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Practically Idealistic blog
 
The title for this blog originated with use of the term “practical idealist” in this 1996 opinion piece, which asked: “To what kind of work should a practical idealist aspire?” A century and a half earlier, Emerson, in his 1841 essay Circles, wrote: “There are degrees in idealism.  We learn first to play with it academically. . . .  Then we see in the heyday of youth and poetry that it may be true, that it is true in gleams and fragments.  Then, its countenance waxes stern and grand, and we see that it must be true.  It now shows itself ethical and practical.”  John Dewey and Mahatma Gandhi embraced practical idealism in the 20th century, as did UN Secretary General U Thant.  Al Gore invoked it in a 1998 speech. In the context of this blog, the term is meant to convey idealism tempered but not overwhelmed by realism: a search for the ideal on a path guided by common sense.

Saturday, May 31, 2025

Federal, State, Local, and Private Funding for Nonprofits

The Connecticut Mirror addressed effects of federal funding cuts, incuding reduction of the Crime Victims Fund under the Victims of Crime Act (VOCA).

On behalf of Connecticut CASA, I was among the nonprofit representatives cited in the article--a couple of months after a related opinion piece.

In addition to VOCA, our organization is pursuing State funding, as three videos on Connecticut CASA's YouTube channel indicate.

That channel more recently includes video testimony of CASA volunteer Nick Ramirez and me at a City of New Haven meeting regarding federal Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funding, which we are also pursuing as a potential re-grant from the City.

Finally, the annual Great Give has concluded--an occasion for private funding.  Connecticut CASA is grateful to all who contribute, year-round, including those who donated through this event to help our organization raise some $42,105 from 114 donors. 

For the Great Give, Paul Bass of the New Haven Independent interviewed a colleague and me--the latest video on Connecticut CASA's YouTube channel.  Subscribe here.

2:20 pm edt 

Tuesday, March 4, 2025

"Federal Funds Benefit Connecticut Children and Families"

In similar opinion pieces in the Connecticut Mirror, Hearst CT Media, and Hartford Courant, I discussed federal funding--with a focus on Connecticut.

While sketching the broader context, the article highlighted examples of three federal funding streams affecting Connecticut CASA:

  • the Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) and Crime Victims Fund (CVF);
  • a Prevention Innovation Grant received, with HHS funds under the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA);
  • Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) funds to help CASA and other organizations aiming to prevent children's move from the dependency (child protection) to the dependency side of the juvenile court.

 A version of the piece also appears on Medium.

8:28 am est 

Friday, February 14, 2025

"From Congo to Connecticut, a Crisis--and Hope"

A Yale advisee, Jeannot Basima, and I co-authored an opinion piece (also on Medium) about his hometown of Goma, Congo--with references to international humanitarian organizations and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).

Jeannot, a sophomore studying political science and a member of Yale's varsity basketball team, is developing a nonprofit--fiscally sponsored by Dwight Hall at Yale--to support youth development in Goma.

In September 2024, Jeannot and I jointly presented at a Yale Alumni Nonprofit Alliance forum. Jeannot's portion of the program is on YouTube here, while my portion is excerpted on Connecticut CASA's YouTube channel.

7:10 pm est 

Monday, January 20, 2025

MLK Day and Mentoring Month

On the holiday in honor of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and during Mentoring Month, this is to recognize an interview of Erik Clemons--founding leader of ConnCAT and ConnCORP--by Professor Khalilah Brown-Dean, now of Wesleyan University.

The conversation, part of her "Disrupted" series on CT Public, addresses "community, hope, and love."

In earlier years, this blog has evoked MLK's "I have a dream" speech at the 1963 March on Washington--in which my father participated--and the theme of mentoring.

9:57 am est 

Saturday, October 12, 2024

Article(s) on Connecticut CASA and Partners for Children, Youth, and Families

The Connecticut Mirror and various Hearst CT Media outlets published different versions of an opinion piece that I wrote on the occasion(s) of Youth Justice Action, Domestic Violence Awareness, and Substance Use/Bullying Prevention Month(s)--October.

Relating Connecticut CASA and child welfare to the 119K Commission focused on concerns around some 119,000 young people ages 14-26 who are "disconnected" from school or employment or "at risk" of becoming so, the piece also addresses prevention priorities for children before age 14.

A similar version of the opinion article appears on Medium.
2:45 pm edt 

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