Hoptoberfest on tap Saturday at Shelton Riverwalk

SHELTON - Derby-Shelton Rotary Club will host Hoptoberfest 2018 Saturday (Sunday is severe weather date) in the Rotary Pavilion at the Riverwalk. 
Hours are 1-5 p.m.
The festival will feature craft beers, chicken wings, and live music with all proceeds being invested into community programs based on the current needs of the Rotary Club's charitable partners. 

Since 2013, the event has raised close to $80,000, allowing the Club to help fund programs such as: Sponsor A Kid at the Boys and Girls Club in Shelton; the Valley United Way food bank; the Parent Child Research Center in Derby; literacy programs in Derby and Shelton Public Schools, and other worthwhile projects in the Valley.

*Information shared from Facebook.

Go 'back to school' Sunday at Shelton History Center

Back to school! 
SHELTON - Trap Fall School on the Shelton History Center grounds will be open from 1-4 p.m. Sunday for the public to take a peek.
The Shelton History Center is at 70 Ripton Road.


This is shared from the Shelton History Center's Facebook page.

Derby Public Library to host emergency presentation

September is National Emergency Preparedness Month
DERBY - Are you prepared for an emergency? 
The Derby Public Library will host a presentation at 6:30 p.m Sept. 17 when Joe Burnett, Director of Safety, Security, and Emergency Preparedness, Griffin Hospital, and Brie Lenart, Deputy Director of #OEM, #CityofDerby, as they discuss the different kinds of disasters that can happen in our area and learn how you can prepare ahead of time to handle emergency situations. 

Registration is required here: https://bit.ly/2wHeRpD or by calling 203-736-1482. The Library is at 313 Elizabeth St.

*Shared from the Derby Public Library Facebook page.

Trap Falls Kennel Club to host annual K9 Karnival in Shelton

Banners are up on Main Street in Ansonia for Harvest Festival

Blue and yellow banners along Main Street announce the Ansonia Harvest Festival Sept. 29. 
Please stay tuned for more information later today in a special issue of our Valley Voice newsletter.

Update: Here is the link to the newsletter.

Derby Fire Department to host Sept. 11 memorial service on Green

Sept. 11, 2001 memorial on the Green./ Derby Fire Department photo

DERBY - The Derby Fire Department will host a memorial service at 7 p.m. Sept. 11 on the Green (Elizabeth Street) to remember those lost during the terror attack of Sept. 11, 2001. 
All are welcome to attend.

*Shared from the Derby Fire Department's Facebook page.

American Heart Association recognizes Griffin Hospital in Derby

DERBY - The American Heart Association recently announced Griffin Hospital achieved Gold level recognition in its 2018 Workplace Health Achievement Index for taking significant steps to build a culture of health in the workplace.

The American Heart Association created the Index with its CEO Roundtable members, a leadership collaborative of more than 40 CEOs from some of America’s largest companies who are committed to applying evidence-based approaches to improve their employees’ overall health. 

The Index uses science-based best practices to evaluate the overall quality and comprehensiveness of their workplace health programs. 

A unique feature of the Index is that it calculates an average heart health score for employees of participating companies that securely submit aggregate health data.

More than 1,000 companies completed the Index assessment this year and, of those companies, 75 percent received either Gold, Silver, or Bronze recognition. 

Companies receive benchmarking reports, which allow them to identify potential areas of improvement so that they can advance their annual performance and recognition in the Index and help their workforce move toward ideal heart health.

“We are honored to have achieved this recognition from the American Heart Association,” said Griffin Hospital Director of Human Resources Stephen Mordecai. “A key strategy at Griffin Hospital is to build a supportive culture that engages employees in their health and well-being, and provides them with many choices for how they can help improve their health outcomes.”

The Association’s Workplace Health Achievement Index allows companies to measure the effectiveness of their workplace health programs as well as the overall heart health of their employees. Unlike other existing organizational scorecards, the Index also scores companies on the heart health of their employees based on Life’s Simple 7® – the Association’s scientifically validated definition of ideal heart health. 

The American Heart Association’s Workplace Health Achievement Index assessment is grounded in data-driven science and a quality improvement framework. According to the Nielsen 2016 Employee Health Survey, robust and comprehensive strategies for wellbeing are associated with positive impacts on employees’ health.

This is a press release from Griffin Hospital.