Donors give $1.7M to support final Giving Day for Fairfield County charities
NORWALK — Fairfield County’s Community Foundation celebrated its final Giving Day, as donors came together to raise more than $1.7 million virtually in a 24-hour span for hundreds of local nonprofits. The online fundraising drive, held Feb. 23, included nearly 14,600 individual donations, which went to 361 participating nonprofit organizations in Fairfield County. The event was kicked off by a Thursday morning pep rally at Norwalk Art Space. This year’s total rounds out a decade of making donations through Giving Day, raising a total of $15.46 million for Fairfield County charities since its inception in 2014. “Fairfield County is a community that cares, and on Fairfield County’s Giving Day, we were reminded once again of the depth and breadth of our county’s generosity,” said Mendi Blue Paca, president and CEO of Fairfield County’s Community Foundation.
“For the past 10 years, Fairfield County residents and local businesses have not only raised millions of dollars to support the critical causes and needs of our community, but have demonstrated that through solidarity and togetherness, the positive impact of generosity can only be amplified,” Blue Paca said.
Participating nonprofits included both returning and new local charities, spanning a variety of causes and needs from education and youth development, to housing needs and food insecurity.
The Norwalk-based foundation spread its nonprofit support even further by awarding more than $75,000 through dozens of bonus prizes provided by sponsors.
The two grand prize awards went to LifeBridge Community Services of Bridgeport, which was awarded a $10,000 prize for garnering the Most Unique Donors. and Curtain Call Inc. of Stamford, which was awarded an $8,000 prize for Most Dollars raised.
WestConn Athletics & Recreation in Danbury was awarded $6,000 for placing second in the Most Unique Donors category. Lucky Dog Refuge of Stamford was awarded $4,000 for coming in second in the Most Dollars Raised category. Additional prizes were also awarded to the nonprofits in a variety of categories — many based on the most donations in a time period or within a charitable division or size.
“We are truly humbled by our county’s 10-year track record of tremendous support for Fairfield County’s Giving Day,” said Blue Paca. “This year’s participation really put the exclamation point on our final Giving Day.”
Even though it was the final Giving Day, the donations kept pace with previous years. These are the total amounts donated in each year of the decade that the Giving Day was held, according to the foundation:
• 2014: $756,229
• 2015: $1,066,091
• 2016: $1,246,964
• 2017: $1,465,246
• 2018: $1,400,887
• 2019: $1,719,685
• 2020: $1,652,287
• 2021: $2,250,154
• 2022: $ 2,195,189
• 2023: $1,711,217
• Total: $15,463,949
Bank of America led the support of the local business community, serving as Fairfield County’s Giving Day Champion Sponsor for the 10th consecutive year.
“For the past 10 years, Fairfield County’s Giving Day has demonstrated how the power of shared commitment to a common cause moves our community even closer to reaching its full potential,” said Bill Tommins, president of Bank of America Southern Connecticut.
“The legacy and impact of Giving Day over the last decade will extend far beyond this year and we look forward to continuing our support of year-round efforts to make Fairfield County a better place to live and work,” he said. Over the next year, the foundation will work with its partners to roll out a range of initiatives, said Blue Paca.
The goal will be “building even deeper relationships and providing more timely support to our region’s nonprofits,” she said.
Blue Paca also thanked “every person and business that made a decade of inspired giving possible. We could not be more excited by the possibilities of what’s to come as we build upon this impactful track record.”
For more information on Fairfield County’s Community Foundation, which has awarded more than $390 million in grants to nonprofits over the years, visit FCCFoundation.org.