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Appleseed served as the catalyst for the formation of  Bank on Connecticut , a statewide 2011 effort to better serve unbanked and underbanked residents that is endorsed by State Treasurer Denise Nappier and Connecticut Banking Commissioner Howard Pitkin. Nonprofit community organizations are partnering with financial institutions in 5 localized pilot tests (in Stamford, Norwalk, Bridgeport, Derby and New Haven) that will help individuals progress gradually from financial education coursework toward long-term banking relationships</li> </ul> <p><strong>Improving Children's Access to Dental Care </strong></p> <ul> <li><a href="http://www.ctappleseed.org/pdfs/dataccomplishments.doc" target="_blank">Dental Access &ndash; CT Appleseed Accomplishments</a></li> <li>A collaborative 2007 advocacy success in which Appleseed had helped to persuade the state to fix the state s dental Medicaid program is paying big dividends. After materially increasing Medicaid reimbursement rates, the number of dentists treating Medicaid children rose by more than 700 in just two years.</li> <li>For a fourth consecutive year, Board member Dr. Mike Perl led the fund-raising for an immensely successful, weekend-long 2011 dental clinic that provided free dental care to roughly 2,000 patients who cannot afford dental care. Appleseed provided pro bono lawyers to draft release forms for dentists at this "Connecticut Mission of Mercy" (CTMOM).</li> </ul> <p><strong>Public School Education</strong></p> <p>We distributed more than 6,500 copies of our 5 handbooks that demystify complex education law issues for parents and began holding &ldquo;Ask a Lawyer&rdquo; parent forums across the state to discuss these issues. Our bilingual handbooks cover the following topics:</p> <ul> <li>Special Education: The Policies and Your Rights After the Planning and Placement Team (PPT) Process</li> <li>Zero Tolerance Suspension &amp; Expulsion Policies</li> <li>Bullying and Your Rights </li> <li>The Nuts and Bolts Of How Your School Is Funded</li> <li>Rights and Regulations in Working Proactively with your Child&rsquo;s School District &amp; Teacher</li> </ul> <p>Our "Keep Kids in School: Improving School Discipline" project deployed a team of pro bono attorneys to interview officials and teachers in 9 key school districts across the state to find cost-effective means of conducting in-school suspension. Our findings, intended to redirect school districts' disciplinary policies toward retention and away from suspension and expulsion, <a href="http://www.ctappleseed.org/pdfs/707/Keep_Kids_in_School-Improving_School_Discipline.pdf" target="_blank"><u>was issued in a major report</u></a> in February 2001. We will lead a related forum on in-school suspension in November, 2011 at a joint meeting of Connecticut school superintendents (CAPSS) and boards of education (CABE). </p><p>Our Anti-Bullying project is applying the same interview format to accelerate implementation by school districts of their responsibilities under Connecticut s anti-bullying statutes. Requirements in a 2008 statute that school boards implement a bullying prevention strategy and train school personnel were expanded in 2011 to address cyberbullying. After recruiting more than twenty attorneys at Travelers Insurance to interview school officials, Connecticut Appleseed partnered with the Governor s Prevention Partnership to find and share Best Practices in bullying prevention among the state s school districts.</p> <p><strong>Homelessness</strong></p> <ul> <li><a href="http://www.ctappleseed.org/pdfs/helpctaccomplishments.doc" target="_blank">Hartford Homelessness &ndash; CT Appleseed Accomplishments</a></li> <li>We partnered to launch the Hartford "H.E.L.P." program which providespro bono legal assistance to homeless individuals each week at twoHartford shelters. Connecticut Appleseed recruits the local attorneys, prompted development of a training manual for the volunteer lawyers and administers the program. In its first 19 months, roughly 75 free legal clinics provided assistance to more than 250 individuals. </li> </ul> <p><strong>Elder Law Education</strong></p> <ul> <li>We distributed free copies to over 1,650 seniors of the 100-page book &ldquo;<a href="http://ctappleseed.org/pdfs/707/elderlawresourcebooklet.pdf" target="_blank">Connecticut Elder Law Resources</a>&rdquo; in almost 60 attorney-led workshops at more than 45 senior centers across the state.</li> </ul> <p><strong>Mental Illness and the Criminal Justice System</strong></p> <ul> <li>We partnered with NAMI-CT to develop and distribute a 57-page guide entitled &ldquo;<a href="http://ctappleseed.org/pdfs/707/mi-criminallawhandbook.pdf" target="_blank">Understanding the Criminal Justice System: A Guide for Adults with Mental Illness, Advocates and Families</a>&quot;. Appleseed printed 1,000 copies for NAMI-CT to distribute. NAMI reports that response to the guide has been excellent.</li> </ul> <p><strong>Connecting Through Literacy Inmates with their Children ( CLICC )</strong></p> <ul> <li>In 2009, after recruiting partners and training volunteer mentors, Appleseed successfully conducted a pilot test at the Federal Correctional Institution in Danbury, CT of our literacy program that helps children stay connected with their incarcerated and distant parents by jointly reading books and discussing them over secure e-mail. A grant application decision by the U.S. Department of Justice in August, 2011 will determine whether the Connecticut Appleseed and our partner organizations will have funding to replicate this program at facilities both within and beyond the state. </li> </ul> <!-- #EndEditable --></td> <td width="43" bgcolor="#FFFFFF"><img src="../images/spacer2.gif" width="43" height="12"></td> </tr> </table> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> </td> <td width="277" valign="top" bgcolor="#194632"> <table width="270" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="index_bodysmall" valign="top"> <tr> <td colspan="3"><img src="../images/spacer-green.gif" width="270" height="6"></td> </tr> <tr> <td width="10" background="../images/bg-green.gif"><img src="../images/bg-green.gif" width="10" height="12"></td> <td width="250" background="../images/bg-green.gif" valign="top"><br><!-- #BeginEditable "Signup%20Form" --> <!--#include virtual="../includes/signup.htm" --> <b><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">QUICK LINKS TO OUR PROJECTS: </font></b> <!--#include virtual="../includes/quick.htm" --> <p>&nbsp;</p><table width="250" border="1" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" bordercolor="FFFFFF"> <tr> <td bgcolor="63755F" class="index_bodysmall"> <div style="padding-top:17px;padding-bottom:17px;padding-left:17px;padding-right:17px;text-align:left;"><strong>A PART OF THE APPLESEED NETWORK</strong> <span class="white"><a href="http://www.appleseednetwork.org" target="_blank">www.appleseednetwork.org</a></span> Appleseed, a non-partisan and non-profit organization, is a network of public interest law Centers working to identify and address injustices in their communities. Appleseed works to build a just society through education, legal advocacy, community activism and policy expertise, addressing root causes and producing practical solutions. As one of the nation's largest legal pro bono networks, Appleseed Centers work both independently and collectively, bringing their own experiences to create local solutions that are nationally relevant. We connect the top private practice lawyers, corporate counsel, law schools, civic leaders, and other professionals to tackle problems locally, at their root cause.</div></td> </tr> </table> <!-- #EndEditable --></td> <td width="12" background="../images/bg-green.gif"><img src="../images/bg-green.gif" width="10" height="12"></td> </tr> </table> </td> </tr> <tr bgcolor="63755F" valign="middle"> <td colspan="2" height="26" class="index_footer"> <div align="center" class="white"><a href="http://www.ctappleseed.org/index.shtml">Home</a> | <a href="http://www.ctappleseed.org/about/index.shtml">About Us</a> | <a href="http://www.ctappleseed.org/projects/index.shtml">Projects</a> | <a href="http://www.ctappleseed.org/communications/index.shtml">Communications</a> | <a href="http://www.ctappleseed.org/contribute/index.shtml">Contribute</a> | <a href="http://www.ctappleseed.org/join/index.shtml">Join Our Mailing List</a> | <a href="http://www.ctappleseed.org/contact/index.shtml">Contact Us</a> | <a href="http://www.ctappleseed.org/sitemap/index.shtml">Site Map</a> | <a href="http://www.ctappleseed.org/privacy/index.shtml">Privacy Policy</a> | &copy; CTA 2004</div> </td> </tr> </table> </td> </tr> </table> <map name="Map"> <area shape="rect" coords="1,28,152,68" href="http://www.ctappleseed.org/join/index.shtml" alt="Join Our Mailing List" title="Join Our Mailing List"> </map> <map name="Map2"> <area shape="rect" coords="1,32,104,66" href="http://www.ctappleseed.org/contribute/index.shtml" alt="Contribute" title="Contribute"> </map> </body> <!-- #EndTemplate --></html>