The Impact Vine & Carver's Crowdfunding Project

Community Fund of Darien Launches New Crowdfunding Site 

The Community Fund of Darien has launched their new, free, crowdfunding site for nonprofits called The Impact Vine.

See Carver's current campaign at The Impact Vine here. 

See The Darien Patch article that follows here.

By Jamie Wilkins (Patch Staff) - May 11, 2017 3:07 pm ET

From the Community Fund of Darien: The Community Fund of Darien has launched their new, free, crowdfunding site for nonprofits, The Impact Vine (www.TheImpactVine.org). The Impact Vine is an online giving platform which allows donors to support projects they care about, and provides a platform for local nonprofits to use as a tool to raise funds for socially impactful projects in the community. 

This initiative, developed by The Community Fund of Darien with support from sixteen “Founding Funders,” including Fairfield County’s Community Foundation, Social Venture Partners, and Lone Pine Capital, resulted from a 2014 needs-assessment which identified online giving as key to growth for nonprofit agencies. 

“We are thrilled to introduce The Impact Vine to the greater community,” said The Community Fund of Darien Executive Director, Carrie Bernier. “The Impact Vine is one-stop shopping to help meet critical local needs. Pick a project that resonates with your giving values and support it! Or create your own project. The best part is that this initiative is local, so once people find a project they care about, they can learn more, donate, and then volunteer,” she continued. 

New Canaan resident Susan Serven, Project Director of The Impact Vine, noted, “Another terrific aspect of The Impact Vine is that it’s a simple way for anyone to raise funds for nonprofit projects they care about. The Impact Vine’s simple interface allows nonprofit staff to develop a project, but also allows volunteers, student groups, supporters, other individuals to “Create a Project” as well! We invite everyone to participate, visit the site, create a project supporting an organization you’re passionate about, and share with others!”

Darien resident Shedd Glassmeyer, Chair of The Community Fund’s Impact Vine Committee, noted, “The Impact Vine promotes and builds awareness of the critical work nonprofits do, right in our backyards. Many of us bank, shop, and even socialize online, so we’re more likely to give online. It’s the place to go to help solve social issues in our community. We trust that everyone will get behind this platform, support the projects and consider providing an optional donation to The Impact Vine to ensure that the site will be self-funding,” he said.

“We’ve been able to launch with the support of local businesses and donors. This is a great corporate giving tool and a way to promote employee giving. We hope others will see the possibility of leveraging a gift to help build a giving tool that will pay off for years to come,” Glassmeyer continued.

New Canaan resident John Straus, said, “As an Advisory Board member of The Community Fund of Darien, as well as a Board member of Family Centers, it was gratifying to see The Impact Vine in action - connecting donors and their passions with the needs in our community. Family Centers needed a new dental chair for one of our clinics and The Impact Vine helped them raise the funds in a manner that increased awareness for Family Centers and expanded our donor base. Most importantly, we will be able to provide dental services to local children who would otherwise would not receive the care they needed,” he continued. 

Weston resident Don Kendall, Co-founder and Chairman, Social Venture Partners Connecticut, and Executive Committee member, Board of Directors, Fairfield County’s Community Foundation, concurred. “I was pleased to help bring this impactful crowdfunding tool to the Lower Fairfield County community. It will help mobilize giving in many sectors and will allow donors the opportunity to engage with social causes they care about.”

Darien resident, David Upson, said, “The Impact Vine is taking nonprofit organizations and the philanthropic community to a new level in Fairfield County. The founding team at The Impact Vine have done a remarkable job of harnessing technology and the internet to enable nonprofits to more fully engage with their donors. Donors will now be able to target specific needs within their favorite causes and stay more fully engaged with these organizations. It is remarkable stuff and I urge those interested to learn more at www.TheImpactVine.org”

Kristy Jelenik, of Fairfield County’s Community Foundation, who is participating as Onboarding Chair of The Impact Vine, said: “Empowering our community of givers to easily learn about and support local programs strengthens our entire community. And after the success we’ve had with our annual Giving Day, offering the nonprofits a platform to use throughout the year will really boost their impact. It’s win/win for all.”

Novelette Peterkin, Executive Director of the Carver Foundation, Norwalk, concurred. “The Impact Vine team invested time and thoughtful effort before launching this new community-giving platform – and it shows! For Carver, The Impact Vine positively influenced and inspired new and current donors to enthusiastically support our robotics for kids STEM education project. The Impact Vine’s special form of relationship marketing and its use of trust-building social channel tools and techniques ensure the site’s long-term and vital role in community-building for the benefit of all participating nonprofits.”

“Person-to-Person appreciated the opportunity to participate in the “Friends and Family” launch of The Impact Vine crowdfunding platform. Having staged other crowdfunding efforts, we were quite pleased with The Impact Vine user interface and functionality,” said P2P Executive Director Ceci Maher. “Best of all, we were able to reach new donors and fully fund the P2P project within the deadline. The new digital camera is already being put to great use documenting the powerfully positive impact P2P has on Fairfield County families – each and every day.”

The Community Fund of Darien is an independent, results-oriented, volunteer-driven nonprofit organization that addresses health and human services needs in Darien and our surrounding towns of Stamford and Norwalk. We are dedicated to building a healthy community by:

• Identifying and prioritizing critical local needs
• Strategically investing funds to meet local goals
• Measuring results and evaluating effectiveness
• Fundraising cost effectively
• Fostering collaborative efforts to identify solutions to local needs

For more information on The Community Fund of Darien, please visit www.CommunityFundDarien.org. 

For more information on The Impact Vine, an initiative of The Community Fund of Darien, please visit www.TheImpactVine.org .

At-a-glance principles of successful after school arts programming

Carver Volunteer Grant Cellar to be honored by The Community Fund of Darien

Grant Cellar, a Darien student, will be honored during The Community Fund of Darien's thirty-eighth annual Volunteer Recognition Day for your outstanding contributions to the Carver Foundation of Norwalk. 

The Community Fund of Darien celebrates Darien's community spirit of volunteerism for individuals and projects that have made a significant difference in the area over the past year.  Nonprofit agencies and organizations involved in the Darien community were invited to select a volunteer or project to honor at their luncheon and Carver chose Grant.  We are pleased that Grant will be honored during this special day.

The event will be held on Tuesday, May 23rd at the Darien Community Association. They will honor the volunteers and then have a special presentation by their guest speaker, author and entrepreneur, Jonathan Fanning. Fanning has spoken in over 45 states and on 3 continents. His recent TED Talk won best speaker at the conference. He will also be signing copies of his book Who Are You Becoming? A light luncheon will be served. 

“I am an 8th grader at Middlesex Middle School in Darien CT. My favorite subjects are math and science. The sports I play are lacrosse, basketball, and football. My favorite basketball team is the OKC Thunder and my favorite football team is the NY Giants. One of my passions is giving back to the community. In addition to working with the kids at Carver, I have volunteered with The American Red Cross and The Bridgeport Rescue Mission. My favorite organization to volunteer at is the Carver Center. It is my favorite because I love the kids that I help, they are very kind and always let me help them. At their young age, they need role models to look up to and I try my best to be one of them. ”

— Grant Cellar

Here is Grant today helping our students in our technology center.

Since 2005, 100% of Carver seniors graduate high school on time

Juneteenth to be celebrated at Carver

Juneteenth, also known as Juneteenth Independence Day or Freedom Day, is a holiday that commemorates the June 19, 1865 announcement of the abolition of slavery in Texas, and more generally the emancipation of  slaves throughout the Confederate South. Celebrated on June 19, the word is a combination of "June" and "nineteenth". Juneteenth is recognized as a state holiday or special day of observance in most states.

The holiday is observed primarily in local celebrations. Traditions include public readings of the Emancipation Proclamation, singing traditional songs such as "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot" and "Lift Every Voice and Sing", and readings by noted African-American writers such as Ralph Ellison and Maya Angelou. Celebrations may include parades, rodeos, street fairs, cookouts, family reunions, park parties, historical reenactments, or Miss Juneteenth contests.

On Saturday, June 10, 2017, the Carver community will be inviting everyone near and far to join us for the celebration at the Carver Community Center! Please join us!

Support Carver's summer camp campaign at The Impact Vine!

See our campaign at The Impact Vine crowdfunding site to send 40 Carver summer campers on the schooner SoundWaters for a scientific adventure: we need to raise $1,095!

Summer programming at the Carver Community Center and at Columbus Magnet School is among the most affordable and high-quality programs available to Norwalk students ages 5 through 13 years old.

The summer literacy program, facilitated by certified teachers, uses the Lexia Reading Core 5 software to provide personalized learning. Certified teachers also teach math sessions. Summer camp program partners include Girl Scouts, The Center for Contemporary Printmaking, Norwalk Grassroots Tennis and The Norwalk Seaport Association. Field trips reinforce learning, e.g., Peabody Museum, CT Science Center, Discovery Museum, NBC Studio Tour, Stamford Nature Center, Beardsley Zoo, Bishop Orchards, New York Botanical Gardens and Maritime Aquarium.

And now with your help we would like to add  the schooner SoundWaters to our field trips!

From their web site, “The Schooner SoundWaters is The Teaching Vessel of Long Island Sound. A representation of a 19th century sharpie schooner, the SoundWaters is an ideal platform for learning and experience for both students and adults.

For students, this three-masted, 80’ ship, typically serving forty students, is a teaching platform for the Science of the Sound, a hands-on, science-infused learning experience aboard the Schooner SoundWaters.”

Carver kids will experience the Long Island Sound, and schooner SoundWaters educators will lead students through grade-appropriate on-board labs focused on Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (S.T.E.M.) data-collection activities. Carver summer campers will learn science by using real scientific equipment to perform experiments while connecting to the natural world.

Cost to send 40 Carver summer campers on the schooner SoundWaters for a scientific adventure: $1,095

Norwalk Daily Voice: Top-Rated Carver Foundation of Norwalk Raises $420,000 for Kids' Programs

See the article here by Meredith Guinness at Norwalk Daily Voice

See our blog post here with all the details about the 16th annual Child of America gala. 

NORWALK, Conn. — The Carver Foundation of Norwalk, recently ranked among the state’s top nonprofits, raised $420,000 at its 2017 Child of America Gala.

The event, held at the Wee Burn County Club in Darien, honored Marcus Mabry of CNN and Austin McChord of Datto.

Lead by gala co-chairs Leah Glover and Jacqueline Novotny, the event included cocktails, hors d’oeuvres and fellowship, as well as dinner and exciting live and silent auctions conducted by Michael Nuzzo.

Gala committee members were Wendy and Rich Baskin, Alexandra and Rich Baudouin, Erin and Sean Berry, Marilyn Altman Fider, Craig Glover, Joan and John de Regt, Margaret and Patrick Steele, Mary Ellen Walsh, Meggan and Joe Warren and Barbara and Richard Whitcomb.

Carver is the largest provider of after-school programs for middle and high school students in Norwalk. Carver’s college-prep Youth Development Program is conducted in the Carver Community Center, in Norwalk’s four middle and two comprehensive high schools and in Side by Side Charter School.

On May 1, Charity Navigator announced Carver as one of 41 Connecticut nonprofits to receive its highest rating, exceeding industry standards for financial health, transparency and accountability for donors.

Only 17 charities in Fairfield County received the 4-star rating. Nationwide, fewer than 25 percent of rated nonprofits receive 4-star status.

Carver also received GuideStar’s Platinum Seal for organizational transparency and performance measurement. GuideStar is the world’s largest source of information about nonprofit organizations.

“These hard-won ratings will help demonstrate responsible programmatic growth to Carver’s donors, parents and to the general public,” said Novelette Peterkin, Carver’s executive director. “We understand that donors have many choices when it comes to giving funds to support important causes, and we want everyone to know that Carver uses all donations responsibly and with accountability.”

KeyBank Foundation Supports Carver's Afterschool Program

KeyBank Foundation approved a grant of $5,000 to support Carver’s Youth Development Program. “We are so grateful to our friends at KeyBank for advocating for and supporting the success of our students,” said Carver’s Executive Director, Novelette Peterkin. “Carver is able to accomplish so much day after day only because of our many supporters such as KeyBank Foundation who believe in Carver’s vision that every Norwalk child graduates from high school on-time and college-ready.”

“At KeyBank, we believe all students should have access to high quality education and programs that support their academic success,” said KeyBank Market President Jeff L. Hubbard. “We are impressed with depth and breadth of afterschool enrichment programs offered at Carver, and the outstanding results their students achieve year after year.  KeyBank is proud to support Carver’s efforts in helping Norwalk students’ prepare for college and career success.”

Carver serves nearly 800 Norwalk students after school in the Carver Community Center, in Norwalk’s four middle and two comprehensive high schools, and in Side by Side Charter School. Carver’s programming offers Hands-on, Project-Based Academic Enrichment (e.g., Literacy, Math and STEM Education); Tutoring & Homework; Health & Wellness programs; SAT, PSAT and SBAC Prep; Paid Internships; and College tours. Regular CT State Department of Education audits find that our daily attendance rate remains among the very highest among after school programs in the state. 100% of Carver seniors graduate on time (since 2005) and almost all Carver graduates become first generation college students with 85% of our college students graduating within six years.

“Carver recently received news that the nation’s largest evaluator, Charity Navigator, awarded Carver its highest 4 Star rating,” added Peterkin. “We are one of only two charities in Norwalk and 41 charities in Connecticut with this rating. This along with Guidestar’s Platinum Seal indicates that Carver’s financial health, transparency, accountability and performance measurement are ahead of industry standards. We are grateful to KeyBank Foundation for entrusting us with their financial support.”  

FactSet Joins Forces with Homefront to Revitalize the Carver Community Center

On Saturday, May 6, FactSet joined forces with HomeFront to revitalize the Carver Community Center. “FactSet employees have participated in an annual HomeFront project for 19 years,” said Laura Ruhe, S.V.P of Corporate Social Responsibility at FactSet. “This year over 50 employees painted the inside of the Carver Community Center, built sturdy wooden benches that encircle Carver’s outdoor basketball courts, and created a covered outdoor space that will serve many community events and will be especially appreciated by the kids in Carver’s summer education program. FactSet and Carver have had a long partnership as FactSet has supported the Carver annual college tour as a part of our strategic focus on education.”

“Carver is grateful to Laura, who also serves as a member of Carver’s Board of Directors, and to all the FactSet employees who care about the success of our students,” said Novelette Peterkin, Carver’s Executive Director. “We were thrilled to work with Carver to enhance the facilities that support the amazing work Carver accomplishes for the K-12 students in Carver’s after-school and summer programs,” added Laura Ruhe.  “We are so impressed by the clear and measurable impact that the Carver programs have on the students in the Norwalk community.”

This was the 30th annual HomeFront Day that unites volunteers from faith communities, civic groups, and corporations to help homeowners and nonprofit organizations. The first HomeFront Day completed 16 projects in Norwalk in the spring of 1988. 

LiveGirl and Bankwell join forces for Carver students!

Sheri West, Founder & Chief LiveGirl, standing with Chivily, Executive Vice President and Chief Credit Officer for Bankwell, standing with Carver's Joe Gallagher, and Carver students. 

"We coach girls to embrace their original, quirky selves and to understand that self-confidence comes not from others liking you, but from you loving yourself. Our mentors show them that when they truly believe in themselves, they will become unstoppable and astounding things will happen!" -- Sheri West