I might be giving away my age, but I was what they used to call, a latchkey kid.  By 9 years old I was responsible for getting my younger siblings safely home  from school and watching over them until our parents arrived from work a few hours later.  I have fond memories of the trouble ... I mean fun...  we got into on the 1 mile walk through the north end of Hartford, and of the "creative" activities we cooked up instead of doing our homework, much to our parents' daily frustration.  

These memories are why I have such an appreciation for ConnectiKids. A positive youth development program like ConnectiKids would have kept us occupied during those unsupervised hours.  But ConnectiKids is much more than just an after-school program. ConnectiKids supports children in all that they do and all that they want to be in life.  ConnectiKids would have provided my siblings and I with tutors to help us complete our homework.  ConnectiKids would have matched us with caring mentors to stimulate our inquisitive minds with educational games and explore goals for our future. ConnectiKids would have provided us opportunities for self expression and further learning in its Friday Enrichment Program and kept us engaged throughout the summer with an awesome summer program - all free of charge.  My parents would have loved that!  

ConnectiKids shares everything it has with the community - time and effort, resources, information - anything it has all goes back into the community, for the children.  This why I smile when I start my job at ConnectiKids each day and why I'm still smiling at the end of each day .  Please join with me in an effort to raise funds for this very special place doing great things for Hartford's youth and making a difference that will last them a lifetime!