Pat-A-Cake is a Christian preschool and child care center that offers an all-year program for children from 3 months to 5 years old.
The school was founded in January 2006. The school teaches "hands-on" play and offers activities to develop social, emotional, cognitive and verbal skills.
Byram Shubert Library is one of three public libraries that make up the Greenwich Library System. Town librarians say it is the "cultural, educational and social heart of Byram and Western Greenwich."
The branch is named after John Shubert, a famed theater owner and operator whose wife was an influential advocate for the library's construction.
The building has doubled in size since it first opened in 1974. Today the library boasts a large collection of adult, young adult and children's literature; some books are available in Spanish. Periodicals include local and national newspapers and magazines in both English and Spanish. Magazine back issues can be checked out.
Story hours for various age groups, seasonal reading clubs and film screenings are offered throughout the year. The library's meeting room seats 125 and is available for free to Greenwich nonprofit clubs and organizations. Reservations are required.
Since 1953, the volunteer organization known as the Friends of the Byram Shubert Library has helped support the programming and maintenance of the library. Anyone who lives, works or studies in Greenwich is eligible to obtain a library card, free of charge.
Greenwich Ballet Academy is a non-profit dance organization. The academy allows admissions for various skill levels by audition only. It offers training in classical ballet, contemporary and modern dance.
"Excite Your Life" is the motto of the Greenwich Senior Center, and with a weekly schedule that includes exercise, games, language classes, arts and crafts, health forums, line dancing, concerts, daily luncheons and weekend day trips, the community center certainly provides a means to that end. It also offers a number of social services regarding housing, health and energy assistance.
A nutritious hot meal is served daily during the workweek, between noon and 1 pm. Lunch inside is $3, take out is $3.25, and reservations should be made before 1pm the prior day. There are transportation services to and from the center. Some 400 members participate in Greenwich Senior Center events every day.
Sacred Heart Parish includes the Convent of the Franciscan Sisters of the Atonement, home to three nuns who are active in the community. The parish is a part of the Diocese of Bridgeport.
Mass is held Friday mornings at 7am, Saturday afternoons at 4pm and 5:30pm, and Sunday mornings at 7:30am, 9:30am and 11:30am.
Confessions are given on Saturday at 3:30pm to 4pm and at 5pm to 5:30 pm.
The church's School Hall is home to Pat-a-Cake Playschool. The space can accommodate up to 100 people and is available to parishioners for rental.
This Reading Room is affiliated with the Christian Science Church at 11 Park Place. Religious materials are available in different languages and for children. There are publications for sale, including the Bible, writings by Mary Baker Eddy and The Christian Science Monitor. Look for the Reading Room on the Avenue next to the old clock and across from the post office.
The small but vibrant parish of St. Agnes is home to a shrine to Our Lady of Lourdes, a grotto similar to the original in France.
Mass is held Monday through Thursday and on Holy Days at 9am. A Saturday vigil is read at 5pm, and confessions are heard on the first Saturday of the month after the evening service. Sunday services are at 8:30am and 10am.
Professional soloists and an organist fill the church with music during Mass. Catechism classes for grades one through eight meet on Wednesday afternoons and guide children through the sacraments of First Reconciliation, Holy Communion and Confirmation. The church's large carriage room includes a kitchen and bar, suitable for receptions and parties. It can seat up to 220 people.
Since its founding 1975, Neighbor to Neighbor has worked to distribute clothing, food and other necessities to those in need throughout the area. In 1984, the nonprofit opened its Client Choice food program, which allows clients to browse the pantry and choose their own groceries with the aid of a volunteer or a nutrition-conscious shopping list.Clients are referred to the charity, which currently feeds over 275 families per week.
Neighbor to Neighbor accepts donations of food, clothing, linens and household items. Financial donations are also accepted and volunteers are welcome. For more information on donations and opportunities to lend a hand, visit the Neighbor to Neighbor website.
Incorporated in 1901, the Greenwich Exchange for Women's Work supports local artisans and consigners by providing a marketplace for handcrafted items.
The shop, located inside a historic house, retails handmade children's clothes and blankets, vintage linens, gifts, antiques and collectibles to name but a few.
More than 200 consignors work with the organization, receiving nearly two-thirds of the selling price; remaining proceeds go toward operating expenses and charitable contributions.
A volunteer Board of Directors manages the exchange and helps coordinate the annual Christmas Fair at the Round Hill Club each November.
The Exchange relies on its membership, volunteers and shop patrons. For information on how to get involved, or to glimpse the goods-on-offer, visit the Greenwich Exchange for Women's Work website.
Located inside the Greenwich Library, Community Answers is here to set you straight. The team will work with you to answer any questions you have regarding the Greenwich area from community organizations to services and special events.
This cemetery is large and open, with private tombs and family walls. Among a few other notable people, the parents of President George H. W. Bush are buried here. Putnam Cemetery truly is a beautiful final resting place.
Since 1986, Greenwich Green & Clean has worked to clean and beautify all the public spaces in which residents live and work. The group's main office is at the Pemberwick Community Center.
The nonprofit environmental group is made up of volunteers, local garden clubs and neighborhood associations, schools, scouts, civic groups and private citizens — all of whom work together on a number of environmental projects throughout the year.
Greenwich Green & Clean is responsible for potting and maintaining the town's hanging baskets, landscaping and maintaining town highway exits, monitoring the annual town-wide clean ups in May and October and overseeing recycling programs.
Volunteers are needed to plant and maintain more than 1,400 acres of green space in Greenwich. Student volunteers eager to lend a hand during the summer months are welcome.
The character and size of Grass Island has changed dramatically since the early 1940s when the land served largely as a dumping ground. The shorefront property has now doubled its original size and serves many a purpose.
A portion of the island remains the Town's sewage treatment plant. Greenwich Yacht Club maintains the parking lot, clubhouse and boat slips. The marina is open to the public. The remaining 14 acres is a managed conservation area, maintained as a meadow with a variety of grasses and wildflowers. It is a haven for wildlife. Grass Island is open to Greenwich residents all year.
The Audubon Center in Greenwich opened in 1942 on land donated by Eleanor Clovis Reese and H. Hall Clovis. It was the first of the National Audubon Society's environmental education centers in the country.
The organization's main sanctuary on Riversville Road is also the largest, comprised of 285 acres, with 7 miles of walking trails and the shallow Mead Lake.
Perhaps best known for as the site for the Quaker Ridge Hawk Watch, the Center provides one of the best locations in New England to view the fall migration of raptors.
The Kimberlin Nature Education Center building, home to the children's learning center, gallery, nature gift store and wildlife viewing window, is also located on the property. The space is available for rentals.
Audubon Greenwich is comprised of 11 other sanctuaries (seven of which are accessible by the public) totaling 686 acres of woodlands, meadows and wetlands, and 15 additional miles of hiking trails.
Admission fee for non-members is $3 adults, $1.50 children/seniors.
The Greenwich Chamber of Commerce, established in 1917, is a non-profit business organization that advocates for the local business community. The chamber works with some 4,000 local business people and offers a number of programs in the interest of bettering the quality of life in town.
The First Lutheran Church in downtown Greenwich is a member congregation of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod.
Services are held year-round at 10:30am on Sundays. The congregation meets for coffee after the service, and adults are then invited to attend Bible Study. Sunday School for children is held at 9:30am before worship.
The church's parish hall can accommodate up to 100 people, and a few smaller classrooms are available for use by community groups.
The traditional service at First Presbyterian Church begins at 10am each Sunday, during which time children through the 7th grade are invited to attend education programs. The semi-professional Chancel Choir leads the service.
An additional Sunday evening service is held in the Anderson Chapel at 5pm and during the summer months, an 8:30am service is held in the Seaside Garden at Greenwich Point, weather permitting. Childcare is available during all services.
In addition to Sunday School, children can participate in the church choirs. There's a special youth group for middle school children as well as a Confirmation class. Faith Inspired Senior High (FISH) provides highschoolers with an array of faith-formation and social activities.
The Fellowship Committee coordinates a number of activities and family events throughout the year, including the annual summer picnic and Homecoming Sunday.
The First Presbyterian Church Nursery School also operates at the church.