Main Street Community Foundation Surprised With $1M Gift

SOUTHINGTON, CT — A local foundation has been surprised with an anonymous bequest of more than $1 million.

The gift totals $1.02 million and the Main Street Community Foundation will use it to establish two endowment funds.

"I wish I had an opportunity to thank this donor and know more about why they chose to leave this gift to benefit others. We are very grateful and will certainly work diligently to fulfill this donor’s wishes," said Susan Sadecki, the foundation’s president and chief executive officer.

The two funds are the KAWFY Memorial Fund and the KAWFY Memorial Scholarship Fund to support "the Southington community."

The KAWFY Memorial Fund is designed to support projects and programs that "will benefit the community of Southington."

The KAWFY Memorial Scholarship Fund will "provide financial assistance to residents of Southington as they work to achieve their educational and career dreams." The scholarship will be available to "someone who is a graduating high school senior, currently enrolled college student, or adult returning to school who is pursuing post-secondary education at a vocational school, two-year or four-year college or university. Preference will be given to someone interested in becoming an author."

Application information can be located on the foundation’s website:

www.mainstreetfoundation.org/apply-for-grant

The deadline to apply for a grant is March 27. The deadline to apply for this year's scholarships is March 13.

"We are thrilled that this scholarship is open to all Southington residents, especially adults returning to school," Sadecki stated. "This is a great opportunity for adult learners who very often have limited resources to further their education. We are honored that this donor included Main Street Community Foundation in such a significant way to impact the community of Southington."

The Main Street Community Foundation is a nonprofit public charity, created by private citizens, that works with donors in Bristol, Burlington, Plainville, Plymouth, Southington and Wolcott who wish to build permanent charitable endowments to support the communities. Since its founding in 1995, the foundation has provided more than $19.3 million in grants and scholarships.