2023 Valley Community Foundation Annual Reception
Valley Community Foundation highlights new funds and hope for the future.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 19, 2023 (Derby, CT) – The Valley Community Foundation (VCF) held its 19th Annual Reception Wednesday, introducing the nine new funds established in 2022 and highlighting work done in the past year to support area nonprofits, programs, and regional projects.
More than 150 people -- VCF fundholders, donors, community leaders, and representatives from local nonprofit organizations -- attended the event organized each year by the nonprofit philanthropic organization.
VCF also unveiled its 2022 Annual Report: Moving Forward: Investing in Our Future. The 32-page report detailed the past year’s grantmaking, donations and the new perpetual funds and scholarships established by Valley residents and organizations.
“One of the things that I love most about our Valley is the sense of community that is engrained here. We may come from different backgrounds and have different beliefs, but we all share a passionate commitment in making our community better,” said Sharon Closius, VCF’s president and CEO. “All of the 2022 new funds were established with the intention of making the Valley a better place to live now and in the future. These new funds demonstrate the continued commitment and dedication of our donors and the Valley Community Foundation’s goal to support and strengthen our region through philanthropy.”
The nine new VCF funds established in 2022 were:
- Ansonia Rotary Club Fund
- Advancing Heroes Fund
- Andy Brennan Memorial Fund
- Eleanor Rae DeFelice Scholarship Fund
- Lombardi Twins Fund for the Valley
- Anthony and Catherine LoPresti Family Fund
- Dr. Teresa Tottenham Sievers Scholarship Fund
- Ted Vartelas Family Fund
- Thomas H. and Alyce S. Wells Family Fund.
Founded in 2004 to help improve the Valley through local philanthropy, VCF now has more than 255 individual funds and scholarships and has more than $32 million in manageable assets.
Aleta Miner, VCF’s Vice-Chair, served as emcee for the evening. She said that in 2022, VCF received more than $3.2 million in donations and distributed approximately $2.4 million in grants, of that sum more than $852,000 were Community Investment grants.
“These grants supported a wide range of programs, including youth and early childhood education, arts and theater initiatives, cultural projects, and volunteer public safety organizations, and much more,” Miner said. “These achievements were made possible by the extraordinary generosity and unwavering commitment of the Valley community. We at VCF are deeply grateful to the individuals and organizations that continue to make true positive change a reality for the entire region.”
About the Valley Community Foundation:
Established in 2004, each year the Valley Community Foundation (VCF) distributes approximately $2 million in grants that support local nonprofits and people they serve. 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 that benefit the Valley. For more information, visit www.valleyfoundation.org. Valley Community Foundation, 253-A Elizabeth Street, Derby CT, 06418. Office: (203) 751-9162.
