Ziti dinner to aid Sereno
A ziti dinner to help raise money for Stacey Sereno will be held on Feb. 9 from 4:30 to 8 p.m. at the Echo Hose Ambulance Training Center, 430 Coram Ave., Shelton. Dinner, soft drinks and desserts will be served at the event, which is being sponsored by Echo Hose Ambulance, Southwestern Regional Communications and Trumbull EMS. Those wishing to donate a raffle prize, food, beverages, desserts or other items can contact Kristen Ostrowski at EventswithKO@gmail.com. To purchase tickets, contact Joe Laucella at 203-924-5500.
Free tax prep available in Valley
TEAM’s Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program will offer free tax preparation and filing services to eligible Valley households needing to file their 2018 returns.
VITA is a financial literacy initiative providing free tax preparation services for individual or family incomes less than $55,000 a year. TEAM’s IRS-trained volunteers not only prepare and file basic tax returns, they also educate participants on the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), child tax credits, and many other tax-related issues and opportunities.
This service is available by appointment on Sundays, Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays beginning Jan. 27 and continuing through April 15. Either schedule online at www.211ct.org/taxhelp or call TEAM (203) 736-5420, ext.1206, for more assistance and information.
TEAM holds the program at 30 Elizabeth St., Derby (Monday, Wednesday and Saturday); Derby Neck Library, 307 Hawthorne Ave., Derby (Sunday); and Milford Senior Center, 9 Jepson Drive, Milford (Sunday and Monday).
Historical society meeting to focus on Commodore Hull
Fame and Infamy for the Hulls of Derby and Shelton in 1812 will be the subject of a presentation by Carolyn Ivanoff at the Shelton Historical Society’s annual meeting on Sunday, Jan. 27.
Ivanoff, a Shelton High School educator and independent historian, said she is committed to bringing history, social studies, and literacy programs beyond the classroom and into the community. The meeting will be held at the Huntington Congregational Church Fellowship Hall, 19 Church St., Shelton at 2 p.m.
The program will celebrate Shelton’s hometown hero, Commodore Isaac Hull, and his role in the War of 1812. Some historians have billed it the second war for American independence, but hindsight makes a declaration of war by a fledgling nation against the superpower of the day seem like insanity.
Two men from the Hull Family of Derby and Shelton (then Huntington) fought for their nation that summer. Uncle William’s infamous defeat would bring him national scorn and Nephew Isaac’s extraordinary and astonishing naval victory would bring him a national fame. Travel back to that summer of 1812 and the events of the nation’s most unpopular war and the heroic feats of Shelton’s greatest hero.
There will be a brief business meeting prior to the presentation. The meeting is free and open to the public, though donations are welcome. Refreshments will be served. In case of inclement weather, refer to the Shelton History Center’s Facebook page. For more information, call (203) 925-1803.