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Hearts Of Hope Sponsors 'Paint With A Purpose' Event

Published: Jul 29, 2026 7:00 am

On Wednesday, July 15, the Newtown Chapter of Hearts of Hope sponsored a “Paint with a Purpose” painting party at the Sandy Hook Volunteer Fire and Rescue station.

The evening was dedicated to supporting Newtown Human Services, with attendees making dozens of hand-painted hearts with inspirational messages. Per the department’s website: "It is the mission of Human Services to support a high quality of life for the Newtown community through services, programs, and information that promote mental, physical, and social well-being. Human Services is an initial point of access for information, services, and programs. We are dedicated to providing services with respect, compassion, and accountability."

A special component of the evening was the awarding of the annual Ambassador of Hope Award to longtime volunteer Marylin DeJoseph. Judith Pedersen, founder of the National Hearts of Hope initiative, and her husband drove from Florida to attend the event. Additionally, two dogs and their handlers from Newtown-Strong Therapy Dogs participated, much to the delight of everyone in attendance.

People smile as they create hand-painted hearts with inspirational messages during Hearts of Hope’s “Paint with a Purpose” event at the Sandy Hook Volunteer Fire and Rescue station. The hearts were made in support of Newtown Human Services, which aims to promote the mental, physical, and social well-being of people in the Newtown community. —Bee Photos, Glass

Longtime volunteer Marylin DeJoseph (far left) smiles along with Janet Knapp (center) as Maureen Will, Newtown’s director of Emergency Communications, details her many years of service as she is awarded this year’s Ambassador of Hope Award.

Judy Pedersen (second from right), who is the founder, board president, and executive director of the national Hearts of Hope Foundation in Florida, celebrates the occasion with, from left, Newtown Hearts of Hope Co-President Diane Sarna, Legislative Council member Michelle Embree Ku, and Newtown Hearts of Hope Co-President Ivy Pearson.

2026 Ambassador of Hope Awardee Marylin DeJoseph (center, in red) stands with four generations of her family at the painting party.

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No, The Newtown Bee Doesn't Use AI

It's a bit ironic. On July 31, 2025, Bruce Walczak wrote that "evasive answers or silence are unacceptable in government." He also promised to respond to constituent inquiries and to "close the loop," even when there wasn't an immediate answer. Two weeks of silence in response to a legitimate question seems difficult to reconcile with that pledge. The standard wasn't set by his critics—it was set by Bruce himself. Just another politician ... say whatever is necessary to get the job. Original letter: https://www.newtownbee.com/07312025/a-commitment-to-responsiveness/

First Selectman Addresses Storm Response

CT primaries are closed to voters not registered with the party's designation. Dems can't vote in Rep. primaries and, vice versa. Unaffiliated and Independent voters cannot vote in them. Keep primaries closed!

Time to Change the Guard

Bruce, welcome to the conversation. Your recent statement after the storm — admitting that you should have communicated “faster, more completely, and more personally” — was fine as far as it went. But this is not just about one storm. It is about a pattern. You ran on openness, responsiveness, and transparency, even saying that “evasive answers or silence are unacceptable in government.” The problem is that Newtown residents have been dealing with exactly that silence from you since you were elected. Newtown’s Emergency Management page says the town, together with the Office of the First Selectman, provides “critical public information and warning” during emergencies. The town also rolled out CodeRED cellphone registration on March 24, 2022 so residents could receive emergency information directly. So where were you when police were searching for missing 23-year-old Kateri Doty in January? Where were you during the brush fires near the Newtown town line in April? Where were you on April 22, when state police and Newtown police were searching for two people who fled an I-84 crash and a canine search moved into the Church Hill Road area? Residents should not be hearing about a missing person, wildfire conditions, or police tracking dogs moving through backyards from Facebook, neighbors, or kids in town. They should be hearing from their town government. This is not really about whether you personally press the CodeRED button. Or how many task forces you have created. It is about leadership. You are the First Selectman. You are responsible for making sure the town communicates clearly, quickly, and visibly when public safety is involved. So yes, it is nice that you have finally acknowledged the problem. But the public did not need this storm to figure it out. We have been saying it for a long time. Bruce, you were missing when the town needed to hear from you. The question now is whether this storm finally woke you up, or whether this is just another late apology followed by more silence.

The topic may be the same but the narratives every other week differ and I appreciate the installments. Rebuttals on factual content rather than focusing on form would improve the discourse.

Elections Have Consequences XXVI

Who would think that we would start losing count? Maybe not so much a typo as a copy-and-paste error, easy to understand after this much repetition.

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Hearts Of Hope Sponsors 'Paint With A Purpose' Event

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