Western Connecticut District Coordinator for Operation Christmas Child Chris Pahner, right, presents a certificate to Naugatuck United Methodist Church Pastor Steven Kim, left, and church member Ethel Grant May 4. The certificate acknowledged the church for over five years of service to Operation Christmas Child shoebox collections. For over nine years, the church has collected shoeboxes filled with little gifts in November to be sent to children in depressed parts of the U.S. and third world countries around Christmas. Last November, the church collected a record 650 shoe boxes. –CONTRIBUTED
The Naugatuck Veterans Council’s POW/MIA Committee hosted a POW/MIA vigil June 14 on the Naugatuck Town Green. The vigil, which lasted from 8 a.m. until 6 p.m., was held to raise awareness about American soldiers who are prisoners of war or missing in action. Volunteers portrayed prisoners for an hour during the vigil. Pictured, Dave Perugini portrays a prisoner of war. –LUKE MARSHALL
Stephanie Amato of Beacon Falls has been named salutatorian of the Class of 2014 at Sacred Heart High School. Amato earned numerous accolades over the course of her four years at Sacred Heart. Amato, the daughter of Alan and Kimberly Amato, also received the Dean’s Award from Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences where she will attend in the fall. –CONTRIBUTED
Naugatuck Boy Scout Troop 109 hosted is annual ziti dinner recently at the Naugatuck Elks Lodge on Rubber Avenue. –CONTRIBUTED
A grand opening ceremony was held May 23 at Two Cousins Closet, a consignment clothing store located at 18 Church St. Pictured, from left, state Sen. Joe Crisco (D-17) Naugatuck Chamber of Commerce Chair Yvette Wilmot, Naugatuck Deputy Mayor Tamath Rossi, co-owner Ana Lage, Naugatuck Economic Development Corporation CEO Ron Pugliese, co-owner Deborah Selmani, Naugatuck Mayor Robert Mezzo and state Rep. Rosa Rebimbas (R-70). –CONTRIBUTED
Naugatuck YMCA Member of the Year Louise Myers, right, and YMCA CEO Susan Talbot pose for a picture prior to Naugatuck’s Memorial Day parade May 26. Myers was voted member of the year and rode with Talbot during the parade. –CONTRIBUTED
Sokol’s Taekwondo recently held rank testings in April for white, orange, yellow, camouflage green, purple, blue, brown and red belts along with its first black belt only testing on. Special guest judges Justin Garofano, a fifth degree black belt, and Robert Landrum, a sixth degree black belt, came down from Massachusetts to advance three second degrees to the rank of third degree black belt. –CONTRIBUTED
Girls Scouts from Naugatuck Troop 64518 recently donated their left over cookies to the Multiple Myeloma Support Group, which meets every second Tuesday at The Leever Center in Waterbury. –CONTRIBUTED
Sokol’s Taekwondo recently held rank testings in April for white, orange, yellow, camouflage green, purple, blue, brown and red belts along with its first black belt only testing on. Special guest judges Justin Garofano, a fifth degree black belt, and Robert Landrum, a sixth degree black belt, came down from Massachusetts to advance three second degrees to the rank of third degree black belt. –CONTRIBUTED
The Naugatuck Youth Soccer U-19 boys’ competition team won the Connecticut Cup championship game, 4-3, against West Hartford June 14 in Farmington. Pictured (front row from left) Igor Silva, Marc Guardiano, Josh Corbo, Jason Goja, Jordan Bronko, Felipe Conrado (middle row from left) Facundo Coitino, Adam Branco, Tyler Lillo, Enzo (Fez) Pereira, Billy Kiely, Eric Prates, Ben Reinhard (back row from left) assistant coach Tiago Martins, Jack DeOliveira, assistant coach Mingo Branco, Vinny Lelis, Oz Tingstad, David DeOliveira, Ryan Massicotte, Jason Szarzynski, manager Mike Bronko and head coach Joe Campos. –CONTRIBUTED
Third-graders from St. Bridget School in Cheshire, including Mischa Telesford of Prospect (last on the right), recently wrote, edited and illustrated two books through the
Student Treasures program. –CONTRIBUTED
Naugatuck Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Lynn Ward, left, presents Pat Peterson of Naugatuck with a check for $5,000 after winning the annual duck race as Courtney Ligi, special events director of the Chamber, looks on. –CONTRIBUTED
Naugatuck firefighter Tim Andrew will run Mt. Washington on June 21 to raise money for Bob Veillette, a Naugatuck resident who has a rare form of paralysis called locked-in syndrome. Andrew is raising money to offset medical costs to help Veillette stay at home. ‘There is a lot of out of pocket expense for his care, so this is something I have to do,’ Andrew said. Andrew is running the race for sixth, and possibly last, time for Veillette. The race starts at an altitude of 1,527 feet and climbs about 4,618 feet, ending up at 6,288 feet at the top. Andrew trains for the race by running up and down Horton Hill Road. Pictured, from left, Charles Boulier III, president and CEO of Ion Bank, which is also collecting money, Veillette and Andrew. Checks can be made out to Bob Veillette Trust Fund and mailed to Ion Bank, care of Brian Divito, 87 Church St., Naugatuck, CT 06770. –PAUL SINGLEY
Sokol’s Taekwondo recently held rank testings in April for white, orange, yellow, camouflage green, purple, blue, brown and red belts along with its first black belt only testing on. Special guest judges Justin Garofano, a fifth degree black belt, and Robert Landrum, a sixth degree black belt, came down from Massachusetts to advance three second degrees to the rank of third degree black belt. –CONTRIBUTED
Boy Scout Zachary Mason of Troop 138 in Naugatuck is congratulated by state representatives Lezlye Zupkus (R-89), center, and Rosa Rebimbas (R-70) May 28 at St. Michael’s Episcopal Church after earning the rank of Eagle Scout. Mason, who improved the field at Peter J. Foley Little League for his Eagle Scout project, was presented with a special citation from the Connecticut General Assembly by the legislators. –CONTRIBUTED
Members of USA Martial Arts in Naugatuck, from left, Nicholas Quijano, Christian Giordano, Anna DeMagistris and Kylie Ramponi were promoted to apprentice black belt at a junior grading May 22. –CONTRIBUTED
The Naugatuck Veterans Council’s POW/MIA Committee hosted a POW/MIA vigil June 14 on the Naugatuck Town Green. The vigil, which lasted from 8 a.m. until 6 p.m., was held to raise awareness about American soldiers who are prisoners of war or missing in action. Volunteers portrayed prisoners for an hour during the vigil. Pictured, Mike DeVivo, left, and Mike Fox portray prisoners of war. –LUKE MARSHALL
A group from the Prospect Senior Center met with state Rep. Lezlye Zupkus (R-89) during a tour of the Capitol May 22. Zupkus (in blue in center) talked about the legislative process as well as history of the House of Representative chamber with the group. From there, she took the visitors the House Republican caucus room where she briefed them on some of the issues from the 2014 legislative session. –CONTRIBUTED
Muhlenberg College sophomore Ashley Riley, a Prospect resident and graduate of Woodland Regional High School in Beacon Falls, earned two places at the Centennial Conference outdoor track and field championships. Riley finished fifth in the long jump and sixth in the triple jump, recording the fourth-best mark in school history in the latter (33-7.5) and the seventh-best in the former (16-3.25). Riley helped Muhlenberg to a sixth-place finish. -MUHLENBERG SPORTS INFORMATION
