It is always a good day in the community foundation world when a donor lets you know they are leaving a gift in their estate plan to benefit their community. You know them, you can thank them and you can tell their story. But what do you do when you receive a $1,000,000 gift from a donor you never knew and who made it very clear they wished to remain anonymous? Well that is what happened this past year when Main Street Community Foundation was notified of a $1.02 million gift to establish two endowment funds. “I wish I had an opportunity to thank this donor and know more about why they chose to leave this gift to benefit others. We are very grateful and will certainly work diligently to fulfill this donor’s wishes,” said Susan Sadecki, the Foundation’s President & CEO.

In September 2019, Main Street Community Foundation received this unexpected and very generous bequest from an anonymous donor to establish the KAWFY Memorial Fund and the KAWFY Memorial Scholarship Fund to support the Southington community.

The KAWFY Memorial Fund will support projects and programs that will benefit the community of Southington. Grants from this Fund will be awarded through the General Grant Cycle. If an organization benefitting the residents of Southington would like to apply, they can find more information on the Foundation’s website: www.mainstreetfoundation.org/apply-for-grant. The deadline to apply for a grant is March 27th.

The KAWFY Memorial Scholarship Fund will provide financial assistance to residents of Southington as they work to achieve their educational and career dreams. This scholarship will be available to someone who is a graduating high school senior, currently enrolled college student or adult returning to school who is pursuing post-secondary education at a vocational school, two-year or four-year college or university. Preference will be given to someone interested in becoming an author.

“We are thrilled that this scholarship is open to all Southington residents, especially adults returning to school,” Sadecki stated. She went on to explain that this is a great opportunity for adult learners who very often have limited resources to further their education.

Anyone interested in applying for this new scholarship can find more information on our website: www.mainstreetfoundation.org/apply-for-scholarship. The deadline to apply for this year’s scholarships is March 13th.

“We are honored that this donor included Main Street Community Foundation in such a significant way to impact the community of Southington,” said Sadecki.