The Student Government Association (SGA) of Naugatuck Valley Community College is leading the College’s participation in the International Walk to School Day on October 8, 2014. Starting at 2 p.m., students, faculty, staff and community partners will meet in Café West, where the first 250 NVCC students will receive free bright yellow T-shirts to raise awareness of the need for sidewalks.  The SGA will organize the group to meet at the East Entrance of the College to walk along Chase Parkway to the West Entrance.

The event intends to raise awareness of the need for sidewalks along Chase Parkway where both students and residents who use the bus will walk to campus. The College is seeking support at both state and local levels because Chase Parkway is a state road, not a city street.

State Senator Joan Hartley (D-15) and Sam Gold, Executive Director of the Regional Council of Governments have also been helping the College through the process, which often takes a long time.  Hartley noted, “We have joined partners on the state and local level by working with Mayor Neil O’Leary and the State Delegation to garner resources for this initiative.”  The need is urgent because there are many students and residents who take the bus and have to walk along Chase Parkway, which is extremely dangerous, especially in the winter.

President Daisy Cocco De Filippis, Ph.D. said “There are students who cannot get to their future. We are their future.” The College is reaching out to the entire community on this day to highlight the urgent need and make anyone who can help aware of the situation.

The timely event will be held right before the winter and the implementation of a campus-wide improvement project that will add sidewalks inside the campus which would lead right onto Chase Parkway.

The public is invited to help support sidewalks on Chase Parkway for our students. You are invited to join in the walk for Sidewalks for Safety, Sidewalks for Students. To register to walk or support the sidewalks please contact Karen  Blake at 203-575-8269 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.