Celebrating A Legacy of Grassroots Philanthropy and Leadership

If you want to know what a difference 20 years can make, just ask Cynthia Clegg, President and CEO of the Community Foundation of Middlesex County (CFMC). The story starts back in 1997 when a small group of private citizens, with the help of local businesses and organizations, decided to form a charitable foundation to improve the quality of life for all in Middlesex County. They wanted to provide support to community programs and services now, and well into the future. They understood that by working together and pooling their individual resources into one organization, they would have far greater impact than they ever could on their own. Since then, the Community Foundation has worked with donors to establish 189 funds and has awarded more than $5.4 million in grants to local nonprofits for the arts, cultural and heritage programs, educational activities, environmental improvements, and for health and human services. In addition, CFMC goes “beyond the grant” and offers numerous workshops, seminars, webinars and one-on-one consulting to help its nonprofit partners grow, flourish, and deliver improved programs and services. “For the past 20 years, the Community Foundation of Middlesex County has been about pooling resources, about being encouraging and following through, about truly partnering with a wide range of programs and services to do the most good at the local level,” stated CFMC President and CEO Cynthia Clegg. “It’s a Community Foundation built on grassroots philanthropy, with the value placed on working together to help meet each and every donor’s personal charitable goals regardless of the size of the gift.”

Recently CFMC received two very significant gifts, underscoring the community’s vote of confidence in their ongoing mission and ability to maximize the local impact of available resources. In January, it was announced that CFMC will be the recipient of an $8 million bequest from the trust of the late Mary Janvrin. Ms. Janvrin, and her pre-deceased sister Natalie Janvrin Wiggins lived in Old Lyme and shared a life-long love of all nature, particularly birds, as well as the history and arts. Upon Mary’s passing, her trust set into motion the establishment of an $8 million fund at CFMC, the “Mary Janvrin and Natalie Janvrin Wiggins Fund for Birds, Other Animals, and Nature”.

In February, the organization moved from leased office space on South Main Street in Middletown, where they had operated from for many years, to their new historic home at 49 Main Street, next to Union Park in the city’s South Green Historic District. The 1771 Caleb Fuller House was a gift from the Tomc family. It served as office space for owner Richard Tomc’s legal practice until he, his wife Dr. Joan Tomc, and their daughters Jamie and Dana, made the decision to give the building to the Community Foundation as a permanent home for the nonprofit organization and resource for the entire community.

On May 24 from 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm, the Community Foundation will hold a “Celebrate Community Open House” to celebrate their 20th anniversary year. The free event is open to the public and will feature a ribbon cutting ceremony at 4:30 p.m.“We are enormously grateful for the generosity of the Tomc family, as well as all of our valued donors, and look forward to another 20 years of maximizing the community impact of their profound legacy,” commented Clegg, “We are also excited to show our appreciation at our Celebrate Community Open House, and encourage everyone in the region to join in.“