Cromwell Children's Coalition

We spoke with President Tom Danilyw Jr. about the Cromwell Childrens Coalition which is a local non profit whose mission is to enhance the lives of Cromwell youth so all can benefit from activities, programs and necessary items that the town and school district have to offer to them.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Good morning, Thank you for listening to Community Access. My
guest this morning is Tom Danelu. He is the president
of the Cromwell Children's Coalition.

Speaker 2 (00:09):
Good morning, good morning, it's good to be with you.

Speaker 1 (00:11):
Wonderful. Children are my heart. I know everybody loves animals
and old people. I love them too, but kids are
really my thing. Tell me how did the Cromwell Children's
Coalition come about?

Speaker 2 (00:23):
Well, this is a really simple concept. Our mission is
to fit right into the existing network parents and teachers
and everyone who works with kids and fill the gaps
that exist to both one get a child financially over

(00:44):
the little bit of money that they may be missing
to enjoy their childhood, and secondarily, to make sure there's
no stigma attached. So yeah, we do it double anonymously.
The child doesn't know that we're doing it, and we
never learned the child's name.

Speaker 1 (00:58):
Really.

Speaker 2 (01:00):
Yeah, we are partners in the schools, the rec Department,
school administration, churches. They identify the children who need just
a little bit of money in order to do what
they want to do and let us know and we
take care of that.

Speaker 1 (01:17):
And how are you able to take care of that?

Speaker 2 (01:20):
Well, we run several fund raisers throughout the year. We
also have people who donate to us regularly as they've
learned about this mission, and it really has become pretty regular.

Speaker 1 (01:37):
So your web address is Cromwell Children's Coalition dot org
and you're involved with Birdie's for Charity. So if anyone
would like to make a donation to you, they could
go to Travelers Championship dot com. Just look up Cromwell
Children's Coalition and for every dollar Webster Bank will donate
fifteen cents.

Speaker 2 (01:56):
I know, it's a fantastic program. You know. The Traveler
are all about kids too. Well, they're all about a
lot of things, but they really do focus on kids
a lot, and we're really appreciative of that. They're a
huge part of the Cromwell community and wonderful every year.
This is our second year and we're really excited.

Speaker 1 (02:15):
So tell me what kind of programs and services do
you offer?

Speaker 2 (02:19):
Well, we do several things outside of our core mission.
We have a Kindness is Contagious campaign. You'll see our
yard signs when you visit Cromwell. For the Travelers, we
hand out vinyl stickers to make sure everybody knows that
how important and easy it is to be kind to
each other. We've partnered also for anti violence prevention with

(02:45):
both the state of Connecticut and the schools, and you know,
we do programs. We have a Rising Stars program in
the fall where all of these groups that work with
children send they're really the kids who really make a
difference every day but don't necessarily get shouted out for it.

(03:06):
We help do that with a nice ceremony where they're
celebrated for being kind and for making a difference in
the community. And then of course we partner with the
schools every holidays and all kinds of things. Actually, we

(03:27):
really run the gamut whatever a kid deems to just
be a kid and be happy.

Speaker 1 (03:32):
What kind of impact have you seen on the children
or their families who've benefited from the coalition.

Speaker 2 (03:38):
Well, the very first impact is fulfilling that need that
a child has to be a child while they're a child. However,
there are important things down the line. You know, a
few of our Rising Stars from past years have gone on.
I was just actually recently celebrating the previous Starvars who

(04:01):
has got a scholarship for community involvement from the Rotary
Club of Middletown, reinforcing a positive community involvement and a
positive attitude towards the people around you. Pays dividends for
years and decades down the line. And all of these

(04:22):
kids come back and volunteer at our events and it
really is a community building exercise for everybody involved.

Speaker 1 (04:30):
You have an event that's coming up soon, tell us
about that.

Speaker 2 (04:34):
This is a really great event. It's been going on
for over a decade. We've been running it for eight
the Town of Cromwell Memorial Descar Show on May twenty third,
right on town property at Pearson Park from four to
eight pm. That's Friday, May twenty third, And we're very inclusive.

(04:57):
We can find all kinds of vehicles, over two hundred cars.
Several thousand people visit every year with food and music,
and there's a playground right there for the little kids
when they want to go play. And it's a fantastic
event that really bring people out from all over the state.

Speaker 1 (05:17):
And could you use volunteers or donations.

Speaker 2 (05:21):
All of the above. You know, the work never stops
and it goes straight to the kids. We're an all
volunteer organization. We don't have any staff. All we give
is our time and our care and the community responds
in a fantastic way. It really is a great multiplier

(05:42):
for kindness and community.

Speaker 1 (05:44):
I'm speaking with Tom Danelou. He is president of the
Cromwell Children's Coalition. What an amazing organization. Thank you so
much for being here and for taking care of our kids.

Speaker 2 (05:55):
Oh, thank you.