What is the Community Foundation’s Champion’s Award?
The Award was established by the Community Foundation of Greater New Britain in 2018 and was first awarded in 2019 to celebrate and recognize individuals, businesses, organizations, civic groups and others who have, in a significant way, supported the activities of the Foundation in a manner that allowed it to fulfill its mission even more effectively and efficiently. The Foundation wishes to recognize those who have helped it make an even greater impact in the communities it serves while helping it be an even better steward of its resources.
2023 Award Recipients
Christina D’Amato, Energy Resources USA – For her work with Energy Resources to facilitate an Eversource bulb replacement project for our organization resulting in lighting that is more efficient and saving the organization money on energy costs. She also helped share this program with other nonprofits in our service area.
Woody Exley– For being the founder of the Alma Exley Scholarship at CFGNB and promoting continuous contributions to build this fund to exceptional levels, thus providing significant scholarship support for students. He has also supported the Foundation’s work by providing testimonials that help encourage others to establish new funds or contribute to existing funds.
Klingberg Family Centers – For its long-standing generosity in providing donated or reduced-cost space and refreshments repeatedly for workshops and events connected to our programs.
Gary Brummett – For exceptional recruitment of new Catalyst members and for bringing the Plate It Forward program and fund to our Foundation for support in the Southington community.
Paul Gregory’s and Fancy Bagels – For being the first establishments to commit, without any reservations, to being part of the Plate It Forward Program in Southington.
2022 Award Recipients
Atty. Robert Scalise & Firm – For consistently educating clients about opportunities for them to be philanthropic through our Foundation, serving on our 80th committee, and consistent high level Civic Leadership Fund support
Dr. Bill Petit – For his philanthropic service to the community through his family foundation, service in the legislature to benefit the community and for rallying all legislators in our service area to sign onto the General Session Citation celebrating our 80th Anniversary, and his own long-standing financial support of our Foundation’s work
Atty. Barbara Lindsay – For being a long-standing resource on nonprofit community foundation legal matters and providing professional services at a consistent and generous discounted rate
Devione Tanksley of My Wife Didn’t Cook – For setting aside a day in 2021 where a percentage of proceeds from all meals were donated to our Greater New Britain Disaster Response Fund
2021 Award Recipients
Acme Monaco and Rebecca Karabin-Ahern for consistent and generous support of the Civic Leadership Fund, for allowing her IT specialist to provide advice on technology upgrades, and especially for logistical support of our reusable bag project in storing and transporting thousands of bags.
Mark and Maria Bernacki for long-standing support of CFGNB in providing discounted printed materials from Sir Speedy when they owned it, for consistent and generous support of the CLF and Catalyst, and for sponsoring various projects such as the Chamber reception hosted at our Foundation Center a few years ago.
Jerome Home for its long-standing generosity in providing donated space and refreshments repeatedly for board and staff retreats and workshops connected to our programs.
Schaller Auto and Art Schaller for their donation of the use of their digital billboard for several weeks during Census 2020 efforts to remind residents to respond. This amounted to thousands of dollars of donated visibility by everyone driving along Route 9.
Paulette Fox for volunteering, as a Catalyst member, to secure a donated appropriate outdoor space that could host the September Catalyst meeting during the Pandemic. She secured a fantastic arrangement with Tunxis Country Club and the event was very successful and safe.
2020 Award Recipients
Southington – Andrea Tarantino for his long-standing exceptional technical support of our web sites for CFGNB and CCNBB at a severely discounted rate throughout our relationship
New Britain – 5 Churches Brewing for generous support of space, time and energy to our 2019 Giving Brewsday event and support of The Buzz and Young Philanthropy initiatives in the area
New Britain – Jason Howey for long-standing support with gifts at a leadership level in the CLF and leadership in establishing and leading the effort for the New Britain Manufacturing Academy Fund at CFGNB
2019 Award Recipients
New Britain – A Champion with long-standing support of grants and gifts-in-kind for
Catalyst programs, Nonprofit Capacity Workshops and our Civic Leadership Fund
Southington – A Champion of our Young Philanthropy Initiative and the
donation of their brewery for our first Young Philanthropy event in Southington
An Anonymous Individual Donor in our Service Area
A Champion with long-standing support and service to the Foundation and its programs