
As Connecticut residents face the unprecedented public health crisis brought on by COVID-19, it’s critical that we are able to turn to our communities and take on this challenge together.
On Monday, the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving launched the COVID-19 Response Fund, which will rapidly deploy resources to help fight the coronavirus pandemic, including support for economically vulnerable populations, nonprofits on the front lines of this challenge and more. We’ve seeded this fund with $1 million and reached out to corporate partners for their support, because as these past several days have proven, we’re all in this together.
Community is the topic of the final episode of the Disinvested podcast, which we recorded months ago, long before COVID-19 began wreaking havoc on the economy and creating anxiety for Connecticut residents. Now, the idea of strengthening our communities and working toward shared goals seems more relevant than ever.
In this episode, you’ll hear Connecticut residents share their thoughts on why community is so important, and how we might begin to repair the social bonds that have been deteriorating for decades.
Listen to Episode 7: “What Does It Mean to Be Part of a Community?”
Visit disinvested.com for more information.
Excerpts:
Dennis House, Anchor for WFSB TV Channel 3: People love to see downtown thriving. But then on the other hand, they complain that on a Sunday they come down here and the Old State House is closed or they can’t find a cup of coffee. But I think that’s part of the big issue with Connecticut, is that people are down on it. They love to complain about it. “Cranky Yankees” we call them. … we have so much to offer, people shouldn’t necessarily knock on it.
I love being a part of the Metro Hartford community, I really do. I grew up in a town outside Boston called Norwood, Massachusetts that has a similar sense of community. When I go back there, I can walk into a restaurant and I’m probably going to know somebody … That’s just the way it is. I feel the same here. To be a part of a community is a wonderful feeling.
Diane Weaver Dunne, Executive Director of CRIS Radio: Quite simply, I think it means contributing whatever it is you have to contribute to make the community a better place for everybody to live.
Jim Venneman, West Hartford Resident: If people all work together and give to whatever they are interested in, it would be a better place.
David Owens, Hartford Courant reporter: I think it means caring about the health of that community, caring about the people in that community, wanting people to have better lives and be successful. Especially for children, just to be prepared for successful adulthood.
Kim Bishop, Executive Director of HYPE, Hartford Young Professionals and Entrepreneurs: It’s a relationship to be a part of a community. You have to be willing to put in your energy and efforts. and then also be willing to accept energy and efforts coming out of that community, as well. That’s what’s kept me in Hartford, is I think it’s the most fantastic community.
Iran Nazario, founder and President, Peace Center of Connecticut: I think community includes understanding of one another, acceptance of cultures, ethnicities and groups. But there are checks and balances, too. People have to be able to check you when you’re slipping a little bit and you should be able to do the same.
Julia Pistell, Managing Director, Sea Tea Comedy Theater: I think that it means you can trust the people around you to listen and support you. You can hangout and just talk. Honestly, it’s friendship. I think friendships are a really undervalued part of our culture now. …when you don’t spend time with just friends or people who are equals, you’re really missing out on a huge part of life.
Support authentic, locally owned and operated public service journalism!
Andrea Barton Reeves, former President and CEO, Harc Inc.: You don’t have to have homogeneity in order to have a strong community. What you really need to have is an understanding that you’re all working towards the same goal. We want to live in a community where we’re safe and where we’re valued.
Marilyn Rosetti, Executive Director, The Open Hearth: Let’s enjoy the ride, you know. Oftentimes in a community people don’t do that. They’re projecting what’s going to happen, but they forget to enjoy the ride.
Here’s a FULL TRANSCRIPT of Episode 7
More COVID-19 Coverage

Connecticut To Get FEMA Funds for COVID Testing Sites
Connecticut will receive more than $2 million in federal emergency funding to pay for the operation of COVID-19 testing sites during a six-month period last year, the Federal Emergency Management Agency announced Monday. The roughly $2.15 million will come from FEMA’s public assistance grant program and will be used to reimburse state funds used to…
Keep reading
COVID Transmission Increases in CT
As of Friday afternoon, Connecticut’s test positivity rate was 13.71% and there were 323 residents hospitalized with the virus. On Thursday, the Department of Public Health reported that 158 of Connecticut’s 169 municipalities qualified for the state’s “red alert” distinction for COVID-19, which is triggered when a community records at least 15 daily cases per…
Keep reading
Connecticut At High, Medium Risk of COVID Transmission
Connecticut’s COVID-19 test positivity rating was 10.35% on Thursday and all eight Connecticut counties were in the medium yellow or high orange categories on the CDC’s community spread map. Those community maps, created by the CDC in February, are supposed to tell people to take preventative steps such as masking and testing. Hartford, Middlesex and…
Keep reading
Advocates Make 11th Hour Pitch For Compassionate Release
Hartford, CT — Advocates seeking compassionate release from prison during public health emergencies like COVID rallied at the state Capitol hours before they saw their legislation die without action in either chamber. At the rally on Wednesday, protestors and advocates were demanding action from legislators to pass a bill that addresses COVID in prisons. The…
Keep reading
Legislating During COVID-19
The legislative session ends in three days now, that’s shorter than the amount of time someone should quarantine under CDC standards if they have COVID-19, so how are lawmakers coping? Sen. Saud Anwar, D-South Windsor, started experiencing symptoms two weeks ago and tested positive for COVID-19. Luckily the session wasn’t scheduled until last Tuesday, but…
Keep reading
Study Shows Union Nursing Homes Had Lower Rates of COVID-19
A recent study published by Health Affairs found that unionized nursing homes had lower resident COVID-19 mortality rates. Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, nursing home residents have accounted for roughly one of every six COVID-19 deaths in the United States. Nursing homes have also been very dangerous places for workers, with more than…
Keep reading
Senator Murphy Tests Positive For COVID
U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy announced on Twitter that he tested positive for COVID-19. “FYI after feeling mild symptoms overnight, I tested positive for COVID this morning. We’ve done the contact tracing and let people know. It’s a bummer, but I’m sure if I wasn’t fully vaccinated I would be feeling a lot worse. So remember…
Keep reading
COVID Cases Tick Back Up
Most of Gov. Ned Lamont’s executive orders, which were extended to April 15 by the legislature, have now expired just as Connecticut’s test positivity rate for COVID-19 is creeping back up and students at UConn are being asked to mask up again, starting today. According to the Department of Public Health, Connecticut recorded 3,939 positive…
Keep reading
House Green Lights Extension of COVID-19 Laws
The House gave final passage Wednesday to a package of four concepts that had been executive orders and are now law. Previously, the concepts were executive orders to address the COVID-19 pandemic.
Keep reading
Tong Tests Positive For COVID-19
Attorney General William Tong has tested positive for COVID-19. He is experiencing mild symptoms and quarantining at home.
Keep reading
Lieutenant Gov. Tests Positive For COVID-19, Days After Gov
Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz tested positive for the COVID-19 virus during a routine rapid test over the weekend, her chief staff said in a Monday morning statement. Bysiewicz’s results follow Gov. Ned Lamont, who tested positive late last week. “I have tested positive for COVID-19,” Bysiewicz wrote on Twitter. “Thanks to the vaccine and booster…
Keep reading
Lamont Tests Positive for COVID-19
Gov. Ned Lamont tested positive for COVID-19 Thursday. The results from two rapid tests were positive and he’s awaiting the results of a PCR test, according to this staff. The 68-year-old governor received his second booster exactly a week ago, but has made it through the first two years of the pandemic without contracting the…
Keep reading
New Initiative Allows Same Day COVID Testing And Treatment
Hundreds of pharmacies and federally qualified community health centers across Connecticut are now offering COVID testing and treatments to patients at the same time and place. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, these test-to-treat sites provide antiviral medication to hundreds of locations across the U.S, who then distribute them to patients…
Keep reading
YNHH Top Doc Boosts 2nd Boosters
If you’re eligible to get a second Covid-19 booster shot, go get it. Especially if you’re over 50 and have an underlying medical condition like diabetes that puts you at “high risk” of contracting a severe case of COVID. Read more from the New Haven Independent.
Keep reading
Federal COVID Funds To Limit Tax Relief In An Election Year
Like all states, Connecticut accepted billions of dollars from the federal government for COVID-19 relief, but that money limits how much the state can now consider cutting taxes. It’s bubbling up as a point of contention as lawmakers race to adjust the two-year state budget, which is currently experiencing a record surplus. Connecticut is expected…
Keep reading