The Wethersfield-based organization, Survivors of Homicide, Inc. is hosting the following upcoming support group meetings:

Southington: Tuesday, June 18 at 7 p.m. at the Southington Care Center, 45 Meriden Ave.
 
New London: Tuesday, June 18 at 7  p.m. at the Lawrence & Memorial Hospital, 365 Montauk Ave. The group meets in Conference Room 3.
 
New Haven: Wednesday, June 19 at 6:30 p.m. at the New Haven Adult Education Center located at 580 Ella T. Grasso Blvd., first floor library.

Newtown:  Thursday, June 20 at 7 p.m. at the Newtown Congregational Church, 14 West St.

For more information about Survivors of Homicide, Inc., call 860-257-7388, or toll free 1-888-833-4764. Visit the organization's web site at www.survivorsofhomicide.com.

By Luther Turmelle
Register Staff
CHESHIRE >> The lives of Mike Weed, his wife Heidi and their three children changed in almost an instant on May 17th and not in a good way.
Now, as the 37-year-old Weed fights to recover from the stroke he suffered that day, his friends are trying to affect change by raising money to help defray the family’s medical bills and household expenses. That effort will culminate Sunday with an event called Weedstock at Mixville Park. It begins at 1 p.m.
The event will feature music, food, raffles and family activities. Tickets are $25 a person.

Read more here.

Pastor Rob Morris is photographed at Christ the King Lutheran Church in Newtown on 6/12/2013. Photo by Arnold Gold

By Kristin Stoller

Arnold Gold � Register Pastor Rob Morris is photographed at Christ the King Lutheran Church in Newtown on 6/12/2013.

NEWTOWN >> The first few Sundays after the Dec. 14 Sandy Hook school shooting, members of Christ the King Lutheran Church formed a hugging line.
Messages of condolence replaced greetings of peace, and church members held on a little more tightly to their neighbors.
“People drew together amazingly to support each other,” Pastor Rob Morris said of the days after the school attack left 26 students and staff members dead. “When you go through a trauma like that together, that’s a shared experience that doesn’t get taken off the books.”

Read more here. 

The Epilepsy Foundation of Connecticut is getting ready for the 8^th Annual Andrew’s Golf Benefit for Epilepsy.

It will take place on Thursday, July 11, at Quarry Ridge Golf Course, 9 Rose Hill Road, Portland.

This event was established and is hosted by the Purdy family, whose son Andrew has epilepsy.  Epilepsy is a chronic medical condition produced by sudden changes in the electrical function of the brain that results in more than 20 different types of seizures.  It is one of the most common neurological disorders in the United States, affecting approximately 60,000 people in Connecticut. Andrew’s Golf Benefit for Epilepsy raises funds to provide information, education, recreation, advocacy and support.

The fee is $150, which includes golf carts and greens fees. Activities include a barbecue lunch from 10:15 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. There will be a raffle, with prizes including golf clubs and a flat screen TV. A hole in one prize is a Hawaiian vacation. 

Sponsorships are available. Sponsorships range from $50 business advertising to the platinum level, in which the donation is $5,000. Sponsors should register by June 22 to receive all benefits.

Prizes will be awarded for first place team, second place team, longest drive, and closest to pin winners. Registration on the day of the event begins at 8:30 a.m., and golfers must arrive by 9:30 a.m. 

For more information, call 800-899-EPIL. Applications are also available online at www.epilepsyct.com. Send registration forms and payment to the Epilepsy Foundation of Connecticut, 386 Main St.,Middletown, CT 06457-3360.

By Hugh McQuaid

Newtown families get copies of the legislation in the Senate chamber as the bill is introduced after 1 a.m. Christine Stuart/CT News Junkie

The General Assembly approved a bill Wednesday morning that blocks public release of crime scene photos of murder victims, including the 26 Newtown victims.
The bill made its way through the both chambers of the legislature in less than an hour, with less than 24 hours before the close of the session. More than 100 lawmakers signed on as co-sponsors of the legislation.


Read more here.