Foundation Donors Celebrated at Annual Lunch

Foundation donors were thanked and celebrated for their generosity and community commitment over lunch at the Jewish Community Center of Greater New Haven on November 13, 2019. Photos by Judy Sirota Rosenthal

Community Foundation Board Chair Dr. Khalilah Brown-Dean and President & CEO Will Ginsberg thanked and celebrated donors' generosity and community commitment over lunch at the JCC of Greater New Haven, beautifully restored after a 2016 fire. The venue was particularly fitting for the message about the value of a diverse community united through shared values, a shared past and a sense of common destiny. The Foundation is proud to have provided support this year for safety and security enhancements at the JCC.

In his remarks, Ginsberg shared, "In this age of widening inequality and deep division, we at The Community Foundation are looking anew at how we can help to sustain the sense of community in Greater New Haven and use it productively to create a common agenda for our common future. ... One idea keeps pushing its way to the front of our thinking: Opportunity."

In September, The Foundation convened a remarkably diverse group of area residents to talk about how we can capitalize on our assets more effectively to create growth, and how we can ensure that that growth creates opportunity for people at all levels along the socio-economic spectrum and in all towns and neighborhoods in our region. Learn more about the Convening in this recap article and video of highlights.

The Foundation was recently featured in New Haven Biz magazine with an article entitled "Opportunity, Inclusive Growth and Mission Investing," about how it is investing in this strategy through building the endowment, managing it and putting it to work in ways that build a stronger local community.

At the close of the donor lunch, Ginsberg reflected, "We know that our future, like all we have done over the 91 years of The Foundation's history, depends on our relationships with others in our community — none more important than the donors whose commitment and generosity are what The Foundation is all about."

Thank you for being part of this wonderful and generous community.

For your enjoyment, view a gallery of photos from the event.