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CREC Kicks Off 50th Anniversary with Event at Wadsworth

(Hartford, CT) It’s a milestone moment for CREC.

Today, the nonprofit agency celebrated 50 years of providing diverse program and service offerings to its 35 member districts with an anniversary event at the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art.

“As an organization, we are proud of our accomplishments and the many ways that we’ve helped Connecticut children and families throughout the years,” said CREC Executive Director Greg Florio, Ed.D. “CREC has been successful in its endeavors, but we also understand that we have a timeless mission—one that will require us to continue to be diligent, efficient, and compassionate lifetime learners. We’ve seen what can be accomplished in 50 years. Imagine what can do in the next 50.”

CREC was established in 1966 by John J. Allison, Jr., who returned to Connecticut after earning his doctorate from Harvard University. With the help of a federal grant through the Wethersfield Board of Education, Allison launched the Metropolitan Effort Toward Regional Opportunity (METRO), which was soon folded into CREC, a cooperative, grassroots project created by area boards of education.

CREC started out small, but has grown into an agency that operates 18 award-winning interdistrict magnet schools, more than 120 programs and services, and a collection of the best programs and schools for students with special needs in the country.

“CREC started with the idea that school districts working in voluntary cooperation, making decisions, sharing resources and responsibility for interdistrict services could have a positive impact on education in the capitol region,” said Allison. “Today, 35 independent local school boards represented on the CREC Board set direction and provide oversight to scores of services and to a system of more than 20 magnet and schools for students with special needs. CREC is a voluntary cooperation model that works for public education.”

CREC prides itself on helping all children and families. It’s a mission-driven organization that aids the state of Connecticut in desegregating schools in Greater Hartford, and it offers ample services that help municipalities, school districts, and nonprofits save time and money.

At its anniversary celebration, CREC filled a memory chest with items that represent different parts of the agency and its history. The chest, designed by students and staff at the CREC Academy of Aerospace and Engineering in Windsor, will be displayed in the lobby of CREC’s central office building on Charter Oak Avenue in Hartford throughout 2016.

In recognition of CREC’s many contributions to Greater Hartford, Connecticut Lieutenant Governor Nancy Wyman presented CREC with an anniversary proclamation on behalf of the governor’s office at the event.

“Under this administration we’ve made historic investments in our students—improving Connecticut’s education system is a top priority and critical to a thriving economic future,” she said. “CREC is one of our partners in meeting these goals and ensuring all of our young people are ready for the job market or for higher education. I applaud their commitment to our state and our students.”

Governor Dannel P. Malloy echoed Wyman’s comments.

“For the last 50 years, CREC has helped the state deliver important educational progress,” Governor Malloy said. “If we want to build a stronger Connecticut tomorrow, we need to continue to have regional partners like CREC to support our teachers in meeting today’s challenges and prepare our students for the jobs of the future. I want to congratulate them on achieving this milestone.”