Advocacy to Legacy

04/12/2026

Advocacy to Legacy, Inc. & the City of Hartford Department of Public Health invite you to MOVE — a FREE, family-friendly event focused on movement, mobility & healthy living!
🗓 Saturday, May 16, 2026 ⏰ 11 AM – 2 PM 📍 Keney Park (Greenfield & Woodland St entrances)
✨ Bike Giveaways 🎶 Music & Entertainment🎯 Games & Family Activities 🚲 Bike Riding Training 🥤 Refreshments
Open to the public — all ages welcome!
👉 Organizations: Want to table or host an activity? Sign up here:
https://forms.gle/WoeTWbcNKiQhxBah8

04/06/2026

Recap with us!

Last November, Advocacy Legacy in partnership with City of Hartford's Dept of Public Works and Dept of Health and Human Services, The Students and Staff of The Community First School @ Swift Factory, local mural artists, AARP and local community leaders and representatives and well wishers, constructed and painted a well needed crosswalk at the intersection of Love Lane and Vine Street - which is a well known hotspot for speeding and unsafe driving practices in the North End.

We had a special visit from Mayor Arunan and the Hartford Fire Department! Thanks to this huge community effort, another high traffic area is safe for pedestrians of all ages!

04/02/2026

This isn’t just about choice.
It’s about what’s being pushed—and who it’s being pushed to.

To***co companies don’t market randomly.
They study environments.
They study behavior.
And too often… they target youth and vulnerable communities.

🎯 Flavored products
🎯 Bright packaging
🎯 Store placement near schools
🎯 Constant exposure

And behind all of that?

🚫 Increased risk of addiction
🚫 Long-term lung and heart damage
🚫 Higher chances of early ni****ne dependence

The earlier the exposure…
the harder it is to break the cycle.

At A2L, we’re not just calling out the health risks—
we’re calling out the systems that make those risks easier to reach.

💬 Let’s be real:
Do you think to***co marketing is influencing young people today?

👇 Drop your thoughts
🔁 Share this with someone raising or working with youth
📲 Follow us for more truth-driven conversations on youth health and advocacy

Because awareness isn’t enough—
we need accountability.

04/02/2026

04/02/2026

Our youth aren’t just part of the conversation—
they’re leading it.

Right now in Connecticut, young people are calling for change:

🚫 No new to***co sales near schools
📏 Stronger distance protections
⚖️ Health equity for communities hit the hardest

Because the reality is simple:

The closer to***co is to our schools…
the easier it is to access.
The easier it is to access…
the more likely our youth are to use.

This isn’t accidental.
It’s environmental.

And the impact?
Disproportionately felt in low-income and minority communities.
***coFreeKids ***coPrevention ***coPrevention

03/26/2026

Listen to these POWERFUL TESTIMONIES BY OUR YOUTH!

To***co isn’t just an adult issue, it’s impacting our youth every day.

And instead of ignoring it, our young people are choosing to speak up, educate others, and push for change in their own communities.

This is what advocacy looks like.
Not perfect. Not easy. But necessary.

Take a moment to watch and learn something.
👇🏾 What’s one thing you didn’t know about to***co use or its impact?

If you believe our youth deserve healthier environments and stronger protections:
🔔 Follow us
📢 Share this video
🤝 Stand with youth-led advocacy

***coFreeKids ***coPrevention ***coPrevention

03/26/2026

🍕 First Fridays just got even better…

Pull up to the Hartford Public Library Albany Avenue Branch every first Friday and grab a slice on us!

From 1PM–2PM, we’re serving pizza AND giving young people a space to be heard — sharing real thoughts about school, community, and what they want to see change.

Parents — this is a safe, welcoming space for your kids to connect, speak up, and be part of something meaningful.
Youth — come hungry AND come ready to talk 👀

Big shoutout to Trinity Health of New England for sponsoring First Fridays all year long and helping us create space for real conversations + real impact 💚

✨ Good vibes. Good food. Real voices.
📅 Don’t miss the next First Friday!

03/25/2026

STEM has never lacked talent.
It has lacked access.

Back in the 1960s while working for NASA, Katherine Johnson broke barriers in Mathematics and helped shape the future of Space Exploration.

More recently, over the last few decades, Crystal R. Emery, a New Haven, CT native and filmmaker, has been committing her work to amplifying the stories of Black women in science and expanding youth visibility in and access to STEM.

Opportunity doesn’t appear on its own.
It’s built, expanded, and fought for.

At A2L, we believe understanding who has access to these systems is part of civic education.

Access to STEM is civic work.

03/24/2026

You don’t have to smoke to be affected by it.

Thirdhand smoke is what’s left behind—on clothes, furniture, car seats, walls… even on the hands that hold our children.

And the reality is:
it doesn’t just disappear.

It builds up.
It lingers.
It exposes the people who never chose it in the first place.

👶 Infants
🧒🏽 Children
🐾 Pets
👨🏽‍👩🏽‍👧🏽 Families in shared spaces

This is what silent exposure looks like.

At A2L, we believe awareness is protection. Because once you know—it’s harder to ignore.

💬 Let’s talk about it:
Did you know smoke residue could stay behind long after smoking stops?

👇 Drop a comment
🔁 Share this with someone who has kids or pets
📲 Follow us for more real conversations about health, environment, and community

Because what lingers… still impacts.
***coAwareness

03/19/2026

While most people scroll past issues like this… our youth are stepping up to do something about it.

They’re showing up, speaking out, and putting in real work to make their communities healthier and safer—often without the recognition they deserve.

This isn’t small work. This is important work. And they’re doing it now.

Take a moment to really watch this.
👇🏾 Then tell us—what stood out to you?

If you believe young people deserve to be seen, heard, and supported:
🔔 Follow us
📢 Share this video
🤝 Help us amplify their efforts

***coFreeKids ***coPrevention ***coPrevention

03/18/2026

Our Youth Leaders showed up and showed out earlier this year and this is what it looked like.

They’re not just participating… they’re leading, advocating, and creating change in real time. At the end of January, our student leaders made their way to the Capitol's Legislative building for a very well attended legislative press conference and presentation. We caught up with our Exec Dir, Miss V to shine the light on what our students are doing, the impact they are making and the outcomes they hope to achieve by having this legislation passed.

Now, we want to hear from you:
What stood out to you? How can we better support this next generation in their quest for community health equity?

***coFreeKids ***coPrevention ***coPrevention