Valley Save Our Youth recognizes local heroes during Black History Month

VSOY is not a group doing good for profit or clout. It is not a corporate funded tax write-off.

It is not a political movement that a politician can put their name on.

VSOY is a nonprofit service group run by the community to serve the community! We share our love with the longstanding local heroes who served VSOY not only verbally, they served physically!

"Everybody can be great ... because anybody can serve. You don't have to have a college degree to serve. You don't have to make your subject and verb agree to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love."

- Martin Luther King, Jr.

Courtney Stroman

Dawn Lathrop

Marsha Mills

Fatima Oulabrik

Carolyn Gardner

Jill Duffus

Renee Howard-Pisanelli

Mark Powell

These Day 1’s come out every year and jump in where needed.

They help with food service, donations, raising money, Rally Day activities, each and every year! Throughout the year they stay engaged with ideas to do more for our kids and do their own part to serve in their way.

They and so many other volunteers are VSOY and what we are all about ... community!

This is shared from Valley Save Our Youth organization's Facebook page.

Valley Save Our Youth names lifelong Ansonia resident a local hero

VSOY celebrates Black History

Black History is American History and we want to make sure we fill the void in our education system.

With our Black History series during the month of February we will showcase local heroes, then throughout the year we will highlight American and world heroes.

The African proverb that “It takes a village to raise a child” is a mantra we live by at Valley Save Our Youth.

Our first hero, Sheila Butler, embodies that same African proverb.

Sheila is a lifelong Ansonia resident who has worked as a manager at Griffin Hospital for over 26 years. Her six successful young Kings are college students, grads, and serving the community as a police officer.

In addition to being a loving mother to all boys, she is also the nurturing grandmother to five girls.

A mentor to many including VSOY co-founder Iris Carotenuto on motherhood and community,

Sheila has volunteered with VSOY as well as being a community leader. She has brought in and taken care of neighborhood kids as if they were her own.

Sheila Butler is a hard-working, single mom who embodies the neighborhood mom spirit that her grandma Helen Butler shared with her.

For these and so many reasons we want to give this local hero her flowers now! Thank you Sheila!

This is shared from the Valley Save Our Youth organization's Facebook page.

Opinion: Improved rail service will boost Valley economy, Rochelle says

The Valley is a special place. The history is rich, the hills, rivers, ponds, and forests are beautiful, and the people are salt of the earth and hold a deep sense of community.

We're a big-hearted yet resilient middle and working-c|ass community full of grit and grace. We're tough, and we look out for our neighbors.

In the past, we were the economic heartbeat of Connecticut.

Today, the cities and towns along the Waterbury Rail Line are home to four of the most economically distressed municipalities in the state.

Starting my tenure representing Ansonia and Derby just two years ago, I quickly started pressing for advancement on Waterbury Rail Line improvements for increased service to our branch.

At the Capitol, I often discuss the numbers: the pockets of poverty, the ALICE Report, downtown developments that can't seem to get off the ground, and the frustration of my neighbors who want: economic stability, a thriving economy; good schools and amenities; and meaningful investment from the state to help this become a reality.

It was a shock in 2019 to learn I was the only legislator from the Naugatuck Valley to testify before the Transportation Committee calling for increased service for the Waterbury Rail Line.

So, I built a coalition of support, advocating for the Chair of the Transportation Committee, then to the Governor, and my colleagues in the region.

We recently brought in Department of Economic and Community Development Commissioner David Lehman to see firsthand the pending redevelopment projects, to confer with the developers, and join the effort in advocating for the Waterbury Rail Line.

I found proactive allies in folks like Rep. Geraldo Reyes of Waterbury and Mayor Pete Hess of Naugatuck.

Reyes organized Valley mayors for a day of action and spoke on their behalf while testifying to the Transportation Committee in 2020.

Jim Gildea, Chair of the Connecticut Commuter Rail Council, and Rick Dunne, Executive Director of the Naugatuck Valley Council of Governments, also were strong partners in this effort, leading their expertise, and networks to inform and advocate for us with state agency leaders.

I also took an active role in pushing the ongoing rail improvements forward by pressing the utility companies, the Department of Transportation, and others to get the job done.

The facts have always been on our side: the last time the state increased service on our line, ridership went up 40 percent. The physical line improvements are nearly complete.

When COVID-19 struck, ridership went down sharply across the state. However, the Waterbury Rail Line held its own, seeing the smallest decrease in ridership in the state.

We deserve increased investment in our rail line. It will spur economic growth.

For residents of the Naugatuck Valley, whether you ride the rail or not, increased rail service will directly and positively affect your life by:
Increasing property values.
Attracting potential commuters to envision our walkable city centers as their new home.
Attracting new development that will bring jobs, grand list growth and help our cities lower taxes.

In Governor Lamont's budget, we celebrate the investment he proposes to make in the Waterbury Rail Line.

The Governor's budget document states:

Beginning in FY 2023, $1,227,689 is recommended to increase the number of trains servicing the Waterbury line from 15 to 22 across weekday morning and evening peak as well as off-peak services.

The Governor proposes launching an expanded service to align with constituent demands, as the Department of Transportation is completing a $120M capital project to allow for modern bi-directional rail service in the fast-growing Naugatuck Valley region.

It is critically important to align transportation hubs with employment and economic opportunity for our state to thrive.

Rep. Roland Lemar, Chair of the Transportation Committee, said: "The Waterbury Line has always carried the greatest potential for spurring economic growth. This commitment, coupled with the Capital investments we've made to date, is exactly what we need for the the cities and towns throughout The Valley. This investment has my strongest support and I specifically want to credit Representatives Reyes and Rochelle for their tireless advocacy."

I hope this is the year we see this significant investment in local rail service increases pass in the final budget. You can count on me to continue leading the fight for it.


State Rep. Kara Rochelle, D-Ansonia/Derby, represents the 104th District.

Oxford Public Library posts calendar of virtual events for week