Sarah Cody, WTNH, joined the Community Foundation of Middlesex County’s Council of Business Partners Fund and Rushford Academy at Center School in East Hampton for a very special presentation – a new Buddy Bench for the playground! See all the fun HERE – and read Sarah’s story about the Buddy Bench project at the Community Foundation of Middlesex County in partnership with Rushford Academy.
Community Foundation of Middlesex County Supports Social Inclusion Youth Project The “Buddy Bench” is a simple idea to eliminate loneliness and foster friendship on the playground. Representatives from the Community Foundation of Middlesex County and Rushford Academy recently joined students, teachers and parents at Essex Elementary School for a very special ribbon cutting ceremony. The Community Foundation’s Council of Business Partners Fund presented a Buddy Bench for the school’s labyrinth site, an initiative to create an outdoor space of community and inclusion. The wooden bench, with the words “Buddy Bench” spelled out in bright-colored letters, was built by at-risk…
It’s a simple idea – with lasting results. Sometimes children (and even adults) feel alone. Sometimes children aren’t certain how to ask others to be included in activities at school. Well, there’s a solution – the Buddy Bench. Thanks to a partnership with the Community Foundation’s Council of Business Partners and At-Risk Boys Funds, Rushford Academy, and you, our kind and generous donors, Buddy Benches are appearing on playgrounds throughout Middlesex County. RALLYING FOR RESPECT, KINDNESS, AND POSITIVE CHANGE with a BUDDY BENCH PROGRAM. Buddy Benches are safe havens on playgrounds and give grade school children the easy opportunity to “buddy…
The Animals: Respect and Friendship (ARF!) Fund took the lead from a family in Chester and decided to help get a special piece of equipment in the hands of every fire department in Middlesex County. The ARF! Fund Committee set a goal in the fall of 2017 to raise awareness about the dangers of smoke inhalation to our “furry” friends and to equip our local fire departments with the tools necessary to rescue anyone and any animal they may come across in a fire. The ARF! Fund Committee has purchased a special oxygen mask kit which is designed to fit…
When is a bench so much more than a bench? When does a bench have the power to connect people of all ages and experiences and create a community of upstanders? When it is a Buddy Bench built by at-risk youth from Rushford Academy in Durham. Thanks to 34 individual donors and the countless contributors to two Funds at the Community Foundation of Middlesex County, the residential teen students are learning positive life skills and giving back to their community. The students at Rushford Academy are building wooden benches for local schools to use as a social inclusion tool. The…
Deborah L. Lombardo Education Assistance Award The Deborah L. Lombardo Education Assistance Award was established in Deborah’s memory by Harry Burr, her employer. Deborah was an account manager for Harry with his agency, Brown & Brown Insurance of Connecticut, dba McCutcheon Burr & Sons. To honor Deborah, Harry gives an annual award to a Portland High School Graduating senior pursuing a two or four year degree or advanced technical training. His devotion to honoring Deborah is rewarded with this year’s recipient, Emma Fantoli. Emma exemplifies “CARING” in capital letters. She cares; she excels; she’s driven; and we will all benefit from…
When organizers for the 3rd Annual Cruise Blues & Brews Festival approached legendary local blues performer Ramblin’ Dan Stevens, they received immediate and enthusiastic support. Stevens had the connections and the passion to recruit top blues talent for this unique festival to benefit the At-Risk Boys Fund at the Community Foundation of Middlesex County. “As soon as I was asked to help, I was confident my friends at the Connecticut Blues Society and fellow Blues musicians would want to help this important cause, and have a lot of fun doing it too” says Dan Stevens. Turns out, Dan was right. Ed…
The Killingworth Foundation Continues Building on Ten Years of Impact as the Killingworth Community Fund at the Community Foundation of Middlesex County The Killingworth Foundation (TKF) and the Community Foundation of Middlesex County (CFMC) are pleased to announce a partnership with the creation of the Killingworth Community Fund, a Geographic Affiliate Fund, at CFMC. For ten years, The Killingworth Foundation dedicated itself to increasing the impact of local philanthropy in the Town of Killingworth. Thanks to the generosity of the community and the hard work of volunteers, TKF successfully enhanced the quality of life through grants supporting essential services, programs,…
Forty (40) middle school boys and girls took to the mats at Camp Colter at Keigwin Middle School, thanks to the Colter Achievement Fund. Brian and Chaleen established the Colter Abely Achievement Fund at the Community Foundation after their son Colter died. Colter had a passion for wrestling while attending Xavier High School and often helped out with kids at the Middletown schools. Brian and Chaleen wanted to do something special that they knew Colter would have loved and would have definitely approved – Camp Colter. The Fund also supports the Middletown High School and Xavier High School wrestling teams during the…
Let’s Celebrate The Women in Your Life! We all have that special someone… That special… Mother, Grandmother, Aunt, Neighbor, Teacher, Sister, Very Best Friend who inspires us, guides us, dreams with us, laughs – and even cries – with us. Let’s celebrate that special someone by supporting women and girls of all ages to be self-sufficient, confident and to pursue their dreams through a gift to the Sari A. Rosenbaum Fund for Women & Girls. Take a look at what YOU – as mentors, leaders, and friends – have done through the Sari A. Rosenbaum Fund for Women & Girls. YOU Provided legal…
