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06/27/2018 08:00 AMSitting in a downtown Madison coffee shop, Tina Phelan waves back to two very excited young school children who recognize their former preschool teacher, spots her daughter’s softball coach, and chats to a PTO friend who stops by to share her high praise for her colleague.
Even on a day she’s not wearing one of her trademark Jeffrey Elementary School or Madison Little League sweatshirts, Tina is a very recognizable person in town. A popular preschool teacher at St Andrew’s School and a long-time volunteer in Madison schools, sports clubs, and a local church, giving back to the community is a way of life for Tina.
“I just like to help people out. It’s a great way to get to know them and I want my kids to see how important it is to help others,” she says. “I love the small town feel of Madison-it’ s a community where everyone wants to help each other.”
Tina is a long-time member of the Jeffrey School PTO and served as the group’s president from 2014 to 2016. In the fall, she starts her new role as vice-president of the Brown Middle School PTO.
“I love being involved in the schools and helping support them. It’s a great way to get to know the teachers and to let them know they are appreciated,” she says. “I like organizing the events—running the pie drive and co-chairing the book fair.”
A Professional Volunteer
Tina grew up down the road in Clinton before moving to Corinth, Vermont when she was eight. At 16, she returned to the shoreline, settling in Madison, and graduated from Vinal Technical High School in Middletown. At her part-time job at Stop & Shop in Madison, she met her husband, Mike, then a junior at Daniel Hand High School.
After earning an associate’s degree in business from Middlesex Community College, Tina worked as an operations manager at Verizon. Following the birth of their daughter Danielle in 2008, she became a stay-at-home mom, with son Julius born soon after in 2009.
When Tina was dropping Danielle off for preschool at St Andrew’s School one day, her friend and the school’s director asked her if she had a free morning to volunteer.
“I started at St. Andrew’s as the cooking teacher. I’d come in once a week and together we’d make pancakes or cookies. The kids say the funniest things and it is great to work with young children,” she says. “When they need a toddler teacher at the school, I was already there so I moved into that job, and now I’m in the enrichment room with children that are two, three, and four years.”
What began as the perfect job to fit with her busy schedule has become an important part of Tina’s life.
“I started working with kids because I wanted adult conversation. It’s sounds funny but I was a stay-at-home mom and my children were heading to school, so I now I talk to other adults about their kids,” she smiles. “It’s more than just teaching them their ABC’s, it’s great to see the person they become.”
During the summer, Tina will be busy volunteering with the First Congregational Church of Madison’s vacation bible school program, as well as the art camp in July at St Andrew’s School. She’s also preparing for a big year at Jeffrey School where her son starts third grade and Brown School where her daughter starts in the fall.
“Last year, I started the school store at Jeffrey School. We sold pencils, erasers, notebooks, and squeeze balls-and all the money went to the PTO,” she says. “This year, I’m excited to run the school store at Brown. I’m going to enlist my friends to give the beige cart a facelift with new paint and some new curtains.”
Another favorite job of Tina’s is coordinating the Krafty Kidz winter workshops at Jeffrey and Island Avenue Schools.
“For the first time this year, I ran The Kindness Club. We painted kindness rocks and put them around town, made dog toys that we donated to the Dan Cosgrove Animal Shelter in Branford, made keychains that we gave to officers at the Madison Police Department, and made gifts for their teachers. The kids just loved doing it; they had so much fun,” she says.
“It’s so important for kids to be kind and when they’re in second grade, they are accepting and open to being kind to everyone. It’s nice for them to do things for others and show their appreciation.”
With her children active in Madison sports, Tina has been the registrar and uniform coordinator of the summer, fall, and spring seasons of Madison Little League for the past two years.
“My son’s T-Ball coach said the league need some help and asked if I wanted to come to a meeting. I’ve learned the way it works is if you go to a meeting, you leave with a job!” she smiles.
In September, Tina chalks up her fifth year as a volunteer at the Closer to Free Ride, an annual fundraiser for Smilow Cancer Hospital in New Haven.
“The first year I volunteered, I was posted at the starting line at the Yale Bowl and my job was to take photographs of all the riders,” she says.
For the past four years, Tina has coordinated a team of 10 volunteers to set up the station and hand out snacks and drinks to riders on the 65- and 100-mile routes.
“In the past, we made it a themed rest stop – we did the 70s, the 80s, and a luau party. We have a team of cheerleaders who clap and thank the riders. We get crazy and blast the music and do some chants,” she says.
“It’s such a great feeling to support the riders and to be able to thank them for raising money for Smilow’s cancer research and programs. Many of them are riding in memory of a loved one so it’s very emotional. There are people crying but there’s also lots of cheering and smiles. It’s a great event to be a part of and I just love doing it.”