Stories
A new Cheshire Community Food Pantry
In November 2016, the Cheshire Community Food Pantry will open their new building, funded in part by Connecticut Community Foundation. Serving about 350 people each week, the [...]
A Mentor’s Enduring Legacy: Hector Riollano Fund for Education
Hector Riollano retired after 30 years as director of community schools and assistant principal in Waterbury schools. Yet, every morning post-retirement he still headed to Carrington Elementary School to meet [...]
Brian Gibbons Homeless Outreach Fund: Giving Hope, Housing and a New Lease on Life
Through the Brian Gibbons Homeless Outreach Fund at Connecticut Community Foundation, Rick Povilaitis provides a lifeline to people who are homeless in [...]
UnGroup Society Injects New Energy and Volunteerism in Waterbury
Growing up in Waterbury, Warren Leach experienced the city’s neighborhoods as “full of music and joy.” Block parties, summer basketball leagues, a theater group where young people built [...]
Waterbury Community Leaders Develop Parent Advocates
Liz Bullard’s mother Beverly wanted the 26-year old to get involved in the community, but what stood between her daughter and an all-expense paid trip to a national [...]
Summer of Song for Waterbury Youngsters
Bravo! Waterbury's Summer Program On a hot, stuffy summer afternoon in the Children’s Community School in Waterbury, clear voices filled the halls with song. Children immersed in [...]
An Oasis for Hispanic Older Adults
Yoga. Zumba. Guitar lessons. Computer training. Meals. If this sounds like an evening after class on a busy college campus, think again: It’s a typical day at the [...]
Jessica Hicks: An Aspiring Journalist on Her Way Up
As a child, Jessica Hicks felt the harsh glare of the news media, and she was scared. While family members struggled with substance abuse, some of her private [...]
Brian Luis Aims to Design Prosthetic Limbs
Teenaged Brian Luis of Waterbury had never met his young cousin, Daniel, but on a family trip to the Dominican Republic, the 8-year-old profoundly changed the course of [...]
Connecting with Balance: Pilobolus
Based in Washington Depot, Pilobolus is well-known for harnessing creative energy to produce innovative and creative dance performances. What some may not realize is that the troupe has [...]
A River Renewed
Tires. Mattresses. Bottles. Refrigerators. Carpets. For decades, they’ve been submerged in the Naugatuck River and polluting the adjacent riverbanks, depriving local communities of fully enjoying a prime natural [...]
Friends of the Litchfield Community Greenway
“It’s a peaceful place where I can watch the moon rise and the sun set, see wildlife, and walk almost every morning,” says Berta Andrulis Mette of the [...]
What Naugatuck Youth Services Learned From 1,600 Teens
Photo courtesy of Girls on the Run of Greater New Haven When Naugatuck Youth Services (NYS) became an independent nonprofit in 2014, it turned [...]
Osher Lifelong Learning Institute: The Greening of Waterbury
For over 10 years, the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) at the Waterbury UConn branch has offered quality learning experiences for older adults who want to engage socially [...]
A Caregiver’s Journey Inspires Fund: Dosi-Do Fund
Southbury resident Kathie Nitz is the caregiver to her 89-year-old mother, Doreen Phillips, who has dementia. "My mom had a very difficult childhood as did many children of [...]