Carol & Chris, you Rock!   Posted by:...

Did you know that animals could be very therapeutic? Animals touch the lives of every generation and can improve one's health and well-being.  Community programs that brought people and animals together for companionship and therapy were first introduced in the 1970’s.  According to "Paws and Hearts,” the introduction of animals into the patients' environment was a way of humanizing health care....

On Saturday, May 9th, several of our agents and staff volunteered their time (and muscles!) to the first of 5 Habitat for Humanity Sleeping Giant "builds" at 40 Edgecomb Street, Hamden. The meetings for this charitable organization are held at our Calcagni Hamden office. Our hard-working, hammer-wielding crew, spent the day framing walls that will later be used on the site. For progress on the build,...

We can’t escape the news headlines.  The casualties from our ailing economy are all around us - companies are closing, workers are losing their jobs and foreclosure rates are on the rise.  As a result, many pet owners have been forced to give up their beloved family pets because they can no longer afford to keep them, or because their new housing accommodations will not allow pets.  I have been...

With the warmer weather comes the luxury of sitting outside in the sunshine with a great new book; whether it's at the beach or in your own backyard, there is something so relaxing about opening those pages as the sun warms your skin & the breeze ruffles your hair. This summer, I'm really looking forward to delving into some books that have come highly recommended from dear friends of mine. These avid...

Join us for The Diaper Bank STROLL-A-THON! The Diaper Bank Stroll-a-Thon is set for May 10, 2009 and we hope you will join the individuals and teams that will come out on Mother's Day to support our work with mothers and children. The event will start at East Rock Park in New Haven at noon...its going to be a really fun day!! News Channel 8 is our media sponsor and Chris Velardi will lead off the 3-mile...

As you may probably know, Earth Day is officially on Wednesday, April 22. I was thinking about what this day really signifies, and it brought me back to my first real experience and awareness of 'Earth Day'. Flash back to over 12 years ago, when I was still a college student, I recall annual events on campus commemorating this day. I did not think too much about it at the time, despite having a general...

Back in the day, early mattresses were made of simply hay or straw covered with ticking. Under the mattress was roping, woven through the bed frame (usually 4-poster) and at the footboard, the rope would be visible and it could be tightened with a stick. Hence the origin of the old nursery rhyme instructing the sleeper to "Sleep tight (tighten the ropes), and don't let the bed bugs bite (breeding in the...

Spring Has Sprung!  We have all been anxiously awaiting the arrival of spring. Looking around, we begin to see buds on trees, tulips peeking through the mulch, and kids playing ball in the yard. The longer days allow us more time with our family and friends. I long for the sound of the lawn mowers throughout the neighborhood, gardening and eating dinner outside- all wonders of warmer weather!    As...

Passover has always been my favorite holiday, mostly because of all the special foods that we eat only at Passover.  My mom always downplayed what we couldn't eat, and prepared many dishes that she would only serve during this very special week.  I thought it would be fun to share some of our family's favorite recipes.    Passover Mandel...