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EW committee awards grants to local entities helping to better the community

Journal Inquirer - 12/30/2021

Dec. 30—EAST WINDSORThe East Windsor Greater Together Community Fund Advisory Committee awarded more than $27,000 in grants this month to six organizations working to better the community in ways that include offering music therapy to students, providing ride sharing opportunities to residents, and helping with repairs at a farm that gives horseback riding lessons to autistic children.

East Windsor is among the towns the nonprofit Hartford Foundation for Public Giving gave money to as part of its Greater Together Community Fund, which helps residents respond to needs in their communities.

In East Windsor, the advisory committee awarded a $7,000 grant to Abby's Helping Hand to provide music therapy to special education students at Broad Brook Elementary School.

The nonprofit organization, started by Joe and Carol Sauerhoefer whose 10-year-old daughter Abby was born with mitochondrial disorder, has a mission to improve the quality of life for those afflicted with mitochondrial and other chronic diseases through support, education, and research.

The town's Social Services Department received $5,600 to work with ride sharing programs for residents who need transportation assistance getting to doctors and other necessary appointments.

The East Windsor Historical Society's Museums on the Green received $7,000 to retrofit a red metal barn for displaying large farm equipment, and to showcase different aspects of farming and industry in the early years of the town.

The site of the museums on Scantic Road — which serves East Windsor and all surrounding towns — is one of the largest in the area with 35 acres and seven different buildings on its campus that are overflowing, Membership Chairwoman Nancy Masters wrote in the grant application.

The museum site has been described as a mini Sturbridge Village, she said.

"We would like to consolidate our items related to farming so we can tell the story of East Windsor's rich agricultural history," Masters said. "We are the only history museum in town and we are fortunate to have so many items to display."

GRANTS TO BENEFIT COMMUNITY

WHAT: The East Windsor Greater Together Community Fund advisory committee awarded more than $27,000 in grants.

WHO: Recipients are Abby's Helping Hand, the Social Services Department, Museums on the Green/East Windsor Historical Society, the Housing Authority, the Diversity Council, Shag Bark Hickory Farm.

Retrofitting one of the red metal barns will create a permanent teaching display on all types of farming, Masters said in her application.

"We have been growing for over 50 years and intend to keep growing," she wrote. "Our tobacco barn is so full of items it is almost impossible to walk around and see our objects/displays."

The town's Housing Authority received a $700 grant to have a licensed nutritionist provide residents with informal presentations on the benefits of eating healthy foods.

The East Windsor Diversity Council received $1,500 to begin a community forum to explore the implication of diversity and inclusion. The council stated in its application that the pilot program aims to encourage civic engagement and involvement to ensure all East Windsor residents are represented.

Shag Bark Hickory Farm on Harrington Road received $5,250 to repair a fence that's used for the riding arena and pasture area.

Rosemary Malin founded the farm 40 years ago as a safe haven for older, retired horses and to provide the love of riding a horse to those who can't afford lessons, said her daughter Katie Malin-Hunt.

She said there are seven horses at the farm, although she often jokes that there are only 6 1/2 because of their tiny pony.

"We reach out to autistic children and those who need more joy in their lives," Malin-Hunt said about the lessons at the farm.

She said she and her mother are extremely grateful for the grant because the fence used for the riding and pasture areas has been in need of repair for many years but they have always chosen to put the money toward helping students.

"This will definitely help a lot," she said. "We do a lot of community events so this will allow more activities for local youth."

The Greater Together Community Fund Advisory Committee was established by the Hartford Foundation for Giving to support East Windsor residents taking ownership of the needs in town and to encourage broad, inclusive civic engagement, said Robert Maynard, the town's former first selectman who is chairman of communications and marketing for the committee.

"We, the advisory committee, want to thank the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving for affording us the opportunity to address some of the needs of the East Windsor community and contribute to the quality of life of our residents," he said.

Thirteen local organizations applied for a grant, and the eight-member advisory committee ranked them with criteria such as how well the organizations would be suited to implement proposed projects, if the projects addressed a real need in the community, how many people the projects would benefit, and if the projects are new and would not duplicate anything else being done in the town.

A large part of the East Windsor Greater Together Community Fund Advisory Committee's mission is to ensure that grants have the greatest possible impact for residents, Maynard said.

"We hope these and future grants will inspire others to become engaged in civic activities and come together to identify and address the needs of East Windsor residents," he said.

The advisory committee is always looking for new members, he said. If anyone has ideas about the needs of the town or would like to join the committee, send an email to ewcommunityfund@gmail.com

For more coverage of Somers and Ellington, follow Susan Danseyar on Twitter: @susandanseyar, Facebook: Susan Danseyar, reporter.

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