Bank totals grants to nonprofits - Westfair Communications

Reyno A. Giallongo Jr. addresses the gathering.

The First County Bank Foundation hosted its Annual Celebration of Mutual Partnerships on Nov. 15 at the Palace Theatre in Stamford, where the foundation announced the total until that date of its 2017 standard grant awards. More than $663,000 was given to 82 local nonprofit groups, most of which had representatives at the event.

A sampling of the nonprofits which received grants in 2017 included The Food Bank of Lower Fairfield County, Stamford; Kids in Crisis, Greenwich; Human Services Council, Norwalk; Homes with Hope, Westport; Person to Person, Darien; and Waveny Lifecare Network, New Canaan.

From left: Reyno Giallongo Jr.; Juanita T. James, president and CEO of Fairfield County”™s Community Foundation and First County Bank”™s board of directors; Karen Kelly, bank senior vice president; and Robert Granada, bank president and COO.

The foundation also makes CommunityFirst grants throughout the year, available to K-5 public school teachers and provides scholarships. Since its inception in 2001, the foundation has granted more than $8.2 million.

Reyno A. Giallongo Jr., president of the foundation, said, “The foundation is the cornerstone of everything the bank does and it”™s rewarding to be part of an organization, which works together with these organizations to ensure basic needs are met.”