Valley Residents Show Generous Side during The Great Give® 2016

DERBY – The Valley Community Foundation (VCF) recently announced hat gifts made by Valley residents, employees and VCF donor advised fund holders during The Great Give® 2016 resulted in more than $312,600  for nonprofit organizations located in Ansonia, Derby, Oxford, Seymour or Shelton. The number includes $25,000 in matching funds and prizes provided by VCF and was shared during the fourth annual celebratory ice cream social on May 26.

 

“We couldn’t be more thrilled at the response of Valley residents and workers who continue to support local nonprofits during The Great Give® 2016. Despite technology problems from the national platform provider that delayed some donors from giving on the first day, this was the best Great Give to date,” said Sharon Closius, President & CEO of the Valley Community Foundation. “The Valley is a philanthropic region and we are proud to say its people generously supported so many of the local organizations making this community a better place to live, work and play.”

 

Also announced at the ice cream social were the winners of special prizes awarded by VCF throughout The Great Give® 2016. Center Stage Theatre was the Valley-serving nonprofit that raised the most dollars and also won a second place Grand Prize from The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven for attracting the most donors overall during The Great Give®.

 

New to this year’s giving event were business-sponsored prizes  by local Valley companies for the benefit of nonprofits with operations based in Ansonia, Derby, Oxford, Seymour or Shelton. Valley United Way received the Minuteman Press of Shelton Prize. Center Stage Theatre Received the Real Estate Two Prize. St. Mary-St. Michael received the Ryan & Tyma, LLP Prize.

 

The Liberty Bank Foundation, a first-time supporter of The Great Give®, sponsored a prize for the Valley-based organization supporting basic needs that attracted the greatest number of individual donors during a specified time, which was presented to TEAM, Inc. Additional organizations located in the Valley receiving prizes included: Boys & Girls Club of the Lower Naugatuck Valley, Housatonic Council - Boy Scouts of America, Seymour Pink and CT Brownfield Land Bank. In total, $15,500 in prizes were awarded during The Great Give® 2016 to organizations located in the Valley, of which one-third was provided by VCF and Valley businesses.

 

The Great Give® is the annual giving online event on giveGreater.org®, a local resource for learning and giving created in 2010 by VCF’s partner in philanthropy, The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven to increase philanthropy in the Greater New Haven region of South Central Connecticut. Overall, The Great Give® 2016 generated nearly $1.4 million, including matching funds and prizes from the two foundations and other generous community sponsors for nonprofits serving the 20-town region of The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven, which includes VCF’s five-town service area. There were more than 8,000 donors who gave over 11,500 gifts.  To see participating nonprofits and prize information, visit www.thegreatgive.org.

 

About the Valley Community Foundation:

Established in 2004, the Valley Community Foundation distributes hundreds of thousands of grant dollars each year to support the local nonprofit sector and the people it serves. In addition to grantmaking, VCF works in strong partnership with The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven (TCF), to promote philanthropy in Ansonia, Derby, Oxford, Seymour and Shelton and receives funding from The Gates Fund and other preference funds at TCF. To learn how your gifts of cash, life insurance, appreciated stocks, bonds, real estate, and other assets can help to support the quality of life in the Valley, please visit the website at www.valleyfoundation.org or contact VCF President, Sharon Closius, at sclosius@valleyfoundation.org or 203-751-9162.

 

(This is a press release from Valley Community Foundation)

Valley Residents Invited to Donate During The Great Give® on May 5-6

DERBY – The Valley Community Foundation is once again a presenting sponsor of The Great Give®, the annual, online giving event created by The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven to raise visibility and support for local nonprofits in the region.
The Valley Community Foundation will match gifts made by people who live and/or work in the Valley up to $25,000 on a prorated basis to encourage local giving in and to the nonprofits that serve the 5 towns of: Ansonia, Derby, Oxford, Seymour and Shelton.
To see a video of participating Valley nonprofits and learn how to make an impact on your favorite charitable organizations, visit www.valleyfoundation.org.
“The Great Give is an incredible event and it is certainly something to be excited about,” said Sharon Closius, VCF President & CEO. “This year, we are trying to encourage more organizations to participate and new donors to support their favorite nonprofits, ultimately resulting in more dollars raised.”
Last year, The Valley Community Foundation distributed more than $192,000 to 29 nonprofits located in the Valley towns of Ansonia, Derby, Oxford, Seymour and Shelton thanks to donor support, matching grants and prizes provided through The Great Give® 2014.
These funds were further augmented by grants and prizes provided by VCF donor advised funds.
A list of complete rules, grant prizes and the participating nonprofits in The Great Give® 2015 is online at www.thegreatgive.org. Donors wishing to support their favorite cause or charity can visit giveGreater.org® to find information on local nonprofits, including their mission, governance, programs, financials and community impact. To learn more about how you might be able to support The Great Give® or Valley nonprofits through establishing a permanent endowment, please contact Sharon Closius at sclosius@valleyfoundation.org or 203-751-9162.
For more information about the Valley Community Foundation, please visit at www.valleyfoundation.org, like them on Facebook or follow them on Twitter.

'Great Give' starts today in Valley, New Haven

Foundations sponsor online event 

Valley non-profit organizations – the agencies that shore up the cracks in community services – are appealing to potential donors for support during The Great Give^® annual fundraising campaign.

The Great Give^® 2014 is a 36-hour online giving event today and Wednesday on giveGreater.org®, with presenting sponsors the Valley Community Foundation and The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven.

Non-profits can increase the funds they receive during the drive through matching grants and prizes the foundations have coordinated.

The Great Give^® will begin at 8 a.m. May 6 and end at 8 p.m. May 7. Donations must be made online at www.thegreatgive.org with MasterCard, Visa or American Express credit cards to count toward matching grants.

“Last year, Valley residents gave more than $60,000 to non-profits in Ansonia, Derby, Oxford, Seymour and Shelton,” said Sharon Closius, VCF President and CEO. “That was triple the amount donated in 2012 – a wonderful response that allowed non-profits to continue providing much-needed services.”

With the Valley still struggling economically, Closius said, the services non-profits provide make a crucial difference to the quality of life for our residents. 
“Whether the non-profit helps people feed their families, find jobs, and recover from abuse or addiction, or supports education, health and culture, all are essential elements of any thriving community,” she said.

This year’s giving campaign coincides with a national day of giving, Give Local America, established to celebrate the centennial anniversary of community foundations. Give Local America has engaged communities across the country that are urging their residents to support local non-profits. “When you support a local non-profit, you know your gift is directly benefiting your community,” Closius said. 

For more information about The Great Give 2014, visit givegreater@cfgnh.org or call 203-777-2386.

This video was created by John Corraro, a college student who has interned with Center Stage in Shelton and the Valley Community Foundation.

Center Stage is one of nearly 40 non-profits in the Valley participating in the online giving event.


This is a press release from the Valley Community Foundation.