Birds roosting at City Hall?

Among Friends
News for friends and supporters of the
Friendship Service Center of New Britain

July 2010 - Vol. 2, No. 7

Caring for neighbors in need

In This Issue

Quick Links

Greetings!

Manafort Park marker.
Annual Mtg. 2010 - Aetna Award
The Friendship Center is very pleased and proud to finally have a name for the wonderful green space we have enjoyed on the south side of the Virginia C. Davis Building. Now named the Manafort Family Park, the Manafort family joins the Davis and

Tomasso families whose names honor our building.

In better economic times, the Manafort family had agreed to provide all the labor and equipment to demolish what was the old 85 Arch Street building. We were thrilled and gratefully accepted this generous donation. Several years passed before we were ready and, within that time, our nation's economy turned from robust to bust.

The Manaforts could legitimately have claimed they were unable to proceed as promised - but they didn't. In the cold of January 2008, they were out there every day taking the building down piece by piece. I often sat in my car in utter amazement as I watched the huge claw moving so precisely and gracefully that I believe it could have picked up a baby with no harm caused.

We welcome the Manafort family to the Friendship Center family and hope our relationship is long and beneficial to both!

Ellen Perkins SImpson

Executive Director

Congratulations and thanks, Walk supporters!

A million thanks to the 72+ walkers and their sponsors who fell in step and made the
Walk Against Hunger a foot-stomping

Soup kitchen volunteers from CCSU join in The Walk.

success for the Friendship Center. Our 15 teams raised more than $15,500 to feed friends who are hungry. Of that amount, 70 percent directly supports the Friendship Center, and the balance supports Foodshare.

Thanks also to First Church of Christ in New Britain for funds they raised on their own "Sneaker Sunday." All funds raised will go a long way to keeping our pantry shelves filled and to extending a helping hand to individuals and families in their time of need.

In the order of their successful fundraising, we gratefully acknowledge:

South Congregational Church of New Britain
Friendship Service Center Archangels
West Hartford Methodist Church
First Church of Christ in New Britain
OKAY Industries Stampers for Hunger
Feeding Friends
Muslims Against Hunger
First Church of Christ in Unionville
Armenian Church of the Holy Resurrection Hye Walkers
Bethany Covenant Church
Bristol's Best
Alpha Delta Kappa
New Britain Federation of Teachers
Individuals (non-team affiliated)
Connecticut Legal Services
The Hartford - Professional Women's Network
The Hartford - Law Department

Thanks to all!
We look forward to seeing everyone next year for the
28th Annual Walk Against Hunger!

(Mark your calendars for the first Sunday in May, 2011)

"Homelessness" campaign takes flight

The Friends of the Friendship Center's "Homelessness is for the Birds!"campaign is winging its way throughout the New Britain community this summer. The marble gallery just outside the Mayor's Office at New Britain City Hall is currently adorned with full-color photographs of the extraordinary birdhouse craftsmanship and artistry that is being contributed to the project (see photo below). Birdhouse drawings and paintings done by 4th-graders at Holmes Elementary School (sample right) also decorate the gallery walls. Actual birdhouse displays are also cropping up in local businesses and other public spaces to raise public awareness of homelessness.

The one-of-a-kind donated bird abodes will be auctioned and sold at the Grand Opening of the Arch Street Housing Project on Thursday, September 23, 2010, starting at 4:00 p.m. at Trinity on Main in New Britain. A selection of the children's artwork will be available for sale as printed notecards, just in time for holiday gift giving. Proceeds from this labor of love of the Friends of the Friendship Center will directly support Friendship Service Center residents and program participants.

Bird homes ready for roosting at City Hall gallery

There are still SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES available for the "Homelessness is for the Birds!" campaign. Click on the link below to review the benefits of sponsorship. Event sponsors and advertisers to date include:

EAGLES ($1,000)
Enterprise Builders, Kaestle Boos Associates, McCue Mortgage, Meriden Property Management and The Tomasso Group

CARDINALS ($500)
Advocates Law Firm, New Britain Municipal Employees Association, TD Bank and Gaffney, Bennett and Associates

BLUE BIRDS ($300)
Farmington Bank, the Friendship Service Center Board of Directors and the Friendship Service Center Board of Trustees

CHICKADEES ($150)
Consolidated School District of New Britain, CW Resources and Kensington/Berlin Sunrise Rotary

HUMMINGBIRDS ($100)
Bach Investments Plus, OIC New Britain, Emilie Yukna and Donald & Ina Knapp

Program book advertisers and supporters currently include:
Rogers Sash and Door, Anderson, Reynolds & Lynch, Manafort Brothers and a growing list of individual donors

Take a look at sponsorship opps!

Friendship Service Center of New Britain, Inc.
P.O. Box 1896, New Britain, CT 06050-1896
Phone 860-225-0211 Fax 860-348-9040 info@friendshipservicecenter.org