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| Dear Neighbor,
Halloween is this Sunday!
While our state continues to rank among the states with the highest COVID-19 vaccination rates and lowest rates of new cases, it is still important that we take basic precautions - especially for our youngest residents who are not yet eligible to be vaccinated.
If you are planning to go trick-or-treating on Halloween, Connecticut Children's has some tips to help keep you and your family safe.
There are also fun and socially-distanced events happening around our community if you are looking for fun things to do with the whole family. The Westfarms Mall, 1500 New Britain Ave, is hosting its 2nd annual Mall-O-Ween event at the JC Penney parking lot on Saturday, October 30 from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. Bring children dressed in costume and walk the Boo-levard outdoors. Children will receive a Mall-O-Ween bag to collect candy from Westfarms retailers along the route. The event is free and open to the public.
I hope you have a safe and fun holiday! |
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| I hope you will stop by the Faxon Branch Library next Wednesday, November 3 from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. for Office Hours!
This is a great opportunity to connect with me on the issues that matter most to you and learn more about the work I'm doing at our State Capitol in Hartford. Can't make it? I'll be holding Community Office Hours on the first Wednesday of each month.
If you have any questions, don't hesitate to reach out to me at Kate.Farrar@cga.ct.gov.
I hope to see you there! |
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| It's seems that almost every day we see stories about the continued increase of mental health issues in our society, especially in children. Factors such as the COVID-19 pandemic, remote learning, and social media have all affected our children and their mental well-being. As a parent, it can be overwhelming and emotional task to ensure your child gets the help they need.
Below I have highlighted a couple resources, including an upcoming mental health forum, for parents with children who are struggling:
Immediate Assistance:
- Mobile Crisis Service 2-1-1: If your child is actively harming themselves, having suicidal thoughts, or planning to hurt others, call 911, or 2-1-1 and press option 1 for the Mobile Crisis Service. This is a 24 hour, 7 day a week free service to have your child immediately evaluated by a mental health professional. NOTE: If calling by cell phone, 2-1-1 can also be reached toll-free at: 800-203-1234
- National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-TALK (8255) for English, 1-888-628- 9454 for Spanish, or Lifeline Crisis Chat.
- Crisis Text Line - Text “HOME” to 741-741, or visit http://www.crisistextline.org/ for more info.
NAMI Education Courses: The National Alliance on Mental Illness offers online education programs for parents and caregivers to learn more about supporting youth who are experiencing mental health symptoms. The NAMI Basics OnDemand is a free, six-session that can be completed on-demand, at your pace.
Children’s Mental Health Forum:
The Children’s Committee will host a roundtable discussion designed for families in crisis this Wednesday, October 27th at 11am. |
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This forum will be entirely practical advice for parents of children who are depressed, anxious, suicidal, or engaging in self-harm. The discussion will highlight how to locate counselors for your child, develop family plans and use school resources. It will also cover alternatives to the Emergency Room and specialty LGBTQ+ outreach for kids. You'll learn what to do to start the healing today.
The forum will be held in person at the Legislative Office Building in Hearing Room 1D. If you cannot attend in person, you can watch on CT-N, or the Children Committee’s YouTube Channel.
This program has been developed with doctors, social workers, and experts... and with love, patience, and understanding. I hope you can join us. |
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| On Wednesday, I was pleased to join Lt. Governor Susan Bysiewicz, Office of Policy and Management Secretary Melissa McCaw, State Representative Dorinda Borer, and other members of the Governor's Council on Women and Girls for a panel discussion to encourage representation on Connecticut's state boards and commissions. This discussion was inspired by legislation we passed during the 2021 legislative session, which taps our state's talent to include perspectives in the decision-making process at the state level, improving our state and future. Our democracy is stronger when it’s reflective of the people, which is why it was so critical to pass SB 883.
If you missed the panel discussion yesterday, click the image above to watch it. |
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| Election Day is less than a week away! Have you made preparations to cast your vote on November 2? Due to legislative we passed during the 2021 session, voters across our state can vote by absentee ballot due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, if the Town of West Hartford did not receive your completed absentee ballot application by Monday, October, 25, you may not receive your ballot in time for your vote to count in this election.
If you did complete the absentee ballot application, you have until polls close at 8 p.m. on the day of the election to return you absentee ballot for it to be counted.
You can return you absentee ballot by mail to the West Hartford Town Clerk at the below address:
West Hartford Town Clerk's Office
50 South Main Street, Room 313
West Hartford, CT 06107
You may also drop off your ballot at any of the town's secure election drop boxes:
- Town Hall, Main Entrance, 50 South Main St.
- Faxon Branch Library, Main Entrance, 1073 New Britain Ave.
If you will be voting in-person this Election Day, you can click here to find your polling place. Polls will be open from 6 a.m. until 8 p.m. on Election Day.
Are you registered to vote? You can look up your voter registration as well as your polling place using the Secretary of the State's Voter Registration Lookup. If you need to register to vote, you can use the State of Connecticut Online Voter Registration System, here. For additional ways to register to vote, please click here. |
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| New service on the CTrail Hartford Line begins on Monday, November 1, 2021. The Connecticut Department of Transportation announced the addition of two new CTrail Hartford Line trains between New Haven and Springfield, Mass. A new northbound train will depart New Haven at 7:35 a.m. and will arrive in Hartford at 8:25 a.m., and arrive in Springfield at 9:07 a.m. A new southbound train will leave Springfield at 11:30 a.m., depart Hartford at 12:08 p.m., and arrive in New Haven at 1:01 p.m.
A new CTrail Customer Service Office will also open at Hartford Union Station to assist customers.
You can find more information about the Hartford Line changes here. On this website, you'll be able to view the schedule and sigh up for alerts.
To view the Amtrak train schedule, please click here. |
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| Do you have papers you want to shred? The West Hartford Department of Public Works is holding its annual Fall 2021 Paper Shred Event on Saturday, November 6 from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the department, 17 Brixton Street. This event is free for West Hartford residents, please bring ID. Residents will be limited to 2 copy paper boxes, or equivalent. Please do not bring documents for shredding in plastic bags. The event will end when the truck is full. Only sensitive documents should be brought to the event. Junk mail and other non-sensitive paper and envelops can be recycled in the curbside blue bin.
DPW will be collecting donations for the West Hartford Food Pantry during the event and customers are encouraged to bring non-perishable items. The WH Food Pantry is in need of the following items:
- Canned fruit/applesauce
- Cold cereal - non-sugary varieties
- Tuna and other canned meats
- Rice and rice mixes
- Baked beans
- Canned pasta
- Pasta sauce
- Spaghetti
- Peanut butter
- Jell
- Soup
- Canned vegetables
- Macaroni & cheese
- Granola bars & cookies
- Toothpaste
- Laundry & dish detergent
For more information about the Fall 2021 Paper Shred Event, please click here. |
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| As always, if I can be of assistance to you and your family, please reach out to me at 860-240-8585 or email me at Kate.Farrar@cga.ct.gov. Follow @KateforCT on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to stay up-to-date on everything I'm doing at the Capitol!
Sincerely,
Kate Farrar
State Representative
she/her/hers |
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