Draper Fund donates $778K to local nonprofits

TORRINGTON — The Draper Foundation Fund, part of the Northwest Connecticut Community Foundation, has donated $778,000 to fund projects planned by organizations in Torrington, Winsted, Colebrook and beyond, according to a release.

The Litchfield County Opiate Task Force, with the backing of Charlotte Hungerford Hospital, will receive $100,000 for a community case manager in the evenings and weekends in hopes of improving “connections to care for clients suffering from substance use disorder.”

“The staff person will meet clients ‘Where they are at,’ and help them to identify the next steps for their wellbeing, no matter what stage of use or recovery they are in,” said Lauren Pristo, of the Litchfield County Opiate Task Force, as part of the release.

Students across the Northwest Corner, including in Torrington, Winsted, Litchfield, Harwinton and Colebrook, will learn about financial literacy, workforce readiness and entrepreneurship, partially in thanks to an $8,500 grant to Junior Achievement of Southwest New England.

“All students need to understand the world of work and how their education and career choices will affect their lives; and employers need talented, prepared workers,” said Amanda Teti, of Junior Achievement of Southwest New England. “JA programs encourage students to be responsible citizens and to earn and save money. They also demonstrate why lifelong learning is the ultimate key to a successful future.”

Other grants in this round of funding include:

An $11,000 bequest to the

Community Kitchen of Torrington for replacement flooring; $6,000 to the Little Guild of St. Francis “to support the cost of spay and neuter vouchers for lowincome clients attending a free dog vaccine clinic in Torrington”; and $22,500 to New Beginnings of North

west Hills Litchfield County for operating expenses, renovations and bus passes for clients.

Others included: $22,500 to Prime Time House for repairs to its clubhouse; $23,150 to the Torrington Area Youth Service Bureau; $5,800 to the Town of Colebrook to pay for a commercial refrigerator and freezer at the town senior center; $28,200 to the Win

chester Youth Service Bureau for a replacement bus for campers; and $4,500 for the Winsted Senior Center to pay for new tables for the No Senior Left Behind program.

A series of local nonprofits receive twiceannual grants from the Draper Foundation Fund as well, officials noted in the release.

These include the Beardsley & Memorial Library, W.L. Gilbert Trust Corp., Northwestern Connecticut Community College and Northwest Connecticut YMCA.

The Northwest Connecticut Community Foundation, which serves 20 towns in the area, donated $4 million in grants and scholarships in 2018, according to the release.

Ben Lambert / Hearst Connecticut Media The Winsted Senior Center is one of a number of local organizations that recently received support from the Draper Foundation Fund.