http://www.themadisonfoundation.org/index.php/site/index/ Investing in the Future of Our Community en pcoffey@vacuubrand.net Copyright 2012 2012-01-30T03:08:56+00:00 http://www.themadisonfoundation.org/index.php/site/who_we_are/ http://www.themadisonfoundation.org/index.php/site/who_we_are/#When:18:08:29Z As Madison’s own community foundation, we provide support to individuals and organizations that serve our community’s social, cultural, environmental, educational and recreational needs. We provide a bridge between those with a commitment to serve our community with their desire and energy, and those with the will and resources to help financially. Since our resources are limited, The Foundation provides seed money for programs that we anticipate will grow into self-sustaining efforts to serve our community and beyond. We encourage individuals and organizations who are inspired to serve Madison’s residents to contact us and submit an application for assistance. In a community as comfortable as Madison, it is easy to forget that there are charitable efforts worthy of your support right here in our own Town; we are fortunate to have many residents with a deep-seated desire to help make our community a better place. If you are able to support the efforts of your fellow citizens to serve one another, please visit our Giving page. Your tax-deductible contribution to The Madison Foundation will allow you to enrich life in our community. Please be generous, for the sake of our Town and your neighbors. About Us 2009-08-05T18:08:29+00:00 http://www.themadisonfoundation.org/index.php/site/madison_foundation_offers_10000_fuel_fund_challenge/ http://www.themadisonfoundation.org/index.php/site/madison_foundation_offers_10000_fuel_fund_challenge/#When:02:08:56Z By Marianne Sullivan Hundreds of Madison residents are at risk of not being able to heat their homes this winter and The Madison Foundation plans to do something about that. On Wednesday, Feb. 1, the foundation will kick off a special $10,000 challenge, promising to match dollar-for-dollar donations to the Neighbor to Neighbor (N2N) Fuel Fund. Nancy Gerson, president of the foundation, sets out the challenge: “Donate to the N2N Fuel Fund now and we will double each donation, up to $10,000, through the month of February.” (See Gerson’s letter in Letters to the Editor.) Why the critical need this winter? The federal government has cut its home energy assistance program by 50 percent this year. In Madison, this means the loss of $73,000 in fuel assistance to households. Aware of the growing need for fuel assistance in the face of dwindling federal dollars, Wendy Larson and David Melillo of Youth & Family Services and Heater Castrilli of Senior Services presented their concerns-and the hard facts and numbers-to the Board of Selectmen. “Last winter I had a special fund, a reserve account of about $10,000, that was earmarked for fuel. I used all but $2,000,” Larson explained. Knowing that the dramatic cuts in the federal fuel assistance program would mean increasing requests to her office this winter, she asked that the town find $8,000 to bring the fuel fund up to $10,000. The selectmen agreed. “We have been blessed with a warm winter so far, but we are faced with increased fuel oil costs,” Larson said, noting that a delivery of 100 gallons of fuel is almost $400. “I’m stretching dollars, but…” Here the Madison Foundation and the N2N Fund are stepping forward. “We are challenging individuals, families, organizations, clubs, churches, businesses,” Gerson says. “A dollar donated delivers $2 in fuel; $10,000 can become $20,000. By partnering with residents and the N2N Fuel Fund, we can warm our neighbors.” Meet the challenge. Donate online at http://www.themadisonfoundation.org or by mail. The donation is tax-deductible. Mail to the Madison Foundation, N2N Match, P.O. Box 446, Madison, CT 06443. This article originally appeared in The Source. Fuel Fund Challenge 2012-01-30T02:08:56+00:00 http://www.themadisonfoundation.org/index.php/site/dalton_fund_extends_grant_to_warm_madison_residents/ http://www.themadisonfoundation.org/index.php/site/dalton_fund_extends_grant_to_warm_madison_residents/#When:19:36:32Z Maureen Dalton (center), wife of the late Peter Dalton, is pictured with Laurie Heflin, Founding Director of the Neighbor to Neighbor Fund, and David Allen, retiring President of the Madison Foundation. The Dalton Fund, making it’s first grant since the passing of Peter Dalton, has chosen to donate $5000 to help keep Madison residents warm this winter by supporting the N2N Fuel Fund. N2N works directly with Madison Youth and Family Services to determine who qualifies for fuel assistance. The Dalton Fund and The Madison Neighbor to Neighbor Fund, are both component funds of the Madison Foundation. Dalton Fund 2012-01-21T19:36:32+00:00 http://www.themadisonfoundation.org/index.php/site/jaycees_donate_5000_for_fuel_fund/ http://www.themadisonfoundation.org/index.php/site/jaycees_donate_5000_for_fuel_fund/#When:14:20:46Z Neighbor to Neighbor’s Laurie Heflin accepts a check for $5,000 from Andrew Bowler, a board member of the Madison Jaycees. The Jaycees made the donation from the proceeds of their highly successful Turkey Trot in order to help support The Madison Foundation’s Neighbor to Neighbor Fuel Fund. With 50 percent cutbacks in state fuel assistance to Madison this year, the Jaycees’ donation will be a big help in keeping their Madison neighbor’s warm this winter. Photos 2011-12-28T14:20:46+00:00 http://www.themadisonfoundation.org/index.php/site/dhhs_hockey_marches_with_tmf_n2n/ http://www.themadisonfoundation.org/index.php/site/dhhs_hockey_marches_with_tmf_n2n/#When:23:43:59Z The Madison Foundation and Neighbor to Neighbor were supported in the Dec. 4 Madison Holiday Parade by the Daniel Hand Boys Ice Hockey Team. This is the second year the DHHS skaters have marched with TMF and their charity of choice, N2N. The Foundation is thrilled that the Hand hockey team, like the DHHS state champion football team, shows this kind of support for their community with their activities and efforts. Photos 2011-12-12T23:43:59+00:00 http://www.themadisonfoundation.org/index.php/site/childrens_fair_for_juvenile_diabetes/ http://www.themadisonfoundation.org/index.php/site/childrens_fair_for_juvenile_diabetes/#When:19:04:34Z Having a child presents is own set of challenges: Formula … diapers … those first teeth. But having a child with diabetes raises those challenges to an entirely different level. To Madison resident Carol Murphy, a retired nurse, the reality of juvenile diabetes (JD) was a personal matter. Her grandson was diagnosed with the disease when he was just an infant and she knew the health implications all too well. She wanted to make a difference in his quality of life, so instead of sitting silently by, Carol got busy. She came up with the idea of a children’s fair to raise money for JD research. She started recruiting families of children with JD and sought donations from family and friends. When the Madison Foundation got a call, it responded quickly. “Even though they were new, we felt Carol and her group were very organized,” said Madison Foundation Board member Dick Benson. “We understood the importance of what they were doing and believed in them.” The budget for the fair, which is the only event in Madison that is solely for children, is about $3,500. The giant slide is the biggest attraction at the fair and the most expensive to rent, according to Murphy. The Madison Foundation’s donation helped pay for the slide, but also helped leverage additional funding. “The Madison Foundation was a strong supporter from the beginning, financially and emotionally,” says Murphy. “Their involvement even encouraged others to support our efforts.” The Children’s Fair is truly volunteer-driven. The local Stop & Shop provides all the food and the entire community is involved, from high school students to senior citizens. Now in its 10th year, the fair has seen Murphy “retire” and longtime volunteer and new coordinator Sharon Coer take over the reins. These are big shoes to fill, but Coer is up to the challenge. “Everything was in place so I just had to build on what was already there,” Coer said. “Carol has been a great friend and mentor and this has been a wonderful experience.” Over 10 years. the Children’s Fair has raised a bit more than $100,000 for JD research. Most of the money raised here remains local because of the number of research hospitals in Connecticut. There are new developments every day to help families manage this disease, according to Coer, whose son also lives with JD. “The most important thing is raising a child to have enough confidence to go through life with no barriers,” she said. This article, the fourth in a series profiling The Madison Foundation, originally appeared in The Source. Juvenile Diabetes 2011-12-03T19:04:34+00:00 http://www.themadisonfoundation.org/index.php/site/camp_hazen_creating_lifelong_memories/ http://www.themadisonfoundation.org/index.php/site/camp_hazen_creating_lifelong_memories/#When:19:44:40Z A young camper gets some archery instruction at Camp Hazen. If you remember summers full of campfires and S’Mores, swimming in a lake or listening to stories under the stars, you might be thinking of your first camp experience. We are fortunate in nearby Chester to have a facility that creates just those types of memories for hundreds of kids each summer—Camp Hazen YMCA. This year Camp Hazen is celebrating 91 years of positively influencing the lives of kids. Camp Hazen serves youth from throughout Connecticut while making full use of its 150 acres and lake. Day camp is for local kids entering first through sixth grade, and overnight camp starts at grade three. Campers enjoy traditional camp experiences like boating, arts & crafts, and even rock climbing. But more important, they learn life skills that will help them now and in the future. Emily Wilkins, a Madison resident, was a camper for eight years and is now a counselor. “Camp Hazen really opened up my mind and helped make me become a self-confident person,” said Emily. “It’s like a home away from home, and it gives kids the opportunity to be themselves without being judged. They learn how to understand each other.” Throughout the summer approximately 1,500 kids, welcomed by a mix of international and American staff, will walk through the front gate of Camp Hazen. In 2010, 840 campers received some kind of financial aid and of that number, approximately eleven percent come from Madison. Bruce Watrous, development director at the camp, admits the need is getting greater. “Some families financial situations have changed and parents have lost jobs. Families receive financial assistance in varying degrees and parents choose what they can afford. That’s why The Madison Foundation’s support is so important.” The Madison Foundation has a long-standing commitment to the camp. They have been supporters for nine years and are members of the Chairman’s Circle recognizing major donors. When grant decisions are made, the board of directors of The Madison Foundation make sure there is money budgeted to help Madison youth attend Camp Hazen. The Madison Foundation invests a great deal in the Town of Madison but there is nothing more rewarding than investing in the youth of our community. This article originally appeared in The Source. Camp Hazen 2011-11-20T19:44:40+00:00 http://www.themadisonfoundation.org/index.php/site/golf_tournament_benefits_neighbor-to-neighbor_fund/ http://www.themadisonfoundation.org/index.php/site/golf_tournament_benefits_neighbor-to-neighbor_fund/#When:19:45:00Z Pictured (l to r) are Laurie Heflin of N2N and The Madison Foundation with Joe Goclowski and Mimi Adkins who, along with other Madison Beach Club members, organized and participated in the first annual golf challenge match between the MBC Sailing “Seadogs” and the MBC Tennis “Racqueteers.” The Madison Country Club was the scene of the inaugural golf challenge match between sailors and tennis players from the Madison Beach Club, a competitive but fun event that raised $750 to help Neighbor to Neighbor provide heating fuel assistance for Madison residents in need. More than 20 MBC members teed off last week, and in the end the Racqueteers prevailed by better than 7 strokes over the Seadogs, a result that will likely be a topic of conversation for the entire year. There are plans to hold the event again next September on a somewhat larger scale in the hope of raising even more money for N2N, a true grass roots organization that serves our neighbors living in Madison. MBC Golf Benefit 2011-11-13T19:45:00+00:00 http://www.themadisonfoundation.org/index.php/site/like_a_good_neighbor_tigers_are_there/ http://www.themadisonfoundation.org/index.php/site/like_a_good_neighbor_tigers_are_there/#When:19:09:15Z DHHS football players (L to R) Jason Cianfaglione, Dan Ives, Mitch Pasqualoni, Joe Demichele and Austin Paradis present a check to Nancy Gerson of The Madison Foundation for their N2N fund. By Ed Brunt In addition to practicing blocking and tackling this year, the Daniel Hand Football Team also practiced some fund-raising and made a donation to the Madison Foundation to help keep their neighbors warm this winter. This is the second year that the football team has chosen this project as their way to give back to the community by raising funds through sale of gift cards.  N2N is an all volunteer community-wide effort that provides families in need with oil, gas or electricity to keep them warm and keep their lights on.  It was established n 2009 to make up for a cutback in state funding.  N2N also supports the Madison Food Pantry by supplying all personal care items and provides scholarships to send kids to camp. If you want to help too, you can send your tax deductible contribution to: Neighbor to Neighbor c/o The Madison Foundation Box 446 Madison, CT 06443 Contact: Phone:  203-421-4488 Email:  madisonnbr2nbr@aol.com Website: http://www.themadisonfoundation.org You can also “like” “The Madison Foundation” page on Facebook. This article originally appeared in MadisonPatch   DHHS Tigers 2011-11-13T19:09:15+00:00 http://www.themadisonfoundation.org/index.php/site/the_madison_foundation_in_the_news/ http://www.themadisonfoundation.org/index.php/site/the_madison_foundation_in_the_news/#When:18:54:01Z TMF Offers $10,000 Fuel Fund Challenge Dalton Fund Extends Grant to Warm Madison Residents Children’s Fair for Juvenile Diabetes Creating Lifelong Memories at Camp Hazen Like a Good Neighbor, Tigers Are There Golf Tournament Benefits Neighbor-to-Neighbor Fund Ambulance Association Gets Much-Needed Stair-Chair The Madison Foundation: A Legacy that Touches Lives What is a Community Foundation…Really? News 2011-11-13T18:54:01+00:00