The first cycle of grants from Main Street Community Foundation’s Bradley Henry Barnes and Leila Upson Barnes Memorial Trust have been awarded to six organizations serving Southington residents. The total amount awarded to these organizations is $479,018, all of which will be used for programs or initiatives that will improve the health and wellbeing of Southington residents.

Two grants awarded are to support programs that have not been funded by the Trust in the past. LiveWell was awarded a $150,000 grant to partially support the wellness clinic located in the new Resilient Living Center in Southington. The Resilient Living Center is a state-of-the-art community wellness center offering a multitude of services to people with dementia, their caregivers, and the community. The clinic will also be named after the Barnes Memorial Trust. The Southington Education Foundation was also awarded a grant of $42,802 to purchase books to create diversified classroom libraries, to provide teachers with professional development to lead conversations around these books, and to promote the program through family literacy activities. The program’s goal is to improve students’ appreciation of diversity, nurture the goals of cultural competency and support their social/emotional well-being. It is a collaboration with Southington Public Schools and will be implemented in all K-2 classrooms.

Grants in this cycle were also awarded for continued funding of programs supported by the Trust. Prudence Crandall Center, Inc. was awarded a grant of $85,000 to support their comprehensive Domestic Violence Intervention & Prevention services in Southington. With over 275 Southington residents served last year, the need for service is increasing. The United Way of Southington was awarded a $89,770 grant to continue support of the Senior Transportation program in collaboration with Senior Transportation Services. The funds will help subsidize the cost of the program so that it is completely free to Southington residents. UR Community Cares was awarded a $5,000 grant to continue to provide home-based assistance to older (70+) and disabled (18+) residents of Southington, utilizing local volunteers. Matches are made through a secure online platform in order to provide assistance with tasks such as housekeeping, yardwork and transportation. Wheeler Clinic received a grant of $106,446 to support the Southington Community Health Outreach Project, which enhances access to mental health and substance use recovery services. The program has a full-time community health outreach coordinator to assist individuals and families in recognizing signs of mental health and substance use challenges, to navigate available resources, and to reduce barriers to care.

The Bradley Henry Barnes and Leila Upson Barnes Memorial Trust was established in 1973 with the express purpose of providing funds for local organizations that work to improve the health and wellbeing of Southington residents. MSCF was appointed trustee in 2004, and since that time a total of $12,801,240 has been awarded from the Trust to local organizations.