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AA Preamble

How It Works

Guest Speaker Ed  4:30

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AA Preamble

How It Works

Guest Speaker Nancy  4:30

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Excerpt Citizen Media Maven (My USA250 Story ~Adele Houston)

Full story here: Glimpses Through Stained Glass Blogspot

Happy birthday America, land of contradictions—and of truths, still becoming

As I read, I learn, or relearn ...

The rare book library ultimately helped me value writing as, not only a process and a legacy, but a means to formulate ourselves. 

Red White and Bicentennial Blues

Revisiting the nation’s founding exhibit at the The Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library a second time triggered different memories. My demo cassette tape of Red, White and Blues had mixed reviews. Ultimately, prospective funders deemed it too controversial. I was not willing to abandon my words a second time. The song that remains foremost in my memory speaks to the paradox that is America.

America is both sides of the coin we come to make, that’s what makes her great.

…the original poem reminisced about seeing the Statue of Liberty for the first time. The “I” in that poem is me—a girl not yet sure she had the standing to call herself a writer, or to claim the liberty Lady Liberty promised. Women’s right to vote was barely fifty years old. My right to my own credit card, not yet won. I did not struggle free of that in the writing. But that struggle is mine. 

Red, White and Blues 

I was looking up, at Lady Liberty,
in the harbor of immigrant city,
when an old man, cautions questioningly,
What does this lady speak to me?
My knotted thoughts they struggled free…
What America means… What does America
mean? To me?
Grandma was an immigrant. Grandpa philosophized.
America is both sides of the coin
we come to make. That’s what makes her great.
So he set his hands to working, until they ached.
Grandma prayed for my Daddy’s sake.
I believe that you, can show me too,
Red, White and Blue.
Because you’re part of me, and I am part of you.
Then my dad inherited what they had done,
he continued on, it was for his son.
Now I’ve 16 years of schooling
where in something lies, ‘bout what Grandpa philosophized.
America it’s you I make, and when you ache,
I am aching too. But I believe in me,
And so you see, I believe in you.
My knotted thoughts they struggled free…
That’s what America means,
what America means, to me.

Another song in the collection, Never A Sunshine Patriot, embodied in stanzas the biography of the inconvenient revolutionary, Thomas Paine. 

Two hundred and fifty years on, the contradictions have not resolved. They have accumulated. Jefferson’s self-doubt and Paine’s inconvenient truths, the Dunlap Broadside and the Declaration of Sentiments, the man honored at the cemetery and the man erased from it—these are not footnotes to the founding. They are the founding, still unfinished. The bus pass expires. The voices stay. That, too, is America.

Recorded March 17 2026

(0:30) I'm Georgian Lussier, your host, and I'm delighted to introduce today's guests, Paulette (0:35) Fox and Marchelle Pendelton with OIC of New Britain. (0:41) Paulette is the executive director, and she's been there many years. (0:46) And Marchelle is the youth prevention coordinator, and she's also been there at least 15 years.(0:53) Paulette is an award-winning executive director, and Marchelle belongs to many community organizations (0:59) and boards, including the Breast Health Initiative. (1:03) Welcome ladies. (1:04) Welcome.(1:05) Good evening, Georgie. (1:06) Paulette, congrats on another successful, at least 10 years, since the last time you (1:12) were on our show here at OIC New Britain. (1:16) And you've continued to emphasize the importance of collaboration and partnerships as being (1:21) key to OIC's success.(1:24) Absolutely. (1:25) If you don't collaborate, you will evaporate. (1:28) And I use that phrase because, more so today, in the last five years, you have to collaborate (1:36) on grants, on partnerships.(1:39) You have to be in bed with everybody in your community. (1:42) It's no longer applying for grants in isolation. (1:46) You have to be at the table with multiple partners.(1:51) Capital Workforce Partners and I have been a partner now for over 41 years. (1:56) The United Way and I have been partners since 2001. (2:00) The school district is 41 years.(2:02) I've been a partner with them. (2:04) The New Britain Chamber of Commerce is a partner. (2:06) The police department, fire department and, of course, the city of New Britain.(2:10) And I can go on with all of the nonprofits. (2:13) We gather together once a month, and we have a local prevention council, where everybody (2:19) in New Britain is a member. (2:21) So collaboration and partnership is critical.(2:25) And what do you see as the big picture, as we look forward for OIC, of New Britain, in (2:31) terms of programming, emphasis? (2:34) I'm excited because OIC has always been ahead of the curve. (2:38) And right now, we are focusing on career pathways for youth who are entering sixth grade all (2:45) the way through high school and out-of-school youth. (2:48) We want to make sure that youth develop a career pathway when they leave fifth grade.(2:53) They need to have an idea of what they want to be. (2:57) And parents need to help us with this. (2:59) The community needs to help us, and the school district, because it's doable.(3:04) By having a lot of partners and collaborating with people, we can put youth in the different (3:10) departments at the city, the police department, the fire department. (3:13) We can have them role model as teachers to see what a teacher's day is actually like. (3:19) So we have the opportunity to really be real creative in New Britain.(3:23) And I'm excited about that. (3:25) Terrific. (3:25) So I've always thought of OIC as being a forward-moving workforce development.(3:32) Are there other auxiliary programs, or is it largely workforce development? (3:37) It's largely workforce development and education. (3:41) And now we're looking at the different opportunities that our youth can go into, especially at (3:48) New Britain High School with the academies. (3:49) And my favorite one has always been the Allied Health Academy up there, because there's such (3:56) a great need.(3:57) I'm in that age group where we are going to need certified nurses assistants, licensed (4:03) practical nurses, RNs. (4:05) We are going to need an array of people in the Allied Health fields. (4:09) Great opportunities for youth.(4:11) And that's where I first met you, actually, through Maria, in my involvement with the (4:17) board of the Hospital for Special Care. (4:20) They were a partner in that program. (4:23) Right? (4:23) Absolutely.(4:23) Again, a number of years ago, and having all those work experiences, and whether they work (4:28) in the summer, after school, part of the school curricul

Recorded March 10th  Eileen's Story

After the AA Preamble & How It Works

Guest Speaker 4:30 

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Recorded Feb 10

After the AA Preamble & How It Works

Guest Speaker 4:30 Tim

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Recorded Feb 10

After the AA Preamble & How It Works

Guest Speaker 1:25 Joe

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Recorded Jan 20