D'Addario Family Fund for the Benefit of Griffin Hospital

The D'Addario family first established a fund with the Valley Community Foundation in 2008 and, since then, have enjoyed watching it grow and make a difference in the Valley. Thomas (Tom) D'Addario explained, "We chose to create a donor advised fund more than a decade ago because we enjoyed making grant recommendations for how our money will be invested into the community and we liked that we would support the Valley in perpetuity through this fund."

More recently, the family decided to do more. "My father started our family business 52 years ago in Ansonia. We later moved the D'Addario Auto Group to Shelton in 1970. Our business has seen both good and bad times over the past half century. Once we reached our golden anniversary, however, we decided it was time to contribute even more to the community that has stood by us all this time. It made sense to create another fund because we not only saw the benefits from our family fund, but we also saw a local need and we wanted to help."

Tom, his wife Mary, and three children Dr. Thomas D'Addario, Daniel D'Addario, and Dr. Sara D'Addario agreed that Griffin Hospital would serve as a great choice for this designated fund based on how well the facility cares for community members. "We set a goal to collectively grow this new fund to $50,000 to help support Griffin Hospital's most pressing needs, and we are just about there."

He added, "Our experience with VCF has been seamless. Once we decided to start this fund and connect with the Valley in this way, there were just a few simple questions to answer, such as the amount we wanted to contribute and how that money should be used. VCF will now manage the fund and Griffin Health will determine where they see the most pressing need and how they will use the annual distribution from the fund."

Tom emphasized how the project was a family endeavor. "If any family is thinking about doing this, I'd recommend getting everyone together to talk about how to continue their legacy. My wife and I, along with our children, have been on the same page right from the beginning with this effort. For us especially, this is important because the people in the Valley are why we are in business today and are still part of this wonderful community."