On January 25, Main Street Community Foundation held the Women & Girls Fund Annual Meeting & Grantee Reception to celebrate the accomplishments of the fund and the organizations it supports. This event gathers together donors, community members, and nonprofit partners to celebrate the grants awarded in the annual grant cycle which benefit programs serving women and girls in Bristol, Burlington, Plainville, Plymouth, Southington, and Wolcott.

This event facilitates conversation between representatives from grantee organizations and the Women & Girls Fund donors and volunteers about the programs being supported and the impact they are having on the community. This year, a total of $50,500 in grants were awarded to 11 organizations, all of which serve and support local women and girls in a variety of ways. The grants awarded and their purposes are as follows:

• Boys & Girls Club of Bristol - $7,500 - SMART Girls: Giving Girls Confidence program for girls ages 8-12 to teach responsibility and to develop a healthy attitude and lifestyle by engaging in discussions and activities that reinforce positive behavior
• Bristol Family Resource Centers - $5,500 - Expansion of the Girl Up! program, a targeted small-group intervention to build leadership skills in girls ages 6-12 in three Bristol Public Schools: Greene-Hills School, South Side School and West Bristol School
• BristolWORKS! - $3,500 - Women’s Workforce Empowerment Series program, a series of workshops to empower women to be confidence, successful, and healthy within the workplace and develop skills for both in and out of the workplace
• EdAdvance (Plymouth Family Resource Center) - $1,500 - Girls Lunch Bunch: Social Emotional Support Groups, program featuring activities to increase girls’ confidence, self-esteem, social skills and positive development
• Girl Scouts of Connecticut - $5,000 - Girl Scout Starter Troop program to sustain and expand the three Girl Scout troops in the Foundation’s service area by removing financial barriers for both new troop leaders and members
• PARC - $6,000 - Golden Gang Senior Women’s program for senior women with developmental disabilities in residing in the Foundation’s service area
• Plymouth Parks and Recreation - $3,000 - Financial and Health Lunch and Learn program for senior women in Plymouth to educate and reduce social isolation
• Shepard Meadows Equestrian Center - $5,500 - Equine Gestalt Coaching Series program to strengthen mental health, well-being, and self-esteem
• St. Vincent De Paul Mission of Bristol - $5,000 - Unrestricted support for women and girls
• The Children’s Law Center - $5,000 - Legal Representation program for girls in the New Britain Family Court
• The New England Carousel Museum - $3,000 - Sunday Afternoon STEAM program for women and girls

These grants were funded by the Women & Girls Fund, the John & Gloria DiFrancesco Fund for Women and Girls, the Barbara Hackman Franklin Fund for Women, and the proceeds from the annual Wonder of Women (WOW) event.

Main Street Community Foundation has awarded a total of $780,000 in grants from the Women & Girls Fund to organizations and individuals in Bristol, Burlington, Plainville, Plymouth, Southington and Wolcott since the Fund’s establishment in 2001.