Recession Challenges

Ten miles north of Westport lies a neighborhood in east Bridgeport where crime is an everyday occurrence and struggling to make ends meet is a way of life. In this neighborhood, on a side street next to a burnt out crack den sits a cheery yellow house offering hope for women and children in the area who want to learn English.

The Caroline House serves 35-40 women who want to learn English and better equip themselves for work and life in America. The women come with little English and commit to 4.5 hours a day, four days a week to attend classes in English and lifeskills such as computer skills, health and nutrition, budgeting and interviewing techniques. The program takes two years to complete and also offers a preschool program for the children of the women. Currently 22 children are enrolled and learning English, social skills, math and other pre-school activities.

Hundreds of Fairfield County charities work everyday to offer opportunities for their clientele to improve their lives. Many offer basic subsistence programs, while others seek to help people pursue the American dream. Often these charities struggle to raise enough funding to maintain quality services. That’s where Near & Far Aid Association and all their donors and sponsors are helping neighbor-to-neighbor to make a difference in Fairfield County. Since 2000, Near & Far Aid has granted over $8 million to many local non-profits, over 90 organizations received aid from N&FA in 2008 alone.

The adage “as the economy goes, so goes giving” is top-of-mind for the Board of Directors at Near & Far Aid. Economic data points to a recession that began in December 2007 and shows no signs of letting up. People have slowed down all spending, including charitable giving, but N&FA has stepped up its efforts to encourage donors to continue giving so that there is some hope of meeting the increased need in the community. Board President Elizabeth Fath explains, “Less money raised by Near & Far Aid means that we have to turn away or cut back on grants we give to the charity down the street. They, in turn, have to reduce the services they provide. Now, more than ever, the clientele of these non-profits need those services.”

This year the recession is forcing cutbacks that are leaving people desperately short of money for food and shelter, and having a more difficult time getting vital services. Mary Ellen Gavin, Development Director of Caroline House notes the increased use of the breakfast and lunch program at the pre-school. “This fall we saw a significant increase in the number of children coming to Caroline House without breakfast, the mothers needed to use our meal program to give their children enough food.”

Another area non-profit that relies on Near & Far Aid to be able to maintain services is the Ralphola Taylor Community Center YMCA in Bridgeport. Over 350 children ages 5 -18 take part in after-school programs aimed at bringing at-risk youth into a safe environment where they spend time working on homework before participating in cultural, athletic, or artistic activities. Teenagers are offered classes in conflict resolution, anger management and peer mediation training. This is just one of the programs that the Center offers the community of 700 families, many of whom are low-income and attend with the help of support from grants to the center.

Near & Far Aid began in 1946 when Jeannie Fay, a young wife in Fairfield decided to raise money to help the widows and orphans of WWII. What started small has grown to have hundreds of volunteers in the community working on three annual events to raise funds to grant to charities in Fairfield County. While the focus is now local and the need is greater, N&FA still operates in the homes and coffee shops around Westport and Fairfield. This grassroots effort allows for over 95% of every dollar raised to go back out to the community within months of being received. Non-profits like Caroline House and Ralphola Taylor Community Center YMCA would not be able to offer the level of service without N&FA grants.

Three annual fund-raising events bring in the majority of the donations that are received by N&FA: the Spring Gala at Mitchells (coming up on March 6); the House Tour in early May, which showcases some of the most distinguished and beautiful homes in the area; and the Golf Classic at the Country Club of Fairfield. These all-volunteer organized and run events raised $1.4 million in 2008.

This year the gloomy economic news has everyone on edge. At Near & Far Aid that just means volunteers redouble their energies to try to hit 2009 goals. Many of these charities, like Caroline House, have limited abilities to fund raise on their own and, therefore, rely on grants from N&FA to continue providing services to their clientele. Without N&FA support, many agencies risk significant reductions in services.