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Proud Community Partner of Southington
by David. J. Obedzinski
The mission of the Community Foundation of Greater New Britain is to inspire philanthropy, responsibly man- age permanent charitable assets, and partner to address key community issues through strategic leadership. Our service area includes Berlin, New Britain, Plainville and Southington and we’re beyond proud to say that our mis- sion has been extremely successful in Southington, CT.
We know that the Apple Valley is a wonderful place to work and live which is why we’ve invested in the growth and development of the nonprofits in town. In the last five years, the Community Foundation has granted $339,646 to organizations in Southington that promote education, the arts, health and human services, and much more. We’ve done our best to make an impact where it counts.
One of our key initiatives is First Years First, where we aim to increase the school readiness skills of young children so they may progress successfully from pre-k to third grade. Since 2006, CFGNB has been the fiscal agent for the Early Childhood Collaborative of Southington (ECCS), an organization that ensures that all Southington children will enter school healthy and ready to learn. The work of ECCS has centered on professional development for home and center providers, improving communica- tion between preschool providers and the school system. Since 2014, the Foundation has granted $338,000 to orga- nizations who have impacted South-
ington’s early childhood education
system and ensured a bright future
for our kids.
Aligned with our mission of in- spiring philanthropy, we recognize the need to educate younger genera- tions about the value of contributing one’s time, talent, and treasure to support charitable organizations in their community as well as through innovative social networking oppor- tunities which is why in 2018 we creat- ed our Young Philanthropy initiative. One of our first events, “A Buzz-Wor- thy Cause” was held at Witchdoctor Brewery. Nonprofit organizations set up displays and guests were encour- aged to visit each of the organiza- tions to learn more about how to get involved. Many of the organizations benefited from an increase in visibil- ity and piqued interest in younger vol- unteers as well as simply being able to share their missions with a new audience.
Your Community Foundation of Greater New Britain works to make the community a vibrant place to work and live with support for non-
SouthingtonMag.com
profit organizations through a Capacity Building Initiative providing resources aimed at strengthening organization- al functioning. We are thrilled to support organizations with funding such as Southington Community Cultural Arts (SoCCA) and the YMCA among others. A recent two- year grant is helping to build Memorial Park Playscape in partnership with the town and Rotary Club of Southing- ton and we’re helping the Lewis Educational Agricultural Farm strengthen their educational programs.
The Community Foundation of Greater New Britain is “Where Good Begins” and if you’d like to learn more about how to establish a Donor-Advised Fund or scholarship with us you can learn more at www.cfgnb.org.
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