“My personal mission at The Village is to tirelessly work with whoever is willing to shed light on the needs of families that may otherwise be overlooked…to give voice those issues that may be unheard and find creative ways to serve all the families of Hartford,” says Aldwin.
Aldwin oversees an array of programs that address the educational, social and financial needs of children, adolescents and parents in Greater Hartford. These include two school-based programs: Community Schools at two Hartford schools, which focus on the whole child, addressing the academic, physical, social and emotional needs of students and fostering the active involvement of their families, and Family Resource Centers at 4 Hartford schools.
Integral to his role as head of The Village’s community programs is establishing strong, effective relationships with parents, community leaders, service providers, municipal and state agencies leaders, policy makers and funders…basically anyone who is, like he, devoted to developing strategies that improve the educational development of children and youth and support parental partnerships.
He also supervises the fatherhood initiative, which includes the Father Works program, a teen pregnancy prevention effort targeting young men through innovative engagement, employment, education and skill building. He is also responsible for The Village’s basic human needs program, which includes food pantries, clothes banks and holiday assistance through emergency case management and advocacy.
Aldwin has worked for 17 years in nonprofit social services focused in Hartford, managing a wide array of services ranging from basic human need to adult intervention initiatives. He earned a bachelor’s in human services from Springfield College, and also is credentialed in family development.
What quote best captures your personal philosophy?
“Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.” Martin Luther King Jr.
What is something unexpected that most people don’t know about you?
Most people don’t know I am an automotive enthusiast – put more clearly, car fanatic – and have been known to spark up conversations with complete strangers on the street about their cars.
What do you most want clients of The Village to know about you?
I believe we all have a role to play in supporting families and the greater community. This means the children and families we serve should not hesitate or hold back any thoughts, feelings or concerns, because it is moments that wisdom intersects with knowledge that success can be realized.