$20,100 Grants Awarded To Somers Not-For-Profits

Press release from Harford Foundation for Public Giving:

Oct. 14, 2021

The Somers Greater Together Community Fund at the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving has awarded $20,100 in an inaugural round of need-inspired grants to local nonprofits that are addressing issues in Somers ranging from outdoor recreation and after-school activities to mental health.

Somers’ community fund was established in 2019 by the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving and is overseen by the Somers Community Fund Advisory Committee, made up of Somers residents. The Fund’s purpose is to support residents in taking ownership of the needs in their towns, encourage broad and inclusive civic engagement, and anchor the Hartford Foundation in Somers.

Leading the awards is a $7,500 grant to the Town of Somers Fire Department. Its “Mental Health First Aid for First Responders” program is tailored to help first responders to appropriately recognize and respond to patients who may be in crisis. The Fire Department will be bringing in an instructor to host several sessions of the program for local first responders. This is a nationally developed curriculum tailored to help public responders, which include police, fire and EMS members.

Additional grants were awarded to the following four non-profits serving Somers:

• Town of Somers Recreation Department: $6,000 for “Outdoor Adventures for Youth, Teens, Seniors & Families” in Somers. This new program will include outdoor hiking in local parks and trails, map and compass navigation instruction, wilderness survival classes, snowshoeing in the winter, zip lining, kayaking trips, bird watching and outdoor photography. The Town of Somers has many wonderful parks, trails and opportunities for Somers residents to enjoy, and many residents don’t know that these opportunities exist or may not feel comfortable heading out onto a trail if they have never done so before. This grant will help residents gain a greater appreciation of the outdoors and will also reap the many health benefits of being outdoors.
• Junior Achievement of Southwest New England Inc.: $4,500 for “Economic Empowerment for Somers Students” to help students see the connection of community to their lives and families, and academics to career and job needs. Junior Achievement will utilize parent volunteers to implement virtual or in-person programming by leading hands-on interactive themed activities that help students connect school learning to real world tasks, helping to prepare students for future workplace success.
• UR Community Cares Inc.: $1,600 for “UR Community Cares in Somers” to provide a connection that matches local volunteers with older adults and people with physical disabilities. This program helps qualified residents live safely at home through community-based volunteer support and engagement. Mental health is a concern for a growing number of older residents and others who may have mobility restrictions, underlying medical conditions and a lack of social connections that impact quality of life. UR Community Cares addresses this issue through community engagement between residents and volunteers.
• Somers Community Beautification Org. Inc.: $500 for “Caring for the Environment”. The volunteer members of Somers Beautification create, plant and maintain gardens in Somers for the beautification of the town and the enjoyment of its residents. This grant will go towards new perennial flowers and shrubs to be planted at the various locations around town.

“After surveying the community it was determined that mental health, outdoor recreation, teen center/after-school activities and small business development were top priority for our residents,” said Allison Maynard, Chair of the Somers Fund’s Advisory Committee. “We are very pleased to support a diverse range of organizations that will be enhancing the priority areas identified by our residents.”

The Somers Greater Together program provides the opportunity for organizations and individuals to make tax-deductible contributions to support the needs of the town of Somers. Donations can be made to an endowment fund or to a current use fund. All donations are welcome.

To donate: visit hfpg.org/ SomersGreaterTogetherEndowed or hfpg.org/SomersGreaterTogetherCurrent.

The Hartford Foundation for Public Giving is the community foundation for Hartford and 28 surrounding towns. Through partnerships, the Foundation seeks to strengthen communities in Greater Hartford by putting philanthropy in action to dismantle structural racism and achieve equity in social and economic mobility. Made possible by the gifts of generous individuals, families and organizations, the Foundation has awarded grants of more than $837 million since its founding in 1925. For more information, visit www.hfpg.org or call 860-548-1888.

For more information about the Somers Greater Together Community fund visit hfpg.org/SomersCF or email Somerscommunityfund@gmail.com.

This press release was produced by Harford Foundation for Public Giving. The views expressed here are the author's own.