Chair Named For Heart Walk

Greg Toczydlowski of Travelers will be chair of the 2010 Start! Greater Hartford Heart Walk, the American Heart Association announced. The event takes place on Saturday, Oct. 23, at Bushnell Park in Hartford. Toczydlowski, president of personal insurance for Travelers, is leading the organizational and recruitment efforts for the Hartford area. The event involves thousands of area volunteers, survivors, walkers, and business leaders to raise funds to reduce disability and death from cardiovascular disease and stroke, the leading cause of death in the United States.

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The Governor’s Prevention Partnership is seeking more men to become positive male role models.

A 2009 study conducted by the partnership shows that boys and girls are being served essentially equally, but there is a shortage of male mentors. The survey shows that 52 percent of the youth in mentoring programs are male and 48 percent are female. Women are more likely then men to volunteer as mentors, with 59 percent of mentors being female and only 41 percent male.

While more than 12,000 children are being served by more than 150 mentoring programs in the state, The Governor’s Prevention Partnership estimates that an additional 160,000 children in Connecticut need mentors. For more information, go to www.preventionworksct.org.

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The Amiel P. Zak Public Service Fund at the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving has awarded nearly $20,000 to five organizations for projects in Suffield.

The fund was established in 2002 by Michael Zak to honor the commitment, activism and dedicated years of service to the Suffield community by his father. Since its inception in 2002, more than $400,000 in grants has been awarded.

Receiving grants this year are: Suffield Rotary Foundation, Suffield Firemen’s Association, Spaulding Elementary School, Cub Scout Pack 66, and Friends of the Canal at the Enfield Falls.

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The Farmington Chamber of Commerce awarded college scholarships to eight Farmington High School seniors at the 17th annual Farmington High School Awards Night. The chamber’s contribution totaled $7,500.

The chamber holds a high school scholarship drive each year. Donations are collected from chamber members to fund the program. An additional contribution comes from the chamber’s operating budget. This year’s top contributors were OTIS and Westfarms Mall, according to Lisa Whitney, president Farmington Chamber of Commerce. 

“We are investing in our town’s future,” Whitney said.

The awards were presented by Robert Perry, vice president of the Farmington chamber and owner of Fastsigns in Bristol.