David Michel

I want to say first that I am deeply saddened by the passing of Anthony "Tony" Spadaccini this week. He volunteered and worked to make things better for the people of the city of Stamford - a Board of Representatives member taken so quickly from us by the coronavirus. He definitely will be missed. I offer my support to his family in these hard times!

Here is a letter on Tony Spadaccini's passing from Mayor David Martin's office.

Internet access, staying connected at any time is important but during this COVID-19 (coronavirus) outbreak it is quite critical.

Providers around the state are stepping up to help and have signed on to the Keeping America Connected Pledge which includes not terminating service to residential or small business customers due to an inability to pay their bills due to the disruptions caused by COVID 19 and a lot more.

A detailed summary of the pledge and the many ways CT internet providers are looking to help customers during the COVID-19 outbreak can be found by clicking the image below:

As the COVID-19 (coronavirus) outbreak continues to spread, the City of Stamford is doing its part in supporting emergency response related to the pandemic.

In partnership with the Office of the Mayor, Board of Representatives President, Matthew Quinones has announced a citywide volunteer program called “Stamford Together,” and it has begun to recruit volunteers to support five active initiatives aimed at helping those in need during this critical time.

The initiatives include:

• Senior Outreach Program
• SPS Grab and Go Program
• Testing Site Volunteer Program
• Resident Delivery Program
• Medical Reserve Corps

You can read more details about each initiative below with volunteer sign-up links included. The Stamford Together Volunteer Phone line is 203-977-5850 and will be staffed 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday. Please consider volunteering. Remember, we're all in this together!

Senior Outreach Program

The Senior Outreach Program will establish positive contact with the Stamford Senior population, 70 years of age or older, to ensure basic needs are being addressed: food, medicine, medical support, etc.

Stamford Together is currently seeking volunteers who can make phone calls to the targeted population. Each volunteer will be assigned to a Team and report to a Team Leader. This initiative is being organized by Volunteer Co-Directors, Robin Druckman and Lauren Meyer. To sign up to volunteer, register here.

SPS Grab and Go Program

The Stamford Public School district is providing Grab and Go Meals for anyone under the age of 18, at sites throughout the City. This program is in need of 50+ adult volunteers to hand out prepared breakfasts and lunches the week of April 6-10 during the hours of 9:45 am – 1:15 pm. In the event the scheduled provider is unable to be at their location to serve meals, volunteers may be asked to serve additional days. Volunteers will be notified by 9:00 am if they are needed that day.
This initiative is being organized by the Stamford Public Education Foundation. If you are interested in learning more about this volunteer opportunity, please CLICK HERE TO COMPLETE OUR VOLUNTEER FORM or contact Malena Loucks at mloucks@spefct.org.

Testing Site Volunteer Program
In response to the Covid-19 pandemic, the City of Stamford has launched several Testing Sites throughout the community. This initiative is being supported by volunteers from Stamford’s Community Emergency Response Team Program. There is a need to expand the number of volunteers to support the operations of this effort which include managing traffic, distributing supplies, etc.
This volunteer initiative is being led by City Representative Benjamin Lee. To register to volunteer or learn more, click here.

Resident Delivery Program

The City of Stamford seeks to ensure volunteer drivers are available to build capacity for existing food delivery service providers, while ensuring quarantined members of the community have access to all necessary supplies through a citywide delivery program. The initiative will seek to work collaboratively with existing nonprofit providers and establish any gaps in services.

The management of this effort is being organized by the United Way of Western Connecticut. If you’re interested in serving as a volunteer driver, please register here.

Medical Reserve Corps

The Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) is a national network of community-based groups of volunteers—medical and public health professional and others—who assist their communities in activities that promote and strengthen public health, emergency response, and community resiliency. The program is administered by the Department of Health and Human Services. MRC volunteers include medical and public health professionals, as well as other community members without healthcare backgrounds.

For more information about MRC please follow this link, https://stamfordct.seamlessdocs.com/f/MRC_CERT_Application

AdvanceCT is a nonprofit organization that works to engage, retain and recruit businesses and advance overall economic competitiveness in Connecticut and right now its focus is on helping the state and the CT business community, the small business community in particular, get through this difficult time.

Here's a look at some of the projects the group has taken on in the past 10 days:

• In partnership with DECD and CBIA, we conducted a survey of Connecticut businesses from March 17-22. We had an overwhelming response in a short period of time, with over 4,200 respondents. The results of the survey can be found in the infographic here and also attached (note: embargoed until tomorrow morning). This data allowed the Governor and DECD to carefully consider the early policy response to the crisis. The survey remains open and we encourage you to take it if you have not already done so. We are planning a follow-up survey in the coming days to measure evolving sentiment towards the crisis and how businesses continue to respond.
• Last week we launched Connecticut’s COVID19 Response on our website, with links to state and federal resources. Working with the Governor’s office, we put together resources for CT Retailers and Restaurants and How CT can help small businesses.
• Last week we provided David Lehman and his team at DECD a benchmarking study of the COVID19 policy responses of other states.
• Next Wednesday April 1st, we will host a virtual meeting with regional economic development professionals, chambers of commerce, and the AdvanceCT and DECD teams. This forum will provide a real time exchange of ideas and best practices dealing with the crisis, while also allowing DECD and AdvanceCT to hear feedback “from the field.”
• We are providing fundraising support to a new statewide COVID19 philanthropic initiative, headed up by Don Kendall. 4-CT is a nonprofit that unites donors with state-wide programs that make an immediate impact. You will be hearing more about this in the coming days, including from the Governor, Don Kendall and us.