Our Town

Although Community Centers, Inc. has been serving the Greenwich community for more than fifty years, many people in town are still unaware of the good work it does. Located at 61 East Putnam Avenue in Greenwich, across from the YMCA, the non-profit agency, also known as CCI, offers educational and recreational programs for those who are economically marginalized, have special needs or are otherwise isolated from the mainstream. It also provides counseling services and engages in advocacy on behalf of the population it serves.

A United Way agency that is supported almost entirely by private contributions, CCI was founded in 1955 upon the recommendation of the United Way’s forerunner, the Greenwich Community Chest, in an effort to consolidate what were then three separate community centers funded by the Community Chest. The purpose of this newly created community center was to make sure that a range of educational and recreational opportunities, as well as counseling services, were available to all Greenwich residents, including the economically disadvantaged.

CCI Executive Director, Kathy Stillson, a social worker by training, emphasizes the importance of relationships when talking of the work the agency does. “It is important for us all to have a relationship with someone who believes in us,” she says.

Stillson and her full-time staff of four seek to develop relationships with their clients that are based on trust and mutual respect and that engender a sense of belonging. These caring staff members are Pamela Bell and Lauren Falconi, both social workers; Ron Berlingo,a gerontologist; and Ramon Lara, a program worker who is fluent in Spanish. They are assisted by aides and volunteers.

Stillson sees the agency’s strength as lying in the long-term relationships it builds, especially with town residents who live in subsidized housing.

Regularly scheduled CCI programs include homework clubs; after school activities for elementary, middle and high school children; an elementary school reading group; a before school ‘breakfast’ program at Julian Curtiss School; assistance with the Head Start program; drop-in centers at Armstrong Court, Wilbur Peck Court and Adams Garden; special needs groups; activities for seniors at Parsonage Cottage, Agnes Morley Heights, Quarry Knoll and McKinney Terrace; and a Citizenship and English Class. CCI also organizes family trips and special events and conducts a summer program for young people that includes recreation, tutoring and  the development of reading skills.

Currently, all CCI clients are in financial circumstances that meet HUD definitions of low, and very low, income. Last year, over 1,000 individuals took advantage of one, or another, of the programs and services that CCI offers. Of these, 37% were Latino, 32% African American, 28% Caucasian, 1% Asian and 2% were categorized as ‘other.’  The vast majority – 98% – of those participating in the agency’s recreational, educational and counseling programs live in subsidized housing on Greenwich Housing Authority properties.

As a new member of this non-profit agency’s Board of Directors, I have been trying to acquaint myself with its many activities, amazed by how much is done with a small staff and limited budget. Yesterday I attended the Elementary School Boys and Girls Group that meets Tuesday afternoons from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m.  There were 11 boys and girls participating under the supervision of staff members Bell, Falconi and Lara. All are students at Julian Curtiss School, in grades 2 through 5. Most, perhaps all, live at Wilbur Peck Court.

The children were enthusiastic as they listened to a presentation by Duncan Lee and Allen Seaman. Lee, who grew up in Greenwich, is the branch manager of TD Bank on Greenwich Avenue. Seaman is the bank’s Customer Service Representative.The presentation was part of TD Bank’s WOW! ZONE initiative for children and teens K through 12.

While, from the bank’s point of view, WOW! ZONE is part of a business plan designed to promote TD Bank’s name, generate a positive image of the institution in the community and ultimately generate new customers, the program has a strong educational component. Lee describes it as a “fun way” to communicate with kids and teach them about money and banking.

“Who knows how money started?” Seaman asked the boys and girls.

“With the cave men!” exclaimed one of the children.

“Possibly,” Seaman said, explaining the circumstances which give rise to a need for a currency that replaces systems of bartering.

“What is money made of?” Seaman asked.

“Paper,” many children called out simultaneously  in response.

That was not the right answer. Linen is one of the main components of U.S. bills. But money has taken many different forms from tea leaves to sea shells.

“Do you know what a salary is?” Seaman continued asking the children questions.

“A paycheck,” several children said.

“And where does the word ‘salary’ come from?”

“From celery,” one child said.

“From salad,” another said.

“Actually,” said Seaman, “It comes from ‘salt,’ or ‘salarium,’ which was the currency with which Roman soldiers were paid.”

Seaman then talked to the children about the concept of a bank, savings, money lending and interest.

Four of the children raised their hands when asked if they have bank accounts. “A college account,” one girl said.

“We have a big jug at school,” another girl said, “To save money in to help Haiti.”

Seaman and Lee told the girl about TD Bank’s PENNY ARCADE, a machine that counts coins for free so that they can be turned into a more manageable form than coins.

“What about chocolate coins?” one child asks.

Chocolate coins won’t work, the children are told.

“How long does a dollar bill stay in circulation?” Seaman asked another question.

The guesses began with a 1000 years and kept going down until the lowest number of 12 years. The actual answer: 3 months.

What about coins?

This time, the guesses began low and worked their way up to 20 years. The actual answer: 30 years.

Then it was the children’s turn to question the bankers.

“How much money do you get?”

“How long have you worked in banking?”

“Where is the bank?”

“Is Bank of America your competition?”

The bank the children seemed most familiar with was Bank of America. Many of them thought TD Bank was where Bank of America is on Greenwich Avenue. The two banks are across the street from one another. One child mentioned Chase Bank.

“Actually,” said Seaman, “There are 42 different banks in Greenwich.”

The children’s questions continued.

“What if the bank gets robbed?”

“What if someone pretends to be you and takes out your money?”

Seaman and Lee told the children that their money is safe. They explained that it is insured by the federal government.

At the end of the presentation, Seaman and Lee gave all the children TD Bank WOW! ZONE gift bags containing a ruler, a calculator and $10 coupon valid for anyone 21 or under who opens a Young Savers account into which TD Bank will deposit the $10 gift. A clever business plan.

I was struck by how much fun the children were having as a group and by their general enthusiasm. Stillson told me that CCI tries to expose the elementary school group to many different kinds of experience and to get them to have a “stronger sense of themselves in every way.” Stillson hopes the group will “help them to have a sense of their own power” and engender respect for each other. “We believe in them,” she said.