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Justice for Connecticut’s vulnerable children
06.29.07 Governor M. Jodi Rell signed legislation today that will end Connecticut’s practice of trying and incarcerating many children as adults. This important reform resulted from the Raise the Age Campaign coordinated by the Ct. Juvenile Justice Alliance and championed by Sen. Toni Harp and Rep. Toni Walker. Beginning in 2010, all non-violent minors accused of crimes in the state will be processed in the juvenile justice system, where they’ll enjoy greater safety and access to rehabilitative services. Research has shown that incarcerating children in adult prisons increases recidivism and even prompts escalation into more serious crimes. Yet Connecticut, New York and North Carolina continued to treat all juveniles over age 15 as adults.
Related bills increase preventive services for young people and decriminalize so-called status offenses, such as running away and truancy.
Quicksilver Communication provided support for the campaign including messaging strategy, writing, editing and media relations. Press coverage of the issue was extensive and overwhelmingly positive. The legislation was endorsed by editorials in the New York Times, Hartford Courant and Connecticut Post and on Channel 12.
“We are deeply gratified to have played a part in this enormous victory that will help Connecticut’s most vulnerable children,” said Quicksilver President Colleen Shaddox. “Our vision when we started the company was to use communication to advance causes that fit with our values. Our society has a poor record on investing in children, particularly adolescents. We are passionate about calling attention to this injustice and to initiatives that offer our kids better futures.”
Shaddox affirms New Haven's hamburger supremacy on prime time
06.26.07 Quicksilver partner Colleen Shaddox used her appearance on Jeopardy! to let
America know that New Haven invented the hamburger. (Despite the spurious
claims of other municipalities around the country, local patriots know that
the burger debuted at Louis’ Lunch here in the Elm City.)
Her appearance airs June 29, but Shaddox will not reveal the outcome. "They swear you to secrecy," said Shaddox. "If I told you, Alex's people would come get me."
Quicksilver supports Foodshare anti-hunger walk
03.12.07 Please join Quicksilver in supporting Foodshare’s Walk Against Hunger, which takes place May 6. Foodshare, part of Connecticut’s anti-hunger network, runs a food bank that delivers 12 tons of food daily to more than 400 programs in greater Hartford, helping more than 100,000 of our neighbors — 40,000 of them children. Please visit the donation web page of our friend Mike Hicks, Foodshare’s communications officer, and give if you can. If you’re in the neighborhood, join the walk! It’ll do your heart good in more ways than one.Diaper Bank stroll raises $10,000 for area babies
11.18.06 The New Haven Diaper Bank last month held its fund-raising Stroll-a-thon to raise money to provide free diapers for area families living in poverty. More than 200 people participated in the successful event, raising more than $10,000. Quicksilver Communication provided pro-bono design and communication support for the event. For more information or to make a donation, please visit the diaper bank’s web site or write the New Haven Diaper Bank, 1440 Whalley
Avenue, #110, New Haven, CT 06515.
Quicksilver acquires qsilver.com domain
08.17.06 Quicksilver Communication has acquired ownership of the domain qsilver.com in order to widen its internet presence. The new domain, which will allow Quicksilver to make its web address simpler and easy to remember, will become the company’s main site location once it chooses a vendor for its web server. Now and in the future, the following web addresses will all take visitors to Quicksilver’s web site: qsilver.com; qsilver.info, qsilver.us, and qsilver.biz, as well as qsilvercomm.com.
Quicksilver joins Save the Internet Coalition
05.03.06 Quicksilver Communication has joined the SavetheInternet.com Coalition to fight proposed legislation that would move many Americans into a slow lane on the information superhighway.
Congress is in the process of overhauling the Telecommunications Act. Among the changes proposed is a provision that would allow Internet providers to charge web site owners a premium for fast loading. Today all information on the web loads at the same speed. Your local library's website is just as important as Exxon's. This level playing field is sometimes called “net neutrality.” If Congress kills net neutrality, parties who could not afford to pay — such as small businesses and non-profits — would find that their sites load so slowly as to be unusable.
What does this mean to you? Suppose you like to surf with Google, shop at Amazon and check out the box scores on Redsox.com. Well, unless these sites pay off your Internet provider, your old favorites will get moved to the slow lane. Internet providers could have exclusive agreements with sites. Let's say your provider strikes a deal with Yahoo to make it the one-and-only fast-loading search site. Your Googling days will be over.
“Today the Internet, for all its flaws, is a wonderful tool for the free exchange of information,” said Quicksilver partner Russell Shaddox. “The proposed changes would give a handful of companies unprecedented control over what you can access on the Net. It would also do tremendous harm to our primary clients, non-profits, who need the Internet to raise public support for their issues. That's why we joined the SavetheInternet.com Coaltion.”
The SavetheInternet.com Coalition is a group of organizations from across the political spectrum, bloggers and concerned citizens that have banded together to protect Internet freedom. It works to educate the public about this under-publicized but critical issue.
Quicksilver adds CD design service
04.17.06 As a service to local musicians, Quicksilver now offers CD-package design services at special rates. Already known for designing CD packages for New Haven-area performers like Frank Critelli, The Bret Logan Band, and The Mold Monkies, Quicksilver offers high-quality CD designs for local musicians at prices affordable to the most cash-strapped starving artist. Quicksilver also offers bar-code printing and registration capability as well as consultation to find affordable-cost printing solutions. CD design samples can be found on in the portfolio section. For more information, please contact Russell Shaddox.
Quicksilver sponsors musicians helping musicians
11.12.05 Quicksilver was one of the sponsors of “From the Elm City to the Crescent City,” a benefit for New Orleans musicians displaced by Hurricane Katrina. The event, which was held November 12, 2005, at the Eli Whitney Museum in New Haven, benefited the Tipitina's Foundation, which aids New Orleans musicians who lost their homes and livelihoods. The benefit raised more than $7,500.
Quicksilver partner Russell Shaddox designed the event program and is a member of The Mold Monkies, who played at the benefit. The event, which drew more than 200 attendees, was the band’s first live performance. Shaddox, a graduate of Tulane University, was eager to play a part in helping with the enormous task of recovery facing the city he remembers so fondly.
Partner’s magazine essay wins press-association award
06.27.05 A tribute to a mentally ill homeless woman from New Haven was recognized recently with a 2005 Catholic Press Association Award. Quicksilver partner Colleen Shaddox’s piece won second place in the best essay competition in the magazine category, which was open to publications throughout the United States and Canada. Her essay, “Miss Jackie,” was originally published in Liguorian Magazine in April of 2004. “Miss Jackie was a resilient and loving person who taught me a great deal,” said Shaddox. “I was proud to be her friend and proud to tell her story.”
Colleen Shaddox reads essay on NPR’s “This I Believe” June 13
06.13.05 Quicksilver President Colleen Shaddox read her essay on National Public Radio’s “This I Believe” on Monday, June 13, during the 4 to 5 p.m. EST broadcast of “All Things Considered.” The essay is about the power and hope of jazz music. A transcript of the essay can be found on Public Radio’s web site, as can the NPR press release. Based on the 1950s series by Edward R. Murrow, “This I Believe” gathers essays by luminaries such as John Updike, Colin Powell and Isabel Allende, as well as everyday citizens. Shaddox’s essay will be included in a book to be published later by the program’s producers.
Colleen Shaddox serves as writing mentor at WCSU
05.31.05 Quicksilver President Colleen Shaddox will serve as a writing mentor in Western Connecticut State University’s new master of fine arts in professional writing program. The low-residency program is designed to give students the opportunity to grow creatively while also building skills in genres most likely to produce a steady income. Shaddox will mentor students in the areas of public relations, journalism and creative non-fiction; help students design independent studies; and serve as their supervising faculty.
Quicksilver launches new web site
04.28.05 Quicksilver Communication today launched a web redesign that features a new look and enhanced functionality. “The redesign reflects substantial changes in our company’s organization and abilities, including our incorporation, as well as a desire to optimize the site for searches and make it compliant with W3 interoperability standards,” said Quicksilver partner Russell Shaddox, who headed up the redesign. “Our valued clients need to know that our web site is as clean and clear as our reputation for excellence.”