Clinton Community Star: Trudy Valenti

CLINTON, CT — Bethany Knight has nominated Trudy Valenti as a Clinton Community Star. She says Valenti is an “unsung hero only because the people of Clinton have yet to write an opera in her name. At a minimum, she most certainly deserves a hymn sing!” Read more from Bethany Knight below:

“At any given time, it is not a surprise that Trudy and her husband Michael have invited someone to stay their home, as she always has provided others with a place to live. Among long term residents in her Airline Road home were her late mother in law, two brothers in law and several friends who have been between relationships, unemployed or otherwise needing some TLC.

“When Trudy’s brother Bill Belcher took over as Commander of local American Legion Post 66, he discovered that the Auxiliary was talking of shutting down. He asked Trudy and her sister Lynn Tendler to help. Lynn became President, Trudy the Secretary and membership chairman, and Bill’s wife Anita became Treasurer. In just three years, the membership doubled and a youth auxiliary was created.

“Among the many service projects of the Legion Auxiliary, Trudy decided to organize volunteers to crochet plastic mats for homeless men and women sleeping outdoors. Made with discarded plastic grocery bags, the mats are donated to the shelter in Hartford. Trudy also plans the Legion’s New Year's Eve party, a fundraiser, and is very involved with the Legion’s craft/bake/tag sale in November each year. She and Michael, a Vietnam vet, also deliver gifts to the Boxes for Soldiers program sponsored by the Shoreline Community Women’s Club.

“Within the genealogy world, Trudy has served as the Kelsey Kindred's Chaplain and store manager/book sales for more than 10 years. The Kindred is a group of descendants of William Kelsey, who came from England on the Fortune, the ship that followed the Mayflower. Kelsey followed Rev. Thomas Hooker to Hartford (then known as the Braintree Exhibition) and became one of Hartford's original founders. William Kelsey eventually headed south and became one of the original founders of Clinton.

“Trudy helps with bookkeeping, is in charge of the Christmas Giving Tree and is the newsletter editor at the Holy Advent Episcopal Church in Clinton, where she was baptized as an infant.

“As a young woman Trudy got a job at Ponds, where she worked for 36 years, until retirement in 2005. After earning her GED, she took night classes and graduated with an Associate’s degree. A mother of three, Trudy grew up in Clinton and only left for a short time to work at Healthtex (owned by Ponds) in Rhode Island.

“Did we mention Trudy baby sits regularly for her two grandchildren and helps with the books at La Vita, her daughter Jackie’s restaurant at Goodspeed Landing?

“For all of these reasons, and especially for her cheerful, loving nature and wonderful hugs, we nominate Trudy Valenti as a Clinton Star.”

Do you know someone who's a community star? Email your nomination to vincent.salzo@patch.com.

Contributed photo and article