SALISBURY — The Salisbury Visiting Nurse Association welcomed the largest class of scholarship recipients to its headquarters July 22, awarding 19 local students $10,000 each through its Educational Enrichment Program Scholarship.
“We’re very proud of all of you,” said SVNA board member Susan Knight as she welcomed students and their families for a reception and check presentation. “We think you are all amazing young people.”
The scholarship first began in 2023 after the merger between Salisbury Family Services and SVNA. The board said the applicant pool has increased from around three during its first year to 21 applicants in 2026.
The celebration marked the fourth and largest year of the initiative, with nearly $200,000 donated to area-students for the 2026-27 academic year. The scholarship is open to students from the Region One area pursuing degrees in healthcare-related fields ranging from nursing to neuroscience.
Recipients receive $10,000 annually, provided they maintain a 3.0 grade point average and submit proof of their academic performance. Funded through SVNA’s robust endowment, the scholarship allows the organization to reinvest in healthcare by supporting future healthcare professionals
Board members delight in hearing directly from the students who will benefit from $10,000 scholarships to study healthcare during a July 22 reception. Aly Morrissey
The application process includes an in-depth essay describing each applicant’s career goals, personal experiences, and reasons for pursuing a healthcare profession.
“It’s helped a lot with my first-year tuition, and I’m very grateful,” said Madeline Mechare, a 2026-27 recipient. “I’m thinking of becoming a traveling nurse. I find it really exciting.” Mechare said she plans to major in nursing and will begin her freshman year at Eastern Connecticut State University this fall.
Gabriela Titone, who is entering her sophomore year at Marymount University studying psychology, said the scholarship is helping her prepare for a long educational journey.
“I’d like to be a therapist, so I also want to go to graduate school,” Titone said.“It’s nice to be able to have a scholarship that helps me for my undergraduate, because I have a lot of school ahead of me.”
For many students, the scholarship is what allows them to attend the schools of their choice.
Finn Cousins, who is entering his junior year at Fordham University studying psychology, said the financial support allowed him to transfer from the University of Connecticut after realizing it was not the right fit.
Cousins hopes to earn a doctorate in sports psychology and eventually work with a professional sports team. “Thanks to this community and their support, I’ve been able to transfer somewhere I really love, and I just feel like I’m in love with school again,” Cousins said.
His mother, Sara Cousins, said the scholarship made the transition possible.
“The scholarship gave him the financial freedom to transfer to a school where he’s much happier,” she said. “He feels like he’s more on track to do the kinds of things he wants to do.”
Many students said the awards enhance their college experiences.
“The scholarship is making it possible for me to live on campus this year,” said nursing student Kara Franks, who is entering her junior year at Western Connecticut State University. “If not for this scholarship, I would have to commute to school, so this is helping me focus on my studies.”
The award is aimed to invest in healthcare workers of the future, and board members hope some recipients will eventually be interested in returning to the Northwest Corner after graduating to fulfill the need for healthcare workers in the community.
“Hopefully some of you will come back and work in this area,” Knight said. “That would be wonderful.”
This fish took a Wooly Bugger in basic black, with rubber legs. Always get the rubber legs.
Then I hit on a succession of inflatable pontoon and belly boats, powered by oars and/or swim fins, and there I have remained.
Did I forget to mention that no motors are allowed on this lake? Well, no motors are allowed, and it’s no good arguing that a small electric trolling motor couldn’t possibly hurt anything. Ask me how I know this.
It’s a quiet, rejuvenating few weeks. The phone gets enough signal on one end of the deck to receive messages and maybe make a call if the wind is right. If something comes up, it’s only 15 minutes to so-called civilization.
When not fishing, I read, visit assorted cousins, listen to baseball on the AM radio and/or stare blankly into the middle distance.
Bassing with a fly rod in still water is a different game than chasing trout in streams.
A medium-fast-action rod, 8 to 10 feet, in line weight 7 or 8 is the starting point. The flies are big, and the wind is constant, so the angler needs some power, tempered with a bit of finesse.
I usually bring two rods. One is rigged with a floating line with a heavy front taper for turning over surface flies such as poppers.
The other has either a sink-tip or intermediate line. The lake is not all that deep, and the Woolly Buggers, Clousers and other streamers are heavy. The idea is to stay out of the vegetation while getting close to where the lunkers are hunkered down.
I use short nylon leaders, 7.5 feet with 1X tippet out of the package, and modify them constantly with additional sections of fluorocarbon tippet, snaps and droppers.
Surface action is usually minimal during the day unless it’s overcast. The lake runs east-west, so the angler can track the midmorning and late-afternoon shadows and work those areas.
Or the angler can wait until about 6:30 p.m., when things start to pick up.
Or get out there at the crack of dawn, which is best if surface action is the goal.
For subsurface fishing, some experimentation is required to find the right combination of flies, leader and sink rate. The angler also has to decide whether to troll.
There are a few places where a dry-dropper rig is appropriate, the dry being an extremely buoyant popper with a piece of stout fluorocarbon tippet tied to the bend of the hook and something heavy and wiggly at the end, like a stonefly nymph with rubber legs. (Always get the rubber legs.)
If this sounds like a bobber, it’s because it is. Don’t tell anyone. The purists don’t like it.
A net with a long handle is necessary. There is no leverage when sitting in what amounts to a floating chair.
I do not bring my phone for fish pictures. I will drop it into the depths. Ask me how I know this.
Instead I bring a small point-and-shoot camera. These get lost too, but perversely I have better luck keeping the cheap gear safe than the expensive items.
Sunscreen is applied liberally and frequently. After 50-odd years of being outside, I now have to visit the dermatologist every so often to have my face edited, and I don’t enjoy it.
A baseball cap does nothing for the ears and neck. I have a hat with a wide brim and a vented top, so it doesn’t get too hot. It looks stupid, but this is an acceptable risk.
Finally, a word about the quarry. Largemouth bass are not picky eaters. When engaged they usually dive and tug. Once in a while they leap. They are easily discouraged, however, and after a minute or two come meekly to the net.
Smallmouth, not so much. These aren’t especially big, but every smallie I’ve ever met thought it was much bigger than it actually was. Expect acrobatics.
Perch usually grab my fly when I don’t want them to.
Perch are in the August mix, usually when I don’t want them to be.Patrick L. Sullivan
Panfish are everywhere. They are extremely cooperative. Chasing sunnies is a good way to get a newcomer started.
And then there are the pickerel. These are nasty fish. Very antisocial. I keep a pair of long-handled pliers handy to get the fly out of their mouths safely while admiring the large number of very sharp teeth. They will bite the pliers. Do not use your fingers. Again, ask me how I know this.
Upon release, it’s not unusual to observe the pickerel hanging around a few yards away, glaring and plotting hideous revenge.
So this is the August routine, occasionally leavened with a scramble into a brook trout stream if conditions allow.
It’s peaceful. Kind of boring, in a good way.
And then in the fall the game shifts back to rivers and streams for trout.
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MOMIX is one of the featured performers at this year’s Arts Connected fundraiser on Aug. 29.
Barry Blitt created an original piece for the fundraiser that will adorn a limited edition T-Shirt for sale during the event.Provided
The evening will feature live plein air painting by artists from Plein Air Litchfield, performances by Our Culture Is Beautiful (OCIB), fire performer Cinderfella, and Susan Becker Aziz’s monumental humpback whale puppet, originally created for Paul Winter’s “Missa Gaia.” Guests will also have the opportunity to purchase artwork from a curated exhibition, with proceeds supporting the Arts Council’s mission to strengthen and promote the arts throughout Northwest Connecticut.
This year’s honorary host committee includes Meryl Streep, Diane von Furstenberg, Tim Daly, Téa Leoni, Maria Horn, Patti LuPone, Jack O’Brien, Sam Waterston and Paul Winter. Creative cocktail attire is encouraged, and attendance is limited. The event is open to guests 21 and older.
For more information or to purchase tickets, visit artsnwct.org
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