Community Currents Spring 2016

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Foundation Annual Report Now Available

Greater New Haven is a Community of Connection

A Community of Connection 2015 Annual Report

Highlighting The Foundation's belief that the essence of community is found in our connections to one another, The Foundation's recently-released 2015 annual report is entitled A Community of Connection. Measured by the state of its community philanthropy, Greater New Haven's connections have never been stronger. Last year, donors gave more than $19 Million, making 2015 one of the strongest years ever in new gifts to The Community Foundation. An additional record total of $47 Million was transferred to The Foundation by local nonprofit organizations for investment management. Total assets grew by approximately $40 Million, reaching $502 Million at year-end. View the annual report here.

Neighborhood Survey Says Family Most Important

New Haven Healthy Start (NHHS), a program of The Community Foundation, recently released the results of a survey entitled Lifting up Voices, Our Community. Survey participants were interviewed by NHHS Consortium members and included residents from multiple New Haven neighborhoods, the largest group of respondents
hailing from the Hill and Newhallville communities. The eight-question survey was developed by the Strengthening Families
Workgroup of the NHHS Consortium. When asked "What's important to you?," respondents replied family, life, church, health and money/
finances, in that order.

Fund Honors Life Work of Local Pediatrician

Caring for Others Follows LaCamera Tradition

Dr. Robert LaCamera spent forty years practicing "the care of the whole child" as a pediatrician, alongside Drs. Morris Wessel and Robert Anderson on Howard Avenue in New Haven. Their philosophy: that the physical health of the child was directly related to the stability and wellbeing of the family as a whole. "…What Morris and I did was think, what would be our focus? And to me, the focus was how to be a better parent, because being a better parent automatically helps to have better caring for the child. It's as simple as that." The Responsible Parenting Fund honoring LaCamera is now a designated fund for Clifford W. Beers Guidance Clinic, which has a vision mirroring LaCamera's own. Read the full story here.

Preparing the Next Generation of Nurses

Did you know that nursing is the nation's largest health care profession, with more than 3.1 million registered nurses nationwide? For over 10 years, the Connecticut League for Nursing has been helping individuals sort through nursing career options with their Nursing Guide to Education. The Guide is a comprehensive online directory to all of the nursing programs in the State. Recently, the League received a grant of $1,800 from The Foundation to support the section of the Guide that provides online access to advisors, mentors and coaches. The coaches offer unbiased counsel and resources to potential students about their chosen course of study.

Gaylord Continues to Inspire

Hospital Receives First Grant from Nesbit Fund

Life after a traumatic injury or illness can still be lived to the fullest thanks to local facilities such as Gaylord Hospital in Wallingford. Licensed as a Long Term Acute Care Hospital, Gaylord treats patients on their long road to recovery. Their patients have medically complex injuries and illnesses such as spinal cord and traumatic brain injuries, often combined with other conditions. Gaylord also assists patients long after they leave the hospital through its adaptive sports program which draws people with physical disabilities from all over New England. Thanks to the bequest of Thomas and Anna Nesbit, Gaylord is now slated to receive support in perpetuity from The Foundation's newly-established Nesbit Fund.

Ballet Teaches More Than Dance

New Haven Ballet (NHB) offers classical dance classes to New Haven Public School students in grades 2, 3 and 4 through its DanceAIR outreach program. Participating schools include Fair Haven School, Columbus Family Academy, John S. Martinez School, Lincoln Bassett School, Davis Elementary School, Roberto Clemente School and Quinnipiac Elementary School. Beyond the basics of classical form, students learn about character, nutrition and injury prevention. Financial aid covers dance wear, travel stipends, registration and performance fees and tickets for families to attend a finale performance. NHB has received funding from The Foundation's David T. Langrock Old Masters Art Fund and sponsorship grants from unrestricted funds.

Women Are A Great Force in Philanthropy

Nonprofits Should Know How Women Give

According to the June issue of the Chronicle of Philanthropy women are giving more and as a result becoming the most important audience for fundraising. This is because women have greater incomes and increased decision-making authority about money. Also, women control more than half of personal wealth in the country and have a life expectancy nearly five years longer than that of men. According to the Indiana University's Lilly Family School of Philanthropy, not only are women giving more than men, but they are giving differently. Women want greater involvement with the organization they give to and also tend to do more giving as a group.

Wavemaking Women, Powerful Philanthropy

The Community Fund for Women & Girls hosted a special program for fund founders, alumnae and other "WaveMakers" to hear the latest about women's philanthropy. The keynote speaker was
Claire Costello of U.S. Trust. The message? Across the country and the globe, it is becoming more and more apparent that investing in the success and advancement of women and girls results in greater outcomes for entire regions and countries. Guests received a copy of the U.S. Trust report, High-Impact of Giving to Women and Girls, which is accessible online at fundforwomenandgirls.org.

Collaboration Brings Progress on Homelessness

Homeless Families and Teenagers Still at Risk

They are single men, mothers with children, veterans damaged by wartime experiences, and teenage runaways. They may suffer from drug addiction and mental illness. Homelessness has many faces. Until recently, the patchwork of homeless shelters and agencies in Greater New Haven worked independently. Prompted by a new federal law, providers are now collaborating through the coordinating Access Network to meet a new ambitious goal — ending homelessness altogether. State of Connecticut authorities announced in February 2016 that it had ended homelessness among veterans. Experts, like Kellyann Day, CEO of New Reach,
explain what that means: Homelessness among veterans will be temporary and brief and vets have a path into housing right away, rather than languishing in shelters. Day notes that while targeted government funding has provided solutions to end veteran and chronic homelessness, more resources are needed to address homeless families and teenagers in the same ways. Read our full issue brief here.

Hands-On Learning at the Eli Whitney Museum

For more than 30 years, the Eli Whitney Museum has been a place for young people and families to build, tinker and experiment. For nearly as long (beginning with its first Museum grant in 1979 for renovations), The Community Foundation has supported the Museum's operations and wide range of programs. Donor advised funds such as the Frew Family Fund have provided general

operating support, while unrestricted funds have supported specific projects. A recent grant will be used to fund the Defining Whitneyville project, which will highlight the historical significance of the Museum and of Eli Whitney's legacy.