WATERBURY, CT -- Following the recent hurricanes that devastated Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, hundreds of people have relocated to Connecticut — particularly to urban centers such as Greater Waterbury. Connecticut Community Foundation and the American Savings Foundation are rallying philanthropic dollars to help hurricane survivors settle into local communities and get the assistance they need while rebuilding happens back home in Puerto Rico.
Waterbury public schools have enrolled 266 students evacuated from Puerto Rico, and the numbers are growing [Republican-American, 12/22/17].
Connecticut Community Foundation, which serves 21 towns in Greater Waterbury and the Litchfield Hills, is accepting donations to their Area of Greatest Need Fund to assist Waterbury-area organizations working to help new arrivals with the services they need to thrive. The Foundation is directing contributions earmarked for this purpose to local organizations that are working to support people new to the area from Puerto Rico.
Julie Loughran, president and CEO of Connecticut Community Foundation, said, “For many years, people with roots in Puerto Rico have enriched our region with their skills and talents. We stand with those who have come to our community as a result of the hurricanes, and we have great confidence that the enormous generosity and compassion of local residents will lift up our new neighbors at this difficult time.”
The American Savings Foundation Board of Directors has granted $5,000 to the fund to help those impacted by Hurricane Maria in the Waterbury community.
“Our board recognizes that the city of Waterbury, like other communities we serve, has close ties to Puerto Rico,” said Maria Falvo, president of the American Savings Foundation board of directors. “This grant is to support our local neighbors who have been directly impacted by this storm.”
Individuals can contribute by donating to Connecticut Community Foundation’s Area of Greatest Need Fund online at www.conncf.org/donate (select Area of Greatest Need and indicate “Puerto Rico relocation” as the purpose of your gift) or send a check to Connecticut Community Foundation, 43 Field Street, Waterbury, Connecticut, 06702, listing “Puerto Rico relocation” in the memo line.
Established in 1923, Connecticut Community Foundation fosters creative partnerships that build rewarding lives and thriving communities in 21 towns in Greater Waterbury and the Litchfield Hills. The Foundation provides leadership in addressing the region’s critical issues, strengthens local nonprofit organizations through grants and technical assistance programs, and works with individuals, families and corporations to establish and steward scholarships and charitable funds. Learn more at www.conncf.org.
American Savings Foundation is a permanent charitable endowment which provides grants to local nonprofit organizations, and college scholarships to area students. Since its inception in 1995 the Foundation has contributed over $53 million in total grants and scholarships in central Connecticut. For more information, call 860-827-2556 or visit the Foundation’s website at www.asfdn.org.
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Contact:
Carol Buckheit
Director of Communications
Connecticut Community Foundation
cbuckheit@conncf.org
203-753-1315 x 107
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