Rossi 'Tri-ing' for the Whittemore Library

Tamath Rossi began running to prove something to herself.

She proved she’s a versatile athlete when she began biking last year.

And she recently introduced swimming to her workout regiment to prove she had what it takes to complete a triathlon. 

Now, Rossi is once again proving something: that her heart is in the right place.
As she did in the fall when she completed her first marathon, Rossi is collecting sponsorships for a community organization. This time, her efforts will benefit the Howard Whittemore Memorial Library.

Rossi, the borough’s deputy mayor, is hoping the community will consider donating just $5 for her efforts in competing in the Griskus Triathlon on June 15 at Lake Quassapaug in Middlebury.

“These days, people do not have a lot of money to donate and more and more organizations are hurting and looking for support,” she said. “Five dollars is a minimal amount, but if enough people donate just $5, then we can make a huge gift to the library. I have been astounded by the incredible generosity of our community and am hoping they will consider this cause.”

The donations will go toward the purchase of foreign language and English as a Second Language materials for the Adult and Children’s Department, plus new chairs.

Any individual, business or civic organization that contributes $100 or more will have the donor’s name printed on a suit Rossi will wear on the day of the race.   The deadline for sponsorships is this Monday, June 3, and all other donations will be accepted until Monday, July 1. All checks should be made out The Whittemore Library, with Rossi Tri written on the memo line, and dropped off or mailed to Jocelyn Miller, 243 Church St., Naugatuck, 06770.

Two years ago, Rossi ran the Bob Veillette 5K in Waterbury and raised about $3,000 for Veillette’s recovery efforts.

In the fall, Rossi collected donations for the Naugatuck Ecumenical Food Bank through her marathon. She handed over about $5,000 to the food bank.

She believes the library is also a worthwhile cause. During this past budget season, library supporters advocated for more money, saying that more and more people are using the library and they’d like to be able to offer more programs.

“I have been amazed at how hard the library staff has been working over the last several years to address the building’s needs, as well as build programming,” Rossi said. “Every time I walk into the library, it always amazes me how much the usage has grown. The library is continually busy with people utilizing the computers and resources. I know that especially in this economic climate, the library has become an ever more critical resource for so many.”