Housatonic Community College has received a $100,000 donation from the Klein Family Foundation for manufacturing and engineering students.
The donation, paid over five years, can be used to fund full- and part- time scholarships for both new and current students and to build the college’s manufacturing endowment.
The college’s Advanced Manufacturing Program is about to begin its second year. The yearlong program prepares students for advanced manufacturing positions that can pay in the $15-$20 per-hour range. Jobs will be awaiting them when they graduate.
The Klein Family Foundation was established by Carla Klein, widow of former Peoples United Bank President, and CEO John A. Klein..
Grant upgrades park
Simsbury Bank is providing $25,000 for improvements and renovations to the Little League facilities at Simsbury Memorial Park.
The improvements include three new public bathrooms, new roofing and the addition of a viewing pavilion on the existing Snack Shack facility.
“Simsbury Bank’s support has provided us the ability to construct the facilities we’ve had on our wish list for over 10 years,” said Tom Benneche, president of the Simsbury Little League. “Because of these improvements, we can now host state-wide All-Star tournaments right here in Simsbury. This will draw more teams to play on our fields.”
Simsbury Bank is an independent, publicly owned community bank based in the Farmington Valley and with branches in Avon, Bloomfield, Granby and Simsbury and regionally through mortgage and commercial bankers active throughout Southern New England.
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Grant funds dental clinic
Grants totaling $57,000 have been awarded to the sixth annual statewide Connecticut “Mission of Mercy” free dental clinic by the Beatrice Fox Auerbach Foundation Fund at the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving.
The clinic will be held on Friday, June 7, and Saturday, June 8, starting at 6 a.m. each day, at the Webster Bank Arena in Bridgeport.
The clinic traditionally draws long lines of people who wait overnight for free dental services, which are provided free on a first-come, first-served basis, to anyone, including children, who are without dental insurance or in a low-income category. Services range from cleanings to root canals and extractions.
At last year’s clinic, operated by the Connecticut Foundation for Dental Outreach in collaboration with the Connecticut State Dental Association, 1,605 dental professionals and volunteers provided $1.3 million in services to 2,008 patients.
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Aetna donations top $14.6 million
Aetna Inc. and its philanthropic arm, the Aetna Foundation, donated more than $14.6 million to nonprofit organizations across the country in 2012.
Grants were awarded to tackle poor nutrition and increase physical activity, confront the shortage of primary care physicians and find new ways to fix the fragmented delivery of health care, issues that disproportionately impact low-income and minority communities.
In Connecticut, Aetna, the Aetna Foundation and Aetna employees helped The Hole in the Wall Gang Camp provide free summer camp and family retreats for children with sickle cell disease and other serious illnesses. For the third consecutive year, Aetna was the lead sponsor of the organization’s annual Camp Challenge Ride, a bike ride that has raised more than $1.5 million since 2009.
Additionally, several hundred Aetna employees cleaned and painted the campsite in Ashford to get it ready for summer programs. In 2012, The Aetna Foundation awarded a $100,000 leadership grant to help The Hole in the Wall Gang Camp expand its activities.
