by Hall Neighborhood House | Jun 3, 2026 | About Hall, News
, we celebrated the retirement of Ms. Marie Bruce and honored her extraordinary 50-year career spent serving the Hall community.
To recognize her remarkable legacy, Hall presented Ms. Bruce with a watch and dedicated a new service award in her honor: The Marie Bruce Committed Service Recognition Award, which will recognize staff members who have devoted twenty or more years of service to Hall. She was also surprised with a proclamation from the Mayor’s Office declaring May 15 as Marie A. Bruce Day, in recognition of her decades of service to hundreds of Bridgeport families.
Ms. Bruce first came to Hall as a teenager participating in Hall’s teen programs, then returned as a college student through a social services job program. She was later officially hired, beginning a 50-year career in Family Services, where she provided financial assistance, guidance, and enrollment support to countless families.
Her family’s roots at Hall run deep. Her mother, aunt, sisters, and great-aunt all worked at Hall, while her two sons, along with many grandchildren and great-grandchildren, attended, or still attend, Hall’s Early Learning and Youth Services programs.
What Ms. Bruce loves most about Hall is its enduring presence in the East Side community and the opportunity to see generations of families come through its doors. She understands the impact her work has had and often describes Hall as her “home away from home”, which made her decision to retire especially difficult.
Ms. Bruce leaves behind an extraordinary legacy of wisdom, advocacy, compassion, and persistence that will continue to inspire generations to come.
Please join us in celebrating Ms. Marie Bruce and wishing her a happy and well-deserved retirement!
by Hall Neighborhood House | Mar 18, 2026 | About Hall, News
As we continue celebrating 140 years of Hall Neighborhood House, we’re looking back at where it all began and honoring how deeply those roots still guide our work today.
From Hall’s very first house to its downtown locations to our move to the East Side in 1957, we have cared for our neighbors and maintained an unwavering commitment to serve Bridgeport families.
That same spirit is still reflected today, and we’re excited to share a few updates with you from the past month. Keep reading to learn more about the staff who shape our programs every day, students filling the halls with Black History Month projects, celebrations shared across generations, and the lasting legacy of Ms. Diane Harvin.
Thank you for being part of this community!
Also, don’t forget to follow Hall Neighborhood House on social media to see what’s happening in our community and stay up to date on programs, events, and the neighbors we serve.
History Corner: Where Was Hall Originally Located?
In 1901, Sarah Hall donated her home to provide a safe residence for young women. That house, known as the “Hall Home,” became Hall Neighborhood House’s very first location.
In the following years, Hall expanded into two residences in downtown Bridgeport and began offering nursery and childcare services—responding to the needs of working families.
It wasn’t until 1957 that Hall moved to its current home on the East Side of Bridgeport, near the former Father Panik Village public housing complex, deepening its connection to the surrounding community.
Heart of Hall
As we celebrate 140 years of Hall Neighborhood House, we’re also celebrating the people who make this place what it is.
Throughout the year, we’re honoring our team through our Heart of Hall Staff Raffle—a small but meaningful way to say thank you each month.
Our January winner was Brittany Smith. When she entered the raffle, Brittany shared her favorite Hall memory, saying, “Getting to see all my past students come back and visit!!” Brittany won a gift card, and we had a great time celebrating her with delicious cupcakes featuring the 140th anniversary logo.
Our February winner was Ms. Leyda, who said, “I’m always teaching, training, motivating, and encouraging. I’ve taught everybody, and they’ve taught me.” In honor of Valentine’s Day, she won a big box of chocolates, and all the staff received heart-shaped retractable badge holders with the 140th-year logo and a card that said they were loved and appreciated.
We are grateful to our team for being the Heart of Hall!
Black History Month
In February, students and teachers decorated our halls with beautiful art, inspirational quotes, and educational murals to celebrate Black History Month.
In classrooms and conversations, students learned about inspiring Black leaders and the impact of African American culture. In addition to studying well-known historical figures, students also dove into the stories of everyday people whose strength and vision continue to shape communities like ours.
Valentine’s Day Celebrations
Love was in the air as we celebrated Valentine’s Day on February 14! Our Early Childhood classrooms were full of handmade cards and dress-up fun, while our older adults planned a celebration of their own with music and sweet treats.
Flowers for Our Older Adults
Two high school volunteers from A Flower To Empower visited the Hall Senior Center with handmade flowers for our older adults. We are so grateful that they took the time to create something by hand and deliver it with care!
Honoring Ms. Diane Harvin
Our gym floor looks beautiful after being refinished and getting a special name added to it: Diane Harvin.
For nearly 50 years, Ms. Harvin walked these halls, taught generations of children, and poured her creativity and care into Hall Neighborhood House. Now, her name is part of the space where so many of those memories were made.
We’re proud to honor her in a way that will be seen and remembered for years to come.
Free Dental Care at Hall
Take care of your smile right here at Hall Neighborhood House!
Dr. Peter Ferrara, DMD, offers free general dentistry with support from the Fones School of Dental Hygiene at Hall. Services include preventive care, fillings, extractions, denture repairs and adjustments, removable dentures, and palliative care to relieve pain and keep you comfortable.
Call Melissa Gabriel at 203-904-3784 to learn more or schedule your appointment.
by Hall Neighborhood House | Feb 25, 2026 | About Hall, News
This year marks a big moment for Hall Neighborhood House: we’re celebrating 140 years of serving our community. That’s 140 years of meeting families where they are, adapting as Bridgeport has changed, and staying focused on what people need most. The city looks different than it did in 1886, but the heart of Hall hasn’t changed.
We’re marking the anniversary with a special logo and some reflection, but this year is really about what comes next. The stories in this newsletter are a good snapshot of that. You’ll read about how Hall got its name, new STEM learning spaces opening in local schools, holiday moments at our senior center, and the many ways our community shows up for one another—from toy drives to hams on holiday tables.
None of this happens without the people who believe in Hall and continue to support this work, year after year. Thank you for being part of our story. We hope you enjoy this look at where we’ve been—and where we’re headed.
History Corner: How Did Hall Neighborhood House Get Its Name?
Hall is named after someone who truly believed in showing up for her neighbors.
In 1886, as Bridgeport was growing and changing, a group of local women came together to help young migrant families adjust to life in a busy, industrial city. One of those women was Sarah Hall.
In 1901, Sarah opened her home to young women who needed a safe place to land. The “Hall Home” offered more than a roof—it was a place where women could get training, find job opportunities, and build a sense of stability. That simple, generous act of opening a door to others is where Hall Neighborhood House gets its name, and it’s a spirit that still guides our work today.
Senior Center Holiday Party
Thanks to the sponsorship of John and Connie DeMattia, the Hall Senior Center’s holiday party was filled with good food, great music, and lots of laughs.
Our older adults were invited to choose from more than 400 coats donated by Bridgeport Rescue Mission. Volunteers from M&T Bank were on hand to help them find the right fit, along with hats and scarves to match.
Hall-i-Days Toy Drive
The Hall-i-Days Toy Drive was a success! Our preschoolers had a magical time meeting Santa and choosing gifts provided by Fairfield University, Sacred Heart University, Al’s Angels, and many other caring donors.
Beyond our preschool, a generous donor gave presents to the youth in our after-school and HNH LEADS programs, making their Christmas truly special, too!
Ham Giveaway
Thanks to the generosity of the Carl Palmieri Turkey Drive, John Palmieri, and friends, we distributed 300 hams to families in our community ahead of Christmas! We handed out hams as parents arrived to pick up their children and hand-delivered them to our older adults in Hall’s senior center, ensuring everyone who wanted one had one for their holiday table.
STEM Expansion Reaches Bassick High School
The Alan Wallack STEM Learning Center is now open at Bassick High School, bringing hands-on robotics learning into classrooms and labs. As part of this investment, we installed VEX robotics equipment to support the school’s robotics program and give students meaningful experience with engineering, problem-solving, and teamwork.
Additional STEM installations are planned for Harding and Central later this month, expanding access to robotics and STEM learning to even more students.
The Big Dig is Back
A few dedicated board members recently took fundraising to a new level—by climbing into a drained pond at Brooklawn Country Club.
Tom Riley and Stu Zarich, along with Bob Dzurenda, collected pledges based on how many golf balls they could recover from the pond on the 15th hole. When the pond was cleared, the final count came in at 551 golf balls!
Thank you to everyone who pledged, participated, and helped make this year’s Big Dig a success.
by Hall Neighborhood House | May 3, 2024 | News, Program Updates
The Center for First-Generation College Students reports that more than half of all undergraduates in the United States are first-generation college students, which means that neither of their parents has a bachelor’s degree.
Navigating standardized testing, application essays, financial aid, and the rest of the application process is difficult even when you have family members who have gone through it before. It’s even harder for first-generation students and their families, who are completely unfamiliar with the process.
That’s why we created a college-bound program at Hall Neighborhood House.
This holistic program doesn’t start senior year; it begins when students enter high school and gives them an understanding of how the next four years can prepare them for the rest of their lives. Best of all, it works. This year, all nine seniors in this program were accepted into college!
COLLEGE PREP STARTS EARLY
Teens in our community are eligible to join the program the summer before their freshman year. They join a tight-knit group of high schoolers at all grade levels who mentor each other, encourage each other, and learn together. They’re also mentored by Mayline, Hall’s high school coordinator, Jenn, our grant writer, and two volunteers: Dave, a retired marketing executive, and Meghan, a senior at the University of Bridgeport.
Karen submitting her Wesleyan application.
DEMYSTIFYING THE COLLEGE APPLICATION PROCESS
Applying to college is confusing, but our college program helps students and families set and reach their goals!
One of our students, Karen, is at the top of her high school class and wants to be a doctor. She joined the program as a senior with an impressive transcript and big dreams for her future.
She didn’t need us to get good grades, but she did need help navigating the financial aid process. Through the program, she learned what forms she needed and how to submit all of her information. As a result of all her hard work, she was accepted early decision to Wesleyan!
Each student in the program receives individualized support as they progress through the process so they can make their college dreams a reality.
HOW IT WORKS
The program is broken into Summer and School Year segments.
During the Summer
During the five-week summer HNH L.E.A.D.S. program, students receive a comprehensive education about the college process. They learn important skills like choosing the right classes throughout high school to ensure a strong transcript when it’s time to apply.
“We help them understand what a college-bound curriculum looks like,” Jenn said.
They meet other students in the program and learn about the clubs and extracurriculars that are available to them. They also learn about the FAFSA and other forms of financial aid, and they go on a wide variety of college tours.
“Our goal is to expose them to every type of school that’s out there,” Jenn said. “They may not get to visit every school they apply to, so we want to make sure they have at least some idea and ability to compare it to a school they’ve already seen.”
Students also start building cultural capital that might help them connect with peers or navigate social situations in the future. They see shows, go to museums, familiarize themselves with place settings at fancy meals, and learn how social and cultural capital can be useful to them as they head to a new place.
The last part of the summer curriculum is leadership and development. Students learn to solve problems through teambuilding activities and set a code of conduct for their time together. They build their own little community and hold each other accountable for their individual, ambitious goals.
“They start seeing themselves as leaders and then have opportunities to demonstrate the skills that they see that they have,” added Jenn.
During the School Year
Students can come to the college program three times a week during the school year. They’re busy with sports, extracurriculars, and jobs, so they don’t always make it all three days—but they are there regularly.
Each session starts with a check-in, providing an opportunity to celebrate acceptances, encourage individual students as they work toward their goals, and set the tone of their time together.
Then, students break apart into groups to work on their individual needs and tasks. Some take part in tutoring for subjects they’re struggling with, while the seniors in the group are often working on application essays or scholarships.
A NEW EXPERIENCE FOR STUDENTS AND PARENTS
This year, as the acceptances started coming in, we started planning more college visits—for both students and their parents. These visits give families important information they need to decide their next steps together.
After Karen got into Wesleyan, for example, her parents were excited but nervous about her being so far from home. They had never attended college and weren’t sure what to expect for their daughter. They wanted to make sure she would be safe and taken care of on campus.
On the tour, they saw how safe and secure the campus was and were amazed by all of the opportunities and resources Karen could take advantage of. When they learned about Wesleyan’s high rate of students getting into medical school, they were sold! They left the visit confident it was the right choice, even though it was farther away than some of the other schools Karen got into. And Karen was so excited to show them her top choice.
LOOKING TO THE FUTURE
Seniors may be heading off to different schools in the fall, but they will remain connected to their friends and mentors in the program.
“We’ll get them together in January, and they’ll stay in communication with their friends who haven’t graduated yet,” said Jenn. “That way, we can build the alumni group and build the culture of college knowledge in our community.”
Through the college program, our students will keep learning and building pathways to the futures they want to have.
by Hall Neighborhood House | Apr 22, 2024 | News
Spring is officially here, and we’re already looking around the corner to summer! As the weather gets nicer, neighbors of all ages love spending time outside at Hall Neighborhood House. Our seniors play bingo in the sunshine, teenagers work on creative outdoor STEM projects, and our young children run and play all over the grounds.
We’re proud to be a safe place in the community where everyone can get outside.As our programs continue to grow and we get closer to starting our building expansion project, we need to expand our outdoor play area so that we can have more classes outside at one time. We want every child to have the opportunity to play outside every day. To make this possible, we need to expand our playground, and we need your help to do it.
Help Our Kids Play
Play is so important for all children, especially our youngest as they grow and develop! Through play, they learn teamwork, gain the confidence to tackle new obstacles, build motor skills, and encourage healthy brain development.
For some of our children, Hall is the only safe place they have to play outside, but the structure for the big kids isn’t safe for our three-year-olds. We need to raise $74,000 to build a safe, fun, and exciting play structure designed for our toddlers.
Will you help us reach our goal and give our young neighbors a place to play? You can ensure they have the space they need to grow and learn!
Help us build our playground by making a gift today ➡
New Renderings of Our Expansion
We have big plans for the future! Check out these renderings of our planned expansion—featuring our new and improved youth wing, an outdoor deck for our seniors, and a dedicated entrance to the Health Clinic.
Better Me for Seniors
Through our holistic senior program at Hall Neighborhood House, we work to meet as many of the needs of the seniors in our program as possible.
In addition to meals, exercise programs, opportunities for connection and fun, and health and dental care, we also provide mental and behavioral health support to our neighbors at our Senior Center through the Better Me program.
The program started in 2023 and includes sessions on a variety of topics relevant to seniors.
Learn more about the program ➡
Dental Screening
We were all smiles after our most recent dental screening!
All children in our programs got examinations, thanks to our amazing volunteer dentists. They learned about the importance of brushing and how dental hygiene is part of an overall healthy life.
As of today, our partners at the Fones School of Dental Hygiene have seen 299 patients at our dental clinic!
Experiencing the Eclipse
Our STEM team celebrated the eclipse in a BIG way—with help from some amazing partners! Students from the University of Bridgeport visited Hall to teach our youth about how the eclipse happens and how to safely view it.
Then, we took our telescopes to Burlington, VT and Junction, TX to photograph this incredible phenomenon.
My Tiny Temper
Author Chris Fequiere and his son Oliver came to Hall to read “My Tiny Temper,” one of his many books designed to teach young children about their emotions. Thank you for reading to our preschoolers and for giving them each a copy of the book!
We are grateful to our friends at Fairfield University for helping make this special event happen!
Easter Celebrations
We celebrated Easter with egg hunts, fun art activities, parties, and even a special visit from the Easter Bunny!
Thank you for reading our updates this month. We are thankful for you!
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