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News Release

New Grants Bring Community Foundation Total Over $500,000

The Middlesex County Community Foundation announced competitive grants totaling $93,555 have been awarded to organizations serving Middlesex County communities. The 43 approved grants bring total Foundation grants to over $500,000 since its founding in 1997. Funding for these grants was made possible by community-minded organizations, donations from generous individuals and favorable investment returns.

"Our vision of enhancing the quality of life in Middlesex County with effective grantmaking is becoming a reality. We are particularly grateful to the River View Cemetery - Essex, the Connecticut Humanities Council and Citizens Bank who share our vision, support our efforts and have provided funding for local grantmaking. We are also pleased that the investment performance of our growing endowment has begun to provide significant income to support grants to non-profit organizations countywide," said Patti Anne Vassia, President of the Middlesex County Community Foundation.

Letters of Intent are sought from 501(c)(3) non-profit organizations and governmental entities serving the 15 Middlesex County towns in a competitive process that begins in the fall. Full grant proposals are requested for the programs considered most viable. Final recommendations of the Grants Committee, chaired by Robert L. Kirkpatrick, Jr., are presented for Foundation Board action at its December meeting. Grants are delivered to organizations beginning in February.

Grants in support of the arts: $2,000 to The Community Music School in Essex to fund a music education and appreciation series in schools and in the community; $2,600 to The Greater Middletown Chorale to fund an interim executive director who will provide administrative support and strategic planning for the organization; $2,000 to Green Street Art Center to support its Family series, a series of Saturday arts and culture workshops in Middletown's North End; $1,250 to the Ivoryton Playhouse Foundation to support its productions of plays which complement school curriculums for middle and high school students; $5,000 to the Middletown Foundation for the Arts to begin a collaborative cultural arts planning process in Middletown; and $1,500 to Oddfellows Playhouse to produce the 30th anniversary presentation of "Middletown Fantasia", a satire of Middletown's historical highlights.

Grants in support of education and human services: $1,500 to Advocate Performing Arts Association to publish educational brochures about psychiatric illness; $2,500 to Children in Placement Connecticut to implement a new Independent Study training curriculum for guardians ad litem appointed by the Middlesex County Juvenile Court to represent abused and neglected children; $3,000 to the Estuary Council of Seniors to provide transportation for seniors who are unable to get to medical and other appointments; $500 to The FISH for C.D.& E. (Chester, Deep River and Essex) to support free rides to medical appointments; $1,000 to Geeks for Givers to expand its ability to provide other nonprofits with refurbished, affordable computer systems; $2,000 to Kuhn Employment Opportunities for a Outreach Peer Mentor Program to provide support for persons with mental illness seeking and maintaining employment in the Middlesex County; $1,000 to Middlesex County Substance Abuse Action Council to fund a Spring Youth Leadership Conference for high school students who work on substance abuse prevention projects; $3,500 to Middletown School Readiness Council to expand an early literacy initiative and to purchase books for low income preschoolers enrolled in Middletown preschool and child care programs; $1,500 to the North End Action Team for a raft building project involving children from the North End of Middletown; $3,000 to Northern Middlesex Habitat for Humanity to defray the cost of renovations to its 34-36 Fairview Street property in Middletown; $4,800 to Russell Library to expand its services to the elderly population confined in their homes or nursing facilities; $4,250 to Shoreline Soup Kitchens to purchase fundraising software; $2,400 to St. Vincent De Paul Place for its Community Assistance Fund, providing emergency assistance for rent, medical expenses, utility bills and transportation; $4,000 to TriTown Youth Services to fund the Parent Resource Program and upgrade office computers; $1,000 to Vista Vocational and Life Skills Center to provide staff support and training for a federal employment program for adults with learning disabilities and neurological impairments; and $1,600 to Westbrook Youth and Family Services to provide funding for a program which helps sixth through ninth graders with homework and study skills.

Grants in support of the environment: $2,000 to Camp Hazen YMCA to develop a "pilot" ecology discovery program for elementary school students; $2,500 to Chester Land Trust to produce a brochure identifying the flora in its Carini Preserve; $1,310 to the Long Lane Farm and Garden Project at Wesleyan University, a joint project for high school and college students to farm and distribute organic produce in Middletown; $2,500 to UConn Cooperative Extension Service for a study of changes in agricultural land use in Middlesex County from 1978-2004; and $2,500 to the YMCA of Northern Middlesex County to construct 2 self-guided interactive nature stations along a half mile trail at Camp Ingersoll.

Grants to foster safer communities: $1,695 to Deep River Ambulance Association and $2,050 to Old Saybrook Fire Company No.1 to purchase portable automatic external defibrillators (AED) and $500 to Middletown Fire Department for a safety education program for 3rd graders in Middletown Public Schools.

Heritage Enhancement Grants: In collaborative grantmaking initiatives with the Connecticut Humanities Council and River View Cemetery - Essex, the Community Foundation made the following heritage enhancement grants: $3,750 to Antiquarian and Landmark Society for expanded publicity and educational programming at the Amasa Day House in East Haddam; $2,150 to Chester Historical Society to catalog the Society's collection of artifacts reflecting life and industry in Chester; $2,275 to Connecticut Society of Sons of the American Revolution for brochures/rack cards about Nathan Hale Schoolhouse in East Haddam; $1,200 to Deep River Historical Society for a multi-generational educational program at the Stone House; $2,000 to the Essex Historical Society to upgrade its computer system to provide better access to information on the Society's extensive collection; $3,000 to Wadsworth Mansion at Long Hill Estate to develop a cultural landscape plan which would record the estate's landscape history and provide a strategy for the long-term management.

Middletown Neighborhood Enhancement Grants: Thanks to a grantmaking partnership with Citizens Bank, the Foundation granted: $2,000 to the Middletown Housing Authority to furnish Traverse Square's Community Room for an after school program for elementary school students; $2,000 for Nehemiah Housing Corporation to purchase appliances for two new apartments for homeless families; and $1,000 to North End Action Team to provide operational support for community outreach.

Women and Girls: The Community Foundation also awarded grants to support programs which empower women and girls to be self reliant and to reach their potential. These grants, which were approved by the Foundation Board on the recommendation of a special committee for the Fund for Women and Girls, include: $2,625 to the Community Health Center for the purchase of new mattresses for the Battered Women's Shelter in Middletown; $2,000 to East Haddam Youth and Family Services to fund Girls on the Run, a skill building program for 3rd and 4th grade girls; $600 to Estuary Council of Seniors for computer courses offered to older women considering employment or volunteer work opportunities; and $1,500 to Rushford Center for "Mother and Daughter Evenings Out" for Middletown sixth, seventh or eighth grade girls and their mothers.

The Middlesex County Community Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to improving the quality of life in Middlesex County. The Foundation assists donors meet their philanthropic objectives through the creation of restricted and unrestricted endowments. Income from these endowments, and donations provided specifically for grantmaking, are used to award grants to non-profit organizations that have a positive impact on our community. The Foundation also works in cooperation with other funders and nonprofits to enhance philanthropy and improve conditions in Middlesex County. The Middlesex County Community Foundation welcomes conversation with persons and organizations that wish to establish endowed funds or make tax-deductible donations to help build a better community. Contact Patti Anne Vassia, President, for more information at (860) 347-0025 or .

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