Giving Story: Oristano Foundation

Where Philanthropy Is a Family Tradition

For the Oristanos, philanthropy is a family tradition. It started when Victor Oristano, a practical man with a good head for business and a strong commitment to the public good, became charitably active 51 years ago. Throughout a successful career in the cable television systems industry, he put his values into action by writing checks and giving his time to causes he cared about. Over the years, his children watched as his donations increased and he became active on the boards of various organizations.

In 1983, Victor established the Oristano Foundation as a more practical way to keep an accounting of what and to whom they give. “The foundation is a good vehicle for organizing our giving,” says Victor. “We had to differentiate our personal giving from our business giving, and the tax consequences made it agreeable to start a family foundation.” The foundation gave their personal philanthropy coherence and direction.

Out of this same sense of practicality came the decision to focus the foundation’s giving on children and the poor. Since his company had been located in Bridgeport for many years, Victor felt a commitment to helping the young and the disadvantaged in that city. The Bridgeport Area Youth Ministry is one of many organizations the Oristano Foundation has supported over the years. George Stowell, BAYM executive director, says, “Mr. Oristano stood beside me in the conception of this project. He genuinely has a heart for people, he believes in giving back to the community, and he wants to invest in people who have good ideas and business savvy. He knows exactly what he wants and how to make it happen. One day he actually thanked me for allowing him to invest his time and money in such a worthy project. He’s a true gentleman.”

Now Victor’s sons and daughters-in-law are carrying on the family tradition of philanthropy by donating their own time and money to causes close to their hearts. Three of them are currently involved in the family foundation. Says his daughter-in-law, Jean, “The thing I get from this is that these people [who run nonprofits] really are my heroes. I am enormously impressed and humbled by what they can do on a shoestring. It’s wonderful.”