On the morning of March 10th, board members, past leadership, and staff of Main Street Community Foundation gathered together to celebrate 2022 as another successful year of grant making, scholarship awards and building charitable endowments. This Annual Meeting serves as a year-end review for the Board of Directors and previous leaders of the Foundation. This past year saw the distribution of a record $2.3 million in grants and scholarships to benefit the residents of Bristol, Burlington, Plainville, Plymouth, Southington and Wolcott through programs and community leadership initiatives, with a total of $26 million being awarded since the establishment of the Foundation since 1995.

Furthermore, the Foundation received $1.5 million in contributions in 2022 and 13 new funds were established at the Foundation by local individuals, families and organizations to support causes they care about to better their communities.

The Annual Meeting was also a moment to celebrate a few grantees from the past year. Representatives from both Veterans Strong Community Center, a resource and information center for Veterans in the Greater Bristol area, and St. Vincent De Paul Mission of Bristol, an emergency shelter for men, women, and children in Bristol, were present at the Annual Meeting to speak to the Board about the impact MSCF has made on the work that they do. Veterans Strong representatives Donna Dognin and Amy Wernicki presented Susan Sadecki, President & CEO of MSCF, and Scott Fournier, Board Chair, with a commemorative dog tag and a certificate of appreciation acknowledging the Foundation as an “outstanding patriot partner”. Christine Thebarge, Executive Director of St. Vincent De Paul Mission of Bristol, then spoke passionately about the work her and her team do to assist our communities’ most vulnerable population with dignity and respect. The organization Productions for Change, another MSCF grantee, has also produced several videos demonstrating the work done by St. Vincent De Paul staff as well as personal stories from residents, two of which were viewed at the Annual Meeting.

New Board Members to Lead the Way
Street Community Foundation elected three new directors at its Annual Meeting, and said goodbye to two. The new directors elected are Plainville resident Brent T. Davenport of Shaffer Beacon Mechanical; Burlington resident Virginia Fitzgerald of Yarde Metals and Reliance Steel & Aluminum Co.; and Bristol resident Suzanne M. Passini of Tunxis Community College. Directors Mark Moriarty of Bristol and Jennifer O’Connor of Southington were also both re-elected to the Board. Meanwhile, Kimberly James and Mell Hobson were recognized for their service to the Foundation and community as their terms on the Board of Directors ended; both served two three-year terms and will continue to be involved with various committees at MSCF.

The Foundation’s Board consists of community leaders charged with ensuring donors’ intentions are fulfilled in perpetuity, all of whom take the responsibility very seriously. “The Board of Directors plays an essential role in guiding the Foundation’s work in the region,” said Susan Sadecki. “We are grateful for their generous commitment of time and the valuable expertise each brings to the Foundation.”