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News Release

May 9, 2005

Community Foundation Celebrates Successes

The Middlesex County Community Foundation celebrated its successes over the past seven and half years and thanked donors at a reception held at the Gelston House on May 9th. The event attended by 150 foundation supporters was hosted by the Community Foundation's board of directors and sponsored by U.S. Trust, NA and friends of the Foundation.

Celebrated successes reported included:

Awarding of 249 grants totaling more than $550,000 to 115 community organizations in the areas of education, environment, arts, heritage enhancement health and human services. Peggy Busari, president of the North End Action Team spoke on the positive effect of Leadership Training on her personally and the effect of Foundation grants on the people who live in Middletown's North End neighborhood. Cary Hull of Chester gave her impressions of the many grants made to the Valley Shore area and her participation on the Foundation's Grants Committee.

Surpassing $2 million in invested funds whose income is used to make grants for unrestricted community improvement or to areas the donor has chosen. In addition, thirty-three individuals have notified the Foundation of planned gifts totaling over $5 million.

Growing partnerships with organizations that have aided the Foundation with funds for grantmaking including the Connecticut Humanities Council, Citizens Bank, Ann T. D'Addario Foundation and River View Cemetery - Essex.

The 60 founding contributors we recognized for their support in matching a Liberty Bank Challenge grant that began the Foundation in 1997. Other contributors were thanked for supporting the vision of a vital Community Foundation to serve donors, nonprofits and the Middlesex community.

Violin and cello students of the Middletown Swaim String Program played for those gathered. The program is made possible by a bequest of Elizabeth Swaim who established an Arts Enrichment Fund at the Foundation and by partnerships with parents, the Middletown Board of Education, and the Community Foundation.

The Middlesex County Community Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to improving the quality of life in Middlesex County. Its mission is to work with charitably-minded individuals and organizations to build permanent endowments and other charitable funds and to support local non-profit organizations through effective grantmaking to address community needs. For more information contact the Community Foundation at 860.347.0025 or .

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