Officials from the Liberty Bank Foundation presented $140,800 in grants yesterday morning to 19 non-profit organizations serving New London and Middlesex Counties.
In presenting the grants, Chandler Howard, president and CEO of Liberty Bank and the Liberty Bank Foundation, noted that the foundation would celebrate its fifteenth anniversary this year. “Since 1997, we’ve awarded more than $6.8 million to support local nonprofit programs, provide scholarships for local students, and underwrite remediation programs in K-12 schools,” he said.
Following is a list of the organizations that were awarded grants:
New London County:
Children First Norwich – $5,000-To support the Voices for Families and VFF Teen programs
Hygienic Arts – $3,500-To support “Do the Write Thing”, an after-school creative writing program for New London middle school students
Mystic Arts Center – $2,500-To support the Artist Residency program at ISAAC School in New London
New London PLTI Collaborative – $5,000-To support Parent Leadership Training Institute and Parents SEE programming in New London
Niantic Community Church Children’s Center – $1,000 -To purchase new cribs
OIC of New London County – $5,000-To support the Employment Training Program
The New Life Program – $1,500- To support the New Life Program apartment
United Way of Southeastern CT – $14,500-To support the 2011-12 annual appeal
Middlesex County:
Business Industry Foundation of Middlesex County – $4,300-To support the Middletown Mentor Program
Child FIRST – $7,500 To support Child FIRST, a system that provides comprehensive early childhood care and support to high-risk families, in Middlesex County (first payment on a two-year, $15,000 grant)
Mercy Housing & Shelter – $5,000 To support general operating expenses of the Shepherd Home
Middlesex Habitat for Humanity – $5,000 To support the A Brush with Kindness program
Middlesex Hospital – $10,000 To support the Emergency Department and Inpatient Room Capital Campaign (fourth payment on a five-year, $50,000 grant)
Middlesex United Way – $46,500 To support the 2011-12 annual appeal, and in particular to support programs of United Way agencies that serve low- to moderate-income persons
Middletown Emergency Warming Center – $3,000 To support an emergency winter warming center for homeless people in Middletown
Russell Library – $3,000 To support a strategic planning initiative
St. Vincent DePaul Middletown- $6,000-To support the Meals and Outreach programs
Valley Shore YMCA – $2,500 To support after-school programming
Warm the Children – $2,500-To purchase new winter clothing and footwear for northern Middlesex County children in need
At the presentation, Howard praised the nonprofit organizations receiving the grants, “The ripples from the grants being awarded today will spread out to touch hundreds of people and improve their lives,” he said. “That’s what this is all about: not the checks, not even the people in this room—it’s about the people that we are all working together to benefit. People who are at the lower end of the income ladder; who may not have the advantage of a college education; who struggle from paycheck to paycheck; and who, like all the rest of us, want to build a better life for themselves and their families.”
Since its inception in 1997, the Liberty Bank Foundation has provided over $6.8 million in grants to nonprofit organizations within Liberty Bank’s market area. The foundation seeks to improve the quality of life for people of low or moderate income by investing in the areas of preventive programming for children and families, affordable housing, and non-profit capacity building. In addition, the foundation is providing support to address basic human needs during these difficult economic times. Along with its grantmaking, the foundation strives to foster the convening and collaboration of non-profits, funders, business, and government to address community issues.
Established in 1825, Liberty Bank is Connecticut’s oldest mutual bank, with more than $3.4 billion in assets and 43 banking offices throughout the central, eastern, and shoreline areas of the state. As a full-service financial institution, Liberty offers consumer and commercial banking, home mortgages, insurance, and investment services. Rated outstanding by federal regulators on its community reinvestment efforts, Liberty maintains a longstanding commitment to superior personal service and unparalleled community involvement.