The Valley Community Foundation Awards Community Grants to Support Local Programs
DERBY, CT (June 7, 2021) – The Valley Community Foundation (VCF) announced it has awarded a total of $22,000 in its annual Community Grants Program to 11 community groups serving the Valley. These grants will support youth programs, athletics, and more in the region.
Sharon Closius, VCF President & CEO, said, “As business-as-usual operations begin to resume throughout the state, there are many volunteer groups and nonprofits with limited staff that continue to do incredible work in our community. Although the needs are ever-growing and continuously changing, we are proud to support these meaningful endeavors with $22,000 in total grant funding to support our Valley’s five towns.”
Steven Wolfe, Director of the All-America Valley Basketball Club, said, “This grant enables us to provide free basketball uniforms, shirts, reusable masks and other supplies to kids in the communities that we serve while we continue to work towards a more inclusive, affordable, equitable model for club play. VCF’s support allows us to comply with health and tournament protocols as well as regulations governing youth basketball sports competition. Without this funding, we would have been unable to provide our players with these items, which would further burden already distressed households with additional expenses.”
Applications for the Valley Community Grants Program are considered through a request for proposal process. These grants are responsive to community groups that are volunteer or nonprofit in nature, serve Ansonia, Derby, Oxford, Seymour and/or Shelton, and have less than two full-time or four part-time staff. Community Grants range from $250 to $2,500, and can be for new or recurring programs to support civic and community engagement efforts. More details about the application process is available on www.valleyfoundation.org.
2021 Community Grant Recipients:
All-America Valley Basketball Club – To support the club's participation in a 10-week competitive basketball tournament. $2,500
Annual Thanksgiving Basket Committee – To support families in need with a basket of food for Thanksgiving. $2,000
Troop 3 – Derby Boy Scouts of America – To support an Eagle Scout project to build a vegetable garden at St. Mary-St. Michael School. $1,950
Girl Scout Troop 60030 – To support improving the community gardens in Seymour. $1,750
Girl Scout Troop 60544 – To support a Gold Award Project to refurbish a War Memorial in Seymour. $2,000
Massaro Community Farm – To support a series of garden workshops. $2,000
Seymour Historical Society – To support Seymour Historical Society’s virtual programming. $1,200
Southford Falls Quilters, LLC – To support the 2021-2022 Southford Falls Quilters programs. $2,100
St. Thomas Church – To support the St. Thomas bereavement and caregivers programs and the Parish Nurse ministries. $1,500
Valley Parish Nurse Program – To support the Valley Parish Nurse outreach and education programs at multiple churches. $2,500
Youth Conservation Corps – To support the Walk Through History Program at the Rockhouse Hill Sanctuary in Oxford. $2,500
