Terri Takacs of Naugatuck in her creates crazy quilts in her studio. - LARAINE WESCHLER

NAUGATUCK — Terri Takacs’ studio is crammed with color-coded thread, hand-dyed ribbon, and beads, all arranged in neat little holders along the wall, drawers, and cubby-holes.

Takacs uses the materials to stitch together scraps of fabric with intricate designs into pillows, purses, and quilts.

This style of “crazy quilting” with irregular shapes and embellishments has been around since the late 1800s. Takacs’ pieces feature “silkies,” replicas of turn of the century photos printed on fabric that cigarette companies used to include in packages to entice women. She said women used to use scraps of clothing and cover rips in the fabric and seams with pretty stitches.

Takacs said not many people in Naugatuck have heard of crazy quilting, but it’s very popular online. Takacs’ studio includes a magazine rack full of volumes devoted to the subject. She has even contributed articles to her friend’s magazine, “Crazy Quilt Gatherings.”

Takacs’ work has earned her first place at the Big E for needlework, since there wasn’t a category for any “crazy quilting.”

“They don’t really know what to do with me,” she said.

Takacs’ passion for quilting started over a decade ago when her mother bought her a book on stitching. Soon after, she took a quilting class at Naugatuck High School.

“I’ve just been doing it on my own ever since,” Takacs said.

For Takacs, each quilt has a special meaning. Some are for friends going through hard times. Some include pictures of lost loved ones and pets. Twice, Takacs said she was inspired by an obituary picture and made a piece which she sent to a complete stranger.
Takacs said she would like to make money with her hobby, but it’s hard. She recently sold a change purse that took her three long nights to create for $32.

“So far it’s been more of a way to give,” Takacs said.

While she gives most of her work away, Takacs is keeping one piece for herself. Each month, she is creating a block, which will eventually become a quilt to hang in her home, and posting it on her blog.

Takacs said she was almost embarrassed to admit how much time she spends on her projects, which averages about four hours per day.

Terri Takacs created this 'crazy quilt' clutch from scraps of silk and fine threads. -LARAINE WESCHLER

“It’s pretty much my life, besides my family,” she said. Besides her husband, Takacs has four children and two dogs to keep her busy.

When it comes to making her crazy quilts, Takacs said she likes to sit down with a Red Bull and some music and let her creative side take over.

“It creates itself, really,” she said.

With crazy quilting, there are no rules.

“You have to be comfortable with your creativity and confident in yourself that you’re going to creating something beautiful,” Takacs said.

She said everyone should have something they are passionate about.

“It’s like a spiritual thing to me. … It’s a great feeling,” Takacs said.

Local Creations is a series that will highlight the creative side of a local resident.

Terri’s Thread Art

Artist: Terri Takacs

Medium: crazy quilts

Website: www.etsy.com/shop/TerrisThreadArt

www.lavenderbetweenthecracks.blogspot.com

Jackie Fretz of Naugatuck makes plush animal backpacks, like the penguin backpack above, for children in her spare time. - LARAINE WESCHLER

NAUGATUCK — What do a lady bug, a penguin, and a purple monster have in common? Local artist Jackie Fretz has tamed these wild animals into plush backpacks for children.

Fretz said she started out making animal figurines for her son, Corbin, 3, and friends’ children when one friend suggested she make backpacks.

Now she sells her unique backpacks at craft shows and on her online Etsy store, a website for artists and crafters.

Fretz said she doesn’t make a lot of money on backpacks, which go for $39, but it’s enough to support her creative streak. Through her online store, Fretz sells to people all over the United States.

“My crafts support my other crafts,” Fretz said.

She had high praise for Etsy, a website for artists and crafters to display and sell their work.

“It’s just so neat to be able to get in contact with people from across the world, who are still making things themselves. It’s not mass-produced. Everything is unique and original,” Fretz said.

Fretz said she has always been artsy and loved learning to sew in her sixth grade home economics class. She also enjoys painting, drawing, and scrapbooking.

Fretz makes her brightly-colored frogs, finches, and sharks from fleece with vinyl lining. She said the most popular animals are the bumble bee and orca whale.

“The fun part is working out how you’re going to lay out the animal’s face and body in the backpack shape,” Fretz said.

Fretz’s backpacks are 15-by-13 inches, just the right size for a preschooler or elementary student.

However, it’s not only children that enjoy her fun backpacks. She recently made a larger orca whale for a 20-year-old.

Fretz said it takes her four to five hours to make a backpack, which she does one or two nights a week, after her son goes to bed.

For Fretz, creating backpacks is a way for her to decompress after a stressful day working as a research scientist in the Yale orthopedics department.

“It always makes me feel better,” Fretz said.

Crafting might seem like a strange pastime for a scientist, but Fretz said the creative process is very similar. She majored in biochemistry and minored in art at the University of New Hampshire, where the biochemistry department had an annual art show. As a scientist, Fretz designs experiments and comes up with novel theories to investigate, she said.

“They’re actually not that far apart, if you think about it,” Fretz said.

Local Creations is a series that will highlight the creative side of a local resident.

E F Gee! Handicrafts

Artist: Jackie Fretz

Medium: Animal backpacks

Website: www.etsy.com/shop/EFGeeHandicrafts

Junior James Barrett, right, serves his mother Sue Barrett hors d’oeuvres for a culinary class at Woodland Regional High School Monday morning.

Junior James Barrett, left, and sophomore Rebecca Moscato, serve hors d’oeuvres for a culinary class at Woodland Regional High School Monday morning. - LARAINE WESCHLER

Woodland junior Semra Zekiri serves parent Sue Barrett hors d’oeuvres for a culinary class at Woodland Regional High School Monday morning. - LARAINE WESCHLER

From left, senior Patrick O'Dell, teacher Catherine Mirabilio, and junior Hailey Filippone show off hors d’oeuvres they prepared for a culinary class at Woodland Regional High School Monday morning. - LARAINE WESCHLER

Culinary teacher Catherine Mirabilio, in hat, and her classes prepared hors d'oeuvres for parents and teachers for an event Monday morning. - LARAINE WESCHLER

Students prepared hors d'oeuvres for parents and teachers for an event Monday morning. - LARAINE WESCHLER

Students prepared hors d'oeuvres for parents and teachers for an event Monday morning. - LARAINE WESCHLER

BEACON FALLS — Woodland Regional High School culinary students served up plates of hot hors d’oeuvres and bite-sized desserts Monday morning despite weather-related delays.

About 25 students from Culinary 1 and Bakeshop 2 classes demonstrated their skills for parents and teachers at the event in the culinary room at the high school.

“It was fun and everyone was so nice. They looked like they enjoyed the food we made,” sophomore Jess Brown said.

Brown said her culinary class taught her sanitation, cutting skills, and proper use of equipment, among other things.

Culinary teacher Catherine Mirabilio said the event replaced a traditional Thanksgiving buffet that her students put on for the past five or six years. This year, she said, she didn’t have time to put on the annual feast because her position was cut to part time and she only teaches two classes. However, Mirabilio said she wanted to show the community what her students can do.

“It gives them a chance to really collaborate. … I try to let my students take leadership rolls in the class as well,” Mirabilio said.

Besides learning how to cook, Mirabilio said her class teaches students to be critical thinkers and work well in groups.

“It’s not just a fun class,” Mirabilio said.

Students started preparing for the event shortly after winter break, Mirabilio said. She said they had to learn how to plan ahead and schedule when to prepare dishes that could be frozen for later in order to have everything ready at the event.

Students worked on sanitation, preparation, as butlers, greeters, and chefs for the big event.

“Good manners and being polite and patient can get you a lot of gratitude. Everyone said the food and service was good,” junior James Barrett said of his experience acting as a server for the event.

Mirabelio said she was proud of her students.

“They really stepped up to the plate,” Mirabilio said.

Woodland junior Semra Zekiri serves parent Sue Barrett hors d’oeuvres for a culinary class at Woodland Regional High School Monday morning. - LARAINE WESCHLER

Kristen Jacobsen, left, playing Anne, and Rob Richnavsky, playing Will Shakespeare, rehearse a scene from ‘Writer’s Cramp (Or How Will Shakespeare Got Into Show Biz).’ Monday night. The play will open Saturday at the Phoenix Stage Company in Naugatuck.

NAUGATUCK — The old bard’s at it again.

The Phoenix Stage Company is poised to take its audience on a rollicking journey through pseudo-history with its latest play, “Writer’s Cramp (Or How Will Shakespeare Got Into Show Biz.”

The play reimagines the “lost years” of Shakespeare’s life, when he disappeared from public records and into public myth.

“It’s a comedic look at his life before he became a famous playwright and how he got his inspiration to write his plays,” said Ed Bassett, co-founder of the Phoenix and director of the play.

Expect plenty of witty dialogue and one-liners as Shakespeare navigates the pitfalls of domestic life in his quest to become a true poet.

Six other players join Shakespeare, played by East Haven’s Rob Richnavsky, on the stage in this bawdy look at the bard’s life circa 1585.

Naugatuck resident Rick Dufresne will take the stage for the first time as Old Jack, a travelling actor and the play’s narrator.

Dufresne said he decided to try out after the encouragement of a friend in one of the Phoenix’s other productions. His only other experience in acting was playing Santa Claus for area children and presenting sales seminars for engineers. When asked what part he was trying out for, Dufresne put down, “old bald guy.” Luckily for him, that was one of the roles available.

“I am absolutely loving it. … It’s really interesting to be learning something from the young kids,” Dufresne said, referring to the other actors, mostly several decades his junior.

Dufresne said his church group has already reserved 41 seats for his final performance.

“It’s nice to be able to be active in something in the community,” Dufresne said.

The play is a new work by New Mexican author Larry Glaister. It won the Connecticut Playwright’s Project at the Thomaston Opera House in 2009, as well as several playwriting awards in other states.

“We are actually the first theatre that will be producing this work and paying royalties to do so,” Bassett said. “This is a really important step for the author to have his play published,” Bassett said.

Since winning the Connecticut playwriting competition, Glaister rewrote the play to work out some of the kinks. In order to get published, Bassett said the play needs to be performed in an established theatre and reviewed by a critic.

“It’s one of the easier plays that I’ve every directed because it is so well written. It flows and you don’t have to force a lot,” Bassett said.

Bassett said the Phoenix’s audiences like seeing theatrical readings and new works.

“This just seemed like a good fit for us,” Bassett said.

Bassett said he contacted Glaister when the Phoenix decided to do the play, and cast members have been e-mailing him with questions.

“It was nice to have that contact with the playwright,” Bassett said.

Glaister will be flying out for the play’s opening Saturday night. Bassett said he hopes the playwright will enjoy the performance.

“As a playwright myself, I know what it’s like when you turn your work over to someone and you see it and it’s not exactly what you have in mind. … As a director, you have a 50/50 shot of getting it exactly the nail on the head as to what the writer meant,” Bassett said.

From left, Chris Evans, playing Hamnet, Kristen Jacobsen, playing Anne, Bailey Cummings, playing Ned, and Rick Dufresne, playing Old Jack, rehearse a scene from ‘Writer’s Cramp (Or How Will Shakespeare Got Into Show Biz).’ Monday night. The play will open Saturday at the Phoenix Stage Company in Naugatuck.

Bassett felt he kept it true to the writer’s intentions while adding some Phoenix flavor to it.

“We know what our audiences like and what kind of comedy they like,” Bassett said.

With the Phoenix’s intimate setting, Bassett said audiences are not afraid to relax and have a good laugh.

Although the play is about Shakespeare, Bassett said the language is not Shakespearian.

“By focusing on the comedy … it just makes it really easy to have fun with the show,” he said.

He said the play is accessible to everyone.

“If you know Shakespeare, you will get all the inferences to the plays and quotes. If you don’t know Shakespeare, the comedy built around it supports the material,” Bassett said.

The Rundown

What: “Writer’s Cramp, or How Will Shakespeare got into Show Biz”

When: Jan.21, 27, 28, Feb. 3 & 4 at 8 p.m.

Jan. 22 & 29 at 2 p.m.

Where: Phoenix Stage Company, 686 Rubber Ave., Naugatuck

Tickets:

Regular Admission:  $22

Students & Teachers:  $18

Seniors (60+):  $18

Groups of 12 or more:  $17

Box office: (203) 632-8546

Info: Phoenixstagecompany.org

Beacon Falls resident and actress Erin Moffat is starring in the original musical she wrote ‘Bucket List of Unbroken Dreams: Erin K. Moffat the Musical’ this weekend at the Strand Theater in Seymour. The show is based on her life and her broken dreams of becoming an actress.

Growing up, Erin Moffat’s dreams of becoming an actress were shattered.

“I wanted to be an actress as a kid, and it didn’t work out,” Moffet said.

This weekend, those broken pieces will be put back together on stage at the Strand Theater in Seymour.

“Bucket List of Unbroken Dreams: Erin K. Moffat the Musical” will premiere Friday night at the Strand with a second showing on Saturday. Moffat, a Beacon Falls native who still calls the town home, wrote, stars in, and directs the original musical.

The musical is based on Moffat’s life. It follows her pursuit of her acting dream, and the setbacks along the way, from her childhood up to the present.

“I think the show’s core is really about beating the odds,” Moffat said.

Moffat can’t recall what exactly sparked her love of acting, but it’s a fire that has burned inside of her since she was a young girl. As a child, Moffat adored musicals, especially “Annie.” While other girls played with Barbie dolls, Moffet would spend her time pretending to the spunky redheaded title character who overcame the odds to go from living in an orphanage to calling a mansion home.

As the years passed, Moffet’s acting dream didn’t fade. When it came to deciding where to go to high school — at the time Woodland Regional High School didn’t exist — Moffat chose Masuk High School in Monroe because of the school’s musical theater department.

Things didn’t work out as planned, however.

“I got cut from every single musical,” Moffat said.

While she never graced the stage at Masuk, as a teenager Moffat found a home with the Talent Hut Players at the Strand and performed in, but never starred in, a handful of shows. After graduating high school in 1996, Moffat worked to hone her craft and went on to study dance and theater at Naugatuck Valley Community College.

Four years ago, she took matters into her own hands and began writing a one-woman comedic show.

“I said, ‘I might as well create my own destiny and create my own show,’” Moffat said.

Over those four years, the one-woman show evolved into “Bucket List of Unbroken Dreams,” which features a cast of 12 and 11 new original songs of varying styles from show tunes to hip-hop.

Although the show shines the spotlight brightest on Moffat, Friday’s premiere wouldn’t be possible without the help and sacrifice of her family, friends, the show’s cast and some new friends she made in the course of bringing her show to the stage.

To help narrate the story and fulfill some more of Moffat’s acting dreams of starring in TV shows, the musical features several short movie interludes shot and edited by the digital media class at Woodland Regional High School. The class, especially teacher Ralph Riello and student Anthony Cuda, went above and beyond to make the movies, Moffat said.

As for the show’s 11 original songs, those were composed by Bradley Scoville of Terryville, who Moffat met through a mutual friend during the development stage of the musical.

“The show would not be possible without him,” Moffat said.

Then, there’s her family and friends who have always supported her dream chasing.

“They sacrificed a lot for me,” Moffat said.

As the premiere of “Bucket List of Unbroken Dreams: Erin K. Moffat the Musical” approaches, Moffat described her emotions as a “mixed-bag.” However, one feeling in particular rose to the top of the bag.

“It’s exciting,” Moffat said. “I’ve been waiting a long time.”

“Bucket List of Unbroken Dreams: Erin K. Moffat the Musical” will be shown at the Strand Theater, 165 Main St., Seymour, Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m. Tickets are $15. For tickets visit www.unbrokendreams.com or the box office at the Strand Theatre.

The Rundown

What: “Bucket List of Unbroken Dreams: Erin K. Moffat the Musical.”

When: Jan. 13 and 14, 8 p.m.

Where: Strand Theater, 165 Main St., Seymour.

Tickets: $15, www.unbrokendreams.com or the box office.

Tom Pompei, the athletic director at Naugatuck High School, has taken on an additional role this year as a dean of student life at the school. RA ARCHIVE

And this year, he is responsible for the discipline and general well-being of about half the students in the school, which enrolls more than 1,300.

“Being more immersed in their lives as students has been a good thing,” Pompei said.

Pompei was named Dean of Student Life this year, working alongside John DellaCamera, who has served in the same position for five years. Pompei continues to serve as athletic director and oversees the English and physical education departments, but gave up directing the borough’s adult education program this year.

The promotion completes a shift in the school’s leadership that began when former Principal Fran Serratore retired at the end of last school year.

The former associate principal, Janice Saam, took Serratore’s place, and the former dean of academic programs, Eileen Mezzo, took Saam’s place. That left one vacancy for a dean, but Mezzo as associate principal was to continue her work on the school’s curriculum and test scores.

“What we needed was to have someone to take the burden off the existing dean,” said Saam, who handled student troubles in the senior class until she was promoted to principal. “The whole building is too much for one person.”

The deans of student life handle disciplinary issues as they arise, from late students to fights, work with students who are struggling to keep their grades up and communicate with parents. Pompei was chosen for the position last summer, although others applied, Saam said.

“I think Tom has the perfect personality,” Saam said. “He is firm but fair. He can drop the hammer when it’s needed, but he is also someone who can be kind and friendly.”

Students often talk to Pompei about their problems before they end up in trouble, Saam said. After students are punished, Pompei follows up with them to see how they are doing, Saam said.

Pompei, 36, began his career in borough schools in 2001 as an English teacher at the high school. He lives in Oxford with his wife, Tracy, a teacher at Hillside Intermediate School, and three children.

Last year, as director of athletics and adult education, he earned about $110,000. This year he makes about $117,000.

As adult education director, Pompei was in charge of those who came to school at night and student-athletes who attended classes during the day. In his new role, Pompei also oversees clubs and organizations at the school, which involves one-third of the student body when combined with athletics.

“I see them from seven to seven, a lot of the kids,” Pompei said. “I’m really lucky in my ability to really build relationships with the kids in that way.”

This year, the deans are enforcing two seemingly minor policies that administrators say are having a big impact. Students who arrive late to class must now spend the period in their dean’s office and be counted as absent. The school is also cracking down on those who cut class, imposing detention on the first offense and escalating consequences thereafter.

Having Pompei to split the job with is a big help, DellaCamera said. Now deans can communicate faster with parents and police if they need to, and a newly enacted state law requiring schools to handle Facebook and Twitter disputes between students will keep both deans busy, DellaCamera said.

“Outside situations become part of school life,” DellaCamera said.

Tara McMahon, a Quinnipiac University student of Prospect, works at the Manchester, N.H., campaign office for Democratic President Barack Obama. McMahon is among 28 students at Quinnipiac who are participating in an advanced-level seminar on presidential campaigns. CONTRIBUTED

And Tara McMahon of Prospect, a political science senior at Quinnipiac University, is in the thick of it with a group of 27 fellow students.

“It’s been a complete whirlwind,” McMahon said Saturday afternoon.

The 21-year-old student is among 28 Quinnipiac students participating in an advanced-level seminar, “Presidential Campaigns,” which is taught by Scott McLean, a political-science professor at the Hamden-based university.

They visited New Hampshire in October for a first dip into campaign work of a candidate of their choice, returned to the Granite State in November and came back Jan. 2 to stay through the Republican presidential primary on Tuesday.

McLean offers the course every four years, and has been since the 2000 election, according to a news release from the university.

It is one of the few programs in the United States that combines an internship in the campaign of the student’s choice with an analysis of the history, processes and techniques of grassroots politics in the presidential nomination system.

“Reflecting together on their initial experience, then returning again for increasingly intense experiences, makes the students really able to evaluate why their work mattered and how the campaigns evolve as they get closer to primary day,” McLean said in the release.

“I see a major change in the attitudes of most of my students. Some are idealistic. Some are pessimistic, but almost all of them care more about the issues and believe they are part of the process of moving the country in a better direction.”

McMahon said overall she has a better understanding of how the primary and campaign works.

She’s been asked a lot why she is doing this during Christmas break, and she said she couldn’t not do it.

“I couldn’t say no,” McMahon said. “I had to jump on it.”

McMahon has always been interested in politics, she said, and to experience something like this first hand is amazing.

Once she completes this course, she is set to graduate this month. She is applying for a 12-week fellowship in the spring with the campaign for Democratic President Barack Obama.

Obama is the candidate she chose to volunteer for during the seminar. She has made calls to voters, participated in canvassing and has been helping with digital media — including blogging, tweeting and taking videos.

McMahon has seen the Republican candidates in action from watching Mitt Romney, former Massachusetts governor, give a speech at a local school, to viewing a protest of younger voters at an event for Rick Santorum, a former Pennsylvania senator. She has seen CNN do a live taping, too.

She said the class is split evenly among the candidates’ camps. About 10 are with the Obama campaign; five to seven with Republican presidential candidates, Romney and Texas Rep. Ron Paul; two were with Texas Gov. Rick Perry but are now with Santorum; and one with Jon Huntsman, former Utah governor.

McMahon said she has surprisingly run into voters who didn’t realize they could cast a vote for Obama in the Republican primary.

One of the most important things she has learned here is how important grassroots organization is, she said. To check out some of her volunteer work, go online to www.barackobama.com/NH.

Naugatuck High School Juniors Chelsea Maza and Mason Cabanas are creating an anti-bullying program as part of a DECA marketing competition.

NAUGATUCK — With several high-profile cases of suicide among teens who were victims of bullying in recent years, bullying has been a hot topic among school districts and legislators trying to figure out how to prevent it.

In July, the Connecticut General Assembly approved legislation that attempts to address the situation by requiring all school employees become mandatory reporters of bullying and receive training to prevent and respond to bullying and suicide. The law requires schools to create a safe school climate committee to come up with a plan to prevent and monitor bullying, whether it occurs on school grounds or in cyberspace.

At Naugatuck High School, two students are taking the issue into their own hands.

Juniors Chelsea Maza and Mason Cabanas are creating an anti-bullying program as part of a DECA marketing competition.

“When they came up with the idea, I thought it was a great idea,” DECA advisor Tim Reilly said.

For the past two years, NHS has sponsored an anti-bullying program called “Names Can Really Hurt,” which is put on by the Anti-Defamation League, but this year, the school didn’t have funding to do it, according to Reilly.

Maza said the two were searching for a topic for the competition when they saw one student screaming at another one. Security had to come to break up the fight.

That’s when they decided to address the common issue.

“I think it’s a big problem across the nation,” Maza said.

According to the Connecticut School Health Survey, 25 percent of the state’s high school students, and 35 percent of ninth graders have reported bullying at school in the past year.

Students who report being bullied are more likely to get less sleep, miss school because they feel unsafe, feel depressed, attempt suicide, have property stolen at school, carry a weapon to school and experience dating violence, according to the survey.

Maza said most bullying at Naugatuck High School is verbal, like calling students inappropriate names.

Titled “Crossing the Line,” Maza and Cabanas will present an interactive assembly to the sophomore class Jan. 11.

Maza said the pair decided to present their program to the sophomore class because that age group has the highest rate of suicide.

The program will include information on who to go to if students are bullied or observe others being bullied, as well as how to prevent and stop bullying if they see it in the hallways and how to avoid becoming a bully themselves.

Sophomores will then break into their advisory groups to delve deeper into the topic with activities and discussions.

At the end of the assembly, students will have a chance to tell their classmates their personal bullying stories, so that people can see that it does happen in their own grade, Maza said.

Maza said she hopes to program helps lessen bullying at NHS. She said the more people who are involved, the bigger effect it will have.

“The goal is to at least lower the amount of bullying that happens at least at our school and hopefully in our community,” Maza said.

Maza said she and Mason have recruited over 70 upperclassmen and about ten teachers to help run the program.

The following week, Maza and Cabanas will sponsor a spirit week to raise awareness on bullying, with activities planned throughout the week. Maza said one day, they plan to set up an inflatable boxing ring to show how ridiculous physical violence is. The week will culminate in students signing a pledge not to be a bully.

“I think it’s a great opportunity for the kids to be leaders but also for the sophomore class (and all the students in the school),” Reilly said.

At the end of the program, Maza and Cabanas will submit a 30-page paper on how they came up with and managed the program, came up with a budget, and how they got the community involved. They will present their program in a state public relations competition, one of about 35 categories in which marketing students can compete. If they place in states, they will go to nationals in Salt Lake City in April.

Reilly said he thought the students have a good chance at winning.

“They’re both really bright,” he said, adding that the topic is relevant to today’s society.

Maza also felt they have a good chance of winning the competition, but that’s not what’s important.

“At the end of the day, even if Mason and I don’t win the competition, if we can help one student know where to go or have someone to talk to, that’s enough of an award,” Maza said.

Beacon Falls resident Dino Verrelli approaches the finish line at the Providence Rock & Roll Half Marathon in August. Verrelli is running 13 half marathons in 13 months to raise for pancreatic cancer research.

Just a few short months after Beacon Falls resident Dino Verrelli pledged to run 13 half-marathons (13.1 miles) in 13 months to raise money for pancreatic cancer research, his father succumbed to the disease.

“The sad thing is, I knew my dad was going to die, I just didn’t know when,” Verrelli said.

Verrelli said his father’s health took a sharp downturn in June.

“I think about him all the time … he was my inspiration and my hero. … I promised him that one day, before he died, that we were going to help find a cure.”

Verrelli said he wants to “take a big chunk out of this evil cancer” and the only way to do that is by raising money.

His father’s death in September has not slowed Verrelli in his goal of raising awareness and $130,000 through his non-profit, Project Purple.

Since June, Verrelli has run eight half-marathons.

“It’s been a lot of fun. It’s been a great experience,” Verrelli said.

However, he said all those races are starting to take a toll on his body.

“I think October and November really kind of affected me with the back-to-back half marathons,” Verrelli said.

He said he didn’t know how to say no and signed up for a Boston race when he had already agreed to run in Hartford the following week.

Verrelli’s calendar is already filling up for 2012. His next race is the New York Road Runners Manhattan Half Marathon in January, followed by races in Colchester, West Haven, Cheshire, Danbury, Easton, Simsbury, Fairfield, and finishing up in either Chicago or San Francisco in July.

“I think it would be kind of nice to kind of end the 13 months and do something special,” Verrelli said.

Verrelli isn’t running all those races by himself. He’s collected a team of runners — 35 came out for a Thanksgiving 5K and close to 50 runners have participated in various half-marathons, he said.

“There’s not a week that goes by that I get an e-mail from someone brand new that wants to run on our team,” Verrelli said.

Verrelli said he has been working with race organizers to put up information tents at the races with resources on pancreatic cancer.

Verrelli said he has been trying to get more people involved.

“When I set out to do this, I knew I wasn’t going to move mountains by myself,” Verrelli said.

The races aren’t the only means Project Purple has to raise money. The non-profit has been doing plenty of more traditional fundraisers.

A recent fundraiser held in honor of the late Ron Jolly, who died from pancreatic cancer, raised $1,500.

“(The Jolly family) really rallied around the cause,” Verrelli said.

A host of fundrasierw ill also be held next year, including dinner in March at an Italian social club in Bridgeport Verrelli’s father was member of, a golf fundraiser in May, and a wine tasting in the summer.

Along with helping to raise money, Verrelli hopes Project Purple will become a regional resource for information on pancreatic cancer. He wants to keep the money the group raises local, donating it to local hospitals, and perhaps hosting a pancreatic cancer summit.

So, far, the group has raised about $25,000, averaging about $5,000 per month. It’s a little shy of the $10,000 per month goal Verrelli set out for himself, but he’s confident that donations will jump significantly in 2012 with some of the group’s new initiatives.

Project Purple members Tony Minopoli, Tony Wiezler, Scott Smith, Laura Smith, Loretta Lesko, Genie Triccarico, Leo DiSorbo, Jenine Motasky, Robert Lesko, Tony Piccarillo, and Dino Verrelli pose for a group picture at the Shelton Thanksgiving Race Nov. 25.

“The money’s going to come, it’s just a matter of getting your message out there,” Verrelli said. “I think that we’ve had a great six months of really fundraising and working our campaign. I’m excited about the next seven months.”

Verrelli said the disease briefly held the spotlight with the recent death of Apple giant Steve Jobs, but the cancer deserves more attention.

“I think people realized how evil this cancer was … because it took one of the most powerful people in the world,” Verrelli said.

Verrelli said he has been inspired by another runner who was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer at the same time as his dad. He is known to run to and from his chemotherapy treatments.

At every race he runs, Verrelli said people come up to him and talk about their own experiences with pancreatic cancer.

Through everything he does to advance his cause, Verrelli remembers his father.

“He’s probably up in heaven staring down, and he sees everything that we do. … It comes back to I made a promise to him and I’m going to keep it,” Verrelli said.

CONTRIBUTED Woodland senior Caitlyn Sousa shows off her message that ‘Love is louder than the pressure to be perfect’ in the halls of Woodland Regional High School. Sousa is bringing the positive message campaign to the school for her senior project.

Woodland Regional High School senior Caitlyn Sousa knows that love is louder than the pressure to be perfect.

It’s a lesson she learned after struggling with body image and coming to terms with the unrealistic expectations of beauty perpetrated by the media.

Now, she is taking that message to her peers as part of her senior project.

“I’m not really a shy person, and I’d rather have my struggle to be out there and known. … I don’t mind at all having it be that open because I want to help other people,” she said.

Sousa hopes her story will help others who may be struggling with body image and is encouraging fellow high school students to share struggles they have overcome as part of the “Love is Louder” campaign.

Sousa said she was inspired to join the movement after reading about it in Seventeen Magazine. In the article, actress Demi Lovato spoke about how she overcame eating disorders and the pressure to be perfect. Actress Brittney Snow started the movement in 2010 in response to a rash of suicides among young people. She discussed her own battle with self-image and her crusade to let teenagers know that they are not alone in facing their struggles.

“That article kind of resonated in the back of my mind,” Sousa said.

Last year, Snow teamed up with the Jed Foundation, an organization that works to reduce emotional distress and prevent suicide, and MTV to launch a viral campaign on social media sites like Facebook and Twitter. Thousands of followers have posted videos talking about how they overcame their own hardships, photos of themselves with “love is louder than (whatever adversity they overcame)” written on their hands, and tweets with positive messages.

“It’s an online conversation, so that people who feel alone have the ability to reach out and have support,” Sousa said.

Sousa said she wanted to make a difference in the halls of her high school and decided to bring the movement to Woodland as a side project.

When she met with English Department Chair Michelle Papa to discuss the idea, Papa suggested making it Sousa’s senior project.

There was only one problem — Sousa already had done a senior project. She did an internship with the Waterbury Police Department last summer as part of her goal to study criminal justice and psychology in college next year.

At the last minute, Sousa had to throw out all her paperwork and submit a new project proposal the day before the deadline.

Working with Papa, who is also in charge of the school’s literary magazine, Sousa is putting together a winter edition with the “love is louder” theme.

Sousa’s advanced creative writing class and graphic design class are working on the layout and design of the magazine.

“I think it gives the kids a voice in terms of their writing,” Papa said.

Through Facebook and Twitter, Sousa asked her peers to think about what they were struggling with in their life and how they have overcome it or are working to overcome it.

She’s gotten over 50 submissions, including essays, poems, songs, and artwork, from both boys and girls in all grade levels.

“There’s a lot going into this,” Sousa said.

She said the magazine will also include a playlist of positive songs and a list of resources for students to get help.

“If they’re having a rough day, they can listen to the songs,” Sousa said.

Sousa said there’s a lot more going on in the student body than what students see when they’re walking to class.

One student wrote about how she dealt with the death over her brother. Another wrote about how love is louder than people who bring you down.

Papa said she likes the project because it encourages students not to talk about being bullied, but how they overcame it.

“It’s really looking at positive instead of negative,” Papa said.

In addition to the magazine, Sousa filled a display case at the high school with 80 pictures of students with positive messages written on their hands. She is also filming a video montage of students saying their quote on camera and selling t-shirts for the movement. Sousa is organizing a school-wide read where every student in the school will read about the Love is Louder campaign in their advisory groups.

“She is marketing this project and getting kids talking about it like I have not seen,” Papa said. “It’s growing faster than she can contain it.”

Sousa said a lot of students are excited about the project. Peers have stopped Sousa in the hall to tell her she is an inspiration to them for her positivity, she said.

“They’re starting to bring love is louder into everyday lingo,” Sousa said.

Recently, Sousa got the ultimate affirmation of her work. Snow saw Sousa’s tweets and tweeted back a message thanking her for bringing the movement to Woodland.

“Her project is incredible. The time and energy that Caitlyn’s putting in is just enviable,” Papa said.

Sousa said she has put in over 40 hours into the project so far.

“It doesn’t even feel like work to me because I enjoy doing it so much,” she said.

Sousa wants to gather any money she makes from selling the magazines and t-shirts for a scholarship for juniors and seniors. The details haven’t been worked out, but applicants would have to write an essay about something they struggled with in high school and the school scholarship committee would choose a winner.

Anyone interested in purchasing the magazine can contact Papa via e-mail at mpapa@region16ct.org or Sousa at the high school. The magazine is $5 and the t-shirts will be on sale for $10 each.