Isabelle Curtiss’s long and accomplished career as a certified public accountant and personal financial specialist is peppered with awards and accolades. She was the first woman to receive the Distinguished Service Award from the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and has served in many leadership roles in her profession and her community.

“Education is critical to me and has made a tremendous difference in my life. Now it’s my turn to make a difference in young people’s lives by helping them to build solid foundations through education.”

Isabelle established the Isabelle V. Curtiss Education Fund at Connecticut Community Foundation to accomplish her legacy-giving goals. The fund will award two scholarships annually; awards are significant—$5,000—and will be awarded in perpetuity. One of Isabelle’s scholarships is available to motivated students graduating from Oxford High School in the top ten percent of their class, and the other is for students who previously graduated from Oxford High School and currently attend a college or university, with a GPA of 3.5 or higher.

Isabelle also established the Isabelle V. Curtiss Music Education Fund with the Foundation, designated to Waterbury Symphony Orchestra to recognize and support musically talented youth through performance or music education activities. Isabelle is a former trustee of the Foundation, and trusts that the Foundation will be a good steward of her fund, now and beyond her lifetime. The Foundation awards nearly $1 million in scholarships each year from more than 140 scholarship funds created by donors like Isabelle.

“I’m inspired to be a legacy donor, because I’ve had a marvelous family, many blessings, and a career that I couldn’t have imagined when I first started out as a CPA. I wanted to share the fruits of what I had,” says Isabelle, “I want to be remembered for being a giving, caring individual.”