Stratford Nonprofits and Charities

My team, family, & I were excited to donate & participate in this tournament. Like many, we know someone affected by cancer, & we were eager to support the cause. We fundraised & traveled to Jacksonville for the event. The night before, we attended the weigh-in, where our daughter was already registered. At that time, there was only 1 other child in her division & weight class. Sarah, the Event Manager, instructed us to arrive by 8:30 AM the next day. Fast forward to 8:30 AM—my team, family, daughter, & I were all there. We spoke with Jon Thomas, the founder/director of the charity. He informed us that our daughter didn’t have anyone in her weight class & age bracket & suggested bumping her up to the 6-7-year-old white/grey belt division. I expressed hesitation because my daughter had just turned 5 & is a two-stripe white belt. I wasn’t comfortable with the idea, but Jon assured me the division would only include other white belts. I asked him 2x to confirm, & he replied, “Yes, ma’am. I made sure she’s in a class where her weight would be a slight advantage, as she’d otherwise be at a disadvantage. All the kids will have similar experience levels since they’re white belts. She’s 70 lbs, so the other kids are on the heavier side of the 60-pound bracket.” I repeated his explanation to ensure I understood correctly, & he confirmed it. Based on this assurance, I consented to have my 5-year-old compete in the 6-7-year-old white belt division. However, what was promised and what actually happened were entirely different. In her 1st match, she faced a 7-year-old, 4stripe grey belt. I immediately approached Jon & said, “This isn’t what we agreed to. I didn’t consent to this at all.” He shrugged & asked, “What do you want me to do?” Frustrated, I yelled at him to honor the agreement, then rushed to check on my daughter. The grey belt competitor hyperextended my daughter’s arm in an Americana lock. My daughter had no chance to tap, & the volunteer referee failed to intervene. I had to scream “TAP!” before anything was done. I returned to the promotional table & confronted Jon for putting my daughter in harm’s way. He claimed the girl had registered as a white belt. I pointed out, “She’s clearly wearing a grey belt with 4 stripes.” Jon responded that Tap Cancer Out relies on an honor system and doesn’t verify belts because it “takes too much time.” I was appalled & shouted, “You don’t check belts because it takes too much time?” I insisted Jon apologize to my daughter for the injury she sustained. His apology—“I apologize”—was hollow & lacked sincerity. I asked him to apologize again in a way a 5-year-old could understand, but he replied, “I already did.” I told him that if he genuinely cared, he’d make the effort to comfort her. After my daughter was cleared by medical staff, I informed Jon about her injury. His response was, “Oh, that’s fine.” I replied, “No, it’s not fine. She was placed in a dangerous situation without my consent. This will be the first & last time my child & team participate in this tournament. I also vowed to inform other teams about our experience so they could make informed decisions. His dismissive reply was, “So you’re going to tell other teams not to come to a charity tournament?” I responded, “If it’s associated with you, absolutely. I’ll make sure other parents know you prioritize convenience over children’s safety.” He responded “Okay.” The referees were inconsistent. Some showed no patience for nervous children, rolling their eyes or sighing loudly. Moving forward, I’ll take my team to better-organized events with trained referees & competent leadership. My advice to other parents: don’t trust this tournament especially when they offer to “bump your child up.”<br><br>Red Flag #1: The director will tell you 1 thing but allow something entirely different to happen under his watch.<br>Red Flag #2: The volunteer referees are either incompetent or indifferent, failing to recognize when a child is in danger.<br>Red Flag #3: The safety of children is not a top priority.<br>Red Flag #4: There’s no system in place to prevent parents from lying about their child’s rank.<br>Red Flag #5: There are no consequences for lying about rank or poor sportsmanship.<br>Red Flag #6: The medical tent was unmarked & difficult to locate, delaying care for my daughter’s injury<br>

Jessica puts her heart and soul into making life easier for others! Her work has positively affected so many, through financial gifts, encouragement, and cultivating a love for the arts through annual auctions. Partner in Lyme is amazing and much needed in Connecticut!

Erin's Gym was built in 2011 by Jeff and Donna Babineau in memory of their beloved daughter, Erin, who was killed tragically at the young age of 10, in a tour bus accident in Jamaica in 2005. Jeff and Donna are running the facility under this non-profit with all proceeds going towards building expenses. After 10 years, Erin's Gym will be donated to Sterling House Community Center to benefit the Town of Stratford and all children associated with any of their programs. It is a special place, that is extremely well-maintained, and offers a friendly, safe and fun athletic experience for all children/teams who come to play.

I brought my puppy two of her siblings and the father to Nutmeg to be Fixed. The made it so easy from beginning to end. The staff was great and very friendly and informative. Definitely would recommend to anyone that wanted your animal well taken care of to go here!!

The guild has been in existence (previously as the Stratford Arts Guild) for over a decade in Stratford. The organization is run solely by dedicated and passionate volunteers who want to support and promote the arts in Stratford and the region. An excellent group.

When we found our Parrot outside my husband's office at the end of June 2016, I was directed to the Connecticut Parrot Rescue and Samantha, founder and heart of this non profit was amazing. In less than an hour of speaking with her on the phone Samantha was at my door to access the situation. She gave us pertinent information on how to care for a parrot and provided us with food and a cage for him while we acclimated to the situation. She was cautious for the protection of the bird but willing to help us care for him. After 2 weeks and a ton of research, my husband & I decided to keep him. In the following months Samantha was an incredible support in our journey to rescuing a parrot and making him addition to our family of people and dogs. We are grateful to Connecticut Parrot Rescue and we see Samantha every 4-6 weeks when she comes to give our guy a groom. We like that she can eyeball him too because Samantha is knowledgeable and very responsible in how she deeply and genuinely cares for the health and well being of her rescues. We are grateful she has been a large part of helping us to bring one of the greatest joys to our life! Having a Parrot child has enriched our life and knowing he's a rescue who we are helping rather us being the cause of a creature who was either plucked from his natural habitat or born into captivity feels good. We cried when we learn about the horrible plight or Parrot's and how something like 80% get re-homed. Thank the stars for the good people at Connecticut Parrot Rescue for what they do! Now we are aware of SO many, too many Parrots that need rescuing and having Samantha there, ready to help is a comfort and a blessing! She is rare as are many of the birds.

The Secretary of State filings are not current and the most current tax filing available is 2014, on one nonprofit info site...had to search...<br>They detour from their mission statement with no mention in minutes or meetings so if you are giving your hard earned money, make sure it's clear what it is to be spent on.

The Stratford Animal Rescue Society (STARS) of Connecticut has become our charity of choice, and I have become a volunteer for this organization after seeing how well they help to provide and care for the animals. I'm only mildly familiar with a couple other shelters/rescues, but it was really "night and day" when I saw what a great job STARS did compared to my impressions of those other organizations.