HCC Foundation News and Press Releases
February 20, 2002 ...back to top
Housatonic Community College Foundation Announces Pillar Of The Community Awards
Bridgeport, CT – The Housatonic Community College Foundation’s “Pillar of the Community” Awards will be presented at a Reception and Benefit celebration on Thursday, March 21, from 6 to 10pm at The Inn at Longshore in Westport.
The 2002 Pillar of the Community Awards will honor four Housatonic Community College graduates and/or students who have achieved personal success and contributed to the fabric of the community. This year’s recipients are Gregg Dancho, Director of the Beardsley Zoo/Connecticut Zoological Society; Diane L. Nunn, Managing Director, Operations, Southern Connecticut Gas Company; Honorable Eddie Rodriguez, Jr., Superior Court Judge; and Susan Sharp, artist.
Proceeds from the benefit and dinner will be used for the Endowment Fund of the Housatonic Community College Foundation. This permanent fund will support the Foundation’s mission of providing student scholarships, program enhancements, and support for the College and the communities it serves.
Joining the Foundation in sponsoring the awards event is the BHC Company, the major water utility subsidiary of Aquarion Company. The company’s challenge grant will match attendance donations up to a maximum of $10,000. Janet Hansen, president and CEO of the BHC Company, will present the Pillar Awards.
BHC is the largest investor-owned utility in New England and among the ten largest in the country, serving 143,000 homes and businesses in Fairfield, New Haven, Hartford and Litchfield Counties. BHC has demonstrated a true commitment to the educational institutions in these areas. BHC has been supporting Housatonic Community College since 1994.
The Housatonic Community College Foundation was formed in 1990 by a group of Greater Bridgeport residents and business and arts leaders to assist the College and its students “beyond the fundamentals provided by the State and to help the College grow as a unique community resource.” As an urban institution, the College has become a hub of cultural activity providing lectures and programs like the popular Concert at Noon Series, and through the Housatonic Museum of Art, important art exhibitions.
The Foundation’s first Pillar of the Community Award was given in 2000 to the late Mario D'Addario who had been a major business and civic leader in the Greater Bridgeport community for more than 50 years. The award recognized "his commitment to the growth and success of the business community, volunteerism and support for higher education."
Reservations for the benefit and dinner may be made by calling Maureen Dowdle, director of resource development, at 203-332-5078. The $125 per person donation is a tax-deductible gift and is eligible for a match by the State of Connecticut, $1 for every $2 donated. Seating is limited. Reservation deadline is March 8.
November 5, 2001 ...back to top
Innovative Early Childhood Literacy Readiness Program At Housatonic Community College Supported By Grant From Fairfield County Foundation
Bridgeport, CT – An innovative early childhood literacy readiness program at the Housatonic Community College’s Early Childhood Laboratory School is in full swing, helping three to five-year-olds develop strong reading and language skills –all before they enter kindergarten.
The program was developed through a $10,000 discretionary grant from the Fairfield County Foundation, the county’s community foundation, according to Maureen Dowdle, director of resource development at the Housatonic Community College Foundation, the overseer of grants and scholarships. The grant enables the College to collaborate with Fairfield University and (ABCD) the Action for Bridgeport Community Development’s Adrienne Kirby Family Literacy Project.
“Housatonic’s Early Childhood Laboratory School has a two-fold purpose: to provide a high-quality program for the young children of students, faculty, staff and the community, and a laboratory setting for students enrolled in the College’s Early Childhood Education Program,” explained director Heidi Szobota. “ We have been recognized nationally as a model for our early childhood programs.”
Established in 1981, the HCC Laboratory School was accredited in 1996 by the National Association for the Education of Young children. A 1997 grant from the Connecticut Department of Education/Bridgeport School Readiness and Child Day Care enabled them to double in size. Current enrollment stands at 47, with a long waiting list, according to Ms Szobota.
With the traditional programs in place, the new thrust will be to implement the early literacy readiness program under support from the FCC grant. “The overall goal is to have more Bridgeport children entering kindergarten ready to learn by building strong literacy and language foundations during these early years,” Ms Szobota explained. “We will train our early childhood educators, who in turn will conduct workshops for parents, grandparents and other caregivers explaining how and what to read to children, even using simple nursery rhymes, for example. Reading to children at home reinforces what we do in the school.”
Plans also call for a lending library at the HCC Library that will provide quality children’s literature for community use.
The Housatonic Community College-Fairfield University-ABCD initial collaboration includes the sharing of “best practices” in developing a “literacy-rich” classroom, and the joint training of HCC Early Childhood Laboratory School staff members and college students on how to apply the Adrienne Kirby Family Literacy Project methods and materials, Ms. Szobota explained. Dr. Judy Primavera, professor of psychology at Fairfield University, developed the Adrienne Kirby Family Literacy project, which is modeled on the national program, “Parents as Partners in Reading.” Dr. Primavera will work with Marie Nulty, HCC faculty member who will conduct the literacy workshops for parents, grandparents, and other caregivers that are scheduled to begin in February, 2002.
Housatonic Community College was founded in 1966 and moved to its present site, a state-of-the-art campus, in downtown Bridgeport in 1997. The College, one of twelve similar institutions in Connecticut, serves eleven towns surrounding Bridgeport.
The Housatonic Community College Foundation was founded in 1990 to provide financial assistance to the College and its students beyond State funding, and to assist the College and the Housatonic Museum of Art as vital educational and cultural resources for the region. For more information on the Foundation, contact Maureen Dowdle, at 203-332-5078. Or e-mail: mdowdle@hcc.commnet.edu.
The Fairfield County Foundation, based in Wilton, is a growing community foundation with assets of more than $42.5 million in more than 160 donor funds established by individuals, organizations, families and corporations to serve Fairfield County. Through FCF, donors support programs in the arts, community and economic development, children, youth, women and girls, the environment, and health and human services. For more information, call 203-834-9393 or e-mail info@fcfoundation.org.
October 18, 2001 ...back to top
Housatonic Community College Foundation Launches Major Annual Appeal Campaign In October
Bridgeport, CT – Allan J. Rosen, Esq., president of the Housatonic Community College Foundation, has announced a major Annual Appeal Campaign to raise funds to support the Housatonic Community College. The Foundation provides financial assistance to the College, beyond State funding, generating funds for student scholarships, student emergency assistance, child-care assistance for parents enrolled in the college, and for program development. The Foundation also supports exhibitions and educational outreach programs of the Housatonic Museum of Art, unique for its galleries and art collection displayed throughout the College.
“This fundraising appeal is vital to our efforts to continue Housatonic Community College’s commitment to provide quality education and training to a broad and diverse student body,” Mr. Rosen explained. “Last year a record number -- more than 6,000 students were enrolled in degree and certificate programs. We distributed more than $79,000 in annual scholarships and awards to 123 students. We need to expand this program as our student population increases, even amid the country’s current economic slowdown.”
One of the Foundation’s team leaders in the fundraising effort is board member Thomas D’Addario of Mario D’Addario Buick-Nissan-GMC Inc. of Shelton. He is the son of the late Mario D’Addario, a civic and business leader in the Greater Bridgeport area, who was the first recipient of the “Pillar of the Community Award” given in 2000 by the Housatonic Community College Foundation.
The Housatonic Community College was founded in 1966 and moved to its present site, a state-of-the-art campus, in downtown Bridgeport in 1997. The College is accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges and the Board of Governors for Higher Education of the State of Connecticut. As a member of the Connecticut Community-Technical College system it is one of twelve like institutions located throughout the state. Housatonic Community College serves students in Ansonia, Bridgeport, Easton, Derby, Fairfield, Milford, Monroe, Seymour, Shelton, Stratford, and Trumbull.
Community colleges offer two-year degree and certificate programs for college credit, as well as non-credit educational, professional development courses and training programs. They have been referred to as “the most democratic institutions in the nation because they serve all people – in inner cities, suburbs, and isolated rural areas, providing affordable, accessible higher education.”
The College has made a commitment to teaching, training and technology to help provide the state with a highly skilled, high-tech workforce. It has formed alliances with community-based organizations, other educational institutions and local business and industry partners and has received major corporate support from Fleet Bank, SNET and SBC Communications Inc, People’s Bank, United Technologies, as well as numerous Bridgeport-area businesses and foundations.
As an inner city institution the College has become a hub of cultural activity providing lectures and programs like the popular Concert-at-Noon Series and through the Museum, important art exhibitions like the premier exhibition of the acclaimed photographer Ansel Adams.
The Housatonic Community College Foundation Inc. was formed in 1990 by a group of Greater Bridgeport residents and business and arts leaders to assist the College and its students “beyond the fundamentals provided by the State, and to help the College grow as a unique community resource.” Through its fund-raising efforts, the Foundation has awarded more than $210,000 in scholarships and other assistance to students since its founding. The Foundation is approved by the IRS as a tax-exempt organization. To obtain a copy of the annual report or to make a contribution or pledge, call Maureen Dowdle, Director of Resource Development, at 203-332-5078, write HCC Foundation, 900 Lafayette Blvd., Bridgeport, 06604-4704, or email Ms. Dowdle at mdowdle@hcc.commnet.edu
October 18, 2001 ...back to top
Scholarship Donors And Recipients To Be Honored At Housatonic Community College Foundation Event
Bridgeport, CT – The Housatonic Community College Foundation will honor twenty-one foundations and individuals who have donated scholarships and awards and sixty-two student recipients at a reception and dinner on Thursday, November 1 at 5:30pm at the Housatonic Community College. The event also will feature a performance of William Shakespeare’s “The Merry Wives of Windsor,” in the Performing Arts Center.
“This is an opportunity for the Foundation to recognize the generosity of our donors and the achievements of our students, and to bring together these very special members of our community, ” Maureen Dowdle, director of resource development, explained. The HCC Foundation which was founded in 1990 by a group of Greater Bridgeport area residents, provides financial assistance to the College, beyond State funding, and generates funds for student scholarships, student emergency assistance, child care assistance for parents enrolled in the College, support for the Housatonic Museum of Art and for program development. The Foundation has awarded more than $210,000 in scholarships and other assistance to students since its inception.
The 2001 recipients include:
from Bridgeport: Awadelkarim Ahmed, the Robert Gerard Naples Award; Melany Alicea, the Kim Thibodeau Chiaraluce Endowed Scholarship; Yvette Bailey, the Dale Ward Endowed Scholarship; Faith Bailey, the Marguerite S. Dunigan Scholarship; Michelle Barrett, the Robert W. & Ida W. Financial Award and the Frank J. Scallon Foundation Scholarship; Lekeshia Beal, the DeMattia Family Scholarship; Christian Berrios, the Gertrude Flicker Gould Foundation Scholarship; Gillian Blake, the Deacon Walter Upchurch Scholarship; Lucica Bobes, the Charles A. and Catherine E. Financial Award; Ranko Borak, the HCC Scholarship; Bradley Charbonneau, the Paul Doane Scholarship; Janis Lynn Cole, the Flint Prize; Muswamba Diyoka, the George Scholarship; Rashania James, the DeMattia Family Scholarship; Winnes Jordan, the Connecticut Women’s Forum Endowed Scholarship; Utrilla Irma Leonor, HCC Scholarship; Lilliana Jaramillo Maldonado, the Peter Nulty Memorial Scholarship; Maria Melendez, the DeMattia Family Scholarship; Timothy Mercer, the Frank J. Scallon Foundation and Deacon Walter Upchurch Scholarships; Yvette Michel, the East End Baptist Tabernacle Church Scholarship; Danille Morille, the President Edward Liston Endowed Scholarship; Orhan Mustafa, HCC Scholarship; Abord Mwan, the Paul Doane Scholarship; Chukwuemeka Nnacheta, the Barden Foundation Scholarship and the Robert W. & Ida W. Financial Award; Denise Puffer, the Dale Ward Endowed Scholarship; Capheion Rookwood, HCC Scholarship; Jessica Rosales-Irias, the George Scholarship; Luz Rosario, Gertrude Flicker Gould Scholarship; Rohan Stewart, Gertrude Flicker Gould Scholarship and the Charles A. & Catherine E. Financial Award; Sirin Temel, the DeMattia Family Scholarship; Cuong Tran, the Robert Gerard Naples Award; Tacha Vielot, HCC Scholarship; Kadisha Williams, HCC Scholarship.
From Ansonia: Desiree Brooks, the Frank J. Scallon Foundation Scholarship; Barbara Gabriele, the Flint Prize and Dale Ward Endowed Scholarship; Agnieska Puchlik, HCC Scholarship; Derby: Danielle Stevens, Gertrude Flicker Gould Scholarship; from Fairfield: Lawrence Bolduc, the Frank J. Scallon Foundation Award; Steve Sorgenti, the Barden Foundation Scholarship;
From Monroe: Kaire Kolter, HCC Scholarship; Valerie Venezia, the Jeanne DuBois Scholarship; Milford: Marcella Kurowski, the Gertrude Flicker Gould Scholarship; Victor Mizera, the Robert Gerard Naples Award;
From Shelton: Krystyna Cyganowski, the Dale Ward Endowed Scholarship; Travis DeRosa, the Weller Foundation Scholarship; Irene Plonski, the Dale Ward Endowed Scholarship; Christine Ziembroski, the Weller Foundation Scholarship;
From Stratford: Hana Bajes, the Marguerite S. Dunigan Scholarship; Susan Fennell, the Robert Gerard Naples Award, Flint Prize, Dale Ward Endowed Scholarship; Sandra Kmec, the Gertrude Flicker Gould Scholarship; Michelle Martinez, the DeMattia Family Scholarship; Bridget McGuire, the Burt Chernow and the Jeanne DuBois Scholarships; Victoria Mullen, the Kim Thibodeau Chialuce Endowed Scholarship; Dariusz Nartowicz, the Barden Foundation Scholarship; Weston: Deborah Ferrero, HCC Scholarship; West Haven: Devra Robin Predom, the President Edward Liston Scholarship; Catherine Scillia, the Connecticut Women’s Forum Endowed Scholarship; Branford: Carol Davis, the Frank J. Scallon Foundation Scholarship; Trumbull: Peter Galazka, the David Susskind Award; Jeffrey Ladue, the Burt Chernow Scholarship; Dana Lambert, the Gertrude Flicker Gould Scholarship; Westport: Deborah Sigovich, The Dale Ward Endowed Scholarship.
The Housatonic Communicty College was founded in 1966 and moved to its present site, a state-of-the-art campus, in downtown Bridgeport in 1997. The College is accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges and the Board of Governors for Higher Education of the State of Connecticut. As one of twelve similar institutions in the state, HCC serves students in Ansonia, Bridgeport, Easton, Derby, Fairfield, Milford, Monroe, Seymour, Shelton, Stratford and Trumbull
The Housatonic Community College Foundation has recently launched a major Annual Appeals Campaign to raise funds to continue to provide scholarship and other financial assistance to the College. The Foundation is approved by the IRS as a tax-exempt organization. To obtain a copy of the annual report or to make a contribution or pledge, whether as an individual, corporation or other business, call Maureen Dowdle, director of resource development, at 203-332-5078, write HCC Foundation, 900 Lafayette Blvd., Bridgeport, 06604-4704, or email Ms. Dowdle at mdowdle@hcc.commnet.edu