Press Release - COVID Recovery Task Force

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PRESS RELEASE

For Release:       Immediate
Contact:               Carl P. Fortuna, Jr., First Selectman
Contact Info:      860-395-3123 or carl.fortuna@oldsaybrookct.gov

Local Task Force Helping Old Saybrook Recover from Effects of COVID-19          

June 18, 2020, Old Saybrook, CT—When Governor Lamont asked local governments to be an active part of the state’s recovery from the effects of COVID-19, Old Saybrook didn’t hesitate, forming its own Long-Term Recovery Committee (LTRC). The committee is divided into a number of working groups made up of members of town government, the public and the business community. In addition to the committee’s efforts, several local fundraising vehicles have also been created to provide direct financial assistance to those who have been disproportionately affected by the pandemic, including Old Saybrook CARES and Shorts4Saybrook. These groups will work hand-in-hand to identify needs and challenges in the Old Saybrook community created by the COVID-19 pandemic and to address them in support of rapid and sustained recovery for all in the community.

Old Saybrook’s LTRC is helmed by the town’s first selectman, Carl P. Fortuna, Jr., and the town’s emergency management director, Michael A. Spera. Its working groups are: Financial Stability, Health & Safety, The Arts, Recreation, Regulatory, Estuary Success, Non-profit Success, Small Business Success – Employment, Childhood Development/Education, Emotional Wellness/Social Service, and Fundraising. The chairs of each working group are intimately connected with Old Saybrook and include the Town’s directors of finance, parks and recreation, and youth and family services as well as the executive directors of the Connecticut River Area Health District, The Kate and the Estuary Council of Seniors, the superintendent of schools, and State Representative Devin Carney among others. Members of the community and local business leaders round out the membership of each working group making for a diverse and talented pool of community members committed to Old Saybrook’s long-term recovery prospects. Fortuna stated, “With nearly 100 members of our community involved, Old Saybrook will be well positioned to meet our community’s diverse needs. The LTRC will seek to directly assist those in need as well as serving as the liaison for coordinating where state or federal resources are needed or required.”

As the recovery committee works to identify needs throughout the Town, help local businesses get back on their feet, and direct resources and services where they are needed most, two other groups are focusing on providing financial resources directly to townspeople in need who have been disproportionately affected by COVID-19 through unemployment, illness or other related challenges and to funnel funds to them quickly for basic needs including housing, food, utilities, transportation and childcare.

Old Saybrook CARES (Committee for Active Recovery Efforts in Saybrook) has set up a fund through the Middlesex United Way with a goal of raising $100,000. To date they have received grants totaling $42,000 and hope to build on that through donations from businesses and individuals who are in a position to provide financial help to those in need in Old Saybrook. Donations are tax deductible and can be made at www.middlesexunitedway.org/oldsaybrookcares or mailed to CARES Committee c/o Town Hall, 302 Main Street, Old Saybrook, CT 06475. Grants will be made available on a rolling basis up to $1,500 per household. Completion of a simple one-page application is all that is required to apply. Applicants must be residents of Old Saybrook and agree to use the funds to provide for basic needs (food, housing, utilities, childcare or transportation). Applications can be requested and submitted by email to  oldsaybrookcares@oldsaybrookct.gov or mailed to CARES Committee in care of the Town Hall at 302 Main Street. The first grants will be awarded in August and on a rolling basis thereafter.

Shorts4Saybrook is an annual fundraiser run each summer by the Old Saybrook Department of Police Services. This year the money raised from the summer fundraiser will go to individuals, families and businesses who have been negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Police officers contribute to the fundraiser by donating $5 per day to wear the department’s summer uniform, which includes lighter weight shirts and cargo shorts. The Police and Dispatcher’s Unions will match member donations dollar for dollar, so each time a Police Department member takes advantage of the comfort of the summer uniform, ten dollars goes into the Shorts4Saybrook fund. Donations are also being accepted. To make a donation by credit card visit www.Shorts4Saybrook.com or mail a check made out to “Shorts4Saybrook” to Old Saybrook Police Department, 36 Lynde Street, Old Saybrook, CT.

The Small Business Success and Employment Subcommittee of the Old Saybrook Long Term Recovery Committee mission is to provide the support our businesses need to succeed and to communicate your needs to town and state leadership to get you help quickly.  We welcome you to share your challenges, success and needs with us so that we can help focus the town's energy and resources on initiatives that will be impactful for you and our community.   Please send these to SmallBizRecovery@oldsaybrookct.gov.

Old Saybrook’s community has taken to heart the governor’s call to join forces, uniting stakeholders at the local level to help residents, communities and the state to recover as quickly and fully as possible. Experience with other crises has shown that when there is a coordinated local effort combined with state efforts communities recover faster and more successfully. Old Saybrook is focused on this recovery and supporting residents and businesses.

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