Jennifer Leeper

In honor of Veterans Day next Tuesday, I want to say thank you to those who have served in the United States military. Your courage, dedication, and sacrifices are the backbone to our freedom.

We enjoy the freedoms and safety that define our country because of your service. I’m deeply grateful for everything you’ve done, and continue to do, to protect and uphold those values.

I’m grateful to have worked with my colleague State Rep. Jaime Foster to stand up a three way public-private-philanthropic partnership to raise money for grocery store gift cards for our 360,000 Connecticut residents and over 1,500 Fairfield residents who are facing hunger without their SNAP food assistance.

Our many grocery store partners have volunteered to contribute the cost of the cards and a 10% match to what is donated. United Way of Central and Northeastern CT has volunteered to stand up a landing page to accept donations and our schools will help distribute them to families with school aged children. If you are able, please make a donation at this link.

As the federal government shutdown continues, many Connecticut residents are facing uncertainty. United Way of Connecticut’s 211 has published a new resource to help. Click here to take a look at the resource that outlines the current status of federal programs and provides direct links to state and community resources for those affected.

211 is not directly impacted by the federal government shutdown and continues to operate 24/7/365. It’s never been more important to connect residents with trained contact specialists who provide personalized, confidential assistance for basic needs. In many cases, a single call results in multiple new referrals and supports, drawn from their up-to-date database of more than 40,000 community resources.

While we are still basking in the joy of our Siting Council victory, I want to share a few other updates from this week. I joined representatives from Comcast to announce a $15,000 grant to the Wakeman Boys & Girls Club of Fairfield and Bridgeport to advance digital literacy and expand access to essential technology!

I have some great news that I am so excited to share with you: The CT Siting Council met today and fully rejected United Illuminating's monopole transmission line project proposal in Fairfield and Bridgeport!

This is a major update that came as a result of our community partnering with Bridgeport and all sticking together, united in what we knew was a just fight. We have been doggedly persistent, ensuring the Siting Council heard the conviction of our concerns, and showing how powerful a grassroots movement can really be.

Each October, we bring awareness and honor the millions of lives affected by breast cancer. Throughout the month, we stress the importance of mammograms as the best way to screen for breast cancer, which is the most common cancer among women, except for skin cancer.

One in eight women in the United States will get breast cancer. More than 40,000 women die from breast cancer in the U.S. each year. Thankfully, though, with early detection and more advance treatments, like what is available here in Fairfield at the new partnered Hartford Health and Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, the prognosis for those diagnosed with breast cancer has become much more positive.

Let us stand with survivors, honor those we've lost, and continue fighting for a cure.

The Norma Pfriem Breast Cancer Pink Pledge is such a wonderful event every year. Thank you to all the volunteers who commit countless hours to bringing our community together to raise awareness and funds to make more screenings and care available to women. The Center has provided life-giving care to over 50,000 women!