Wasserman foundation awards $110K in grants
NEWTOWN — A foundation created in honor of a late state lawmaker has granted $110,000 to several local organizations.
The Julia Wasserman Animal Welfare Fund gifted money to the Danbury Animal Welfare Society, Newtown Forest Association and more.
Wasserman was a longtime Newtown resident and former state representative who died in 2015 at 91.
The fund was created in partnership with the Fairfield County’s Community Foundation because of her passion for animals and giving back.
“It was so rewarding to help the stewards of Julia’s legacy, who were intent on finding the best way to perpetuate her philanthropy, create a fund at Fairfield County’s Community Foundation and utilize our philanthropic services to accomplish her wishes,” said Nancy Tartaglia, a director with Fairfield County’s Community Foundation. “Philanthropy can be amplified for many generations when a donor advised fund sets parameters for you to give back in ways that are important and significant to you and your family.”
Boots and Buddies, Connecticut
4-H Foundation, Danbury Animal Welfare Society, Newtown Forest Association, and Wildlife in Crisis will receive the money.
Wasserman escaped Nazi Germany as a teenager and later joined the U.S. Women’s Army Corps, serving as a captain in the Medical Service Corps during the Korean War.
She was elected to the state Legislature in 1990, a position she held until 2008. She also served 10 years on the Newtown Legislative Council,
10 years on the Newtown Conservation Commission and six years on the Fairfield County Soil and Water Conservation District.
Wasserman Way, a road in Newtown, is named for her.