United Way Awards $2 Million to Local Agencies

The Greenwich United Way has awarded nearly $2 million in distributions for programs to help meet the health and human service needs of the Greenwich community.

In a prepared statement, Greenwich United Way President Stuart Adelberg said, the grants represent the largest piece of the total funds that will be invested locally. The grants will come from contributions from the agency’s 2011-2012 community-wide fund-raising campaign that will begin later this summer.

Included in this distribution are two new community partners: CT Legal Services and Neighbor to Neighbor. Neighbor to Neighbor provides food, clothing and other items to lower income residents in need of assistance. CT Legal Services provides free legal assistance throughout the state of Connecticut, including services over the past year to 150 Greenwich households.

According to Adelberg, “Though we all certainly wish that it wasn’t necessary, I am so proud that the United Way is able to step up and respond to the difficult and increasing challenges confronting local families, by helping those who are struggling with these basic human needs.”

In committing this slight increase of funds in the midst of an uncertain economy, the Board continued the organization’s long tradition of generosity, even in troubled financial environments. United Way Board Chair, Lori Jackson noted “We have just ended another challenging fundraising year, and once again we have been reassured by the response of United Way contributors.  As we continue to operate during difficult times, we recognize that local agencies and those they serve need our help even more than they have in the past.”

The $1.99 million in this first distribution will be invested in 26 organizations to provide specific services available to the Greenwich community. Funding levels for these particular programs were determined by 25 volunteers serving on the Community Investment Committee. They spent months reviewing proposals from local agencies, visiting program sites and deliberating on the most compelling requests and effective uses for Greenwich United Way funds. They were guided by documentation of local needs as published in the 2011 United Way’s Assessment of Human Service Needs and State of Greenwich Statistical Report that was released in January. It is available at www.unitedway-greenwich.org.

The Community Investment Committee’s funding recommendations were presented to the Greenwich United Way Board for approval by Committee Chair and board member, Sandy Herman, said in the statement, “Our volunteers fulfilled a difficult responsibility of weighing each program and analyzing its contribution to the entire system of services to best address pressing community needs. While all program funding requests were justifiable, the group remained focused on effectively addressing our community’s most critical needs and I am confident that decisions were based on sound judgment.”

The Board approved the recommended distribution of $778,595 for programs in the service field Strengthening Children and Families. Local agencies that provide services in this category include the Boys and Girls Club, Child Guidance Center, Family Centers, the Girl Scouts, Liberation Programs, the Greenwich Family Y, Banksville Community House and the YWCA of Greenwich. 

A grant of $482,500 was approved for programs in the Assisting Individuals in Crisis service field, including the Food Bank of Lower Fairfield County, Family Centers, the Greenwich Chapter of the American Red Cross, the Child Guidance Center, Kids in Crisis, the Shelter for the Homeless, the Center for Sexual Assault Crisis Counseling and Education, the Domestic Abuse Service of the YWCA, and CT Legal Services. 

A grant of $513,674 will be distributed for programs in the service field  including Community Centers, Inc., Abilis, the Transportation Association of Greenwich (TAG), Pathways, Literacy Volunteers and Neighbor to Neighbor. 

The $156,850 allocated for Supporting Seniors programs will be distributed among organizations including Greenwich Adult Day Center, TAG, Jewish Family Services, Greenwich Family Y, the American Red Cross, and the Personal Alert Program of Family and Children’s Agency. 

An additional $64,455 will be invested in Core Services offered by Community Answers, Infoline/211 and the Volunteer Center of SW Fairfield County, to support around the clock information and referral and volunteer recruitment/placement/training.

Approximately an additional $500,000, will be invested in the Greenwich United Way Early Childhood and Youth Services Initiatives, Agency Support Efforts, Community Impact Initiatives, Critical Needs Grants later in the year, and an additional sum will be directed to specific agencies by individual donors.

Greenwich United Way’s 2011-2012 Community Investments to date:

• Abilis (support for people with intellectual disabilities): $193,500
• American Red Cross, Greenwich Chapter (disaster services, senior assist.): $108,500
• Banksville Community House (family & children’s programs): $7,200
• Boys & Girls Club of Greenwich (children’s programs, after-school care): $110,275
• Center for Sexual Assault Crisis Counseling/Education: $22,000
• Child Guidance Center (crisis & mental health services): $168,200
• Community Answers (local information & referral): $27,430
• Community Centers, Inc. (family & children’s programs): $230,500
• CT Legal Services (free legal assistance): $15,000
• Family Centers, Inc. (childcare, pre-school, Head Start, mental health): $410,000
• Food Bank of Lower Fairfield County (Food distribution): $18,000
• Girl Scouts of Connecticut (scouting & camp program): $1,670
• Greenwich Adult Day Care (support for seniors, care givers & families): $61,850
• Greenwich Family YMCA (childcare, pre-school & senior services): $127,000
• Infoline / 211 of Connecticut (24 hr information & crisis assistance): $23,300
• Jewish Family Services (supermarketing for seniors): $24,000
• Kids in Crisis (shelter & support for youth & families): $68,000
• Liberation Programs (substance abuse prevention & treatment): $62,250
• Literacy Volunteers (tutoring in English & reading): $12,600
• Neighbor to Neighbor (food, clothing, etc.): $5,000
• Pathways, Inc. (support for mentally ill adults): $48,600
• Personal Alert of Family & Children’s Agency (monitoring of homebound): $2,500
• Shelter for the Homeless (shelter & transitional support): $40,000
• Transportation Association of Greenwich (TAG) (seniors & special needs): $59,974
• Volunteer Center of SW Fairfield County (recruitment & training): $13,725
• YWCA of Greenwich (childcare, pre-school, domestic abuse services): $135,000
• TOTAL: $1,996,074

These Greenwich United Way community investments do not include approximately $500,000 in additional funds that we will invest locally including United Way Early Childhood and Youth Services initiatives, Agency Support Efforts, Community Impact projects, and Critical Needs Grants that will be made later in the year, plus an additional sum directed to specific agencies by individual donors.  In total, the Greenwich United Way anticipates putting well over $2.5 million to work in the community throughout the fiscal year that began on July 1, 2011.