A perfect summer night. Check.
A beautiful baseball field. Check.
A home team win in extra innings. Check.
A chance to spend a relaxing evening with friends and colleagues. Check, check, check.
CEA’s Teacher Appreciation Day at the Yard Goats on July 19 at Dunkin’ Park in Hartford was packed with active teachers, retirees, friends, and family. More than 140 people enjoyed a buffet dinner on the Sam Adams party deck as well as a great view of the game.
The Yard Goats played the Somerset Patriots, an affiliate of the New York Yankees—which meant there was a lot of Yankees garb in the crowd as well as home team merch. The Yard Goats are the Double-A affiliate of the Colorado Rockies. The Yard Goats scored a run in the 10th inning to defeat the Patriots 6-5.
For CEA President Kate Dias, the annual event is a chance to “just enjoy each other. Educators are truly fed through their community, and we need to feel connected and empowered. It invigorates us to remember why we do what we do. We face a barrage of challenges but we have a strong and impactful community in public education,” she said.
CEA Member Benefits provides special offers such as the Yard Goats game throughout the year to members. On this night, members could purchase up to four discounted tickets each. For Heather Morgan, a high school English teacher in Rocky Hill, and Julie Haefner, a family consumer sciences teacher at Suffield High School, it’s an opportunity for their families to hang out for an evening.
“We teach in different districts so it can be hard to find the time to get together,” Morgan said. “This is a great opportunity to catch up and do something fun.” Her 10-year-old son Jaxon was having a blast right from the start, as a player warming up on the field tossed him a ball as he walked by on the concourse.
“I yelled ‘nice catch’ to him and he flipped me the ball,” Jaxon said, proudly displaying the baseball.
Waterbury fourth-grade teacher Jeff Rosado was at the game with his wife Lea and their children Faith, 11, Elijah, 12, and Jailyn, 16. Jeff said he and Elijah went to the game last year, “and we talked about what a great time we had, so this year everyone wanted to come. Teachers don’t make a lot of money, so to be able to have this chance to live like this—dinner, ball game, great seats—and to have it be affordable, is great.”
The benefit is available to CEA-Retired members as well, and the Simeone family never misses a Yard Goats Teacher Appreciation Night. Tony taught for 39 years in Windsor and has been retired for about 15 years. He attended with his wife Marianne (retired from Windsor), son Chris (a sixth-grade math teacher in East Granby) and grandson Brady.
“The union does so much for us,” Tony said. “They alert us to any changes we need to know about, with insurance or Social Security or other benefits. They keep us apprised of everything we need to know.”
CEA Executive Director Todd Jaeck was impressed with the turnout. “We like to provide these fun member experiences to help build community,” he said. “Having everyone from new teachers to classroom veterans to retirees all gathered in the same space strengthens the union.”
He added, “The more people we have involved, the more power we have to build positive change for the teachers in Connecticut.
Tom Barnas has been retired for 23 years from the Vernon school system. He took time out from his cheeseburger and chips to thank the CEA for its tireless efforts to repeal the Windfall Elimination Provision and Government Pension Offset and ensure passage of the Social Security Fairness Act. CEA President Dias was in Washington with President Biden for the signing of that bill in January. In Connecticut, at least 32,000 retirees were affected, as well as all active teachers.
“CEA worked so hard to get us our Social Security benefits,” Barnas said.
Suzanne Silliman and her husband John snap up the discounted tickets every time CEA hosts an appreciation day because they are big Yard Goats fans. They had their team shirts and hats on for the game. Suzanne is a library media specialist for the Windsor school district.
“We take advantage of it every time,” she said. “It’s a chance to see people while we are on summer vacation. During the school year we are all stressed and working hard. Here, we are all relaxed.”
The Sillimans enjoy all the benefits CEA offers, including discounts on rental cars, hotels, and tickets to other attractions and events.
As Haefner and Morgan chatted while their husbands and kids chowed on hot dogs and sodas, Haefner looked around at the perfect green grass and pristine white lines on the field.
“This is perfect,” she said. “It’s awesome. I love my union.”
Tickets are still available for one more Yard Goats teacher appreciation game this season on August 16. Get yours today.
CEA members can also save on tickets to other sporting events, including Hartford Athletic, New England Revolution, Red Sox, and Yankees games.
