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:

• State Update
• This Week In Connecticut History
• Manchester Community Events and Information
• East Hartford Community Events and Information

Today in 1633, a small band of English settlers from Eastern Massachusetts sailed past an openly hostile Dutch trading fort near modern-day Hartford and defiantly staked their own claim near the shores of the Connecticut River. There, at a site that would soon be known as Windsor, they built a trading post surrounded by a defensive palisade — establishing the first English settlement in Connecticut.

Earlier that same year, Dutch merchant-traders from the colony of New Amsterdam (modern-day New York) had established a fortified trading post called the “House of Hope” at the confluence of the Little River and Connecticut River to try and gain a dominant foothold in the lucrative beaver pelt and fur trades. When the English in Massachusetts learned of the new Dutch foothold in the Connecticut River valley, a group of ambitious settlers from Plimoth Plantation headed westward to establish an English trading post north of the Dutch trading house in order to intercept and capture the indigenous fur trade along the upper Connecticut River and its tributary the Farmington River before it reached the Dutch.

Led by William Holmes, a young man who had already established himself as a leader in the Plimoth colony, the small party of settlers sailed from the English plantation in mid-September 1633, carrying provisions, defensive munitions, and enough timber to build a frame house and palisade upon their arrival. (Note: Holmes is misidentified as ‘John’ in the historic frieze on the State Capitol building in Hartford, pictured at left.) By September 26, Holmes’ ship was moving up the Connecticut River toward the Dutch trading post. As the English approached the House of Hope, Dutch lookouts shouted at the settlers, threatening to open fire on the vessel with cannon if it didn’t stop. Holmes defiantly replied that he had the authority of the Governor of Plimoth to sail upriver, and while the Dutch continued their bluster, the English ship passed by without a single shot being fired.

Later that day, Holmes and his party landed at a favorable piece of land several miles north of Hartford, near where the Farmington River emptied into the Connecticut. Emboldened by the establishment of a formal English presence along the Connecticut RIver, other settlers (most of them also from the Massachusetts and Plimoth colonies) flocked to the area. Over the next few years, the area around Holmes’ small trading post had expanded into the permanent English settlement of Windsor, and was joined by neighboring English settlements in the areas of Hartford and Wethersfield to the south. In 1636, the three settlements joined together to form the colony of Connecticut — just three short years after William Holmes and his crew built their humble trading post on the shores of the Connecticut River.

Further Reading

“Connecticut’s Oldest English Settlement,” connecticuthistory.org

“Timeline: Settlement of the Colony of Connecticut,” connecticuthistory.org

Kristen Wetzel Wands, “Windsor’s Founders: William Holmes,” Windsor Historical Society

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

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

The Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce is proud to announce the 6th Annual First Responders and Veterans Luncheon, taking place on Friday, October 10, 2025, from 11:30 AM to 2:30 PM at the Chamber headquarters, 20 Hartford Road, Manchester, CT.

This annual event honors the courage, dedication, and service of local first responders and veterans. Tickets are available to the public for $10.00 at www.manchesterchamber.com or by calling 860-646-2223.

Keynote Speaker

Brigadier General (Ret.) Lesbia Nieves, who served in the Connecticut Army National Guard for 36 years, will deliver the keynote address. Her career included leadership as Company Commander, Battalion Commander of the 143rd CSSB, and Brigade Commander of the 85th Troop Command. She is also a veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Special Guest Speaker

Remarks will also be shared by Deborah Weymouth, CEO of Eastern Connecticut Health Network (ECHN), a dedicated advocate for community health and support.

Event Highlights

National Anthem performance by Captain Kevin McCarthy (Ret.), West Hartford Police Department

Complimentary lunch provided by MACC Charities

• Lawn games and rescue vehicle tours

• Debut of the Wing-Eating Contest

• Special recognition ceremony honoring a local first responder and a distinguished veteran

Community Support and Giving Back

This year, proceeds will benefit:

• Believe Run for the Brave and Finest 208 – 10th Annual Race, September 28, 2025 – raising funds to support wellness, outreach, and advocacy for first responders and veterans.

• House of Heroes Connecticut – providing free home repairs and modifications for military and public safety veterans in need.

Past luncheon beneficiaries include the Manchester Police Explorers, the Manchester Veterans Coffee House, and the Honor Wellness Center in Glastonbury, CT.

Sponsorship Opportunities

Sponsorship opportunities are available. Details at www.manchesterchamber.com.

Contact Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce 20 Hartford Road, Manchester, CT

Phone: 860-646-2223
Email: staffgmcc@manchesterchamber.com
Website: www.manchesterchamber.com

Millie Texidor-Maffucci President, Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce
Phone: 860-810-7125 Email: millie@manchesterchamber.com

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.