Connecticut AF chapters meet to explore joint activities and mutual interests

On Friday, August 7, 2026, the four Alliance chapters in Connecticut met to discuss potential collaboration and shared initiatives. The session started with a tour (en français) of French art at the excellent Wadsworth Museum in Hartford followed by a luncheon meeting at the Museum Café.

The President of the Hartford chapter, Silvia Bettega, thanked the participants for coming and expressed appreciation to AF Hartford Board member and museum docent, Christi Moraga, for arranging and leading an excellent guided visit while the museum was closed to the public. After introductions and discussion of possible joint events, the group agreed to begin collaboration with the following initiatives:

• Dîner en Blanc – Currently organized by the New Haven chapter, this event was proposed as a summer gathering in June for all Connecticut chapter members, as a picnic at a beach, park, or similar location near New Haven.
• One Book, One Federation – After the selected book is announced during the October Federation annual meeting, the Connecticut chapters would organize a joint club de lecture to discuss the chosen book.
• Chapter reciprocity - The group agreed to present a proposal to their respective Boards for membership reciprocity, allowing Connecticut AF members to attend other chapters’ events at the member rate.

Many other ideas/ proposals were discussed, including the following:

• Renée Ketcham from AF de Greenwich recommended considering Oncord as a centralized platform for chapter operations. She also mentioned Young French Cinema as an interesting resource for accessing newly released French films.
• Laurent Vernillet of AF de Northwestern Connecticut invited Connecticut chapter members to a free presentation on the Notre-Dame Cathedral at the Southbury Public Library on October.
• Alberta Conte of the AF de New Haven proposed a Fall trip to The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City for a highlights tour in French followed by an early dinner at a nearby French café.

A follow-up meeting of the four chapters has been scheduled on Zoom for September 10, 2026, to further discuss details of the proposed joint events as well as the Boards’ decisions regarding membership reciprocity among the Connecticut AF chapters.

The people representing each chapter included the following:

• AF Hartford: Silvia Bettega, President; Linda Zabor, Director; and Christi Moraga, Event Coordinator.
• AF Greenwich: Renée Ketcham, President and Catherine Ladnier.
• AF New Haven: Alberta Conte, President; Shaundolyn Slaughter, Vice President; and Larry Hall, Treasurer.
• AF Northwest CT: Laurent Vernillet, President and Pat Phelan, Treasurer.