Boys will now have more supports and opportunities, giving them greater potential to succeed in school and life. Local men will have greater access to workforce and lifeskill development resources. Those are just a few ways grants awarded by Main Street Community Foundation through the Men & Boys’ Fund will affect local residents.

On December 9, 2019, Main Street Community Foundation presented a total of $6,500 in grants from the Men & Boys’ Fund to organizations improving the lives of men and boys in Bristol, Burlington, Plainville, Plymouth, Southington and Wolcott. The grants awarded are:

• Boys & Girls Club of Bristol Family Center - $1,500 - Passport to Manhood, a program that reinforces character, leadership, and positive behavior in boys ages 8-12
• Brian’s Angels Homeless Outreach - $1,500 - Computer, printer, and software for a new resource center to facilitate educational and career programming for male clients
• Bristol Family Resource Centers - $1,620 - In the ZONE, a program that provides social/emotional support services to 5th grade boys in Bristol schools
• Environmental Learning Centers of Connecticut - $880 - Summer Camp Scholarships – Financial assistance for lower income students to receive a week of summer camp at reduced or no cost
• John J. Driscoll United Labor Agency - $1,000 - Building Pathways CT, a program that provides individual supports for men training for a career in the Building Trades

“Once again we feel privileged to help improve our six communities with grants that can make a big difference,” said Rodger Stotz, the Men & Boys’ Fund Advisory Board Chairperson. “It takes many donors and volunteers to deliver on our mission.”

“To have this focus on men and boys is incredible,” stated Linda Rich, Director of the Bristol Family Resource Centers.

Established in 2016 at Main Street Community Foundation, the Men & Boys’ Fund mission is to help men and boys improve the quality of their lives, increase self-sufficiency and make a positive difference in their communities. In the fall of each year, after an extensive grant review process, grants are awarded that align with the Fund’s mission.

Kirsten Tomlinson, the Director of Education for the Environmental Learning Centers of Connecticut, spoke about how she received a letter from a single mother whose son was able to attend summer camp last year, “the mother wrote, ‘thank you for making him come out of his comfort zone a little bit more and giving him that pride he showed every day after camp.’ That’s what the goal of this grant is, to provide those kids the opportunities that they otherwise wouldn’t have.”