Danbury Store is Donating 10 Percent on Black Friday to Benefit Underprivileged Youth

A retail store in Danbury is giving 10 percent of their pre-tax sales during Black Friday weekend to help minority scholars. Five Below, located at 15 Backus Avenue in Danbury, is hosting the fundraiser for the Hord Foundation, an organization that offers college scholarships for minority scholars.

The Hord Foundation sponsors scholarships in the Greater Danbury area. Lorraine Canada, a representative with the store said, “I feel that an education is a terrible thing to waste, and what a great way to earn additional funding and to purchase Christmas gifts on a budget.”

Mission

The Hord Foundation was established in January 1993 by Noel and Cora E. Hord. The purpose of the foundation is to promote education and enhance career opportunities of young minority people by providing post secondary school scholarships or other financial assistance for educational purposes. The Foundation is a 501(c) (3) Non-Profit Organization.

History

This is a story of how two ordinary people gave back to their community in an extraordinary way. In 1988, Noel and his late wife Cora, a Danbury , Connecticut couple, wanted to give back to the community. They wanted their gift to be special and to have significant meaning. Because education had played a key role in their success, the Hords decided to provide scholarships for the education of deserving and disadvantaged youth. That same year, in order to raise funds for that purpose, the Hords hosted a holiday party at their home and asked each guest to contribute $25 to a scholarship fund. The response was overwhelming; they raised $2,700.

Encouraged by the response, the Hords enlarged their guest lists and began to publicize the event. In 1993, realizing that their dream had the potential to grow beyond their imagination, the Hord family established The Hord Foundation, Inc. in Danbury , Connecticut and in that year raised $48,000 for scholarships. The stated purpose of the Foundation is to promote the education and enhance the career opportunities of young people of African-American descent by providing post-secondary-school scholarships.

Since its founding, The Hord Foundation has provided higher education financial assistance to deserving and qualified African Americans and in each year it has increased the scholarship dollars it provided. In 2007, the Foundation provided approximately 96 scholarships, totaling $252,000. Funding is provided by approximately 500 individual and corporate donors and from various fund raising events. To date the Foundation has awarded nearly two and one half million dollars ($2,500,000) in scholarship awards. The Foundation’s primary fund raising events are, the Annual Gala, which is held in the February/March timeframe, and draws as many as 500 participants and the Annual Concert, which is held in the Summer/Fall. The Gala is recognized as one of the Danbury area’s premier charity events.

For more information about the Hord Foundation, visit their website.