Michelle L. Cook

March is Women's History Month and March 8 was International Women's Day - a day to celebrate women who have inspired change throughout history, and recognize those who continue to fight for the fair and equitable treatment of women and girls around the world. I am also thrilled to celebrate the many accomplishments of women in Connecticut and beyond throughout the coming weeks!

Let us continue to make Connecticut a safe, fair and equitable place for women and girls. I hope you can join me in recognizing the achievements of those who continue to inspire us and pave the way for the next generation of female leaders and innovators.

Do you want to find out more about the history of Women's History Month? Click here to read more.

The State of Connecticut has a long history of Women's movements, click here to learn to more.

Government Relations Committee Meeting: Thursday, March 9th @ 8:00am - 9:00am

The Government Relations Committee of Northwest Connecticut’s Chamber of Commerce meets on the second Thursday of the month. The Committee works closely with the Chamber’s lobbyist, Mike Rell, following the activities of the State Legislature.

The Committee develops an annual Legislative Agenda which is furnished to the Chamber’s Board of Directors for their approval and then presented to the State Legislative Delegation from the Northwest Corner. The Agenda reviews those issues that are priorities to the business community of Northwest Connecticut.

The Government Relations Committee also works with the Chamber staff to host the Candidate’s Forum, Legislative Reception, and the Connecticut Business Day.

To be added to the Government Relations Committee, please contact Sharon Kunay at 860-482-6586 or email Info@nwctchamberofcommerce.org
 

Health Council Meeting: Wednesday, March 15th @ 8:00am - 9:00am

The Health Council, a peer group comprised primarily of individuals and companies involved in healthcare in Northwest Connecticut, meets the 3rd Wednesday of every month. Meetings focus on specific areas of interest, including: employee recruitment and retention, workforce development, on-the-job training programs and grants, legislative updates that affect the health care industry, facility tours and more.

To be added to the Health Council, please contact Sharon Kunay at 860-482-6586 or email Info@nwctchamberofcommerce.org.

Anyone who encounters a wrong-way driver should call 9-1-1 and report the location as soon as it’s safe to do so. If a driver discovers they have entered a highway going in the wrong direction, they should immediately pull into the breakdown lane and change their direction when it is safe.
 

This program is intended to make transformative investment, over a wide range of uses, that address the negative impacts caused or exacerbated by the Pandemic, while also strengthening the fabric of the community. Successful applications will address one or more of the goals of this grant program. The goals of this grant are as follows:

• Re-engage Torrington’s youth
• Increase childcare capacity
• Provide mental health support
• Support the travel and tourism industries
• Support Torrington’s creative economies
• Support workforce development or job training
• Address drug and alcohol addiction or domestic violence within the community
• Increased capacity to address human needs such as food insecurity, housing insecurity and homelessness.

Minimum grant request is $10,000. There is no cap to funding request. Larger grants may be awarded; however, average grant is anticipated to be between $25,000- $50,000. Funding is provided by the City of Torrington’s American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds. Available funding for this round is $875,000. The application deadline is April 2, 2023 at 11:59 pm. Details and applications can be found here.