Community Corner

3 Shelton Businesses Win Grants

Three city business owners will be honored Dec. 17 by the Women in Networking Group.

The grant recipients are: Nicole Heriot, owner of Bring the Hoopla, Shelton, CT, at $1500; Linda Drost, owner of Daily Aromatherapy, Ansonia, CT, at $1100; JoElle Anderson, owner of Dragonflies, Seymour, CT at $1000; Alyssa Antonucci, Beads by Alyssa, Ansonia, at $600; Jaime Aulet, Jaime’s Barefoot Books Boutique, Shelton, at $500; and Wendy Hahn, owner of Connecticut Chocolate Pie LLC (dba Chocolate Pizza Company), Shelton, with a WBDC Scholarship. 

This the program's 10th annual award, to be held at Courtyard by Marriott, 780 Bridgeport Ave., Shelton. 

All six winners will be presented with grants during the holiday luncheon of the WIN group on Tuesday. The grant is distributed from funds received from WIN membership dues and fundraisers organized by the group. This past fall, WIN’s Appletini Harvest at Inn Villa Blanca raised over $8,000, according to a press release.

The grant recipients will utilize the grant in different ways: Bring the Hoopla will produce materials for an educational kit; Daily Aromatherapy to aquire additional inventory and take certification classes; Dragonflies will be upgrading their website with additional training; Beads by Alyssa will be applying the money towards new marketing materials; Jaime’s Barefoot Books Boutiquewill be purchasing display materials along with additional inventory; and Connecticut Chocolate Pie LLC will obtain a scholarship for WBDC FastTrak program. 

“We are pleased to continue the legacy of awarding annual grants to well-qualified entrepreneurial women in the Valley,” said Courtney George, Chair of the WIN Group and a principal and chair of Cohen and Wolf, P.C.'s Employment & Labor Group. “During these difficult economic times, we are pleased to offer over $6,000 in grants in encourage economic development in the Valley.” 

Sharon Massafra, franchise owner of Home Instead Senior Care and independent consultant with Arbonne International, chaired the grant selections committee. 

This grant-in-aid program provides financial assistance to women 18 years or age or older in the Greater Valley area in the towns of Ansonia, Beacon Falls, Derby, Oxford, Seymour and Shelton. 

The WIN grant can be used for expenses to enhance the applicant’s current business or to start a new business. These expenses may include: equipment, tuition, books, transportation, business wardrobe or childcare necessary to reach the applicant’s career goals. Recipients are also invited to a complimentary one-year membership to the WIN Group. 

Since its inception, WIN has donated over $38,000 to 35 grant recipients. 

WIN was founded in 2002 by a successful group of businesswomen who meet to discuss common issues. Meetings are conducted on the second and fourth Tuesdays of each month. These meetings are either held at the Greater Valley Chamber of Commerce office or off-site at a Chamber member location. Social and educational events are also scheduled throughout the year. 




Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here