CLICK HERE to see all of the pics from the night!

February is the month that Hallmark compels us to spend $5.99 one or more times to confirm our affection and appreciation to the loved ones in our lives. Now we all do that, but which ones of us actually show that affection and appreciation? That’s where the mentor-student team of Susan Terry and Ali C. shows up in living color.



A relationship that started mid-COVID behind masks and Facetime has blossomed into one of the closest Shepherds relationships in the program.

Ali, a Kolbe Cathedral Junior, captain of the Girls soccer team and an academic all-star, praises Susan, “The two words to describe my mentor are caring and selfless. She cares about what I say and how I feel and never forgets what I tell her. She is a giving person who cares about others deeply." 

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A word about your future...each Wednesday in March (3/1, 3/8, 3/15, 3/22 and 3/29) from 2:30-3:30pm, there will be a Writing Workshop for Shepherds Freshmen and Sophomores.

The focus of this workshop is "Expressing Yourself Effectively!". The goal of the workshop is to expose students to the techniques for distilling their ideas in writing in a clear and concise manner. They will learn to tell their personal story in 100 words or less. 

It will be presented by Ms. Nancy Day, Journalist, Professor & Chair of Journalism Department at Colombia College, Chicago and Ms. Allison Waggener, Yale University Graduate and Writing Coach.

This is NOT an Optional workshop. All freshmen and sophomore are expected to participate. Mentors and parents are enlisted to encourage and support their attendance.

SHEPHERDS NIGHT AT BRIDGEPORT ISLANDERS, February 26!

Shepherds Mentors and students head off to an afternoon at The Bridgeport Islanders this weekend, Sunday, February 26th at the Total Mortgage Arena in Bridgeport. Tickets are still available.



The puck drops at 5pm but our Shepherds group will meet a 3:30PM for a special tour of the arena and hear from guest speakers! Everyone in the group will receive a FREE ISLANDERS GROUP HAT!



To sign up to attend, click here: RSVP to Shepherds Hockey Night or click on the button below.

We have one more date to volunteer this spring at Habitat for Humanity of Coastal Fairfield County.

Date: Saturday, April 1st (8:00am-3:30pm). There is a limit on the number of volunteers per day (five mentors/five students) so, sign up today: Volunteer with Habitat for Humanity

Activities include any stage of the build process (e.g., painting, siding, framing, landscaping, etc.) There will be work appropriate for individuals of all experience levels – even no experience. You will be part of help building someone's house and adding to the community.

Volunteer at The Thomas Merton Center! The Thomas Merton Center is committed to providing a loving, safe, and hope-filled community atmosphere that responds to the needs of its guests. 

The sharing of a hot meal is an invitation to come and share in a place where one can belong. Respecting the dignity of each person, the center reflects to the individual and the community our shared responsibility to love and support one another. 

To sign up to volunteer, click here: Volunteer at The Thomas Merton Center or click on the button below.

MARCH 2023

Friday, March 31: Shelton Sports Center Night. Look for information in coming weeks.

Coming in APRIL 2023

Thursday, April 13: College Tour Day: For Freshmen, Sophomores and Juniors. One day tour to two of New England’s great colleges. Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) and College of Holy Cross. Several Shepherds graduates have attended and graduated from these prestigious colleges. Parents and Mentors welcomed. Stay tuned for more information.

Saturday, April 29: Shepherds Kolbe Cathedral End of the Year Celebration. All students and mentors. Mark your calendar. Place and time information coming shortly.

Shepherds needs to raise over $600,000 a year to underwrite our three-pronged program of tuition support, supplemental programs, and our mentor development and coaching program for our 62 Shepherds students.

This funding comes from a variety of sources, including Shepherds mentors, Board of Directors, many individual donors and very significantly numerous foundations. We recognize three foundations this month who provided Shepherds with extraordinary grants recently.



In December, Shepherds received its largest-ever grant of $120,000 from the Elizabeth M. Pfriem Foundation. The grant will support three, “Elizabeth M. Pfriem Scholars” in the Class of 2026 at Kolbe Cathedral for the next four years.

We also received generous awards from the Bedford Family Social Responsibility Fund, Bucks Creek Foundation, and Near and Far Aid, during the last several weeks of 2022. Thank you to these donors and the many others for your commitment to and support of Shepherds mission.



If you know of any foundations or corporations that might be interested in supporting Shepherds, please let Jane MacDonald know at jmacdonald@shepherdsmentors.org.

This month Shepherds used those funds and those of our many other donors to present checks totaling over $135,000 to our two partner schools to support the tuition expense for the 62 Shepherds students attending these schools.



Arthur T, a junior at Notre Dame, said what we’ve heard from many students over the years, “If it weren’t for the financial support Shepherds’ provides, my family would not be able to afford for me to attend Notre Dame, I would not have Justin as my mentor and I would not be able participate in all the programs that Shepherds offers. I really appreciate it!”.

Shepherds celebrates 25 years of "Changing Lives...One Student at a Time" this fall with our 25th Anniversary Gala, Thursday, October 19, 2023, at The Inn at Longshore in Westport.

Shepherds only holds a major event like this every five years! It’s critical to building the financial resources to support more students over the years between events.

Sponsorships and tables information will be available shortly. Should you wish to reserve a sponsorship early - personal or business - make a tax-deductible gift, please contact Jane MacDonald at Jane MacDonald at jmacdonald@shepherdsmentors.org.

It’s that time of year again when we start building our pool of prospective mentors for the incoming Class of 2027.

We’ll be looking for 10 – 15 mentors for Kolbe Cathedral (approx. 5 - 8 women, and 5 - 7 men) and 5 to 7 mentors for Notre Dame. 

Please invite your friends whom you think might be interested to check out Shepherds website, send us an email info@shepherdsmentors.org or call us (203) 367-4273 to discuss the opportunity to “change a life….”