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06/14/2017 09:33 AMIt’s a time-tested adage: what’s old is new again, and The Community Foundation of Middlesex County (CFMC) is proving just how true that is.
The foundation has moved from its previous headquarters on South Main Street in Middletown to a new home on Main Street, the Caleb Fuller House. That Colonial structure, built in 1771, is one of three pre-Revolutionary houses that remains in Middletown.
CFMC recently celebrated with Board Chairman Wallace Jones cutting a large red ribbon at the official opening ceremony. In addition to celebrating its new home, the foundation is also marking another significant event: its 20th anniversary. CFMC got its start in l997.
Attorney Richard Tomc, whose legal practice occupied the Caleb Fuller House for 31 years, and his family donated the property to the community foundation.
“I didn’t want to throw this building into the marketplace,” Tomc, a member of the foundation’s board of directors, explained.
“It is incredible to know people believe in us enough to give us this building forever,” said CFMC President and CEO Cynthia Clegg of Essex.
The organization actually moved into its new offices in February, with volunteer helpers that included the entire wrestling team from Middletown High School. The second floor includes conference rooms that can be used for meetings by groups that have received grants from the foundation. Community groups can use meetings at the headquarters to work out problems faced by their organizations, through a program that provides guidance from a professional consultant.
In its 20 years, CFMC has made about 1,815 grants totaling more than $5.4 million—”And that amount is only going to increase,” Clegg said.
Grants have ranged from $750 to $7,500 with an average grant of $3,500. Organizations the foundation has supported represent a wide range of concerns within Middlesex County, among them the environment, the arts, and issues affecting women and children. Donations can be made to one of the specific funds or to the general funds administered by the organization.
“You can donate to whatever touches your heart,” said Clegg.
She noted that potential donors can check the foundation’s website to see all the available possibilities. And she added that CFMC encourages small donors to consider its funds: “You don’t have to be Warren Buffet to give,” she said.
Among the organizations CFMC has recently supported is Pay4Ward, a charity started by Ray Hayes of Deep River to help veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress through sailing programs. The community foundation grant enabled Pay4ward to buy new sails, which will now carry the foundation’s logo. Another grant helped the Chester Historical Society move the big millstones, now outside its entrance, from their former location on Chester Main Street.
Cobi O’Connell, who was photographing the recent event, had volunteered for the assignment because she herself had once been a recipient of a grant through the community foundation. O’Connell, a graduate of Valley Regional High School who now studies television production at the University of Hartford, received a grant three years ago that enabled her to pursue her love of taking pictures from the fund named for the late Nicholas Ramcke, a Valley Regional High School student with a passion for photography.
The community foundation also administers a fund in memory of Valley Regional graduate Chris Belfoure, just 24 when he died in 2011. The annual run in his memory will take place this year on Saturday, June 24.
As she looks forward, Clegg would like to see county residents become more conscious of the role the arts play in the economic life of this area.
“The arts are economic generators for our county. We have hidden gems in dance, theater, and music,” she said.
She also pointed out that, in support of the arts, one wall at the new headquarters will be dedicated to a rotating display of the work of local artists.
“We pinch ourselves everyday,” Clegg admitted as she looked at the new offices. “But this is not just ours. This is the community’s house.”
For more information about the Community Foundation of Middlesex County, visit www.middlesexcountrycf.org.