New Look - New Vision- One Community
July 2022
Hello!
It has been a busy and productive month since my last newsletter. The temperature is up and summer is in full swing. Thank you to the community members that responded to Marie’s facebook post and donated a bunch of new window units. It has made our facility very comfortable for our residents and staff. The generosity of our community is evident and much appreciated.
Our new “HFHS Community” brand is out and we are moving forward with the implementation of our programs. Below are a few highlights as to the progress we have made along with some upcoming events.
New Partnerships
Eastern Connecticut State University has partnered with HFHS in a couple of ways. Starting January 2023, HFHS will be working with the Psychology Department at ECSU where we will host interns that will work closely with our case managers adding a great level of support and knowledge to our team while the students get field experience.
● UCONN and HFHS will be meeting in August.
● Gerardi Insurance located in Putnam, CT and HFHS are looking at options in terms of sponsorship opportunities. Gerardi Insurance, led by Matt Desaulnier who is the Managing Partner, has always been generous to the surrounding
communities. We are grateful to the Desaulnier family and the team at Gerardi Insurance.
● Storrs Congregational Church has selected HFHS to be the benefactor of their event taking place when students return to campus in August.
● State Representative Susan Johnson and I have met and discussed plans for HFHS to impact the community. We also had a meeting with Joe Courtney’s office in the beginning of July.
● Senator Richard Blumenthal and his Chief of Staff will be meeting with me next week to discuss ways HFHS can best support current efforts and develop new strategies working with our homeless population state wide.
● HFHS has brought on a grant writer, Nisha Holmes, who is currently working on the HUD Grant – Choice Neighborhoods to assist in funding our community outreach program.
Events & Campaign
RallyUp has partnered with HFHS to run our community campaign. There are multiple options and ways to support HFHS residents and our community. Please visit our campaign page: https://go.rallyup.com/a71f9e. You can also access the
campaign by texting “Community” to 855-202-2100.
○ You can purchase apparel, buy packages that will assist our current residents, or make a general donation. We appreciate your generosity.
● We will be having our First Annual BBQ on Friday, Jul 22, 2022 from 5p – 8p located at our 88 Jackson St. Willimantic, CT location. A special thank you to all the community businesses that donated food and gifts.
Media
● I had the pleasure of discussing our vision with WILI Radio on two occasions. Thank you to Ernest Eldridge Wayne Norman, Bill Correll, and Colin Rice for inviting me to the studio. The interviews are available by clicking on the links below:
○ Wayne Norman, Ryan Fitzgibbons, Bill Correll – https://www.mixcloud.com/wili1400/71522-holy-family-home-and-shelter-in-willimantic/
○ Ernest Eldridge & Ryan Fitzgibbons https://drive.google.com/file/d/1HZbqsz502Qyv-jlpD2GjHIZaRM0lmEV-/view?usp=sharing
Please visit our campaign and support us in serving our community.
https://go.rallyup.com/a71f9e
Thank you for all your support and keep looking for future updates.
New Look - New Vision- One Community
