Featured Wind Phone - East Granby, Connecticut

There is a unique story behind each Wind Phone that is best told by its creator and/or steward. No one can tell it the way they can, so to that end, the format for Featured Wind Phone stories is to share the creator/steward's responses to the interview questions verbatim in their own voice. Sharing our stories helps us to connect and heal and may inspire someone else to create or visit a Wind Phone.

~Amy

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This week's Featured Phone is in East Granby, Connecticut; Conor Bazyk created this beautiful Wind Phone as his Eagle Scout project for Troop 175. It's placed on Doreen’s Nature Trail, "a system of wooded paths dedicated to the memory of Doreen Jacius" in East Granby, Connecticut. What an incredible job Conor did creating this dedicated space for grief in his community. Thank you, Conor, for sharing your Wind Phone with us. 

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Where is your Wind Phone located?

East Granby, Connecticut

My Wind Phone is located on Doreen's Nature Trail, at East Granby Public Library. 

To avoid stairs, the easiest way to access my Wind Phone, is from East Granby Senior Center

parking lot at 7 Memorial Drive, East Granby CT 06026.

Take the wooden foot path and turn left at the Wind Phone sign.

What year and month did you place your Wind Phone at this location?

April 2024

Why did you choose this location?

This Wind Phone was placed on Doreen's Nature Trail, at East Granby Public Library. Doreen was beloved by the community as Librarian in East Granby when she passed in 2022 in a domestic violence incident. The East Granby Library board members wanted a Wind Phone on the memorial trail, to bring comfort to a grieving community, and to raise awareness to the importance of mental health. I was honored to design and build this Wind Phone as my Eagle Scout Project with the assistance of BSA Troop 175.  I am thankful for the East Granby Library members who were instrumental in raising the money, through a bottle and can drive on site.

Is your Wind Phone dedicated or in memory of someone special?

My father lost his father when he was 16 years old. He describes how, at the time, there was little time for grief, since the demands of farming life left little time to stop and talk about loss.

Is there anything you would like to share that I didn't think of asking?

“This phone will never ring.

It is not connected by Wi-Fi or wires.

It is for those who have an empty place in their hearts left by loved ones.

Dial their number, and let the wind carry your words.”

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Note from Amy ~ I want to share what Alison Cross from the Hartford Courant wrote after interviewing Conor because I think Conor's words are so insightful and speaks to what a wonderful young man he is.

"During the many nights and countless hours Bazyk spent working on the project, he said he often thought of his deceased grandparents and what it would be like to have a conversation with them.

When he finished building the booth, Bazyk said he picked up the phone and spoke to the people he knew but never met."

“I just kind of talked about my life, how I’ve been doing recently and what led me to getting to that conversation,” Bazyk said. “I asked what my grandparents were like and how my parents were as kids.” Bazyk said he hopes the wind phone will be a place where individuals and families can gather to talk and share memories of those who passed away. “You won’t receive a response, but it’s meant to help with grieving and lift your spirits,” Bazyk said.

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