Jason Rojas

Dear Neighbor,

I hope this email finds you well. Below, you'll find updates on district resources and news. Please feel free to reach out to my office if you have any questions or concerns.

The topics covered in this e-newsletter are as follows:

• Energy Assistance
• This Week In Connecticut History
• Manchester Community Events and Information
• East Hartford Community Events and Information

The Generation Power CT (GPCT) Emergency Energy Assistance Program opened on Tuesday, September 2nd, and will run through September 10th! This program provides a one-time grant of up to $500 to help eligible Connecticut households with electric, gas, or fuel expenses 🏠💡
 
Increasing energy costs are a challenge for many in the state, but through this program, GPCT has helped to provide families across Connecticut with secure access to heat, power, and water.
 
All GPCT energy programs are available to income-eligible households making up to 75% SMI gross household income. Each income-eligible household that receives a GPCT Energy Assistance Award will receive up to $500 toward a future fuel delivery or toward a past-due utility bill. For the best chance of approval, and to make full use of this once-per-12-months grant, GPCT strongly encourages households to apply for assistance when you are most in need. GPCT has four Energy Assistance Application Cycles:

• September 2-10
• November 2-10
• January 2-10
• March 2-10

Every day, tens of thousands of commuters from Connecticut and neighboring states use the Merritt Parkway as an alternative to the often-congested Interstate 95 highway in an attempt get to their destinations faster — and every day, a number of them are ticketed for going a little too fast. Connecticut passed America’s very first speed limit law for automobiles in 1901, and safety-conscious officers have been cracking down on lead-footed drivers in the state ever since.

While some citizens have on occasion accused police officers of giving celebrities and VIPs special treatment when it comes to traffic offenses, that certainly wasn’t the case on September 5, 1955. On that day, not one, but two entertainment celebrities were ticketed on the Merritt Parkway for speeding. Around 7:00 in the morning, singer and actress Polly Bergen, known for her roles performing alongside Jerry Lewis and Dean Martin, was pulled over in Trumbull for driving 65 miles per hour in a 55 m.p.h. zone and for lacking the proper documentation to drive her car, which was registered in her friend’s name. Bergen had to post a $42 bond before officers allowed her to continue on her way.

Not even four hours later, world-famous singer and Rat Pack member Sammy Davis Jr. was stopped on the Parkway while breezing through the town of Westport at a steady 70 miles per hour. Unlike Bergen, however, Davis wasn’t carrying the cash on hand that he needed to post bail, and was forced to call his friend, celebrity photographer Milton Greene, to spot him the $18 he needed. A different kind of ticket to stardom was given out — twice — today in Connecticut history.

Further Reading

Doe Boyle, “Merritt Parkway Creates Scenic Gateway to New England,” connecticuthistory.org

https://www.easthartfordct.gov/residents
 
Town Newsletters
Pulse of East Hartford     
East Hartford Public Schools
East Hartford Works

Opening Day Events

• All Wheels Park: Open Skate + Ride, Competitions, Live Art
• Turf Field: Soccer Mania, Opening Ceremony, MHS Women's Varsity Soccer Game, BMX Drawing
• Creative Zone: Rock Climbing Wall, Make Your Mark Mural, Rec on the Run
• Fitzgerald Field: Parkour, Parkour Master Demo
• Upper Courts: PAL 3v3 Basketball, Youth Basketball Clinics
• Fun Zone: DJ Dale, Rotary Music Garden, Playground, Inflatables
   

Swag Shop
Open 4-7 PM (Event Day Only)
For every $5 spent at the swag shop, you'll receive 1 ticket entry toward winning a SE RACING BMX bike.

• 3 bikes - 3 winners announced at halftime of women's soccer game.

 
Rain Date: Sunday, September 14th, 2025

In 2019, the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving established $100,000 Greater Together Community Funds for each of the 29 towns in the Foundation’s region, which includes the town of Manchester.  In 2021, the Foundation provided an additional $50,000 to each of the 29 community funds to support their grantmaking.  In December 2023, the Foundation provided another $20,000 to each of the 29 community funds to support their grantmaking. 
The purpose of the Greater Together Community Funds is to:

• support the community in taking ownership around the needs in their towns
• encourage broad and inclusive civic engagement and
• anchor the Hartford Foundation in each town.

Manchester has formed a committee to manage a participatory process to identify your town's needs and allocate community funds.

2025 - 2026 Grant Cycle

The Manchester Greater Together Community Fund is looking for more local projects to support with awards of up to $5,000 for the 2025-2026 grant cycle, which begins September 2 and ends on October 10.  The Manchester Community Fund welcomes proposals that will improve or enhance the quality of life of Manchester residents or otherwise contribute to solving a direct need of the Manchester community. Individual grant awards range from $250 to $5,000.
In order to be considered for grant funding, projects must benefit the residents of Manchester in an immediate, concrete way. Any nonprofit registered as a 501(c)(3) organization that serves the residents of Manchester is eligible to apply. Groups of town residents may also prepare an application in partnership with a registered 501(c)(3) or municipality that has agreed to serve as a fiscal sponsor for the proposed project.
Project applications and grant proposals will be accepted until 11:59 P.M. on October 10, 2025.
For more information and to submit proposals please click on the links below.  Questions and Project Budgets can be submitted to manchester@hfpgcommunityfunds.org .
2025-26 RFP
2025-26 Grant Application
2025-26 Project Budget Template

Runners Will Make Strides to Fight Food Insecurity

Registration for the 89th Manchester Road Race opened on September 1^st, and race organizers said that the thousands of runners who are expected to compete in it will all be making strides to alleviate hunger in Connecticut.

Dr. Tris Carta, President of the Manchester Road Race Committee, announced that food insecurity will be the primary charitable focus of this year’s road race, which will be held at 10 a.m. in Manchester on Thanksgiving Day (November 27, 2025).

According to Carta, the race committee voted to suspend in 2025 its practice of annually awarding grants from the event’s net proceeds to a number of diverse charities and nonprofits. Instead, those funds will be earmarked this year for two organizations that provide food to those in need, Connecticut Foodshare and Manchester Area Conference of Churches Charities.

Connecticut Foodshare is a food bank serving the people of Connecticut, and is a member of Feeding America’s nationwide network. It distributes healthy food through a network of more than 650 food pantries, community kitchens and meal programs and operates mobile food distribution centers across the state.

MACC Charities operates a “Community Kitchen’ serving lunches during the week and an emergency food pantry that distributes groceries.

“There is a pressing need at Connecticut’s food banks right now, and we’re hoping that our road race can make a substantial contribution to address it,” Carta said.

Carta also indicated that the committee has designated MACC Charities as the beneficiary of the road race’s annual Honors Club Program.  Each year, the race sets aside bibs for up to 120 runners who each pay $100, instead of the traditional entry fee. All of those funds are donated to a single designated charity, which this year will be MACC Charities.

Registration for the 4.737-mile Thanksgiving Day Run is available on-line at www.manchesterroadrace.com.

This year’s entry fee will remain $32 for runners who sign up on-line at www.manchesterroadrace.com prior to 11:59 pm EST on Sept 30.  The entry fee subsequently increases to $37 on October 1^st and to $42 on November 22.  

Registration for the race will close completely on November 25, 2025 at 11:59 p.m. EST. No entries will be accepted on the day of the race.

Runners will once again have the option to either pick up their bibs in person, or have them delivered.  The race committee has scheduled a number of times and dates prior to the race when bibs can be picked up in person at no additional cost.  Details about the schedule and locations of the in-person pickup dates, and the fee that will be charged for delivery, will be available at www.manchesterroadrace.com when registration opens on September 1^st.

Race officials are reminding runners that there will not be bib pickup on the morning of the race.

“We’ve been working on plans for this year’s race since last winter, and we believe it is going to be another world-class event,” Carta said. “We anticipate another exciting race with a large field, and we are urging everyone to register as soon as they possibly can.

Carta also said that race officials are once again offering a Virtual Manchester Road Race option for those who can’t attend the event in person.  Participants can download a GPS-enabled app to their smartphones and have their times recorded as they run the MRR course distance at any location in the world.

On-line registration for the virtual run also begins on Sept. 1^st and closes on Nov.25^th.  The registration fee is $30 and more information is available at www.manchesterroadrace.com.

Approximately 400 volunteers from the Manchester Road Race Committee organize the annual Thanksgiving Day Run, with support from the Town of Manchester. More details are available on the road race website.

Why Attend?

•   Learn about police operations, from investigations to community outreach
• Experience hands-on activities like crime scene processing and K-9 demonstrations
• Build trust and strengthen relationships with your local police
• Gain insight into the challenges and responsibilities of law enforcement
• Meet like-minded community members passionate about public safety

When: Every Thursday, September 18 - November 20, 2025
Where: East Hartford Police Department
How to Register: Scan the QR code on the flyer below or visit https://www.easthartfordct.gov/citizen-police-academy

Don’t miss this chance to see behind the scenes of your police department! Space is limited, so register today. We can’t wait to meet you!