A Statement on Equity and Justice from the Community Foundation
Dear Friends and Neighbors,
For the past several months, the Northwest Connecticut Community Foundation has dedicated itself to addressing the crisis in our communities created by the corona pandemic. Our philanthropy exists to lift up and embrace ALL community members, especially in times when our help is needed most.
The Community Foundation's support comes with the realization and acknowledgement that minorities, immigrants, and disadvantaged populations have disproportionately suffered from the affects of the pandemic. Their sickness, death and economic loss has laid bare a long standing national culture of racial oppression and discrimination that highlight the unyielding disparities that perpetually confront them.
In light of the shattering and heartbreaking events in Minneapolis, Louisville, Tallahassee and Brunswick, GA, the Community Foundation is reaffirming its long-standing commitment to philanthropy and public policies that advance inclusion, equity, social justice, and diversity in our communities.
We unequivocally stand against racism, discrimination in any form, social injustice and the structural oppression that has suffocated the breath of equal opportunity in education, housing, health outcomes, safety and economic security for generation after generation of Black, Latinx, Indigenous, Asian, and LGBTQ+ community members, people with disabilities, and so many other underserved community members.
We pledge to promote, fund and advocate for -- through our grant-making and business practices -- programs and policies designed to eliminate bias, provide equal access to services and supports, and champion social equity for each and every citizen in Northwest Connecticut.
This country is built on the hope and aspirations of all Americans and the promise of equal opportunity that embodies our democracy. Now is the time for systemic change-one that finally guarantees that a promise made, is a promise kept. To succeed, each of us must reflect on our role in achieving that outcome, and the contribution each of us can make to re-imagine and reinvent a more just, equitable, diverse and compassionate Northwest Connecticut.
Yours truly,
Guy Rovezzi
Board of Trustees
Anne Sutherland Fuchs
Chair
Adrian Selby
1st Vice Chair
F. Robert Petricone
2nd Vice Chair
Donald Mayland
Treasurer
Jim Blackketter
Secretary
Anita Baxter
Emily Dalton
Vincent Inconiglios
Gayle Moraski
Victor Muschell
Rod Pleasants
Lori Riiska
Norman (Skip) Rogers
Ronald Rosenstein
Barbara Spiegel
Contact your Community Foundation staff at: (860) 626-1245 to discuss your charitable giving options and goals.