‘Bee’ PEZ Dispensers for
Geography Bee Winner
 Winning the state geography bee is no easy task. I was so impressed by Middlesex Middle School student Michael Borecki’s top performance in the state geography bee, I wanted to send him off to the nationals with a symbol of Connecticut.
I contacted PEZ, headquartered in Orange, CT, and the company was happy to provide Michael with a box of Connecticut-made “bee” PEZ dispensers to take to his geography bee. What more fitting gift for a geography bee winner than bee-shaped PEZ dispensers?
I am so impressed by Michael’s knowledge of geography and I am sure he really put Connecticut on the map at the national competition. This was his second time representing Connecticut at the National Geographic Bee in Washington D.C. Congratulations, Michael, on a job well done!
Another Local Business Success Story
Last month I attended a ribbon-cutting to celebrate the expansion of My Three Sons family entertainment center in Norwalk. What a genuinely fun place and a fantastic local business success story!
I was joined for the ribbon-cutting ceremony by My Three Sons owner Jerry Petrini and House Minority Leader Lawrence F. Cafero Jr. The expansion was made possible through a grant from the Small Business Express Program, which came out of the bipartisan Jobs Bill we passed last October.
So far, nearly 700 small businesses in Connecticut have applied for Small Business Express assistance; 38 loans totaling $32 million have already been approved, creating 193 new jobs and retaining 213 jobs in Connecticut. In total, the Small Business Express Program will provide $100 million to help the state's small businesses hire more employees and fund capital investments. Let’s keep up the momentum and take economic recovery to the next level.
New Literacy Lab Coming to
Stepping Stones
 One of the most powerful things we can do for our children is to give them a solid foundation in literacy. So I eagerly joined my colleagues in the Norwalk legislative delegation in calling for funding to establish a local early learning and literacy laboratory.
Well, great news: The state Bond Commission approved a request for funding to build a literacy lab inside the Stepping Stones Museum for Children facility. This is great news that will help scores of children get access to quality early education and literacy programming.
The Early Learning and Literacy Initiative project—a collaboration between Stepping Stones, Literacy How Inc., Norwalk Community College and the Norwalk Housing Authority—seeks to provide young children with a solid foundation for school to inspire a lifelong love of learning and to ensure future academic and life success.
Re-authorization of the
Violence Against Women Act
I was proud to join Congressman Jim Himes, Mayor Richard Moccia and other advocates at Norwalk City Hall for the re-authorization of the federal Violence Against Women Act.
Meeting With Students from
Tracey School
I was glad to have the opportunity to read to Ms. Iannaccone’s first-grade class at the Tracey Elementary School in Norwalk.
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