LENDING A HAND
Connecticut’s many nonprofits work to support the communities they serve. We take a look at their missions, and how to give back.
What
community foundations serving Connecticut
By Lilli Iannella STAFF WRITER
For those looking to donate money to nonprofits or community-based initiatives in Connecticut, community foundations can help. According to the Connecticut Council for Philanthropy, a community foundation is a charitable entity that manages endowment funds dedicated to serving local purposes. The foundations act as a funder of local nonprofits, according to the Main Street Community Foundation, and rather than providing services, they provide organizations financial support to fulfill the needs of the local community
Anyone from the community individuals, families, nonprofits and for-profit businesses can establish or donate to a fund, which has a specific purpose designated by the donor, according to the Main Street Community Foundation. The purposes of the funds can cover areas like arts and culture, community and economic development, education,
health, human services, environment and animals, as defined by the CCP’s data on funding by subject area in 2021. Generally, funds aim “to improve the quality of life for people” in a certain area, according to the Connecticut Community Foundation.
Across Connecticut and its eight counties, there are 21 community foundations, said Karla Fortunato, the president of the CCP, and each community foundation serves specific towns or areas.
Some community foundations serve only one town and are run by volunteers, and others serve whole regions and
are staffed with professional advisers, Fortunato explained.
Foundations across Connecticut distribute millions of dollars to nonprofits and community initiatives each year For instance according to its website, the Community Foundation for Greater New Haven gave out $32 million in grants and distributions in 2023 among its 1,000 charitable funds across its 20-town region. Another foundation, the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving, has distributed $104.5 million in grants over the past two years to its 1,500-plus charitable funds, said Bradford Drazen, the foundation’s
vice president of communications and marketing The foundation serves close to 30 towns in the greater Hartford area and is one of Connecticut’s biggest community foundations. It’s tasked with partnering with donors to create funds supporting some of the Hartford area’s most pressing issues, which includes “taking steps to dismantle structural racism and advance equity in social and economic mobility for communities of color,” Drazen said.
For example, among its 1,500 charitable funds are its three giving circles: the Latino Endowment Fund, Black Giv-
ing Circle Fund and Catalyst Endowment Fund, Drazen referenced. Each year members of the foundation discuss critical issues in each circle and choose a topic to focus funding on, according to the giving circles webpages. Past topics have included job training for veterans, access to mental health care for Black boys and men and leadership training for Latino youth, the sites list.
“Both leadership and partnership are necessary to meet our region’s most pressing challenges,” Drazen said via email. “We are committed and ready for the task and we need you.” Here are Connecticut’s 21 Community Foundations and the areas they serve:
Adobestock
BERKSHIRE TACONIC COMMUNITY FOUNDATION
Towns served: Canaan, Cornwall, Goshen, Kent, Norfolk, North Canaan, Salisbury, Sharon, Warren
Address: 800 N. Main St
Sheffield, MA 01257
Phone number: 413-229-0370
Website: berkshiretaconic.org NORTHWEST CONNECTICUT COMMUNITY FOUNDATION
Towns served: Barkhamsted, Bethlehem, Canaan/Falls Village
Colebrook, Cornwall, Goshen, Hartland Harwinton, Kent, Litchfield, Morris, New Hartford, Norfolk, North Canaan, Salisbury, Sharon, Torrington, Warren, Washington, Winsted
Address: 33 E. Main St
Torrington, CT 06790
Phone number:
860-626-1245
Website: www.yournccf.org
THE WATERTOWN FOUNDATION
Towns served: Watertown
Address: P.O. Box 117, Watertown, CT 06795
Phone number:
860-274-2511
Website: www.watertown foundation.com
HARTFORD FOUNDATION FOR PUBLIC GIVING
Towns served: Andover, Avon, Bloomfield Bolton, Canton East Granby East Hartford, East Windsor, Ellington, Enfield Farmington, Glastonbury Granby, Hartford Hebron, Manchester, Marlborough, Newington, Rocky Hill, Simsbury Somers, South Windsor Suffield, Tolland Vernon, West Hartford, Wethersfield, Windsor Windsor Locks
Address: 10 Columbus Blvd Hartford, CT 06106
Phone number: 860-548-1888
Website: www.hfpg.org
MAIN STREET COMMUNITY FOUNDATION
Towns served: Bristol, Burlington, Plainville, Plymouth Southington, Wolcott
Address: 120 Halcyon Drive, Bristol, CT 06010
Phone number: 860-583-6363
Website: www.mainstreet foundation.org
COMMUNITY FOUNDATION OF GREATER NEW BRITAIN
Towns served: Berlin, New Britain Plainville, Southington
Address: 74A Vine St New Britain, CT 06052
Phone number: 860-229-6018
Website: www.cfgnb.org
SOUTH WINDSOR COMMUNITY FOUNDATION
Towns served: South Windsor Address: P.O. Box 1341 South Windsor CT 06074
Email: info@swfoundation.org
Website: www.swfoundation.org
BRANFORD COMMUNITY FOUNDATION
Towns served: Branford
Address: P.O. Box 462, Branford, CT 06405
Phone number: 203-444-4898
Website: www.branfordcommunity foundation.org
THE COMMUNITY FOUNDATION FOR GREATER NEW HAVEN
Towns served: Ansonia, Bethany, Branford, Cheshire, Derby, East Haven, Guilford, Hamden, Madison, Milford New Haven, North Branford, North Haven, Orange, Oxford, Seymour Shelton, Wallingford
West Haven, Woodbridge
Address: 70 Audubon St New Haven, CT 06510
Phone number:
203-777-2386
Website: www.cfgnh.org
THE MADISON FOUNDATION
Towns served: Madison
Address: P.O. Box 446, Madison, CT 06443
Phone number: 203-245-2796
Website: www.themadison foundation.org
MERIDENWALLINGFORD COMMUNITY FOUNDATION
Towns served: Meriden, Wallingford
Address: 35 Pleasant St., Suite 1E, Meriden, CT 06450
Phone number: 203-235-4403
Website: www.mw-cf.org
CONNECTICUT COMMUNITY FOUNDATION
Towns served: Beacon Falls, Bethlehem, Bridgewater Cheshire, Goshen, Litchfield, Middlebury Morris, Naugatuck, New Milford Oxford, Prospect Roxbury, Southbury, Thomaston, Warren, Washington, Waterbury Watertown, Wolcott, Woodbury
Address: 43 Field St Waterbury CT 06702
Phone number:
203-753-1315
Website: www.conncf.org
THE ORANGE FOUNDATION
Towns served: Orange
Address: P.O. Box 729, Orange, CT 06477
Email address: contactus@ orangefoundation.org
Website: www.orangefoundation. org
THE VALLEY COMMUNITY FOUNDATION
Towns served: Ansonia, Derby, Oxford, Seymour
Shelton
Address: 253-A Elizabeth St Derby, CT 06418
Phone number: 203-751-9162
Website: www.valleyfoundation. org
THE GUILFORD FOUNDATION
Towns served: Guilford
Address: 44 Boston St., Guilford CT
Phone number:
203-640-4049
Website: www.guilford foundation.org
NEW CANAAN COMMUNITY FOUNDATION
Towns served: New Canaan Address: 111 Cherry St New Canaan, CT 06840
Phone number: 203-966-0231
Website: www.newcanaancf.org
FAIRFIELD COUNTY’S COMMUNITY FOUNDATION
Towns served: Bethel, Bridgeport, Brookfield, Danbury, Darien, Easton, Fairfield, Greenwich, Monroe New Canaan, New Fairfield, Newtown, Norwalk, Redding, Ridgefield, Shelton, Sherman, Stamford, Stratford, Trumbull, Weston, Westport, Wilton
Address: 40 Richards Ave. Norwalk, CT 06854
Phone number: 203-750-3200
Website: www.fccfoundation.org/ history
COMMUNITY FOUNDATION OF MIDDLESEX COUNTY
Towns served: Centerbrook, Chester Clinton, Cobalt, Cromwell, Deep River, Durham, East Haddam, East Hampton, Essex, Haddam Haddam Neck, Higganum Ivoryton, Killingworth, Middle Haddam Middlefield, Middletown, Moodus, Old Saybrook, Portland Rockfall, Westbrook, Winthrop Address: 49 Main St Middlesex, CT 06457
Phone number: 860-347-0025
Website: www.middlesexcountycf. org
ESSEX COMMUNITY FUND
Towns served: Essex
Address: P.O. Box 614, Essex, CT 06426
Email address: info@ essexcommunityfund.org
Website: www.essexcommunity fund.org
THE WESTBROOK FOUNDATION
Towns served: Westbrook Address: P.O. Box 528, Westbrook, CT
Email address: admin@ westbrookfoundation.org
Website: www westbrookfoundation.org
COMMUNITY FOUNDATION OF EASTERN CONNECTICUT
Towns served: Ashford, Bozrah, Brooklyn, Canterbury, Chaplin, Colchester Columbia, Coventry Eastford, East Lyme Franklin, Griswold Groton, Hampton, Killingly, Lebanon, Ledyard, Lisbon, Lyme Mansfield, Montville, New London, North Stonington, Norwich, Old Lyme Plainfield, Pomfret, Preston, Putnam Salem, Scotland Sprague Stafford, Sterling, Stonington, Thompson, Union, Voluntown, Waterford, Willington, Windham Woodstock
Address: 68 Federal St New London, CT 06320
Phone number: 860-442-3572
Website: www.cfect.org
Nonprofits persevere in ‘perilous’ financial situation
Recession, worker shortage, politics don’t stop services
By Linda Tuccio-Koonz
Connecticut’s nonprofits are in a “perilous” situation, “teetering on the edge,” said Gian-Carl Casa, president and CEO of the Connecticut Community Nonprofit Alliance They’re facing extraordinary challenges because of years of underfunding, increasing demand for services and the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, he said. Others in the sector offer similar assessments.
“I would agree with teetering on the edge,” said Megan Brown, vice president of the Community Foundation of Eastern Connecticut.
“Nonprofits are making things work, for now, but many are one funding cut away from having to cease or dramatically reduce services. We do our best as a philanthropic funder to help fill gaps,” Brown said, but resources are limited.
“The great recession hit in 2008, so 2007 was the last ‘normal’ year before that,” Casa said. “Since then, community nonprofits funded by the state have lost about 30 percent
of their buying power to inflation.”
“There is no entity of any kind that can do the same amount of work without one-third of its funding, let alone organizations that are coping with greatly increasing needs,” he added. “But nonprofits are asked to
Another issue, he said, is the acute worker shortage. Nonprofits aren’t funded enough to provide competitive pay, so they lose workers to private employers like big-box retailers – and even the state itself
“Put simply, if you don’t have money you can’t keep and hire enough people, and if you can’t keep or hire enough people you can’t provide the same level of services –which means people who depend on those services don’t get them,” Casa said.
And those services impact just about everything “If you look at the list of recipients, they are things that determine our quality of life and our satisfaction with life, from arts and humanities to education, human services and the environment,” Casa said.
“Nonprofits play an enormous role in defining what kind of state we live in And it isn’t just in some kind of philosophical way, it’s tangible: nonprofits employ something like 118,000 people in Connecticut and spend billions purchasing goods and supplies,” Casa said “They are vital economic engines, often in our urban areas.” Connecticut experts agree the legacy of the pandemic politics, and climate/weather events have impacted the situation, and impact how people give
“In general, we see increased giving when there is real or perceived urgency,” Brown said. However, the funds that were available during the
pandemic ended while the needs of community members have not.
Challenges are constant, said Eric Harrison, president and CEO of United Way of Central and Northeastern Connecticut.
“In our last fiscal year our revenue was comprised of 40 percent donations from individuals including workplace giving (employees giving through their payroll deductions) and 2 percent from bequests; 21 percent from corporate gifts and 34 percent from
grants.
“Like many United Ways across the country, Connecticut United Ways are facing steep funding declines, particularly in workplace giving.” he said. For example, the Community Campaign at United Way of Central and Northeastern Connecticut used to raise more than $20 million in the ’90s.
“Presently, our current fundraising goal for our community campaign is $7.5 million. The decrease of the number of workplaces participating and no longer being able to run a state employee giving campaign has had an impact,” Harrison said
In response, the organization is evolving to engage more with individual donors and leverage public-private partnerships. It’s also created a philanthropy department to increase focus on major and planned gifts, Harrison said.
The need for reliable funding is apparent, especially when considering the ALICE Report. ALICE is an acronym for Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed and it is a United Way financial hardship study. Nearly 40 percent of Connecticut’s population lives below the ALICE threshold, according to the 2024 report.
“The new ALICE Report stated that in 2024 a family of four in Connecticut needs to earn $128,000 annually to cover their necessities and 39 percent of our population cannot afford their basic needs,” he said. “We need policies that support families and allow them to thrive in order to give them the opportunity to contribute to the causes they care about the most,” he said On the bright side, there are some positive trends in the nonprofit world. Harrison said he’s Help continues on S8
Anxiety,brain fog, fatigue andmemory problems, vision impairment, persistent headaches anddepression -all of these and more aresymptoms of abrain injury. Thesesymptoms, if left untreated, can drastically affect quality of life. Fortunately, theBrain InjuryAlliance of Connecticut’s free Helplinecan supportyou or your loved onein finding thebestcarefor your unique experience with brain injury. “In afew minutes
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CT Community Nonprofit Alliance Gian-Carl Casa is president and CEO of the Connecticut Community Nonprofit Alliance
Pamela Mola
Megan Brown is vice president of the Community Foundation of Eastern Connecticut.
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seen a steady support of child literacy initiatives, several organizations are exploring the potential benefits of AI, and it seems more people are interested in volunteering these days
Karla Fortunato president of the Connecticut Council for Philanthropy, said, “We definitely see donors wanting to do more than just give dollars; they want to be more involved in the organizations they support, whether through volunteerism, advocacy or board leadership. We especially see this among young donors.”
Looking at the big picture, William Ginsberg has a unique view after serving 24-plus years as CEO of The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven, before retiring on Nov. 1. He said the
foundation distributed more than $30 million annually in support of nonprofits, and raised substantial resources –more than $41 million in 2023. Ginsberg said economic
stress is sustaining the high demand for services.
From his perspective, a longstanding problem is “the state has relied too heavily and for too long on providing services through contracts with
nonprofits, rather than through the state workforce, largely as a way to save money.”
And, he said, it hasn’t adjusted funding levels to keep pace with inflation or with competition for
talent.
“Overall, in this age of widening inequality, when more and more of society’s resources are concentrated in fewer and fewer hands, there’s every reason to believe the demand for social services put on hard-pressed nonprofits will continue to grow, and that public and private funding will continue to fail to keep pace,” Ginsberg said. “It is not an exaggeration to say that a resulting nonprofit sector ‘crisis’ is developing, if it’s not here already.
Casa said health and human services providers have about $2.68 billion in contracts with the state.
“They are the state’s safety net and provide services in a high quality and cost-effective manner
They are, essentially, an extension of state government but are not funded in the same way.
“They are overwhelmingly dependent on the
state for what’s needed to help people Institutional and individual giving is incredibly important and very much appreciated in these difficult times, but only the state can provide enough funding for a sustainable system people can rely on. Unfortunately, we’re still running behind where we should be,” Casa said.
Looking toward 2025 and beyond, Harrison and others say they hope nonprofit initiatives can be more preventive, instead of serving mostly as responses to crisis, inequities and systemic burdens faced by communities.
“In the short term, we are working for a more united and stronger sector,” Harrison said. “I hope that our government can recognize our strengths and contributions to our state, and can appropriate funding that allows us to do the great work we do.”
Tyler Sizemore/Hearst Connecticut Media file photo
Julie Mileto conducts a lesson with August Eng in a newly refurbished preschool classroom at Julian Curtiss School in Greenwich.
Nonprofit transforms food waste into hope
Food Rescue US delivers over 166 million meals nationwide
By Keith Loria CORRE SP ONDENT
In an effort to get food on plates instead of leaving it to rot in a landfill, Food Rescue US works to gather food that would otherwise be tossed in the trash and redirect it to those in need.
More than 47.5 million Americans live in foodinsecure households according to 2023 data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Economic Research Service Food Rescue US, a Stamfordbased nonprofit, defines food insecurity as “someone lacking reliable access to a sufficient quantity of affordable, nutritious food and has worked to end the problem since its formation in 2011 (originally known as Community Plates before switching to Food Rescue US in 2017), according to its website
“We are on a mission to reduce food waste and food insecurity,” said Haley Schulman, Food Rescue US’ national site coordinator and co-site director for Fairfield County “We do that by leveraging an app that we created that connects food donors with too much food to volunteers who pick up the food in their personal vehicles and deliver it to social service agencies experiencing that food insecurity.”
Today, Food Rescue US operates in 43 locations across 23 states and the District of Columbia, having delivered over 166 million meals and diverted more than 199 million pounds of surplus food from landfills, ac-
cording to its website
“We’re not rescuing food scraps, we’re rescuing edible surplus food that is most often the healthiest food to be eating because it’s perishable products, so by design that’s produce, prepared foods, baked goods and more,” Schulman said.
“Any food-generating entity has the opportunity to participate and any social service agency has the opportunity as well.”
The app allows for self-scheduling, so volunteers can claim any “rescues” that they are available for.
Food sourcing is 100 percent donation-based and the organization is mostly funded through grants and private donations.
In Connecticut, Food Rescue US has operations in Fairfield County, Northwest Connecticut and Hartford County, and donations play a big role in its local programs. To date, these three locations have rescued over 4 million pounds of surplus food, Schulman said.
“Food donations allow us to simply do more,” said Karen Saggese, cosite director of Fairfield County “We stretch a dollar to rescue 16 meals, or about 20 pounds of food. These donations go directly to help our operation. Some of the money also goes towards our individual sites within Connecticut and some of the other endeavors we try to take on.”
For instance, it runs some outdoor food distributions with community partners and holds a speaker series, Digestible Bites, which features documentaries and dis-
cussions about food and nutrition.
“We also rescue surplus food from schools and we are looking to grow that program in the coming year,” Schulman said. “That’s an opportunity to educate students and get them involved in community action, as
well as addressing internal school processes.”
Food Rescue US also rescues from farmers markets and farms directly, and it’s hoping to grow that program in 2025 as well.
“We have a really unique large-scale, bulk rescue program where we
have the opportunity a few times a year to rescue trucks full of single products,” Schulman said. “In the past, this has included a truck full of apples, one of melons and one of tomatoes. That’s a great opportunity to bring our volunteers together on a single day in a single space at a given time, and get a lot of our community partners involved.”
Among the big grocery store donors in the state are Trader Joe's and Whole Foods, and universities such as Western State University, Fairfield University and Sacred Heart provide food as well, Schulman said.
In Connecticut, Schulman noted approximately 23 percent of its waste stream is food, and that’s amajor problem for the climate
“When food waste decomposes in a landfill or is incinerated, (it) creates methane gas that is...more harmful to our planet than carbon dioxide, she said. “Also in the hauling of these wet,
To make a donation visit foodrescue.us
dense foods, there are greenhouse gas emissions generated from the trucking. It’s also a strain on the state’s budget and residents will see that impacted on their tax dollars.” According to the Environmental Protection Agency methane gas is more than 28 times more potent than carbon dioxide when it comes to trapping heat in the atmosphere
One initiative this summer was a partnership with NBC Sports, which had more than 2,000 people working in Stamford as part of its Summer Olympic coverage. FLIK Hospitality Group ran the dining facility and donated food three to five days a week, which helped service five different agencies in the city including Pacific House, a homeless shelter In 2025, Food Rescue US is looking to put momentum behind a student ambassador program it’s working on, which would be an educational and actionable program that leads to the next generation of food waste warriors.
“It’s like a class that students can complete on their own time and includes education on food waste, food security, food justice and then results in aproject that they take on to address these issues they learned about,” Schulman said. “We are also interested in growing outside of the three operating sites we have right now and need funding to make that happen.”
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Food donor businesses include grocery stores, schools, bakeries, farmers markets and more.
Hearst CT Media Group’sBig $100,000 Giveaway will award10advertising grants of$10,000 each to local nonprofits who participate in the online voting contest. Every nonprofitfeatured in this sectioniseligible for the grant. The top 10 nonprofits with the most votes will receive agrant to use in 2025.
Youcan vote for your favorite local nonprofitonce aday.The contest starts Monday,November 25 at 12pm and ends Friday,December 20 at 11pm. Thewinning nonprofits forthis year will be announced in January 2025.
VotingstartsNovember25@12pm
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Connecticut Draft Horse Rescue volunteers provide a new lease on life for horses
‘Giving them a second chance at life is just so therapeutic’
By Bekah Wright
That 2010
notice
the attention of Stacey Golub, an equine veterinarian and the owner of Middlefield’s Connecticut Valley Equine Veterinary Services A Shire horse in a Pennsylvania kill pen was at risk of going to slaughter. Golub sprang into action, phoning friends.
“It was a group effort to save and rehabilitate her, then find her a home,” Golub recalled. On a high from the rescue, the friends thought—“We should do this a couple of times a year.” Indeed, Golub was
ready to rescue more horses right away Connecticut Draft Horse Rescue (CDHR) was born. Initially, the rescues draft horses discarded after a life of hard labor landed in the backyards of CDHR members until new homes were located. Ayear later, CDHR incorporated as a nonprofit and leased a 60-acre farm with a barn built for draft horses in Haddam Neck. Their next move was to advertise for volunteers.
Stacey Randall’s mother saw the ad and called her with an idea for a “girls’ date for the two of them. They arrived at Portland’s Anderson’s Farm Supply and Randall’s mom purchased hay, grain and buckets. “I thought, ‘Mom’s having a midlife crisis and bought ahorse!,’” she recalled. The duo ended up at CDHR’s first day open to
Horsecontinues on S23
Chad Roberts /Getty Images
In East Hampton, the Connecticut Draft Horse Rescue gives horses a new lease on life
Huneebee Project teaches job skills
Nonprofit works with youth from CPS, foster care system
By Keith Loria CORRE SP ONDENT
Huneebee Project, is the brainchild of Sarah Taylor, a licensed clinical social worker with years of experience navigating child protective and foster care systems in New York City and New Haven, who in 2016 had grown disheartened by the limitations of traditional therapy interventions in addressing the complex trauma, structural racism, oppression and injustices inherent to these systems.
It was about this time she discovered a fondness for beekeeping
“My personal experiences with beekeeping as atherapeutic escape, coupled with the recognition of beekeeping’s potential to be a powerful, complementary health practice and my awareness of our service delivery system being due for achange, coincided serendipitously,” Taylor said.
Over time, Huneebee Project was born with a mission to leverage mutuality with nature community connectedness and kinship, and empower-
CT MediaGroup.Votingopens on 11/25 at noon.
ment to promote psychosocial growth and job preparedness. It focuses on equitable job readiness for youth in New Haven and Bridgeport, emphasizes training in transferable job skills and provides employment opportunities for young people ages 15 to 23 with past or current involvement in Child Protective Services and foster care
“We maintain social work’s underpinning values, such as self-determination, the dignity and worth of the person, the importance of human relationships, and social justice and equity,” Taylor said. “I am doing this work because it feels timely and needed. I hope
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Grey Kenna/Contributed photo
Huneebee Project is a nonprofit that helps young people who have been part of the foster care system learn job skills and beekeeping.
Huneebee Project helps young people from the
through September
“Free, public workshops are hosted to foster pollinator stewardship, increase a sense of connection, increase awareness of the relationships between pollinator loss and climate change, and to make environmental education accessible to those who have been historically discluded from opportunities in agriculture,” Taylor said.
“Workshops are co-led by Huneebee youth employees and are often attended by local children and adults with little access to agricultural education and who tend or feel unwelcome in green spaces,” she added.
There’s also native bee hotels scattered throughout its garden sites, and Huneebee has hosted workshops on solitary bees, native bee-hotel making, foraging for native pollinator seeds, germinating pollinator seedlings and growing pollinator friendly gardens.
Alexandra Guzman, a 20-year-old junior beekeeping instructor, credits working with the nonprofit for helping her develop new skills and deepen her connection to beekeeping and photography.
“I appreciate how each day has offered opportunities to connect with like-minded people who share the same interests I do making it feel more like a community than just a job, she said. “In my early work with Huneebee I was encouraged to express myself creatively and take on new challenges, which really set the foundation for my journey with photography. This freedom to explore helped me discover how passionate I am about photography
and pushed me to pursue it more seriously It has inspired me to take on new projects, like creating my photo website and eventually working with New Haven’s (Food Systems Policy Division) FSPD.”
Since inception, Huneebee staff have led and exposed more than 2,500 community members to workshops on beekeeping pollinator-friendly practices and environmental conservation tools, according to its website Plus, since the first cohort was launched in 2018, the organization has graduated 49 youths from its training program and demonstrated over a 90 percent program graduation rate, Taylor said. In order to graduate, participants must attend 75 percent or more of the workshops and submit a finalized resume, which many use when applying
for future jobs, she said Youth who have transitioned out of Huneebee have left to start their own businesses, enter supportive/transitional living programs, started a higher education program, or moved to a fulltime place of employment.
For instance, Jetaly Traverso started with Huneebee as a trainee when she was 15 years old in 2020 and this February, actualized her dream of becoming a licensed nail technician and then went on to start her own nail salon, Nails by Jetaly in Hamden. She credits the program with helping her achieve her big goal in life “All the workshops and different activities would always help me, whether it was emotional or to improve my skills,” Traverso said. “Personally, I always worked on communication and being
more comfortable speaking in front of bigger crowds. As a licensed nail technician and business owner, customer service and communication are always a priority for me That includes talking to four to five different clients a day whether it’s in person or
on the phone, so working on those skills definitely is paying off now.”
Looking ahead, Taylor hopes Huneebee will continue to grow in New Haven, and to increase its impact on local youth who need it most “In 2025, we will begin to use a new software
system—Charity Tracker—to more robustly track and support Huneebee alumni in securing and maintaining employment outside of Huneebee,” she said. “For our youth, engagement in environmental conservation offers a sense of purpose and belonging.”
Grey Kenna/Contributed photo
Alexandra Guzman is a junior beekeeping instructor at Huneebee Project.
Grey Kenna/Contributed photo
Huneebee Project is a nonprofit that focuses on equitable job readiness for young people with involvement in Child Protective Services and foster care.
health care, community services as nonprofits report $50.2B in revenue
Donations drive impact for CT hospitals, aid health programs
By Keith Loria
Connecticut nonprofit organiza-
tions reported $50.2 billion in revenue on their most recent tax filings, according to research by ProPublica and many of the biggest targets of philanthropic efforts go towards the state’s nonprofit hospitals.
“In 2024, early reports from organizations that track giving have seen giving numbers higher than in 2023, so we are seeing growth,” said Karla Fortunato, president of the Connecticut Council for Philanthropy
“People are moved by stories of those experiencing crisis or need, so telling a story about how people are able to grow, flourish and succeed through the work of a nonprofit is incredibly impactful.”
Shmerling, president and CEO of Connecticut Children’s
Donations from individuals has helped provide the money needed for her surgeries, ongoing treatment and overall care, and have brought plenty of smiles to Gracyn and her family.
“The impact (of donations) can help someone like Gracyn be a typical 7-year-old,” said Shmerling
Here are some of the state’s nonprofit hospitals and health foundations that are making a difference thanks to the generosity of donors.
Connecticut Children’s Medical Center
he said
Private donations represent only about 2 percent of the hospital’s revenue; and on an annual basis it might raise $15-$20-million a year, Shmerling said. “A lot of times, the donor directs us to where they want their money to go to—it might be for research it might be for capital equipment, it might be for program support,” Shmerling said. “But about 25 percent of that is unrestricted, and that’s where we discuss how best to use the money.”
“We do about 70 events a year across the state to get the word out about what we do,” Shmerling said. “We couldn’t do what we do without partnerships throughout the community and those who are helping with their philanthropic efforts.”
Donors are also invited to spend the day at the hospital and see first-hand how doctors and the staff are helping children.
Nuvance Health
erosity, they have supported our community health programs like our community care teams, Mission Health Day and Food as Medicine, providing vulnerable populations with the care needed to improve health outcomes and address social drivers of health,” he said.
health systems are wealthy,” McDaniel said.
“The COVID-19 pandemic impact on hospitals is ongoing as the cost to deliver care continues to increase at a disproportionately high rate compared to the increase in reimbursement from private insurance and government funders Philanthropy makes many wellness and even life-saving programs possible.”
What’s more, philanthropy also contributes to the growth of Connecticut’s communities by investing in educating and training the next generation of healthcare professionals and nurturing existing talent through scholarships and tuition reimbursement
Yale New Haven Health
One such story us that of Gracyn-Rose She was diagnosed with chronic intestinal pseudo-obstruction (CIPO) at just 2 years old and had more than 20 hospitalizations due to her rare gastrointestinal disorder, which affects how food and fluids move through her body With only about 100 children diagnosed each year the now-7year-old requires a specialized team for comprehensive care and she found this support at Connecticut Children’s Medical Center, a nonprofit, pediatric acute care hospital located in Hartford, said James E
Jeffrey L. McDaniel, vice president of development for Nuvance Health, a nonprofit health system headquartered in Danbury, noted donors play a crucial role in helping the organization achieve its mission.
“We have a high degree of patients who don’t meet criteria for Medicaid and this significantly grows every year,” said Gail W. Kosyla executive vice president and chief financial officer for Yale New Haven Health. “It leads to a cost in excess of our reimbursement for those patients and it really effects our ability to reinvest in our community and do great proPhilanthropy
Connecticut Children’s has a foundation that’s extremely active and helps with the hospital’s four missions—critical care to children; advocacy about health policy that affects kids; research to advance care for kids; and education,
“Thanks to their gen-
Additionally, McDaniel said the philanthropic help has contributed to Nuvance Health’s pancreatic cancer screening study, which identifies the cancer early; enabled the health system to serve more than 4,000 senior meals in Sharon, fostering a healthier community; enhanced emergency care through life-saving technology and staff training, ensuring timely access to critical care services when needed
“Several critical pro-
grams rely 100 percent on philanthropic support for their continuation,” McDaniel said. “Those include our community care teams at Danbury Hospital and Norwalk Hospital, our Food as Medicine Program in Danbury and the Connecticut Diaper Connections Program, which supports parents and their children.”
Nuvance Health’s cancer care and emergency department patient navigators at Danbury and Norwalk Hospitals also require philanthropic support. These essential roles ensure each individual has coordinated care, seamless experience and the best possible outcome, McDaniel said.
“One of the biggest challenges is overcoming the misguided belief that nonprofit hospitals and
Yale New Haven Health, a nonprofit healthcare system with headquarters in New Haven, relies a great deal on support from the community and state to compliment the funding that comes in through Medicaid taxes and reimbursement. Still, donations can make a big difference for many.
Jim Michaud/Hearst Connecticut Media
James E. Shmerling is the president and chief executive officer at Connecticut Children’s Medical Center, shown at his office on Oct 30 in Hartford.
commitment to patient-centered care Connecticut Mental Health Center Foundation Connecticut Mental Health Center Foundation (CMHC)is a partnership between the state of Connecticut and Yale University which provides comprehensive mental health services for people who have
or no
or little or no insurance It serves approximately 5,000 people a year in the greater New Haven area.
“Our services are funded through the
Nuvance Health/Contributed photo
Members of the New American Dream Foundation and Danbury Hospital gathered to celebrate a donation
state, but the nonprofit CMHC foundation is a supporting organization that provides critical financial emergency assistance for our patients for things like emergency food, clothing, seasonal items and documentary filing fees,” said Kyle Pedersen, director of the CMHC Foundation. “We are looking to help people live and thrive in their
communities, and sometimes the things you need most are those small things so you can live independently and stretch your food dollars.”
Money from private donors go towards these services, as well as programs such as CMHC Cycles, where it partners with a local bicycling cooperative to provide refurbished bikes to
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clients who can use them for school, work to visit family or just health and exercise
“Those are things that aren’t funded with our state-budget funding,” Pedersen said. “We also provide support for nonpsychiatric medications so they can manage their overall health.”
FeedingFamiliesFoundation’smissionistoeliminatehospitalfood insecuritybycoveringthecostofmealsforcaregiversof criticallyillchildrenwhoareadmittedinthehospital.
Withyourdonation,ourParentPlateProgramcoversthecostof hospitalmealsforparentsandhasthosemealsdeliveredtotheroom, soparentsdonotneedtoleavetheirchild’sbedside orworryaboutthecostoffood.
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F or more than 20 years,The Food Bank hasbeen theonlyfood bank located in lowerFairfield County.
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Theseagenciesinclude soup kitchens, homelessshelters,food pantries,child day care centers, afterschoolprograms, senior centersand rehabilitationprograms.
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we sadly lost to complications from canker (a hoof condition). She touched so many lives.” Canker is a disease that causes uncomfortable growths form in a hoof, which causes pain and makes it difficult for a horse to walk, according to the Merck Veterinary Manual. Since its inception, the nonprofit has grown to include 100 volunteers ranging from newbies to horse lovers who don’t have the means to own a horse “The horses rescue us Giving them a second chance at life is just so therapeutic and healing,”
Golub said. CDHR has rescued over 150 horses. These days, they specialize in rescuing draft horses.
“Because of my background as a veterinarian and our equipment, we’re able to take in draft horses with medical needs that others aren’t able to manage, Golub said. The nonprofit has taken in other breeds, though, too including mules and donkeys.
There are myriad reasons a horse might need rescuing “They could be owner-surrendered because their former owners can no longer take care of them due to things
like financial needs, job loss, divorce, or a death in the family, Golub said. CDHR also takes in horses seized by animal control authorities for neglect and abuse They primarily rescue horses in New England.
“When we don’t have local horses in need, we travel to auctions in Pennsylvania and bid against kill buyers to save the horses from being shipped to slaughter,” Golub said. “We bring them back and give them achance at a new life.”
Potential adopters learn about CDHR horses from social media, advertising, local press,
word-of-mouth and the organization’s website Applications are taken, references checked and the new home evaluated.
“When the horses are adopted, there’s a contract protecting that horse for life so they never need to be rescued again,” Golub added.
One such rescue was Duchess, a four-year-old horse with canker. “She was rescued from going to slaughter when she was just a year-and-ahalf old,” Golub said.
“She already had had canker at that point, a disease that’s difficult to treat, so was passed from home to home until
CDHR got a call
“We’d just lost a horse with complications secondary to canker, and it was heartbreaking,” Golub said. Duchess arrived with an even worse case For months, CDHR treated her feet And after several months, she was healed. “She found a great home locally where she’s very much loved,” Golub said.
Autumn Ridge welcomes visitors every Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to noon, during which volunteers give farm tours and talk about the horses and their histories. CDHR will happily schedule appointments
for folks who can’t make those hours
When guests arrive, “From the moment they step onto the farm, they realize this is a special place, Randall said.
“Then they meet the horses, who are sweet, social and draw you in.” In addition to visiting hours, CDHR hosts special events throughout the year On Dec 7, a holiday open house will be held from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Santa will be on hand for photos with the horses.
“We survive 100 percent on donations and grants from foundations,” Golub said. CDHR spends over $25,000 a year on hay alone Some donors send a monthly stipend to help. There’s an Amazon wish list for the horses, as well. “Without public support, we wouldn’t be able to do what we do.”
Volunteers range from newbies to horse lovers
Sarah Grote/Contributed photos
There are myriad reasons a horse might need rescuing.
From page S13
In East Hampton, the Connecticut Draft Horse Rescue gives horses a new lease on life.
Street |Wallingford,CT www.scowinc.org
SouthElm Street |Wallingford,CT 8North Turnpike Road |Wallingford,CT www.wallingfordymca.org
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Save the Children helps kids worldwide
Fairfield-based organization also promotes education
By Keith Loria CORRE
In today’s age, too many children are still growing up against the backdrop of hunger, conflict and natural disasters
“Usually, people will mobilize around a humanitarian crisis, but it takes time, and not every emergency makes the headlines,” said Luciana Bonifacio chief development officer at Save the Children. “People know about the work in Ukraine and the work in Gaza, but every year, we respond to over 100 emergencies, most of which don’t make the front of a newspaper but there are still millions of children who need support. This fund allows us to deploy resources that
are needed, whether it’s people hygiene kits or anything needed.”
Save the Children U.S. is based in Fairfield and is an international nongovernmental organization founded in the United Kingdom in 1919 with agoal to improve the lives of children worldwide More than a century later, its mission is to ensure every child in the United States and around the world grows up healthy, educated and protected from harm. Save the Children works in more than 100 countries.
Earlier this year, Bonifacio visited the organization’s programs in Mozambique including one in Cabo Delgado, a region affected by high degrees of violence by armed groups that has
led to the displacement of tens of thousands in search of safety
“While visiting an internally displaced camp I met two brothers, ages 17 and 13, both severely disabled,” she said. “They arrived at the internally displaced camp thanks to their grandmother who wouldn’t give up on them. This strong woman with the help of another community member carried the children 70 kilometers by placing them inside cooking pots and carrying them on their heads. It truly was this wonderful woman who cared for them as their mom didn’t think they had a chance.”
Today, these two brothers, like other children at the camp, are part of a cash assistance program that helps them buy school supplies and uniforms, she said. They also receive additional
kits of support and they both received special wheelchairs to navigate the difficult terrain.
“When we arrived at the camp, they were immersed in an activity with a large group of children, taking turns like everyone else, laughing and singing all together,” Bonifacio said “The older brother is the coach of the soccer team and the younger brother is the referee It was absolutely lovely to see them so engaged, included and more than that, embraced. That is
the kind of change that is possible even in very dire circumstances.”
Save the Children first started working in the U.S. in 1932, and its focus here is on rural America.
“The rural areas only tend to get about 7 percent of all private fundraising going to America, so for us, it’s incredibly important, Bonifacio said. “The focus for us is about primarily kindergarten readiness and thirdgrade reading proficiency Those are two indicators that children are
much more likely to remain in high school.”
When recent hurricanes Helene and Milton hit our nation, Save the Children worked to ensure child care centers came online as quickly as possible and provided much needed resources.
Donor Sue Mirza, a long-standing supporter and volunteer for Save the Children, has seen the huge impact the organization has had on the lives of the most vulnerable children around the world.
“I have visited its early education, parenting skills and food insecurity programs in rural America, where I have seen firsthand how their work helps impoverished children thrive,”
Alexis Ledwell/Black Women Photographers/Contributed photo
Aubree plays with Jack the Fox in 2022 at
South Carolina. Save the Children works
Daphnee Cook/Save the Children/Contributed photo Save the Children International CEO Inger Ashing visited northern Mozambique in May 2022.
Paul Ratje/Contributed photo
Six-year-olds, from left, Madelyn, Joey and Cirila took part in Save the Children’s 2023 Summer Boost program to practice math and reading skills in New Mexico
Paul Ratje/Contributed photo
Greenwich Together
Greenwich Together is acommunity coalitionfocused on preventing substancemisuseand promotingmentalhealthamong youth. By engaging parents, youth, andvarious community partners,Greenwich Together fosterspositivedevelopment throughmultipleinitiatives includingevents, educationalresources,and advocacy efforts.
Visitour websitetolearn more aboutour effortstobuild asupportiveenvironment forall. Stay informed,get involved,and help createafuturewhere positive choiceslead to healthyfutures
Thecoalition typically meetsina hybrid format bi-monthly thesecondMondayofthe month. If youare interested in joininga meetingpleaseemail crestrepo@kidsincrisis.org
Forquestionsorcomments,pleaseemailCorinaRestrepo,LCSW, AssistantDirectorofOutreachandPreventionServicesorcallherat203.622.6556. www.greenwichtogether.org
A giftofany size contributes to our missionofpreserving and sharing our state’s diverse cultures and stories through
CHILDREN
From page S30
institutions.
• 9 percent from corporations.
• 3 percent from various foundations.
• Remaining 1% from other sources. Last fiscal year 85 percent of all expenditures went toward program services, which is why the organization cherishes every supporter from children who send their allowance to the largest philanthropic donors, Bonifacio said “A large portion of our support comes from private sources, so it’s massively important to
us,” Bonifacio said “This funding allows us some flexibility Government funding comes with very specific restrictions on the types of programs it supports This allows us to take action on other programs.”
For example, private donations can be used for the Children’s Emergency Fund, which allows Save the Children to respond to emergencies when they happen
For Connecticut residents looking to do more, the organization established the Save the Children’s Fairfield County Leadership Council in 2017, designed to bring philanthropic
leaders together to build greater awareness and support for those in the area. Since inception, it has raised more than $2.5 million for Save the Children’s work Bonifacio said.
“With the holidays coming up, people tend to think about children and their hopes and how excited they are, but for many children, their reality is they are not happy at home or having afabulous meal or opening gifts, and they may be at a displacement camp,” Bonifacio said “When you think about putting a smile on your children, think about making life much better for others.”
Shawn Millsaps/Contributed photo
Save the Children established the KinderBoost program, a two-week school-readiness program for incoming kindergartners and their families
How The Connection helped reunite a mom and daughter
By Linda Tuccio-Koonz CORRE SP ONDENT
onprofits “can never rest” because the number of people who need services is increasing, said Lisa DeMatteis-Lepore, CEO at The Connection, based in Middletown and funded in part by the Department of Children and Families (DCF).
“Rising housing costs and economic pressures are increasing the demand for nonprofit services in Connecticut,” she said.
The Connection runs the Supportive Housing for Families program, which helps families thrive by finding homes in safe neighborhoods and providing support for achieving economic independence and developing a caring environment It also helps parents reunify with children who were placed in foster care, and prevents such situations by providing access to a stable home, case management and other services.
Since 1998, it has helped thousands of families stay together A Connecticut mother, Samantha L., who turned her life around through its services shared her story before the state legislature earlier this year In her testimony she explained how she struggled with substance abuse for a decade and how her newborn daughter, Astrid, was removed from her care at birth.
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“At the time, I did not have much optimism for my future DCF referred me to the Supportive Housing for Families Program. I went to The Connection’s Hallie House in August 2022, and was admitted to Supportive Housing in December 2022. After I was admitted, my case manager and I started looking for apartments. Within a few months, I found something that was suitable for Astrid and I,” she stated in her testimony. Samantha L. said that it was her first time having her own apartment and that The Connection helped her rent and furnish her home
and other families like her’s.
“I’m happy to say that Astrid is in my care and is a thriving, healthy and happy 2-year-old miracle. Ihave been able to focus on my daughter’s needs and settling into our home, and it has been the biggest blessing,” she said as she credited the program with helping her
DeMatteis-Lepore said the state saves money when nonprofits such as The Connection provides cost effective services like The Supportive Housing for Families program to help people turn their lives around. Program graduates like Samantha L. are able to find employment and maintain their housing as a result, but there are many more families waiting to access services.
“I don’t think you can ever rest because the need is huge, but I’m cautiously optimistic,” she said. “I want to see the silver lining because I know our programs work to help people rebuild their lives.”
Walkthe hallsofthe Maritime Center to bask in the holidaymagic of over 150incredibledisplays of decorated trees, tablesettings, anddream presents. This eventisfreetothe public andfun forthe entirefamily. Each displaywillberaffled offtoa lucky winner.You canparticipate in person or online.Raffletickets are$1each.
Brian Ambrose Photography/Contributed photo
Lisa DeMatteis-Lepore is chief executive officer at The Connection, based in Middletown.
Health Collective offers LGBTQ+ communities health care access, respect
It also offers a queer prom, high school scholarships
By Andrea Valluzzo CORRE SP ONDENT
As the longest serving board member of the Health Collective in Hartford, board
president E. John McGarvey has always been passionate about its mission
Originally known as the Hartford Gay and Lesbian Health Collective, the Health Collective works to promote equal access to healthcare One of the state’s oldest LGBTQ+ healthcare agencies, founded in 1983, it was the first in Connecticut to offer dental care for people with HIV/AIDS and today provides medical dental and support services for those living with HIV/ AIDS, people who selfidentify as LGBTQ+ and other marginalized communities, explained Executive Director David Grant. “The Health Collective was one of the first organizations in the state of Connecticut to offer HIV testing to folks at the height of the AIDS crisis in the 1980s,” he added. It offered testing as early as 1986 Healthcare can be expensive so the Collective works to eliminate financial barriers for the communities it serves, Grant added. “Everything that we do we try to go into it with the goal of how we can make this service free and that’s why we have such an aggressive fundraising strategy.”
McGarvey said he is most proud of the Collective sustaining itself for 40-plus years and meeting
THE HEALTH COLLECTIVE
1841 Broad St Suite D. Hartford, CT; 860-278-4163
64 Church St., Manchester, CT; 860-512-8661
To make a donation visit healthcollective.org
clients where they are “This is healthcare with dignity and respect and that’s really important for everybody, by the way, not just our community,” he said. “That’s what the Health Collective has been known for since day one. The reason the Health Collective was formed was because people living with HIV back in the day could not get medical care
Back in 1999, McGarvey was newly sober and looking for a place to volunteer with when he found the Collective “One of the tenets of the sobriety program was to give back and to find someplace where you can have a positive effect on not only your own life but on somebody else’s,” he said. “The mission has always driven me, I’ve always believed this community should have complete equality” McGarvey said. “I think that our community is much better off knowing that there is an organization like the Health Collective that has their back, that understands them a place where they can see and be seen as who they are and I think it’s better for the greater community in
Health continues on S35
Matthew Wallace/The Missing Lens
The Health Collective celebrated the 30th anniversary of its queer prom in June
E. John McGarvey, board president of the Health Collective, left, speaks with former Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin.
David Grant is the executive director of the Health Collective
Hartford because we all live here together,” he added. As chair of the Collective’s signature fundraising event, One Big Event, McGarvey has raised a lot of money over the years for the group, estimating the gala has raised about $2 million for the organization. He’s also helped secure numerous grants for the Collective including state funding of $700,0000 earmarked to go towards a planned move to new and bigger office space to accommodate the Collective’s administration and programming, including its expanded mental health services. The board is in the final phase of site development and will solicit bids in the move to Barry Square in Hartford planned for April 2025, he said. The gala is more than just a fundraising event and allows them to celebrate their community “It also enables us to have more visibility because without that visibility you
can’t raise funds It’s a multi-pronged effort that reaps a lot of rewards in a lot of different ways,” he said. As a gay man who didn’t come out until he was 21, Grant said he grew up in a very traditional Catholic home “My family was not super supportive but there was a group of people who always accepted me for who I was, who never judged me, who never made me feel like I wasn’t normal and that was the LGBTQIA+ community,” he said. “The work we do is important because the LGBTQIA+ community is important. There are folks who go without services and support because of their sexual and gender identity, and they would rather suffer in silence because it’s worth feeling that personal pain when it is self-inflicted versus going to access traditional systems of care and being met with prejudice, bigotry and violence in some cases The work that we do changes lives and it matters because the people we serve matter.”
Besides health care, the Collective offers a diverse
slate of initiatives, ranging from its queer prom, which celebrated its 30th anniversary in June to high school scholarships and internships. It recently bought a van with grant money to offer mobile services and just took over the True Colors SOGIEcon (Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity and Expression) from the nowdefunct founding agency, True Colors Inc. The conference for LGBTQ youth, relaunching at UConn in March 2025, draws more than 3,500 attendees from across the nation. The Health Collective also recently launched its senior dentures program, working with people 50 and older to give them dentures for free and provide any physical therapy needed to retrain their jaw.
“That kind of stuff is really what motivates me and drives our team because the stories of the people that we impact are heartbreaking There was one person we served in New Britain who said that he had not had dentures for over two years, and we gave him his smile back,” Grant said.
Cereset Westportproudly
Matthew Wallace/The Missing Lens
The Health Collective celebrated the 30th anniversary of its queer prom in June HEALTH
From page S34
Inspiringacceptanceandinclusionforallthroughsports
Thisprogrambringsathleteswith intellectualdisabilitiesandtheirpeerswithout disabilitiesofallagestogethertotrainandcompetein sports-inschoolsandinyourcommunityyear-round.
Thisprogramoffershealth education,screeningsand fitnessactivitiestoathleteswith intellectualdisabilitiestohelp improvetheirhealthandwellness. Italsoinspiresmoreinclusive andequitableaccesstoquality healthcare.
Thereareopportunitiesfor everyonetobeapartofSpecial OlympicsConnecticut(SOCT) andenjoyameaningfuland rewardingexperience.
Ridgefield’s Prospector Theater changing lives with job opportunities
Business offering ‘meaningful employment’ to people with disabilities turns 10
By Andrea Valluzzo CORRE SP ONDENT
Working at Ridgefield’s Prospector Theater since just before its opening in 2014, Joe Gillotti found more than a job, and he says the Prospector changed his life Celebrating its 10th anniversary, the Prospector is not just a theater showing first-run and throwback movies. As a nonprofit, its mission is to make money while making a difference by training a workforce that has largely been underrepresented.
“One of the things I love about the Prospector and I think it’s something other businesses should take note of is we are undoing decades worth of damage, prejudice and stigma brought on people with disabilities,” Gillotti, who has autism, said. “We can work and we want to work We just aren’t being given the opportunities, and that’s what the Prospector is doing They are giving this marginalized group an opportunity to show the world what they can do.”
About 75 percent of Prospects (employees) self-identity as having a disability, according to the Prospector’s website Executive director Ryan Wenke said its business model centers on offering meaningful, competitive and inclusive employment
“We are not just in the business of passing out paychecks because we feel sorry for people with disabilities,” he said.
“What we are doing is good business. We have the best workforce on the planet.”
AProspector buzzword, “meaningful employment,” is about earning a paycheck that is critical to one’s quality of life, Wenke added. “We have had so many Prospects where this is their first job and they have
PROSPECTOR THEATER
25 Prospect St Ridgefield, CT 203-438-0136
To make a donation visit prospectortheater.org/donate
saved enough to move out of their parents’ home, live on their own, get their first car and get married.”
Another term often heard here, “sparkle,”
directly ties into the the-
ater’s business model. Few employers ask potential hires about their personal interests or passions, but the Prospector does. The
idea is to find what the person’s “sparkle is and help turn their passion, say for drawing singing or acting, into job skills and a marketable profession at the Prospector The Prospector also has an inhouse band that performs locally.
“I am doing the things that I love to do with my life here and I can take a lot of pride in the work that I do as a result,” he said. “That’s what the
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Gillotti, who has a background in community theater and enjoys cosplaying, often gets to introduce movies to ticket holders and at blockbuster movie openings often will cosplay as a character actor of sorts.
Theatercontinues on S40
Samantha Burkardt/Prospector Theater/Contributed photo
Joe Gillotti wears a Spider-Man costume at the Prospector Theater. He enjoys cosplaying and gets to do so at movie openings.
Season of giving: Food pantries, shelters and Toys for Tots share what’s needed
Remember to include older children, adults when donating during the holiday season
By Linda Tuccio-Koonz CORRE SP ONDENT
“Alot of people think of Connecticut as one of the richest states in the country, which we are, but what they don’t realize is there’s also a significant amount of poverty here ” Jason Jakubowski, president and CEO at Connecticut Foodshare, said.
“You have many towns here that have mansions” but then many areas that are impoverished, he said.
That means people need help with food and shelter not to mention the many children hoping Santa will visit even in situations where it doesn’t seem possible
If you’re looking to make the holidays brighter for others this season, nonprofits such as Connecticut Foodshare, Toys for Tots and local shelters offer myriad ways to help. Here’s what gifts are needed most.
Feeding and sheltering the community
Financial support and volunteers top many wish lists, including Jakubowski’s. Connecticut Foodshare, based in Wallingford, provides food to 600 pantries and 113 mobile truck sites, he said.
“We distribute more than 44 million meals a year,” he said. “Volunteers are always important. We have about 5,700 each year —the equivalent of 23 full-time staff members We could never do what we do without them.”
Some come every day or every week; others, once a
year “You can help us sort food. You can volunteer at our mobile sites or with one of our local pantries, he said. “Just reach out.”
About 470,000 Connecticut residents are food insecure,” he added.
“Monetary donations go far because we buy at wholesale rates.
“If you took a dollar and went to the grocery store, you could buy one can of soup If you gave a food
bank like us $1, we could buy 20 cans of soup for that dollar because we’re buying it by the truckload,” Jakubowski said.
About 60 percent of what’s raised comes in during November and December, “So we have to have a good holiday season to continue to do our work throughout the year,” he added.
Food is welcome, too
“We do a ‘Thanksgiving
for All’ campaign, asking not only for money but for frozen turkeys and Thanksgiving sides (think stuffing, canned vegetables),” Jakubowski said. Shelf-stable items are always needed, such as pasta, rice, peanut butter, canned tuna and soups. Items people don’t usually think to donate, but are appreciated, are oatmeal and low-sodium canned stew, he said.
Shelters and organizations working to end homelessness say their wish lists include volunteers, funding and food, with the addition of toys and personal items.
Kara Capone, chief executive officer at Community Housing Advocates, Inc. serving Hartford and Middlesex counties, and Megan Santiago, director of the homeless shelter at St Vincent De-
Paul Mission of Waterbury shared some specifics.
Community Housing Advocates is the umbrella organization which oversees Mercy Housing and Shelter, which provides housing assistance and supportive services to people who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless, as well as My Sisters’ Place, which proHolidaycontinues on S41
Connecticut Foodshare file photo
Jason Jakubowski, president and CEO of Connecticut Foodshare, and the chief of staff Jennie Hirsch, accept turkey donations from the public
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THEATER
From page S37
Prospector is all about, it’s taking what a person wants to do their sparkle and making it a marketable job, something they can do they can earn wages.”
Gillotti started working here part-time when he was 20 and living at his parents’ house His life has changed much since then. “If it weren’t for the Prospector I don’t know where I would be now,” he said, explaining that in October 2022 he moved into his own apartment in town. Last September his girlfriend moved in, and the couple got engaged this fall.
Explaining that the organizational and selfmanagement skills he’s learned at the Prospector have benefited him in all aspects of life he added, “There’s that old expression that we go by here: If you give a person a fish, you feed them for a day but if you teach them how to fish, they feed themselves every day.
Part of the recipe to the Prospector’s success is its gourmet popcorn. In a commercial kitchen upstairs, Prospects make about a dozen gourmet popcorn flavors sold in the lobby as well as on its website, shipping throughout the country. Beginning with signature flavors like Belgian chocolate toffee and strawberry ice cream, the Prospector also has rotating seasonal flavors like pumpkin spice and peppermint bark.
“It’s literally a taste of our mission,” Wenke said, adding that they always had popcorn but launched prospectorpopcorn.org in late 2021 to diversify its revenue stream. “We are now able to share our mission with people who might not be able to come to Ridgefield to see a movie Popcorn was a perfect
product because it’s all done in-house and there are dozens of jobs that go into it.”
Through coverage in national media like “Good Morning America” and its robust education program, the Prospector eagerly shares its mission with businesses as well as students that will be tomorrow’s business leaders in charge of hiring The messaging is contagious and even celebrities visit.
Actor Ryan Reynolds brought his children to the theater in August to watch “Despicable Me 4” and posed for a photo with
staff afterward When the theater shared the photo on Instagram, he added a comment: “Best. Theater Anywhere.” Not long after their visit, the theater premiered Blake Lively’s (who is married to Reynolds) recent film “It Ends With Us.” “Ten years ago I never would have imagined what this job was going to lead to,” Gillotti said. “When I got hired, I was just excited to have a job. I’m really happy for what the last 10 years have done for me and looking forward to the next 10.”
Prospector Theater/Contributed photo
Joe Gillotti said working as a Prospect has given him the opportunity to learn self-management skills.
Ned Gerard/Hearst Connecticut Media
The Prospector Theater is located in Ridgefield.
HOLIDAY
From page S38
vides safe, nurturing environments for those who find themselves without a home, according to their websites Both of which serve clients at multiple program sites throughout Hartford and Middlesex counties. Among them is the Friendship Center a day shelter in New Britain. Capone said adult coats are needed (preferably men’s), plus “men’s undergarments and Tshirts, snack and breakfast items, laundry detergent, cleaning supplies, and prepared meals and volunteers to serve at the Friendship Center, our soup kitchen.” Various coat sizes are needed, but larger sizes are especially helpful for people who typically wear layers when it’s cold.
Donations they’ve received too much of, Capone said, include feminine products, socks and toys for small children. They still need canned meats, canned goods with pop-tops, peanut butter, jelly, shelf stable juices, water,
snacks (like granola bars) and can openers. “We’re always in need of air mattresses for those who find a new home and cannot afford to furnish it right away,” Capone added Monetary donations are welcome plus participation in their “Holiday Wish program. They partner with individuals, businesses and service organizations to brighten the holidays for people who are struggling
“A wish list of items requested and needed by our clients and their children can be viewed on our website, which helps to ensure they have something to open for Christmas,” she said.
Lack of housing and homelessness is a yearround problem, she added but it becomes more critical —especially for those living outside or in cars as it gets colder.
The shelter at St Vincent DePaul Mission of Waterbury, is the largest in the state and needs donations all year, Santiago said. “We can serve 108 people each night, and up to 120 if it’s super cold. We
Giving continues on S42
WHAT TO DONATE THIS SEASON
These are some examples of items charitable organizations say they are in need of:
Food
• Frozen turkeys, stuffing, canned vegetables
• Pasta, rice, peanut butter, canned tuna, canned soup
Oatmeal, low-sodium shelf-stable foods
• Prepared meals
• Can openers
Apparel etc
• Adult coats (larger sizes are especially helpful)
• Men’s undergarments and T-shirts
• Laundry detergent, cleaning supplies
• Air mattresses
Toys and gifts
• Teethers, baby rattles, board books, soft books
• Electronics
• Gift cards from Target or Walmart, gaming gift cards, Dunkin’ gift cards
• Bath and body products, makeup perfume
• Sports-themed clothing (local college teams, Patriots, Red Sox, Yankees, Mets)
Christian Abraham/Hearst Connecticut Media file photo
Students visit with Santa during Norwalk Housing Learning Centers’ annual holiday event for families at the EnVision Center in Norwalk.
desperately need blankets and towels; we always need deodorant.”
Toys and gifts for all ages
When families are there in December, “the first question parents ask is if there will be a gift for their child We reassure moms and dads so they don’t worry, so they know we’ll have something,” Santiago said.
Staffers ask parents what their child might like A wish list is created, with most-needed items posted on Facebook
“Gifts for older kids, 13 to 18, are what we lack. We buy stuff for the older kids, but every child is different,” she said. “We need gift cards from Target and Walmart, gaming gift cards, or bath and body stuff things like makeup and perfume.
It’s nice to have something for parents, too she added. “We get a lot of toy donations, but people don’t think about the adults. They need things like hats, socks gloves. Dunkin’ Donuts gift cards are something big we try to get; we want to give them something on Christmas.”
The shelter is “overwhelmed, in a good way, with toys in December,” she said. So many arrive they’re able to share with other shelters.
“I think it’s wonderful that people are thinking of these children who truly have nothing at this time, and are willing to buy really nice gifts. One year someone donated two Nintendo Switches,” Santiago said.
Last year a family moved out of the shelter the day before Christmas. “On Christmas morning we brought the gifts to their apartment. The children were 8 or 9 and
still believed in Santa. We gave the gifts to the parents, all wrapped, so the parents could bring them inside,” she said.
Edwin Rodriguez, director of operations at St Vincent DePaul Mission of Waterbury, said another way to help is to participate in a toy drive like the one run by St. Bridget of Sweden, in Cheshire
“During the holidays we take the names and ages of kids who visit the soup kitchen and forward them to St Bridget,” he said. “Parishioners take a tag with the name of a child and their age, buy a gift and wrap it for Christmas. We give those gifts to the parents, so parents can give them to their children.”
Toys for Tots is seeking some elf-like help this season Liz Ward, of Norwalk Toys for Tots, is one of 800 volunteers throughout the country who runs alocal campaign
“We kindly ask for new, unwrapped gifts to be donated, which will be
distributed throughout the community,” in this case, Norwalk, Fairfield and Westport, she said noting each campaign is separate, and runs independently.
Operating under the umbrella of the larger organization, Norwalk Toys for Tots, serves children up to age 18 Per the foundation’s guidelines, they’re unable to accept used or homemade gifts or food items.
“We’re fortunate to receive generous donations, but there are a few areas that are commonly overlooked,” she said.
For example, they often need more toys for newborns to 2-year-olds (teethers, baby rattles, board books and soft books), gifts for teens (electronics and speakers), and books in languages other than English, “especially ones featuring characters in positive roles, allowing for amore inclusive representation,” Ward said.
Ward said her mission goes beyond simple giftgiving “I view it as an
opportunity to convey a deeper message of inclusion and representation,” so every child knows they matter and are valued.
Families need support throughout the year For those who wish to donate during the holiday push, there’s a growing list of drop sites. But there’s also other ways to help.
“If you have young kids, take them shopping to pick out a toy to donate, and so they can start experiencing what it’s like to give back,” she said.
“You can also start a collection or toy drive at work Monetary contributions are especially helpful. They allow us to purchase books and toys in bulk, helping us reach even more children,” Ward added.
Ward said one of the best ways to help the spirit of the program is by spreading kindness and compassion. “Whether it’s offering a moment of patience or lending a hand to someone in need, every act
helps strengthen the community.”
One of her proudest accomplishments involves Norwalk Toys for Tots’ collaboration with Norwalk Next Steps. “This transition program supports young adults with developmental differences aged 18 to 21 who have graduated high school and are learning job skills. They run the warehouse,” she said, “and I couldn’t do it without them!”
Sgt. John J. Miles coordinates the Toys for Tots chapter in New Haven.
“We often receive toys for children ages 3 to 5, but we’re in greater need of items for older kids, especially those between 12 and 14,” he said.
Dave Silber, area coordinator in Newtown for the NW Fairfield County chapter, said teenagers are tough, but any kind of sports-themed clothing would be appreciated.
Things with local colleges team logos are popular as well as regional teams like the Patriots, Red Sox,
Yankees and Mets, he said.
“When we do ‘Stuff the Cruiser’ we have one guy who shows up every year with five or 10 bags of toys
He fills his car; he drives a Tesla. You can see him coming The trunk is full, the back seat, too. He and his wife enjoy it They get a big kick out of it,” Silber said.
Toys that require batteries are sometimes hard on the parents, Silber said. They do receive a lot of toys for 5-year-olds and younger but “no toy goes unwanted.”
Miles said businesses that contribute financially make a significant impact, and those who donate time are equally appreciated.
“We especially need assistance with picking up toys from drop-off sites and packing bags during the distribution period,” Miles said. Volunteers can sign up through the Toys for Tots website
While primarily assisting families, Miles said they also donate toys to organizations like Yale New Haven Hospital and the Ronald McDonald House
“Recently, we donated over 200 toys to these organizations, which had a personal impact on me My own child underwent a medical procedure, and the staff walked her to their toy closet, brightening her day in a way that I will never forget.”
The need is ongoing not just at during the holiday season, Miles said. “While Toys for Tots aims to make the holiday season special for children in need, the truth is that a toy in February can change a child’s outlook and brighten their entire year.”
Miles said the best way to support Toys for Tots is through donations. “While we can manage logistics, we can’t create toys or money from thin air Your help in providing these essentials is greatly appreciated.”
Help us reach more communities by donatingtoday!
Connecticut Foodshare
The Connecticut Foodshare, based in Wallingford, provides food to 600 pantries and 113 mobile truck sites.
Smart Kids with Learning Disabilities provides parents with support
Founder struggled to find answers for her own son
By Bekah Wright CORRE SP ONDENT
Akitchen table conversation led to the 2000 launch of Smart Kids with Learning Disabilities. The nonprofit’s mission is to empower parents of children with learning and attention differences to help their children succeed.
Spearheading that fateful conversation was Jane Ross, Smart Kids’ founder Her son Ben’s journey from getting his learning disability properly diagnosed to navigating the school system had been difficult. “It was a struggle to find answers and figure out what to do,” Jane Ross said. “I thought it was crazy for parents to have to deal with that alone.”
Christine Kurpiel, Smart Kids’ program and event manager, stresses why this is so important. “Parents can feel isolated when dealing with the (education) system,” she said. “Parents often say, ‘Somebody else has been here before and understands.’”
Smart Kids, based in Norwalk, began with a monthly newsletter that goes beyond surfacelevel information with input from experts, including advocates, lawyers, therapists, psychologists and psychiatrists Akey goal is making information that’s often clinical easy for parents
SMART KIDS WITH LEARNING DISABILITIES
161 East Ave. Suite 104, Norwalk, CT
203-226-6831
To make a donation visit smartkidswithld.org
are together in the room where the teacher demonstrates early literacy foundation skills necessary for learning to read,” Jane Ross said. Smart Kids also guides parents on how to approach social-emotional and self-regulatory skills so kids can pay attention in class and deal with their feelings in a nondisruptive way. It all started for Jane Ross when her son was in the second grade and it became clear he was struggling in school. Concerned, Jane Ross asked the school to test him in a search for answers. “They fobbed me off with the mandated, standardized testing they give every kid,” she recalled. Jane Ross pushed for specialized testing “It took a lot of effort just to get them to do an evaluation, the first step in addressing learning and attention
to comprehend The organization evolved to include a resourcepacked website, weekly blog, educational workshops and webinars, an annual parent conference and a gala where winners of the Fred J. Epstein Youth Achievement Award are present-
ed The Countdown to Kindergarten reading program helps parents prepare preschool children so they aren’t left behind upon entering elementary school. How it’s different from other reading programs?
“The parent and child
Sydney Sussman
Smart Kids with Learning Disabilities is a Norwalk-based nonprofit that provides support to parents of children with learning disabilities.
Christine Kurpiel is the program and event manager.
Jane Ross is the founder of Smart Kids with Learning Disabilities.
Kids continues on S46
issues, which they’re required to do when a child is struggling.” A school psychologist alerted that her Ben Ross had processing and sequencing issues “consistent with learning disabilities.” “I went into panic mode,” Jane Ross said. “I blurted out, ‘Can he learn? Will he go to college?” The psychologist shrugged.
The journey for Ben Ross and his family wasn’t easy. Initially, the school placed Ben Ross in a resource room Though usually very affable, the child became defiant. He approached his parents with a strong message: this solution wasn’t working Jane Ross’ fierce advocacy for her son led her to contact an educational psychologist at UConn. The psychologist compiled a 19-page report. The upshot: Ben Ross was a classic dyslexic “He was bright, but literally couldn’t read one week before his 10th birthday,” Jane Ross said. She called a Planning and Placement Team meeting and had the psychologist attend. The test results and what Ben needed were discussed.
In Ben Ross’ case, he was assigned a teacher who received training in effective research-based reading instruction “The teacher had been diagnosed in college with learning disabilities so had some clue what this was about and how he learned,” Jane Ross said. “But it was difficult. The longer you wait to give the child needed instruction, the more difficult it is for them to learn to read, spell and write They literally have to rewire their brain.”
Time for subjects Ben Ross excelled in was also important. “These kids often have great strengths in other areas, which in Ben’s case were art and music,” Jane Ross said. “I tell parents not to allow schools to take away the things their kid is really good at.”
Adetermined Ben Ross worked extremely hard. By high school, the research-based reading instruction he’d received, along with extra help in math and writing, allowed him to flourish. “Every kid wants to succeed in school, and it’s devastating when they’re unable to learn, Jane Ross said Kurpiel said she has witnessed transforma-
tional moments for parents. One such instance occurred during the program’s annual conference. A mother stumbled across a Facebook post about the conference and signed up on the spot. Having a fulltime job and finding time to seek out resources for her child had been challenging By attending the conference the parent had access to experts.
“She was able to get a new evaluation for her kid and advice from psychologists on one of the panels,” Kurpiel said. “Things she’d been fighting for three years with the school to get. She came away saying the conference changed her life.”
While most of us areplanning family gatherings, preparingfor theholidays, andcounting our blessing, not everyone is as fortunate.
Our strugglingneighbors areworrying about keeping the lights on, feeding their families, andwherethey are goingtosleep tonight.
We served over 1,750 people this year by providing warmmeals, groceries, counseling, affordable housing, and hope.
Please support our efforts to endhunger andhomelessness. Your neighbors are countingonyou!
Photos by Smart Kids with Learning Disabilities
Smart Kids with Learning Disabilities began with a monthly newsletter that goes beyond surface-level information with input from experts. “Every kid wants to succeed in school, and it’s devastating when they’re unable to learn,” founder Jane Ross said.
A key goal of the nonprofit is making information that’s often clinical easy for parents to comprehend.
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