Here to help. Here to stay. Children’s Hospital to Expand Emergency Room

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