For many people, volunteering begins with a single moment of connection. For this Stamford leader, that connection came through The Domestic Violence Crisis Center's PeaceWorks program, where Elaine Guglielmo began leading educational sessions in Stamford elementary schools. What started as community service quickly evolved into a deeper commitment to helping children understand healthy relationships, communication, emotional regulation, and personal safety. In 2024, she expanded her involvement by joining the organization's Board of Directors while continuing her work as a PeaceWorks volunteer.
Her passion for education and personal growth has been a defining theme throughout her career. After 38 years at Stamford Health, she retired as Senior Vice President of Human Resources and Organization Development. During her tenure, she held multiple leadership positions within Human Resources, helping guide talent management initiatives, leadership development programs, succession planning, and workplace culture transformation efforts.
With a master's degree in counseling and certification as a life coach, Elaine has spent decades helping individuals strengthen communication skills, increase leadership effectiveness, and achieve personal growth. Today, that same commitment drives her volunteer work with children.
She believes one of the most important gifts adults can provide young people is the knowledge that they deserve healthy, respectful, and safe relationships. Through PeaceWorks, students learn practical skills that help them navigate challenges, communicate effectively, manage emotions, and build confidence in their own voices.
She also emphasizes the importance of starting these conversations early. Children, she believes, are capable of understanding concepts such as respect, empathy, boundaries, and emotional safety when presented in age-appropriate ways. Equally important is creating opportunities for children to ask questions, express themselves, and feel heard.
Looking ahead, Elaine hopes programs like PeaceWorks can expand beyond a single classroom experience. She envisions stronger follow-up support for both students and educators, ensuring these important lessons continue long after the initial presentation.
Her personal philosophy is simple yet powerful: "Remain hopeful that tomorrow can be better than today." With caring people, strong support systems, and the right tools, she believes every child can build a brighter future—and PeaceWorks is helping make that future possible.
For more than two decades, the PeaceWorks Youth Education Program at The Domestic Violence Crisis Center has helped children build the foundation for healthy, respectful relationships through prevention-focused education, emotional learning, and interactive classroom experiences. Designed to support students from the earliest grades onward, PeaceWorks teaches practical life skills that help young people manage emotions, communicate effectively, resolve conflict peacefully, and develop healthier relationships throughout their lives.
According to Nikkia Ellis, Manager of Education, Training & Outreach, and Stella Clarke, Chief Development Officer at The Domestic Violence Crisis Center, PeaceWorks is rooted in prevention, emotional learning, and the belief that healthy relationships are learned, practiced, and strengthened over time.
One of the program's most recognizable educational tools is its long-running puppet show series for Pre-K through 1st grade students. Adapted from the Growing Up Safe curriculum, the shows use storytelling, humor, and engaging characters to teach social-emotional skills in memorable ways. Students meet three animal friends during their early elementary years: Dandy the Lion in Pre-K, Cool the Penguin in Kindergarten, and Hip the Hippo in 1st grade. Each character
reinforces age-appropriate lessons while helping children develop emotional awareness and problem-solving skills.
Programs such as Hip & Cool Learn It's Okay to Get Angry teach one of PeaceWorks most important lessons: anger itself is not the problem. Rather than discouraging emotions, students learn to recognize feelings and respond thoughtfully instead of impulsively. Through role- playing, puppet interactions, and hands-on activities, children practice the Stop, Take 5 & Think method to manage emotions and make safer choices.
PeaceWorks also helps children understand that conflict is a normal part of life. The focus is not on avoiding disagreements but on learning healthy ways to navigate them through communication, empathy, emotional regulation, and peaceful problem-solving.
Ultimately, PeaceWorks teaches a powerful lesson: every child deserves relationships built on safety, respect, empathy, and healthy communication—and they can learn the skills to create them.