TEAM, Inc.

10/22/2026

We are getting our TEAM Toys 4 Kids collection boxes out in the community! If you can host one, please fill out this form: https://forms.gle/bYs1317NKmtgbHnm9

And join us next Wednesday, October 28th to pick up your box and materials! RSVP REQUIRED @ LINK ABOVE!

10/21/2026

Absolutely honored and grateful to the Derby Elks Lodge #571 for this MASSIVE donation of diapers & children's books to support the children and families enrolled in our Early Childhood Centers! Thank you for this coordianted effort to bring support, relief, and just as importantly - JOY - to families who need it most right here in our Valley.

The Derby Elks # 571 donated and delivered over $2500 worth of baby supplies and children’s books yesterday to TEAM to help needy families! Great job!!

10/21/2026

WOW! We at TEAM are still looking back at last Thursday with big smiles and full hearts.

This community is something special. Thank you for coming together to celebrate 61 years of TEAM and to show your support for our work in our community - and for reminding us what is possible when we have each other to lean on. 🌻

This event brought together neighbors, partners, volunteers, and friends and we were proud to honor four extraordinary people and organizations who work closely with TEAM to make our mission possible:

🏆 President’s Award — Valley Transit District
🤝 Partnership Award — M&T Bank
⭐ Volunteer of the Year — Julie Risko
💛 Lillian Chrostowski Award — Yvette Cartagena

Thank you to every person who filled the room, brought a toy for TEAM Toys 4 Kids, and continues to believe in what this community can do together. You are why TEAM continues to be here as a steady light for our community.

And thank you to our sponsors for helping to make the event possible: Valley Community Foundation Peralta Design Connecticut Institute of Finance
The WorkPlace Connecticut Institute for Refugees and Immigrants Ion Bank Insperity Minuteman Press Shelton Jones Family Farms

10/18/2026

10/14/2026

Grateful to have our friends at Connecticut Institute for Refugees and Immigrants as sponsors for TEAM's 61st Annual Meeting! TEAM is fortunate to have superb partners who support us in our work!

10/14/2026

Grateful for another sponsor announcement! Since moving to Shelton, the team at Connecticut Institute of Finance has been incredibly supportive of TEAM's work - including hosting a unique client toy collection for TEAM Toys 4 Kids! We are grateful for their continued support and belief in the value of TEAM's mission: providing tools & resources so everyone in our community has a chance to succeed.

Join us tomorrow for breakfast to hear an update on TEAM's work and get inspired for the next chapter! givebutter.com/teaminc61

10/13/2026

Thank you to our friends at Ion Bank for their generous and continued support of TEAM! Our helping programs and supports for families are only made possible by our community coming together. We are grateful for the continued support and belief in our work - changing lives!

Join us Thursday: givebutter.com/teaminc61

10/11/2026

TEAM staff had the opportunity to attend the annual New England Community Action Conference, hosted in New Haven by our very own Connecticut Association for Community Action. We were grateful for the opportunity to connect with other Community Action Agencies across New England doing similar work in their own communities. We learned valuable lessons in our breakout sessions on: the Whole Family Approach, the science of decision-making, the art of reflective supervision, innovations in food access, parent participation in advocacy & community programs, mindfulness, federal funding streams, crisis communications and much more! It is an investment to take time away from the office and focus on learning - but this is one investment well worth it. TEAM staff are reinvigorated, inspired, and recharged to take on the work ahead.

10/11/2026

One more shoutout to our friends at the Valley Community Foundation for sponsoring our 61st Annual Meeting, coming up this Thursday! Thank you for helping TEAM make a difference.

Join us for breakfast and an update on TEAM's work: givebutter.com/teaminc61

10/10/2026

"Jillian Ruisi, Director of Community Services at TEAM Inc., emphasized that heating costs had climbed along with other costs even before the recent spike...
'This is all happening at the same time as cuts to [food assistance], cuts to Medicaid, and to federal support,' Ruisi said. Medicaid changes from the Trump administration’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act removed 4,000 from Medicaid rolls, with an additional 108,000 at-risk of losing health insurance in 2027."
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CT Insider recently spoke with TEAM staff to understand what residents are facing this winter, especially those who heat with oil. While prices continue to rise for heating oil and other essentials including food, gas, and healthcare access, community members are encouraged to reach out to TEAM to inquire about assistance. We process applications for the CT Energy Assistance Program (CEAP) and can assist families with much more as we face another winter.

Heating oil reached $5.90 a gallon in Connecticut in September. At current prices, a typical oil-heated household could pay about $1,540 more this winter.