Mom of the Year: Valerie Isaac

Mom of the Year: Valerie Isaac

94.3 WYBC is proud to congratulate Valerie Isaac, our WYBC Mom of the Year Winner for 2025!

Valerie was nominated by her daughter, Jasmine.

Valerie receives a framed certificate, flowers, a spa gift card, dinner for 2 at Kool Breeze Jamerican Cuisine on Whalley Avenue in New Haven and tickets to see Chris Brown with Bryson Tiller this summer!

Below is what Jasmine wrote about her mom, Valerie:

I am honored to nominate my mom, an extraordinary woman, for your “Mom of the Year” Award.
She is not only a loving mother but a true example of selfless dedication and strength. She raised
two biological children and, with open arms and a boundless heart, adopted three more, creating
a home filled with love, support, and unwavering commitment.

But her love doesn’t stop with her children. She is also a proud and devoted grandmother to two
wonderful grandchildren and is preparing to welcome her first great-grandchild into the world—
a new chapter that she embraces with joy and grace. Her legacy of care, resilience, and nurturing
continues to grow through each generation.

Beyond her role as a mother and grandmother, she is a pillar of her community. She actively
participates in her church, oƯering her time and wisdom, and she dedicates her days to nurturing
young minds as a teacher at HeadStart, where she has worked for over 40 years. Her work shapes
the lives of so many children, not just her own, giving them a strong foundation for a bright future.

She gives of herself freely and without expectation, always placing others’ needs before her own.
Her compassion and quiet strength inspire everyone lucky enough to know her. Her wisdom is a
guiding force in our family. Whether oƯering quiet advice, sharing a story from experience, or
simply listening with empathy, she provides the kind of guidance that centers and strengthens
everyone around her. She leads by example—with grace, humility, and deep faith—and has
taught us all the power of perseverance, kindness, and unwavering love.

Fittingly, her birthday falls on May 11th this year—right on Mother’s Day and the deadline for this
award—which makes this nomination feel all the more meaningful. Honoring her now would be
a beautiful tribute to the incredible impact she has had on her family, her students, and her
community.

I know she would be absolutely delighted and deeply touched to receive this recognition. The
framed certificate and flowers would be cherished reminders of her impact. A $100 spa gift card
would give her a rare and much-deserved moment to relax and be pampered. Dinner for two at
Kool Breeze Jamerican Cuisine would be a perfect treat—she loves good food and even better
company. And the concert tickets to see Chris Brown and Bryson Tiller at Pratt & Whitney Stadium
would be the icing on the cake and an exciting and joyful way to celebrate all that she is.

She truly embodies the spirit of the “Mom of the Year” in every sense, and it would be an honor to
see her recognized for the immeasurable impact she has had on our family, her students, and her
community.

Southern Connecticut College and Career Fair

Southern Connecticut College and Career Fair

The Southern Connecticut College & Career Fair is Tuesday, September 30 from 4:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the Hartford HealthCare Amphitheater in Bridgeport, CT. Head to CTCollegeFair.com to get information on colleges, universities, and businesses attending from all over the U.S. and abroad.

Designed for high schools students and their families, the Southern Connecticut College & Career Fair is the largest college & career fair in the area. Meet with over 200 colleges, universities, gap year programs, and businesses.

FREE event and open to all high school students.

For more information or questions, email [email protected]

Enter to win: In-Person Lunch with Wanda

Enter to win: In-Person Lunch with Wanda

WYBC and D’Amato’s Seafood want to treat you and a friend to an in-person lunch with Wanda Coppage from the WYBC Workforce!

Enter to win a delicious lunch for you and a guest at D’Amato’s Seafood, 423 Whalley Avenue in New Haven. We will randomly draw a winner each month and if you win, you and your guest will get to enjoy an in-person lunch with Wanda at D’Amato’s!

WYBC Lunch Club with D’Amato’s Seafood: March 2025

WYBC Lunch Club with D’Amato’s Seafood: March 2025

Kimberly, working in Woodbridge, is the 94.3 WYBC Virtual Lunch Club winner for the month of March 2025! Kimberly and her co-worker enjoyed a delicious lunch with Wanda Coppage virtually courtesy of D’Amatos Seafood on Whalley Avenue in New Haven!

Want to have lunch with Wanda? Go to our WYBC Contest Page and enter to win!

Connecticut Pizza & Brew Fest with Brown Roofing

Connecticut Pizza & Brew Fest with Brown Roofing

Connecticut Pizza & Brew Fest with Brown Roofing is Sunday, July 20, 2025 at the Hartford HealthCare Amphitheater in Bridgeport from 12pm to 4pm.

Connecticut Pizza & Brew Fest with Brown Roofing is the ultimate pizza tasting event in the state. The Connecticut Pizza & Brew Fest with Brown Roofing will allow you to sample some of the best pizza and craft beers Connecticut has to offer. Also included will be panel discussions, live music and pizza contesting.

Buy tickets to CT Pizza & Brew Fest here

VIP: Sponsored by Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana

12pm-1pm exclusive VIP hour. Free pizza samples only 12pm-1pm.

$50 per ticket

GA:

1pm-4pm

$10 per ticket

  • $3 cheese slices
  • Free beer samples
  • Other pizza slices available for purchase at trucks (trucks decide menu and pricing)

Pizza Trucks:

  • Alphonse’s Italian Street Food
  • Apizza Da Apple 
  • Big Green Truck Pizza
  • Colony Grill
  • Frank Pepe Pizzeria
  • Grand Apizza
  • Little Italy Pizza Truck
  • Rolling Inferno Pizza Truck
  • Slice of New Haven
  • The Parlor: A Pizza Joint
  • Una Dolce Vita
  • Zuppardi’s Apizza

Beers & Beverages:

  • B-Sharp Brewing
  • BADSONS Beer Co.
  • Barn Brew Co.
  • Berlinetta Brewing
  • Captain Zig
  • Cutwater
  • Devil’s Purse Brewing Company
  • East Rock Brewing Company
  • Elicit Brewing Company
  • Fishers Island Lemonade
  • Foolproof Brewing Company
  • High Noon
  • LemoNates
  • Lucky One Lemonade
  • Mishka Mead
  • MUZE from Thomas Hooker
  • New Belgium Brewing
  • Norbrook Farm Brewery
  • oHHo
  • On The Rocks Premium Cocktails
  • Other Half Brewing Co.
  • Reverie Brewing
  • Riboli Family Winery
  • RIPE Bar Juice
  • Southport Rum
  • Surfside Iced Tea + Vodka
  • The Long Drink
  • Uncle Don’s Light
  • Whalers Brewing Company
  • *THC samples cannot contain THC

Other Vendors:

  • Auntie Sheelah’s Cheesecakes
  • Bona Bona
  • Cakes by Sonia
  • Michele’s Pies
  • Renewal by Andersen
  • URSA Roasters

Presented by

WYBC & Yale University celebrate Westville Seafood

WYBC & Yale University celebrate Westville Seafood

First & Last Name:  Dave Austin

Business Name:  Westville Seafood, 1514 Whalley Avenue, New Haven

Year Business was started in New Haven: 2008

 Why did you start your own business? 

In the past, I used to own bars, but I really wanted to own a business that was family oriented.

Why did you choose to start your business in New Haven? 

I grew up around the area, so I was comfortable with the neighborhood.

What challenges did you have to overcome in starting your business? 

The hardest part was finding the right people to run the day-to-day operations.  I had the concept, I had the building, I just needed a good team to hire.

Photos courtesy of Westville Seafood

WYBC & Yale University celebrate Soulful Threads

WYBC & Yale University celebrate Soulful Threads

Name: Krystina Jackson

Business Name: Soulful Threads, 1022 Chapel Street, New Haven.

Year Business was started in New Haven: November 2020. Storefront on Chapel opened on November 15th 2023. We are a new store!

Why did you start your own business?

After graduating with my master’s in social work from UConn in 2020, I like many others lost their jobs when Covid hit. I decided to pick up some side jobs to help cover the bills and selling clothes became one of them. I got great feedback from people saying I had a great eye and its led from one opportunity to the next. I’ve always been a girl addicted to retail, so this was the perfect dream for me to work towards. 

Why did you choose to start your business in New Haven?

After considering many other locations, both inside and out of the state, I chose New Haven because of its dedication to progressive change downtown. The culture is growing here, and young people are now looking here as a great place to build a life. No matter who you are, you can find your niche in New Haven. The only thing it was missing was a place for curated 90s/y2k vintage, which is the hole we have tasked ourselves with filling. 

What challenges did you have to overcome in starting your business? 

In December 2021, I lost my brother and only sibling to a rare cancer that took him within a year of diagnoses. Grief is by far the hardest thing i’ve dealt with. Especially being in my young adulthood. My brother was a computer programmer who helped start the makings of what is now our website. I made it my mission after he died to make Soulful a success and here we are in one of the Shops at Yale 2 years since he passed. 

Photos courtesy of Soulful Threads

WYBC & Yale University celebrate Nate The Snake Drain Cleaning

WYBC & Yale University celebrate Nate The Snake Drain Cleaning

Name:  Sundiata Keitazulu

Business Name:  Nate The Snake Drain Cleaning. Call 203-654-5187

Year Business was started in New Haven:  2010

Why did you start your own business? 

I learned how to snake drains by doing my mother house and then I started my own business and I named it Nate The Snake because It sounded good.

Why did you choose to start your business in New Haven 

I’m from New Haven born and raised in Newhallville.

What challenges did you have to overcome in starting your business? 

Finding customers was hard at first. Then we started advertising on Facebook, Yelp, Google and word of mouth helped with getting more customers.

Photos courtesy of Nate The Snake Drain Cleaning