Nancy P. Roberts Day proclaimed by Governor
HARTFORD, CT -- More than 250 philanthropists, grantmakers and community leaders gathered last week at the Connecticut Council for Philanthropy’s annual Connecticut Philanthropy Summit to honor three philanthropic leaders: ANDY EDER of Eder Bros. Inc. and the Eder Family Foundation; DAVID NEE of William Caspar Graustein Memorial Fund; and NANCY ROBERTS, recently retired president of the Council.
Nancy was further honored yesterday by Governor Dannel Malloy who proclaimed May 9, 2013 as Nancy P. Roberts Day. You may read the full proclamation here.
ANDY EDER was named the recipient of the 2013 John H. Filer Award for his leadership in promoting private action for the public good. Eder, a resident of Guilford, is a partner in Eder Bros. Inc. (West Haven) and president of The Eder Family Foundation. A successful businessman, Andy combines his professional savvy and community knowledge to guide his enduring philanthropic commitment to help mankind.
Sydney Perry, CEO of the Jewish Federation of Greater New Haven describes Andy as “a quiet force that moves our community towards a better place.”
Five years ago, in response to the economic downturn, Andy pulled together a meeting between the United Way of Greater New Haven and Jewish Community Foundation of Greater New Haven, and was instrumental in creating the Neighbor to Neighbor Lifeline (N2N). With Andy’s leadership as chair of the N2N effort, more than $2.3 million was raised over the last four years and invested to meet Greater New Haven’s critical needs.
“Andy’s significant contributions to all aspects of N2N Lifeline cannot be underestimated – his vision, contributions, and engagement have driven the success of this effort, “ said, Jack Healy, President and CEO of United Way of Greater New Haven. . You can view Andy Eder’s photo on the Council’s website.
DAVID NEE, executive director of the Hamden-based William Caspar Graustein Memorial Fund, was named the recipient of the 2013 Martha S. Newman Award. David, a resident of Fairfield, was honored for his sustained dedication to the public sector and a generosity of spirit to others in the philanthropic community.
According to Karen Brown of the Fairfield County Community Foundation, “David demonstrates to me what it means to be a hands-on, highly engaged and ethical executive director.”
David’s leadership has been demonstrated in many areas over the years. In 1997, he played a critical role in the passage of School Readiness legislation. More recently he co-led work with the Connecticut Council for Philanthropy in creating the Connecticut Early Childhood Funders Collaborative which had an impact on how the state views early childhood education.
David’s work with the Graustein Memorial Fund has taught many of his foundation colleagues about the importance of building community capacity in community planning and outcomes. Through both the Child First and Discovery Initiatives at the Fund, David and his team have significantly strengthened local communities’ ability to collect and use data to facilitate planning in early childhood education.
Most recently David has encouraged Connecticut foundations to consider the role they can play in reducing gun violence – from funding Connecticut-based advocacy organizations to examining investments in foundation endowments.
“David is not afraid to ask the hard questions and bring his colleagues together to have these difficult conversations.” commented Karen Brown.
NANCY ROBERTS, who stepped down from the Connecticut Council for Philanthropy in March after serving the organization for 22 years, was also honored by the organization. In keeping with her decades-long commitment and drive to encourage funders to collaborate, develop creative solutions, and go beyond just writing the grant check, the Council has established a new award, “The Nancy Roberts Award for Innovation in Philanthropy.” The award will be given to a foundation or other funder each year, beginning at the 2014 Philanthropy Summit.
“We envision this award as a lasting tribute to her extraordinary contributions to the Council and the field of philanthropy in general,” said Council Board Chair Kim Healey, Executive Director of the NewAlliance Foundation.
About the Connecticut Council for Philanthropy
The Connecticut Council for Philanthropy is a statewide association of foundations, corporate programs and other funds whose mission is to promote and support effective philanthropy in Connecticut. With members representing more than 105 private and community foundations, federated funds, corporate foundations and giving programs, the Council is Connecticut’s foremost resource on philanthropy. The organization benefits the larger grantmaking community, the nonprofit sector and the public in the State. For more information about the Council go to http://www.CTphilanthropy.org.
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Contact:
Maggie Osborn
Connecticut Council for Philanthropy
860-525-5585
mosborn@CTphilanthropy.org
Website: www.CTphilanthropy.org