Shelton Woman Named Volunteer of the Year

A Shelton woman was honored at the Connecticut's Teacher Education And Mentoring Program (TEAM) awards dinner in Seymour this past June for her volunteer work with children.

Joy Jarvais received the "Volunteer of the Year" award in appreciation for her support of TEAM's early education program. Jarvais said that when she was laid off four years ago, she promised herself she would do something more positive with her time, leading her to focus on improving childrens' lives.

My reception speach was that when I got laid off 4 years ago, I promised I would do something positive with my time while I was unemployed and what could be more positive that improving childrens lives.

David Morgan, director of the early education program, introduced Jarvais saying: "In September 2010 Joy enrolled her daughter Lexi into Shelton School Readiness Program. When she met with the staff at the initial home visit to learn the classroom routine and guidelines she was eager to share her creative talents with the children. The staff was eager to have her as a key participant in the classroom. She began integrating her art activities to relate to the various learning topics. She provided all the appropriate materials and support to the children and was always a pleasure to be around. The children were eager and enthusiastic when Miss Joy came to do art. She made snowflake frames and took pictures of the children; She made a leprachaun figure to create photos for the children. She has been an asset to the children and staff and always goes the extra mile to help. She has been a great resource for the teaching staff and given her time, experiance, and resourcefulness. She recently obtained books from the Shelton Public Library for the classroom and also enabled the class to receive a visit from the librarian. Joy is an excelent example of how we can all have a positive influence on children's lives."