Cathy Weiss Sunrise Fund

So much has changed in our world this year – yet in Middlesex County there is one lasting constant – Great People Doing Great Things!

At the Community Foundation of Middlesex County we are inspired by the generosity and many kindnesses of our friends and neighbors and we’re delighted to introduce you to one of them.  Meet Clinton resident, Cathy Weiss, who just added one more accomplishment to her long list of successes and adventures:  Heartfelt Donor.

Cathy’s background is a tapestry of caring.  Her love of the arts coupled with her work in health, community and social services, has led her to give back in creative and innovative ways. Imagine being able to enjoy beautiful art as you travel on a local transit bus around town. Cathy helped create, along with an energetic team, the “Art In Motion Project” and donated an 18 foot “Mood of the Marsh” scene inspired by her home neighborhood to decorate a bus. The idea was two-fold – to brighten patrons’ rides and to help raise money to supply essential transportation services to 10,000 seniors in 23 towns. She also opened the Catherine Weiss Gallery at the Towers in New Haven which supports the costs of supplies and staff for the “Opening Minds Through Art” program. This program is an award-winning, evidence-based, intergenerational art-making program for people with Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of neurocognitive disorders. Cathy’s enthusiasm for helping others, particularly our seniors, did not go unnoticed.  In fact, The Towers in New Haven honored Cathy by renaming its art venue the Cathy Weiss Gallery at The Towers for her dedication and fundraising for the “Opening Minds Through Art” project. That’s inspiration and action at work!

We’re honored and pleased that Cathy partnered with the Community Foundation to establish the Cathy Weiss Sunrise Fund.  Cathy established this donor advised fund to support the Town of Clinton and its residents not only during the pandemic, but well into the future.  The Cathy Weiss Sunrise Fund will help those in need, particularly those suffering with physical and mental health issues, as well as single moms who may need that extra support during these extraordinary times.  The Community Foundation will work with Cathy, the Town of Clinton, and nonprofits serving Clinton to identify and support local residents with access to programs and services supporting basic human needs.

As Cathy often says, “There is still light in each day…even if a dark cloud may be hovering.”  Her extraordinary photo of a sunrise over Clinton reminds us that Great People Doing Great Things are in every town in Middlesex County.  How fortunate the Town of Clinton is to have Cathy in its midst.

Cathy created a special message about her fund – see her video HERE.

Please consider joining Cathy as she helps her Clinton friends and neighbors during these difficult times.  Every little bit does help.