Community Corner
Glen-Ro Fundraiser to Benefit the Chase Kowalski Memorial Fund
Glen-Ro Spirit Shoppe will donate one dollar for every bottle of wine it sells on Christmas Eve, its busiest day of the year.
Glen-Ro Spirit Shoppe, 487 Monroe Turnpike, will have 24 employees on the clock to handle Tuesday's influx of customers buying wine, champagne and other alcoholic drinks on Christmas Eve — Glen-Ro's busiest day of the year. For every bottle of wine that's sold, the store will stuff a dollar into a large jug on the front counter. At the end of the day, all proceeds will benefit the Chase Kowalski Memorial Fund.
Larry Cass, owner of Glen-Ro, grew up with Rebecca Kowalski, who lost her seven-year-old son Chase in the tragic shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School last year. Like Cass, both Rebecca and her husband, Steve, are Masuk High School graduates.
"They've done a lot for awareness of what happened," Cass said. "We love to be able to provide for good causes and this is a great cause in Chase's memory."
Last year at this time, Glen-Ro raised $8,500 for the Chase Kowalski Memorial Fund and Cass says it has become an annual tradition.Aside from store donations for each purchase of wine, Cass said people may donate cash directly into the jug.
"A guy from Cornell Car across town wrote a check for $1,000 and donated it," Cass recalled. "And he sent his employees over with $100 bills to buy whatever they wanted for Christmas, before putting their change into the jug."
Glen-Ro Spirit Shoppe will be open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Tuesday. "We close at six, so everyone can be home with their families on Christmas Eve," Cass said.
First Selectman Steve Vavrek, whose been friends with Cass since high school, will kick-off the fundraiser by buying his family's first bottle of wine for the holidays.
Glen-Ro Spirit Shoppe has been in town since 1972 under three different owners. The business was recently among the top three vote-getters in an online Monroe Economic Development Commission poll of Monroe's Best Businesses that have been here 10 years or more.
Find out what's happening in Monroewith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.
