United Way of Norwalk & Wilton Announces
2006 Caring Community Campaign Goal of $1.2 Million

The United Way of Norwalk & Wilton announced its goal of $1.2 million for its 2006 Caring Community Campaign at a special Campaign Cabinet breakfast, held on September 13 at the Silvermine Tavern in Norwalk and hosted by an anonymous donor.

Nicki Brown, President and Chief Executive Officer of The Wilton Bank, is chairing the campaign for a second year. She will be assisted by a 25-member Campaign Cabinet, representing the professional, small business, public service, major employer, corporate and residential segments of the community.

Also assisting her will be United Way staff, Cathy DeCesare, Campaign Director, and Terra Johnson, Assistant Campaign Director.

“Our Campaign Cabinet and United Way staff are really excited about this year’s campaign,” she said. “We are all quite eager to get the message out that United Way projects in Norwalk and Wilton are yielding some highly impressive and very specific results.”

David R. Kennedy, President and CEO of United Way of Norwalk & Wilton, cited two results, one which involved the Norwalk Healthy Families Collaborative Project (NHFC), a five-year program supported by United Way of Tri-State in partnership with United Way of Norwalk & Wilton.

The problem, he reported, was that about 28% of Norwalk pregnant women lacked adequate prenatal care, putting babies at risk of poor birth outcomes. Further, 37% of Norwalk children, ages 2 to 5 on HUSKY were missing well-child visits and necessary immunizations.

Today, after five years, thanks in part to United Way funding of over $600,000 and the collaboration of over 30 agencies working together to provide a continuum of care from pre-natal to age five, reports show that:

• 96% of the 224 babies born to mothers participating in the Comenzando Bien and the MOMS Project, both part of the NHFC Initiative, were at or above healthy birth rate;
• 83% of NHFC pediatric patients, who were helped to keep well-child appointments, kept all visits on-time.

“For almost seven years, United Way has been an active part of the NHFC Collaborative Project,” he said. “We are all dedicated to improving the health of children, ages birth to five, primarily in the South Norwalk area. It’s taken hard and dedicated work but the results prove that United Way is not about quick fixes but about real lasting changes.”

In Wilton, he reported, United Way invested $100,000 into Wilton Commons, a proposed 77-unit affordable congregate housing project for seniors, ages 62 and older, so that the community could “raise $2 million so they could get to $12 million” so the project could become a reality.

“Wilton Commons is expected to open sometime in 2008,” he said.

Rita Stein, Financial Advisor, Principal Financial Group, stirred the Campaign Cabinet with some personal anecdotes of why she became involved with the Principal Financial Group and its connection to United Way.

The financial services company, headquartered in Iowa, recently opened an office in Norwalk and immediately became a new corporate partner with United Way of Norwalk & Wilton.

“The Principal Financial Group received this year’s national United Way Spirit of America Award for raising more than $5 million for communities across the country,” she said. “When I researched why the connection, I discovered that our founder Barry Griswell grew up in an abusive situation and ended up in a juvenile home by the time he was eleven or twelve years old. He was fortunate to become involved in a Boys Club in Atlanta, Georgia, which was funded by United Way. Today, he is a successful man and a generous philanthropist. We feel that supporting United Way is one way of reaching out to youth in trouble – and who knows when one of them may be another Barry Griswell.”

“I’m happy to be a part of a corporation like the Principal Financial Group,” she said. “They care about us as employees and treat us with respect. I am happy to join in their efforts to help our communities through United Way.”

Tom Williams, United Way Board Chair, challenged the Campaign Cabinet. “Think out of the box,” he said. “I challenge you to not only retain our existing donor base but to attract new donors. I challenge you to create excitement about the work of our United Way, our community impact mission and our work with our local agency partners. I challenge you to talk it up in our community, get out the word, and be excited about the difference your United Way is making in the lives of our neighbors.”

Finally, he said, “I challenge you to use your imagination and every resource available to you to exceed the Campaign goal of $1.2 million.”

Last year, the United Way raised $1.1 million for its local efforts in the Norwalk-Wilton area.

The 15-week Caring Community Campaign is more than a fundraising effort, reported David R. Kennedy, United Way President.

“United Way is about partnerships, about working with each other,” he said. “United Way is about volunteers being involved. United Way is about accountability and results. United Way is about creating lasting change in people’s lives.”

Nicki Brown agreed. “When we work in partnership with others, whether it be agency with agency or neighbor with neighbor, we can achieve incredible results. I encourage everyone to invest in the United Way and be a part of making our communities a better place to live.”

The Campaign Cabinet members are: Nicki Brown, President & CEO, The Wilton Bank – Campaign Chair; Bob Russell, Wilton resident – Leadership, Wilton; Matthew Miklave, Esq., Epstein Becker & Green, PC – Leadership, Norwalk; Joseph A. Equale, Equale & Cirone, LLP – Small Business, Wilton; Brian Noccioli and Ewa Dedios, People’s Bank – Small Business, Norwalk; Christopher J. Jarboe, Lovejoy & Rimer, P.C. – Professionals; Steven Smith, Lovejoy & Rimer, P.C. - Foundations; Ed Kulhawik, Police Chief, Town of Wilton – Public Service, Wilton; Shari Shapiro, Executive Director, Kids in Crisis – Public Service, Agencies; Chip Anderson, Director of Planning, NEON – Public Service, Agencies; Mary Roman, City Clerk, City of Norwalk – Public Service, City of Norwalk; Dr. Gary Richards, Superintendent, and Ellen Andrews, Director of Human Resources, Wilton Public Schools – Public Schools, Wilton; Bruce Morris, Director of Human Resources, and Donna Custer, Assistant to Director of Human Resources, Norwalk Public Schools – Public Schools, Norwalk; Dr. Kevin Craw and Moira Craw, Wilton residents – Residential, Wilton; Harry Rilling, Police Chief, City of Norwalk – Residential, Norwalk; Gary Antonello, The Principal Financial Group – Target Accounts; Ken Gosnell, Senior Vice President, Pepperidge Farm – Major Employers; Mike Gaudino, President and CEO, GE Corporate Financial Services – Alexis de Tocqueville Society; Sarkis Kaolian, United Way staff – National Accounts & Chains; Karen Strickland, Wilton Family Y – Special Programs; Rick Baker, Baker Associates, Inc. – Marketing; Pauline Randall, United Way staff – Audit.

For information about making contributions to United Way 2006 Caring Community Campaign, contact David R. Kennedy at 203-847-4576.

Photo Credit: Juliette Weiland

Campaign Chair, Nicki Brown, President and CEO of The Wilton Bank, together with David Kennedy, President and CEO of United Way of Norwalk & Wilton, announced this year’s goal of $1.2 million for United Way of Norwalk & Wilton’s 2006 Caring Community Campaign at a Campaign Cabinet Breakfast meeting, held at the Silvermine Tavern on September 13. The funds will support community programs and initiatives in the local area.