Latest news with #WilburCrossHighSchool
Yahoo
11-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Advocates underscore need for diapers among families in Connecticut
NEW HAVEN, Conn. (WTNH) — This week is 'Week of the Young Child,' and childcare advocates in Connecticut are highlighting the need for more diapers for families in the state. The Elizabeth Celotto Childcare Center at Wilbur Cross High School in New Haven provides care for 19 families, many of them teen parents. Australian woman unknowingly gives birth to a stranger's baby after IVF clinic error 'Any teen parent or parenting teen is able to come to our center, enroll their child at 6 weeks, all the way to age 3 and receive services,' Robin Moore Evans, who is the executive director of student, parenting and family services at the center, said. Among those services are diapers, which former client Sierra Ransom says can be costly. 'A box of diapers is about $30 and you get maybe 70 in a box and that's nice because there's 30 days in a month, however, that would be the assumption if changed once a day,' she said. The Diaper Bank of Connecticut says it has been working for several years to expand Medicaid to cover diapers, and this year, state legislators passed a bill that did just that. However, due to funding uncertainty at the federal level, it's been stalled. 'The need has increased. Our resources to meet it have not, and so we're looking for the state to make an investment,' CEO Janet Stolfi Alfano said. At most childcare centers, parents have to drop off a supply of diapers for their children. If they don't have that support, for many parents, it might mean they have to miss work. A University of Connecticut study from 2018 showed more than 56 per cent of parents using childcare missed work 4 days a month on average because of not having enough diapers. Ransom says that without the support she had from Celotto, she wouldn't be where she is today. 'It really changed my life because it allowed me to just focus on being the mother I needed to be to my child, and being a great student,' she said, adding, she is now working on getting her Master's Degree. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
03-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Connecticut Families: CT made film features local educator and actress with Down syndrome
CHESHIRE, Conn. (WTNH) — A new, independent movie, filmed and created in Connecticut, features the acting of a longtime local educator and an actress with Down syndrome. Michael T. Lombardi of MTO Films is the writer, lead producer and co-director. He also plays the role of Simon, a man who is homeless. Connecticut Families: Meet an unexpected band filled with docs who rock! 'Homeless people in this fictional town are now turning up with elaborately painted signs on canvas,' he explained, of the plot. 'A newspaper reporter is given the assignment to find out who this person is and what the signs mean.' Lombardi is passionate about using local locations and local actors. Robert Canelli, a co-producer, also plays the mayor. In real life, he's the former principal of Wilbur Cross High School in New Haven. 'When you're teaching in front of a class, or giving a speech in front of your staff or speaking to 3,000 people at graduation on the football field, you're always on stage and you're always performing,' he said. 'I've been around people with special needs my whole life,' Lombardi said. So, he cast Mary Mathis as Emma. The actress with Down syndrome has been in several plays, but this is her first movie. 'I love to act, quite a lot,' she said. 'People with disabilities really have as much to offer as anyone else,' her dad, David, added. 'There was a scene at Paradise Country Club where I was in tears, listening to her deliver her lines. It was beautiful,' Canelli said. The team hopes Sign Man ignites awareness and compassion. 'I think people are really going to love it,' Canelli said. The premiere of Sign Man is happening Saturday, April 5th, at North Branford High School. Click here to see clips of the movie. Hear more from the creators and stars of Sign Man at 11 a.m., Thursday, on the new News 8 streaming app for smart TVs. Download the app for free on Roku, Apple TV, or Amazon Fire TV. Just search for WTNH in the App Store, and you'll always be connected to Connecticut's News Leader. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
10-02-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
IRIS Run for Refugees 5K returns to New Haven
NEW HAVEN, Conn. (WTNH) — A winter storm didn't stop thousands of runners from coming to New Haven Sunday for IRIS' 18th annual Run for Refugees. The start time was pushed back to noon because of Winter Storm Brant but the crowd of 3,000 expected runners still gathered at Wilbur Cross High School for the race. 'I'm running with the refugee and immigrant community here, making sure they understand that we stand with immigrants and immigrant families here in Connecticut,' said Connecticut Attorney General William Tong. The 5k road race, a scenic path through the East Rock neighborhood, was designed to raise money for immigrants and refugees who have to rebuild their lives from scratch. The Integrated Refugee and Immigrant Services (IRIS) help roughly 2,000 refugees reach self-sufficiency each year. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
