F E B R U A R Y 2 0 0 4 Here to help. Here to stay. Children’s Hospital to Expand Emergency Room Like emergency rooms in urban hospitals all across the country, the Connecticut Children’s Medical Center in Hartford is experiencing a burgeoning volume of patients. CCMC’s emergency department sees 40,000 patient visits annually in a space originally designed for 22,000 patient visits. To improve access to emergency services for children, the Hartford Foundation awarded a $750,000 grant to CCMC for expansion and renovation of its emergency department. The grant is funding construction of crisis observation rooms, a forensic exam room, and a rapid assessment area. In addition to creating much needed space for treating patients, this will also help the hospital address a critical need of temporary beds for children in acute mental health crisis. These crisis observation rooms provide more privacy apart from the children receiving care for acute illness and injury. College Park Report Creates Buzz A proposal to transform an 11-acre area in downtown Hartford into a College Park has generated excitement among community leaders. The plan, outlined in a report prepared for the City of Hartford and funded by the Hartford Foundation, includes redeveloping a section of the City linking Main Street to the Clay Arsenal neighborhood. The idea is to create an extended city campus, with Capital Community College and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute as “bookends.” Students from those two institutions, as well as possibly the University of Connecticut and University of Hartford, could learn, congregate, and live together. New construction could include space for classrooms, labs, and dormitories, as well as condominium housing, bookstores, and restaurants. “College Park could bring life to our Capitol City center and jobs to one of Hartford’s poorest neighborhoods,” says Robert Painter, city council member and proponent of the plan. “It could heal the damage caused by the construction of I-84 through the City.” “The proposal is offered for input, criticism, expansion, or other ideas,” says Ken Greenberg, one of the authors. “It is intended to start a conversation about the way Hartford’s citizens want Hartford to look in the future.” It seems to have done the trick. The report is available online at www.hartfordecodev.com. Manchester Community College students who received scholarships from the Hartford Foundation this year pose with Lillian Ortiz, Dean of Institutional Development. They include: (front row, from the left) Nutan Jha, Felicia Otoo, Binh Tram, Iris Baez, Lillian, and Luciana Miller; (second row, from the left) Tatjana Ivanovic, Amy Taylor, Marta Radomska, Hilary Lingard (partially hidden), Lisa Eastman, Beatrice Drayton, Joan Nissle, and Ruilin Liu. The Right Partner Dr. Peter DeBell of Hartford recently decided it was time to give back to his community. Faced with an abundance of options and new to philanthropy, he wasn’t sure where to begin. What he needed was a partner to help him decide where his giving would have the most impact. He found what he was looking for at the Hartford Foundation and established a donor-advised fund. “This will be a learning experience,” says Dr. DeBell. “The Hartford Foundation will provide the kind of support I need as my knowledge about philanthropy grows.” Dr. DeBell will remain flexible as he decides which grants to recommend from the fund, but he has a particular interest in the environment. He finds great inspiration in nature, and would like to do what he can to preserve it. “I also want to help other people know nature and the inspiration it can provide, especially kids who might otherwise not have the opportunity,” says Dr. DeBell. Grateful Homeowner Gives Back “Since I was twelve, I’ve always wanted to build my own home,” says Stephanie Joseph of Hartford. Last February, her dream became a reality when Stephanie, her husband and their two children, moved into the home they built with the help of Hartford Area Habitat for Humanity. Over the past year, Stephanie and Allan Joseph with their children, Stephanie has learned a lot about Amber and Alexander. homeownership. “This is my house,” she says. “It’s a lot of responsibility, but it’s not overwhelming because I love it so much. I thank God for my home every day.” Stephanie’s house, which was sponsored by a donor-advised fund at the Hartford Foundation, was completed in seven months with the help of hundreds of volunteers. Today, Stephanie is a Habitat volunteer, putting the skills she acquired to good use. She also participates in fundraisers and speaks at events for Habitat. “I’ll always give back,” she says. So will the generous donor that sponsored her house. A grant was recently made to Habitat for Humanity from the same fund to purchase two lots in Manchester. For more information about Hartford Area Habitat for Humanity, call 541-2208 or visit www.hartfordhabitat.org. A Place to Test Drive Assistive Technology Technology is helping people with disabilities live easier and function more independently. Unfortunately, it hasn’t been easy for them or their family members to learn what products and services are available and right for them. Then, NEAT, which stands for New England Assistive Technology, was developed. The NEAT Marketplace in Hartford offers product demonstrations, classes, computer research, and equipment restoration. There, people with disabilities can find and learn about such assistive technology as scooters, adapted bicycles and golf equipment, communication boards, lifts, beds, and more. “NEAT is truly unique,” explains Rebecca Earl, president of NEAT. “We don’t know of another facility like it in the country.” NEAT was established by The Connecticut Institute for the Blind/Oak Hill, first offering information by phone, Internet, and in person. After its initial success, the new 25,000 square foot facility was built, with partial funding from the Hartford Foundation. That first year, NEAT served 24,000 people, and it continues to provide a vital service to residents with disabilities and their families. For more information, call toll-free 866-526-4492 or visit www.neatmarketplace.org. A visitor to the NEAT Marketplace learns how a lift system might help him. The NEAT Marketplace in Hartford offers product demonstrations, classes, computer research, and equipment restoration. Philanthropy Carries On IN OTHER NEWS… Giving and public service have always been important to retired Probate Judge, John Berman, of West Hartford. He and his wife, Laura, established a donor-advised fund at the Hartford Foundation in 1998, and he has included the Foundation in his will. He has served as a volunteer for several nonprofits, including as a sponsor to Say Yes to Education, a board member of the Connecticut Council for Philanthropy, and president of the Watkinson Prisoners Aid Society foundation. Recently, Judge Berman also realized it was important to try to foster his belief in philanthropy in his heirs. After attending a donor event sponsored by the Foundation, which focused on financial planning for families, Judge Berman had an idea. He decided to give his grandson, Blake, a unique present for his 16th birthday: the opportunity to recommend a $500 grant to a nonprofit of his choice through the John and Laura Berman Fund at the Foundation. Blake liked the idea and selected Loaves and Fishes Ministries, which runs a soup kitchen as well as a host of other social service programs in Hartford. “Blake is a great guy and we wanted to help him to learn about the wonderful nonprofits we have in this area and also to experience the joy of giving,” said Judge Berman. Dov Fox of West Hartford is publishing a book about the American legal system, performs stand-up comedy, volunteers several hours a week, and is one of only two young Connecticut men entering the University of Oxford in England next fall as a Rhodes Scholar. Dov will graduate from Harvard in May, where he majors in government. Humbly, Dov says of his accomplishments, “I’ve been lucky to have so many great opportunities to take advantage of.” The Hartford Foundation is pleased to have played a small part in helping Dov achieve his academic goals. In 2000, Fox was awarded a four-year undergraduate scholarship from the Interracial Scholarship Fund of Greater Hartford, which the Foundation supported and now administers. Alison Granger joined the Foundation last October as Senior Investment Officer. Alison is a Chartered Financial Analyst who most recently served as Managing Director and Senior Portfolio Manager at Hartford Investment Management Company, a subsidiary of The Hartford. Here to help. Here to stay. is published by the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving — the community foundation for Greater Hartford. Devoted to improving the quality of life in the region, the Foundation provides grants and other support to a broad range of nonprofit organizations, helps donors make effective charitable giving decisions, and brings people together to address important community issues. Nancy D. Grover, Board chair Michael R. Bangser, President e-bulletin Many of you will also receive our new E-Bulletin via email. If you didn’t receive it and would like to check it out (and sign up to receive it), you can go to: www.hfpg.org/whatsnew Non profit Organization U.S. Postage 85 Gillett Street • Hartford, Connecticut 06105 860-548-1888 • www.hfpg.org Address Service Requested PAID Hartford, CT 06105 Permit No. 1017