Brighton

ISLAND POND — The public is invited to gather with other people who care about families and children in Island Pond tomorrow, at the Brighton Elementary School.

Supper will begin at 5:30 p.m. Preschool to fourth graders will have a separate program, while older children and adults participate in the facilitated conversation that will set priorities for supporting families and kids.

Organizers are seeking input from parents, children, and other community members and will use the ideas generated to guide planning and bring additional services to the community.

Questions to be considered will include:

What services and activities would help local families and support the healthy development of children and teens in the community? What problems or concerns need to be addressed to make this a better community to grow up in? Would it be helpful to have the school be a more of a center for services and activities in the community? How could services and activities be set up to provide the most useful support for families and children?

The Brighton Recreation Committee and Brighton Elementary School are sponsoring this program through the Roadmaps Action Acceleration Grant provided by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

This event is part of a response to the Community Forums held last fall by gathering input from people in our area about what would best meet their needs and improve their lives.

This information will be used to tailor what is offered in the future to meet community needs. There is no charge for any part of the program.

This is the final Community Café in this series and next steps include convening service providers and defining steps forward, based on the ideas and information that has been gathered.

ISLAND POND — The Vermont Community Foundation recently awarded a grant the Brighton Elementary School to engage its middle school students in a “cultural buffet.”

The school received the $1,000 grant to help further its mission of promoting lifelong learning and an appreciation for diversity by giving students cultural exposure and opportunity.

Thanks to the grant, Brighton students recently toured the Orozco murals at Dartmouth College in Hanover, N.H., as well as attended a matinee at the Flynn Theater in Burlington.

Some students even tasted Thai food for the first time.

“This grant from Vermont Community Foundation is so appreciated, as it supports opportunities for curious young students to step outside their daily experience in rural Vermont to experience the sights and tastes of unknown cultures,” Principal Denise Russell said. “These are the moments when imaginations are cultivated and dreams are born.”

BRIGHTON — Members of the Brighton/Island Pond community are being invited to participate in a series of forums in town to share their concerns and ideas and develop a concrete action plans for the future of the town.

The event will take place on October 4, 2016.

This first step in this Community Visit Process will be “Brighton Community Visit Day,” an opportunity to come together to discuss assets, challenges, and opportunities for action within six focus forums being held throughout the day.

“Come engage in an exciting conversation about the future of our town and enjoy a free community dinner with your neighbors,” said Brighton resident and Selectboard Chair Doug Niles, who has stepped up to serve as the chairperson of the Community Visit Process.

The Brighton Community Visit Day will include focus groups on six different topics at meeting rooms in the town and a free community roast pork and ham dinner at the American Legion.

There will be free childcare and activities available for kids ages 3 and up provided by the Northwoods Stewardship Center at the Island Pond Library during the forums.

Forum topics were decided by a town steering committee representing people from varied occupations and parts of town.

The topics they set as starting points for the forums on October 4 include transportation and infrastructure, addressing substance abuse and mental health, growing the economy, revitalizing downtown, the future of their school, and recreation and natural resources.

“There is no better way for townspeople to express their opinions and volunteer their ideas than VCRD’s Community Visit Program,” said Town Administrator Joel Cope. “This event will provide the opportunity for involvement of the public to visualize the town’s future and to learn about and connect with resources available to help realize that vision.”