Foundation matches heart with funds
The Southport-based John Patrick Flanagan Foundation, a charity established to help vulnerable children and families of Connecticut, awarded $28,500 in grants for 2013 to local organizations. The grants went to six Connecticut-based nonprofits including the United in Hope Scholarship, Connecticut Audubon Society, Commence College Counseling, Wakeman Smilow Burroughs, Caroline House Preschool and the High School Scholarship Foundation of Fairfield.
Since 2008, the John Patrick Flanagan Foundation has raised more than $370,000 and granted $60,000 to programs that provide resources and opportunities to disadvantaged children and families.
“We are incredibly humbled by the amount of generosity and support for the John Patrick Flanagan Foundation over the past five years, and thrilled to continue giving back to deserving members and organizations of the local Connecticut community,” said Amanda Flanagan, chairperson of the foundation.
History-minded board adds Williams
The Lockwood-Mathews Mansion Museum in Norwalk announced Norwalk resident Haroldo Williams has joined its board of trustees. Williams is currently senior vice president, operations and information solutions, for DocInsight in Wayne, N.J., a healthcare IT firm. He has served on the Norwalk Human Rights Commission; is a member of the Norwalk Chamber of Commerce; and is a mentor in the Norwalk schools. The mansion-museum is a designated National Historic Landmark.
Legislative commitment
State Rep. Tony Hwang received a Community Champion Award recently presented by the Connecticut Community Providers Association (CCPA) at its recent 44th annual conference in Hartford. He is pictured with Martin D. Schwartz, president and CEO of the Trumbull-based Kennedy Center, who nominated him.
During the 2013 legislative session, Hwang worked with CCPA to sponsor and pass Senate Bill 761, which, as Public Act 13-227, makes permanent a pilot program from 1977 that promotes expanded employment opportunities for people with disabilities and economic disadvantages.
Tea time, health time
From left, Cindi Bigelow, president and CEO of Bigelow Tea, naturopathic physician Dr. Veronica Waks and patient care coordinator Pat Poniros at the Norma F. Pfriem Breast Care Center in Fairfield. Bigelow Tea supports the center”™s wellness programs through the Bigelow Tea Community Challenge, an annual run that raises more than $100,000 each year and helps fund 18 local nonprofit organizations.
Cheers to entrepreneurs
About 150 business leaders from the American Marketing Association (AMA) the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) of Westchester and Fairfield Counties and several other organizations filled the halls of the Stamford Innovation Center for their annual party. The space is the former Town Hall and the Stamford Innovation Center is both a workspace for young and growing entrepreneurial startups and offers classes for small to large companies.
UCC sets the bar for industry awards
Brookfield-based Urgent Care of Connecticut (UCC) received an Optimas Award from Workforce magazine, a business magazine serving the needs of human resources professionals since 1922. The company received second-place in the Partnership category for its efforts in earning accreditation and the Gold Seal of Approval by The Joint Commission, a national symbol of quality and safety in healthcare performance standards. The award process lasted nine months and incorporated evaluations of some 1,000 industry standards.
