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Deamico’s a Perfect Fit as WFLC Development Manager

On Sept. 6, Bernadette Deamico joined non-profit Women and Family Life Center (WFLC) as its new Development Manager. Arriving from her most recent role as Director of Operations with mid-Fairfield county’s non-profit Dress for Success affiliate, you could say it’s a perfect fit.

While searching the internet for possible community partnerships and people to join her advisory council for Dress for Success, Bernadette, a West Haven resident, came across WFLC. As it happened, WFLC was also on a cyber-search – looking to hire a Development Manager.

“When I saw the job posting, I looked into the organization, and really aligned with the mission and values,” says Bernadette. “It just really clicked with me. The staff, the things they do, the programs they have...I just thought, this would be something I would like to do. I was interested in hearing more.”

Bernadette says she’s “incredibly thrilled” to now have joined the team and staff at WFLC, led by its dynamic Executive Director Jennifer Wenderoth-Holster, since October 2021. Bernadette is equally impressed by the impact of WFLC’s programs and services, which she finds “... strive to give women the capacity to lead more balanced, safer, and enriched lives.”

Bernadette’s 30-year development career was fostered in northern California, where the Stratford-area native relocated shortly after earning her communications degree from Southern Connecticut State University. She recalls her first introduction to her profession came while working as an newly hired administrative assistant in the development department at a fine arts museum.

“I was really mentored by my development director in that position. In the late ‘80s, fundraising wasn’t something that was talked about much as a career,” says Bernadette.

As she further notes in her introduction at the WFLC Facebook page, “...no one had ever told me fund development was a job. Once I found it, I was hooked.”

Next, Bernadette added a director of development certificate from the University of San Francisco to her resume. She then went on to work in fund development and grant making with various arts organizations throughout the San Francisco Bay Area before moving back here in 2002.

While some may pointedly avoid a career which depends on the ability to raise funds as a measure of success, Bernadette says, for her, it’s not about asking people for money; it’s about believing in the organization.

“There are people who are really great at fundraising and can do it for a lot of different organizations,” she says. “For me personally, I need to feel an alignment with the mission and the actual programming – so it’s not just why, but how, the organization is doing their work.”

In her line of work, Bernadette has found, “...there are people who want to be a part of something they believe in and want to help, but don’t know how to go about getting involved. I look at it as an opportunity to help them do that.”

“Whether you are a company that has created a bucket where you can donate money, or you’re an individual that can volunteer your time or give $10 a year...whether it’s $10 a year at the end of the year, or $100,000 at the end of the year, it’s giving somebody an opportunity to say, ‘Yes, that’s something I believe in and I would like to support.’”

Monetary donations to non-profit WFLC can be made online anytime at womenandfamilylife.org. Bernadette also notes a great time to give to WFLC is coming up soon -- during the annual, global generosity movement known as Giving Tuesday. Always the Tuesday after Thanksgiving, Giving Tuesday 2022 is Tuesday, Nov. 29. Another exciting opportunity to support WFLC will be at its annual EmpowHER Gala, coming in March 2023. More details will follow.

“One of the highlights of the organization’s year is the EmpowHER gala,” says Bernadette. “As we get closer, we’ll be putting out information on sponsorships. Whether you’re a company, or an organization, or a group of friends or neighbors, that's an opportunity to help. Or you can buy tickets, and support us in that way. It’s a moving event that really gives a great snapshot of what Women and Family Life Center’s all about.”

As someone who resonates with the idea of supporting women through her work, Bernadette says the work of WFLC is extraordinary. She anticipates visiting with charitable groups, business programs and other organizations in the 16 communities served by WFLC, so that she can begin to network, help raise awareness, and generate support.

“Part of the outreach will be to help widen awareness about our organization, too,” says Bernadette. “We’re located in Guilford; and we’re pretty well known for our services in Guilford, Madison and Branford; but the program does serve other cities and towns along the shoreline. So I’ll be helping with creating an awareness that we are here to help other individuals in all the communities we serve.”

WFLC serves Branford, Chester, Clinton, Deep River, East Haven, East Lyme, Essex, Guilford, Killingworth, Lyme, Madison, North Branford, North Haven, Old Lyme, Old Saybrook, and Westbrook.

Part of Bernadette’s outreach efforts will include sharing the incredible services and programs that are available through WFLC, she adds.

“There are programs and services that are available, at no cost, to help support and empower women, individuals and families through really difficult, and very personal, private times,” she says. “It’s important for people to know if there’s ever a question, they can just pick up the phone and call, and see what supports are available.”

WFLC’s Guided Assistance Program (GAP) referral navigators can also work with callers to help them locate additional services provided by other organizations.

WFLC’s support work is critical to those in crisis situations such as divorce and domestic violence, says Bernadette.

“These are things that a person should not have to go through alone, and you won’t always know the right thing to do. Just to be able to get the advice or be directed to a resource that can help, makes it that much less stressful,” she says. “It is an incredible thing to have access to. This organization is here for them. And in my short time here, I have come to realize the people who are here are informed, fantastic, and incredibly helpful.”

For more information about Women & Family Life Center programs, resources and services, call (203) 458-6699, visit womenandfamilylife.org, find @WFLCenter on Facebook or @womenandfamilylifecenter on Instagram.