For Immediate Release
February 5, 2009
Waterford Group Charitable Foundation Donates $1,250 to The Shelter for Women in Hartford and Manchester
Donation Made on Behalf of Connecticut Convention Center Associates
HARTFORD, CT – This year, more than 40 young women will have clothes, bedding and activity funds at the Shelter for Women in Hartford and Manchester, in part from a $1,250 donation from Waterford Group Charitable Foundation.
The donation was made on behalf of the more than 200 associates at the Connecticut Convention Center in Hartford. Waterford Group Charitable Foundation is funded in part through voluntary contributions and fundraising efforts by the associates of Waterford Group and its affiliates, including Waterford Venue Services, which manages the Connecticut Convention Center.
“We’re very happy to support the Shelter for Women this year,” said Mike Costelli, the convention center’s General Manager. “This donation comes from the generosity of our associates and we’re very pleased that it will have a meaningful, local impact.”
Founded in 1889, the Shelter for Women has two locations – Gray Lodge in the Asylum Hill section of Hartford and the Alison Gill Lodge in Manchester. The Shelter offers girls and their families comprehensive services, including therapy, independent living and educational classes through an accredited school program. Both locations provide girls with individual attention in safe, home-like settings.
“Without guardian angels like the people at the Connecticut Convention Center, we wouldn’t be able to do what we do for young women in need,” said Margaret Nareff, Executive Director at the Shelter for Women. “Guardian angels truly help us save lives.”
Between 40 and 50 young women from all over Connecticut are served by the Shelter for Women annually. Donations are used to support direct services for full-time residents and day students, such as clothing, bedding, school activities and other needs.
About Waterford Group Charitable Foundation
The Waterford Group Charitable Foundation is a private foundation that seeks to support the communities in which associates of Waterford Group and its affiliates live and work. The Foundation’s mission is to improve the quality of life of others through monetary and gift-in-kind donations, as well as volunteering at various events. Donations are provided to not-for-profit organizations that support health and well-being, youths, arts and cultural activities, and other various community initiatives. For more information, visit www.waterfordgroup.net.
About the Connecticut Convention Center
The 540,000-square-foot Connecticut Convention Center is the state’s premier meeting venue, with 140,000 square feet of exhibition space, 25,000 square feet of meeting space and a 40,000 square foot ballroom. The $271 million Connecticut Convention Center opened in June 2005, and is the largest component of the 30-acre Adriaen’s Landing project in downtown Hartford. For more information, visit www.ctconventions.com.
About The Shelter for Women
The Shelter for Women (SFW) is a non-profit organization committed to providing excellent residential treatment and educational services for at-risk girls and young women, ages 13 to 21. SFW is the oldest residential treatment program in Connecticut exclusively for girls. To achieve its mission, SFW offers girls safe, home-like settings in two locations (Hartford and Manchester) an accredited school, individual and family therapy, and connections with community services. For more information, visit www.shelterforwomen.org
Through Waterford Group Charitable Foundation, CT Convention Center Associates Donate to The Shelter for Women
A donation of $1250 from Waterford Group Charitable Foundation was recently presented to the Shelter for Women in Hartford by Associates from the Connecticut Convention Center in Hartford. Pictured (from L to R) are Cheryl Kozak, a Shelter for Women Board Member and Vice President of Human Resources at the Travelers Insurance Company; Thea Montanez, Director of Operations at the CT Convention Center; Patricia Buxton, Principal of the Gray Lodge School at the Shelter for Women; and, Lynn Olson, Director of Human Resources at the CT Convention Center.