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Exciting opportunity for emerging leaders of color in the #GreaterNHV nonprofit sector! The Nonprofit Management Program is co-led by the University of Connecticut, offering bi-weekly sessions (both in-person and virtual) on a variety of aspects of nonprofit leadership. Participants receive academic credit and a certificate of completion. The program is free to participants, and each sponsoring nonprofit employer receives a two-year general operating support grant. APPLY BY JUNE 5 HERE

We Love What Makes You Unique

Your perspective fuels our mission-driven work at United Way of Greater New Haven. We are committed to building a team that is inclusive across race, gender, age, religion, identity, and lived experience. As an organization, we are committed to addressing systemic racism and injustice in our community, our partnerships, and our practices. 

Who Are We Looking For?

Are you a goal-oriented problem solver who enjoys working with data? Do you have outstanding attention to detail and organizational skills?  Do you want your work to help create positive change in our community?

United Way of Greater New Haven (UWGNH) is seeking a Finance & Operations Associate who is comfortable with deadlines and data management to support the Finance and Fundraising Teams.  This is a full-time hourly position that includes benefits with a salary range of $20-$23/hour.

What You'll Do

Gift Processing

United Way is privileged to have the support of thousands of individuals and companies in our community. It will be your responsibility to record gifts in the database in a timely and accurate manner that conforms with United Way's accounting standards and donor stewardship best practices. This includes responsibility for cash receipt functions such as depositing incoming checks, preparing cash deposits, recording bank EFT receipts, processing credit card statements, and supporting the month end receipts and revenue reconciliation process utilizing reporting from the CRM database.

General Finance support

You will provide general support to our Finance Team, assisting with monitoring grant expense, providing data entry support into accounting software for vendor payments, responding to inquiries from vendors, donors and partners, filing finance documents and assisting with the annual audit.

CRM Data Integrity

You will work closely with the Database and Operations Manager to support data clean-up projects that are critical to stewarding donors and monitoring fundraising efforts.  You will generate reports from the CRM database (Salesforce) to ensure accurate recording of gifts in the financial system as well as perform periodic vetting of non-profit agencies who receive funds through United Way’s Donor Choice program. 

Requirements

• Associates Degree in Business, Finance or Accounting preferred
• Good numerical ability
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office 365 Applications
• Intermediate Microsoft Excel skills
• Ability to multi-task and ability to prioritize, plan and coordinate responsibilities
• Demonstrate good communication and interpersonal skills
• Familiarity with Customer Relationship Management (CRM) platforms and experience with Salesforce is a plus
• Experience or willingness to work in cross-functional settings to support multiple people or departments

In accordance with organizational policies, this position requires a criminal background check as a condition of employment.

About United Way

United Way of Greater New Haven brings people and organizations together to create solutions to Greater New Haven’s most pressing challenges in the areas of Education, Health, and Financial Stability grounded in racial and social justice. We tackle issues that cannot be solved by any one group working alone. We operate according to these organizational values.

This position will work in our New Haven office and staff currently work in a hybrid environment with expectation to be in the office a minimum of 3 days/week.

United Way is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

To apply:  www.uwgnh.org/careers

The Country School is seeking a Director of Development to begin July 2023. As an independent, co-educational day school with enrollment of some 210 students in grades PreS-8th, we seek a colleague who shows a commitment to the issues of diversity, inclusion, and equity. Salaries and benefits are competitive. 

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

The ​Director of Development​ will:

Devise and manage a program designed to attract the maximum gift support possible to the school.

• Develop an Annual Giving Strategic Action Plan.
• Develop a complete program of research into and an action plan of solicitation of the school's key prospects.

• Grow existing endowment through stewardship and cultivation, including a planned giving program.
• With Head of School, identify 8th Grade Legacy Gift and coordinate project with identified school and parent leader(s).
• Pursue (capital and/or endowment) grant opportunities for school growth. 
• Oversee and assist with sustaining and fulfilling the 70th Anniversary Talent Within Capital Campaign.
• Develop and implement a strategic plan to increase alumni and parental support of, and involvement in, the school.
• Collaborate on the processing of all gift income for the purpose of providing receipts and the maintaining of giving records of donors to the school, acknowledgements and reporting
• Serve as the lead administrator for the Institutional Advancement Committee of the Board of Trustees, the Parents’ Association, and the Alumni Association and all connected events.
• Attend Board meetings as requested and report on current initiatives.
• Be involved in the school community at large.

Common Qualification Requirements:

1. Proven success as a leader
2. Outstanding interpersonal and organizational skills
3. Exceptional written and oral communication skills
4. Detail-oriented and resourceful
5. Experience with Blackbaud and/or other development software preferred but not required 

The Country School offers an unparalleled educational experience to PreSchool through 8th Grade students. Beyond traditional academic disciplines, The Country School’s Signature Programs​--​Elmore Leadership, STEAM, Public Speaking, Outdoor Education, and Global Citizenship​--​speak to the school’s commitment to provide students with lessons that will last a lifetime. The Country School is a community where all types of diversity is celebrated and people of Color are welcomed, valued, and supported.

Please send your resume and letter of interest to J​ohn Fixx, Head of School​: john.fixx@thecountryschool.org and Cindy Richar, Assistant to the Head of School: cindy.richar@thecountryschool.org

Job description and to apply

Position Title: New Haven Site Director

Reports to: Vice President of Connecticut  

Position Status: Full-Time

Location: All Our Kin’s New Haven, CT office

Salary Range: $85,000-$97,000

Target Start Date: Summer 2023

*This is not a remote position*

About All Our Kin

All Our Kin is a nationally recognized nonprofit organization that trains, supports, and sustains family child care providers to ensure that children and families have the foundations they need to succeed in school and in life.  At All Our Kin, we support family child care providers at every stage of their development – from parents and caregivers to professional educators and business owners – using a strength-based, high-touch approach.  Through our programs, family child care providers succeed as early childhood educators and small business owners; parents have access to high-quality, affordable child care, making it possible for them to enter into and remain within the workforce; and infants and toddlers gain the enriching experiences that prepare them to succeed in school and in life.  All Our Kin is recognized as a national model, and has been proven through quasi-experimental studies to raise the quality, availability, and sustainability of family child care. 

All Our Kin first opened its doors in a housing development in New Haven, Connecticut in 1999. Today, we serve over 600 family child care providers, who have the capacity to educate and care for more than 3,600 children, in five Connecticut cities and New York City. Our ambitious strategic growth plan calls for us to add one new site per year and launch a new train-the-trainer service line. 

All Our Kin recognizes that diversity and opportunity are fundamental to children's lives and to

our work, and we seek to build a team that reflects the diversity we celebrate in our nation and

community. We welcome and encourage all qualified applicants who share our vision, as we want to engage all those who can contribute to our work and this mission. We encourage individuals of all backgrounds to apply for this position, and we do not discriminate on any basis prohibited by applicable law.

What You Will Do

All Our Kin is seeking a highly organized, driven, and skilled leader to join the organization as the Stamford/Norwalk/ Bridgeport Site Director.  The Site Director will lead the implementation and continuation of the AOK Direct Service model at the Stamford/Norwalk and Bridgeport sites according to the strategic growth plan.  We are searching for an enthusiastic team player who is looking to make an impact and is excited about being a part of an effective, growing and dynamic non-profit organization. 

Key responsibilities include:

Strategic Site and Systems Development

• Lead program sites; hire and train staff, implement programs, build relationships with internal and external partners including AOK’s senior leadership and surrounding communities 

• Inform Connecticut landscape analysis completed during All Our Kin strategic planning process 

• Partner with other Site Directors, VP of CT, VP of NY to provide strategic direction for sites and program implementation 

• In partnership with the leadership team, assist to shape the vision for All Our Kin’s growth in the Connecticut Communities we serve 

• In partnership with the VP of CT, identify and cultivate additional partners and resources to support All Our Kin’s work in the region

• Ensure fidelity in programs implemented in the Stamford/Norwalk and Bridgeport areas and provide feedback to All Our Kin’s Leadership Team to continually strengthen our services 

Management and Supervision of Staff

• Hire and manage staff for All Our Kin programs in New Haven, including but not limited to, Family Child Care Tool Kit Licensing Program, Office Assistants, Educational Coaching, and Business Development Program

• Create and support a collaborative team culture committed to All Our Kin's mission and values

• Set performance benchmarks and accountability structures for program outcomes

• Ensure effective team communication using email, team meetings, and other communication methods

• Work collaboratively with the New Haven Early Head Start Director for full site and community alignment 

Mentorship and Educational Leadership

• Guide and mentor staff to meet performance goals and foster a continuous learning environment 

• Observe team members in the field and provide reflective supervision on their practices 

• Work with team members to set clearly defined goals for provider growth and provide strategic direction on how to meet those goals

• Support all staff with professional development including child development, leadership and adult learning

Program Development, Evaluation and Continuous Learning

• Analyze and use data to assess program implementation

• Assess family child care program quality, using research-based observational tools; assess changes in educator skills, knowledge and attitudes; use other metrics as necessary to evaluate impact and effectiveness

• Partner with the Professional Development team to plan and implement provider trainings

• Report program outcomes to All Our Kin's leadership team and partner with them to ensure we are meeting expectations

Policy and Advocacy 

• Partner with the Policy team and the VP of CT to engage with elected officials at all levels of government (community boards, local, citywide, and statewide) to drive AOK’s family child care policy agenda. 

• Develop an advocacy and policy plan and work with the Policy team, VP of CT, senior leaders and staff to implement the plan  

Organizational Leadership

• Participate in AOK’s Leadership Team, Director and other organizational meetings

• Serve in additional leadership roles, as needed, across programs and sites

• Support strategic projects throughout the organization

• Work with Evaluation and Learning team to innovate programs and supports

• Work with Finance Team and VP of CT to review site budgets and assess financial data

• Partner with the Development Team and VP of CT to review grants and potential funding opportunities

• Represent the organization at community coalitions, councils and community events.

• Be prepared to present and engage in public speaking as needed

Who You Are

• Hold deep beliefs in and commitments to

  • Combating systemic racism and injustice 

  • Making high-quality early care and education available to all children

  • Value diversity and demonstrate cultural competency  

  • All Our Kin’s model, especially investing and valuing the unique strengths of family child care educators

• Experienced and able to

  • Have an entrepreneurial spirit and experience launching new initiatives 

  • Be continuously curious, self-correcting and open to new ideas 

  • Experience working in diverse communities

  • Engage in reflective practices and coaching 

  • Value an asset-based approach to change and understand that process requires sensitivity, flexibility, respect and commitment

  • Be able and willing to seek innovative solutions to organizational and programmatic challenges

  • Experience working in Family Child Care 

  • Knowledge of and has connections to New Haven community and landscape

  • Have excellent interpersonal skills

  • Have strong organizational skills and attention to detail, with a demonstrated ability to work independently

  • Have the ability to clearly define strategic issues and make tough decisions

  • Bi-lingual Spanish very beneficial to the role

• Eager to build on

  • 5-8 years of leadership experience 

  • Experience in non-profit and/ or early childhood education sectors

  • Bachelor’s degree or relevant experience

What You Can Expect

All Our Kin is an innovative, high-impact organization that empowers a growing number of family child care providers, children, and families to succeed.  As we scale All Our Kin’s reach, we strive to maintain the collaborative, values-centered environment that is our hallmark and to continually invest in the backbone of our organization:  our talented, mission-driven team.  All Our Kin is an equal opportunity employer and recognizes that diversity and opportunity are fundamental to children’s lives and to our work.

We offer competitive salary and benefits, a flexible schedule, and the opportunity to work with a team of skilled, motivated, and committed professionals.

Some of the benefits we offer to our staff members include, but are not limited to:

• Competitive salary commensurate with experience

• Medical, Dental and Vision Insurance

• Vacation time- Three weeks paid annual vacation as well as federal holidays and a December holiday (typically December 24 – January 1)

• Retirement Plan- All Our Kin offers a 403(b) plan

AOK complies with all CDC, OEC, and ADA COVID guidelines and recommendations for educators, children, families, and employees. Masks are required at All Our Kin’s worksites. Proof of COVID 19 Vaccination or qualifying exemption is required for all new hires before starting. Please feel free to contact the People Development and Equity Department at hr@allourkin.org if you have any questions. 

After a career in business development and venture capital, Joseph W. Williams Jr. took the post of director of operations of the New Haven Equitable Entrepreneurial Ecosystem (NHE3) last year with a mandate to bring much-needed resources to startups and struggling enterprises. Williams is spearheading an effort with the Community Foundation for Greater New Haven to award $7.2 million in grants over the next five years to help minority businesses — specifically companies run by Black people, Hispanics, women and immigrants — survive and thrive. Read more here:

Greater New Haven Coordinated Access Network (GNH CAN) Exit Manager

We Love What Makes You Unique

Your perspective fuels our mission-driven work at United Way of Greater New Haven. We are committed to building a team that is inclusive across race, gender, age, religion, identity, and lived experience. As a team, we are also committed to addressing systemic racism and injustice in our community, our partnerships, and our practices. 

Who We Are Looking For

Do you enjoy managing data, organizing information, and facilitating effective communications between community organizations? Are you the type of person who takes pride in getting the details right and is excited to support a team to reach the goal of ending homelessness in greater New Haven? Are you passionate about using your organizational talents as a force for good in our community?

United Way is seeking a CAN Exit Manager who is passionate and organized to manage the exit side of the homeless system to end homelessness in our region.  This person will facilitate critical meetings, maintain data, and collaborate with multiple partner organizations in the Greater New Haven Coordinated Access Network system, to ensure that progress is continually made towards meeting system goals. Salary for this position is $50,000 to $55,000 a year, commensurate with experience, and includes benefits.

What You Will Do

• Collect and analyze data to monitor system performance and drive improvement.

If that statement gets you excited, keep reading. If not, this position is not for you. This position will maintain accurate lists for households seeking housing support. They will also compile, monitor, and report on data and trends for the CAN, including monitoring data quality. The right candidate will be comfortable and proactive with viewing and analyzing data to provide recommendations for constant system improvement.

• Review, revise, and approve documentation for housing eligibility.

Federally funded housing programs require specific documentation. When a homeless household is added to our region’s active list you will be responsible for collecting and maintaining the threshold of documentation needed. The CAN Exit Manager will be responsible for reviewing documentation in a timely manner, maintaining high quality documentation, and collaborating with CAN partners for revision, when necessary.

• Facilitation and coordination of meetings and training among partners.

The CAN Exit Manager will be responsible for the preparation, facilitation, and follow-up of housing meetings. These meetings are comprised of multiple CAN partners. You will create and distribute the agenda as well as be the neutral facilitator pushing the work forward. You will ensure that CAN policies and procedures are being followed during housing matching with the primary goal of equity delivery of services. You will elevate trends on barriers for clients to access housing and propose solutions. You will create and facilitate training for community partners on current and new processes.

• You will work as part of a team.

You will report to the CAN Senior Manager and meet regularly with the CAN team. You will collaborate with our Marketing team to tell the story of United Way to ensure that our community understands the work and impact of ending homelessness in our community. You will also maintain good working relationships with community, nonprofit and business leaders in the community. And of course, there will be other duties assigned as new needs and coverage present themselves.

What You Need

• Education: bachelor’s degree preferred with at least three+ years of relevant experience OR the equivalent of lived experience in a related field. Knowledge of the challenges and barriers that people who experience homelessness face is preferred.

• Technology Skills: Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Office applications, especially managing and analyzing data in Excel is required. Experience working with various types of databases and content management systems is preferred. Knowledge of CT HMIS is preferred. Ability to develop visual presentations of data/metrics is preferred.
• Communication Skills: Strong communication skills – able to interface with all departments internally and ability to represent United Way in a variety of settings. Demonstrated ability to synthesize material, both verbally and in written form for a broad audience. Able to present information at meetings in a clear and consistent way.

• Partnership Skills: Positive customer-service orientation to both external partners as well as our internal United Way team. Skills to establish and maintain high quality relationships with a variety of stakeholders. Ability to be diplomatic when working with staff from other agencies and clients in crisis.
• Planning Skills: Excellent organization skills and sharp attention to detail. Flexible thinker who can balance systems thinking and on-the-ground implementation. Ability to proactively see what actions are needed, take initiative, and implement projects. Ability to work independently, adjusting to changing priorities is required.
• Facilitation Skills:  Ability to facilitate meetings efficiently and effectively is required. The ability to facilitate meetings effectively while balancing multiple points of view is required.
• Relationship skills: Community minded with high-level active listening skills and the ability to connect with people of different economic and ethnic backgrounds. Ability to balance a variety of perspectives representing all areas of diversity including race, ethnicity, gender, ability, age, sexual orientation, and religious beliefs/faith practices is required.
• Project Management Skills: Ability to take initiative and implement projects. Ability to analyze and exercise sound judgment. A highly motivated and creative out-of-the-box problem solver is required.
• Local and statewide travel is required; Out of state travel as needed.

This position would be hybrid with a minimum of two days working from the office.

About United Way

United Way of Greater New Haven brings people and organizations together to create solutions to Greater New Haven’s most pressing challenges in the areas of Education, Health, and Financial Stability, grounded in racial and social justice. United Way is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

To apply: United Way Of Greater New Haven Inc - Greater New Haven Coordinated Access Network (GNH CAN) Exit Manager Application (paylocity.com)

Red is the color of rage, debt, Communism, Republican, Sedona, love, wombs, blood, warmth, passion, pizza. All of the work in Kathy Kane’s new exhibit of paintings is informed by the color red, and are on view at City Gallery from May 5 - May 28. The Opening Reception on May 6, 2:00 - 5:00 p.m., includes an Artist Talk at 3:30 p.m., and the artist will be in the gallery on Saturday, May 20.

“The color red has been a part of me (or has been following me) all my life. As a child I was often dressed in red. I have a red house, two red cars, and many red furnishings. For me, red is pure joy, its essence,” says Kane.

If you are familiar with Kane’s work, you’ll recognize her use of red, but this show is a full embrasure of its power, wonder, and beauty. Those paintings that are not red work as a counterpoint to this body of work that Kane describes as her “happy place.”

Kane has maintained a studio in Erector Square in New Haven for more than 30 years. She is a member of City Gallery, Guilford Art League, and the Connecticut Watercolor Society, and she has exhibited her work at numerous Connecticut galleries, most recently at River Street Gallery along with Sheila Kaczmarek and Maria Morabito. Kane has traveled nationally displaying her watercolor paintings at juried museum art shows and has won many prizes. Prior to painting full time she had a successful hand-painted clothing business. She resides in East Haven. You can see more of her work at www.kathykaneart.com.

The exhibit is free and open to the public, and runs May 5 - May 28, 2023. City Gallery is located at 994 State Street, New Haven, CT 06511. Gallery hours are Friday - Sunday, 12pm - 4 pm, or by appointment. For further information please contact City Gallery, info@city-gallery.org, www.city-gallery.org.

Good Morning GNH Community!

The application deadline is April 30. Click here for more information.

The 2023 Mutual of America Foundation Community Partnership Award competition is now open, and applications are being accepted through July 1, 2023.  The Community Partnership Award honors the outstanding contributions that nonprofit organizations, in partnership with public, private and other social sector organizations, make to our communities.

Six organizations are selected by an independent committee to receive a Community Partnership Award.

• The Thomas J. Moran Award is given to the national award-winning program and includes $100,000 and a documentary video about the program.
• The Frances R. Hesselbein Award is given to a partnership that is addressing social challenges in more than one community, or which demonstrates the potential to be replicated in other communities. This recipient receives $50,000.
• Four other organizations are named Honorable Mention recipients for their programs, and each receives $50,000.

Applications are being accepted for the 2023 Community Partnership Award competition and I encourage you to apply with this link. To be considered, an organization must show exemplary leadership by facilitating partnerships with public, private or social sector leaders for the benefit of their communities.

Visit the official YouTube channel for the Mutual of America Foundation Community Partnership Award to watch videos of each of the 27 national award-winning programs.

Upcoming Author Events for My Search for Meaning, The Myron Stories

A New Book from Hank Paper, Writer, Photographer, Former Owner of Best Video

Whether fighting an interloping bear in his basement, leading his irascible grandmother on a hair-raising tour of Old Jerusalem, or dreaming of alien body snatchers who may or may not be real, Hank Paper’s new book, My Search for Meaning, The Myron Stories, confronts the unexpected contingencies of life with humor, pathos, and, yes, even some speculative meanings for the reader.

Paper will be reading some of his favorite stories, signing books, and charming the audience with his wit and good humor at a series of upcoming Author Events including:

Thursday, April 27, 7:15 PM
Temple Beth Shalom
1809 Whitney Avenue (across from Best Video), Hamden

Saturday, May 6, 4 PM
The Institute Library
2nd floor of The Institute Library, 847 Chapel Street in the North Square Historic District, New Haven.

Thursday, May 25, 7:30 PM
Atticus Bookstore Cafe

1082 Chapel Street, New Haven.

My Search for Meaning, The Myron Stories is Paper’s first book of short stories, but he is no stranger to the craft. His stories have appeared in numerous literary magazines, including The Sun, Pulpsmith, Portland Monthly Magazine, and New World Writing. His articles have appeared in many newspapers and magazines, including Connecticut Magazine, The San Francisco Examiner and the L.A. Herald Examiner Sunday Magazine. He is also a photographer who, for the last 40 years, has exhibited widely at museums and galleries here and abroad. Both his writing and his photography have been featured in Italy Italy Magazine, Scottish Life, and Hadassah Magazine’s Jerusalem 3000 issue. Paper was the founder and, for 35 years, the owner of nationally renowned Best Video, now the nonprofit Best Video Film and Cultural Center. He was the video columnist for the Meriden-Record Journal, Portland Monthly Magazine, as well as the Journal for the Video Software Dealers of America, and he has given many talks on film, led many film series, and wrote many articles on film.

Paper has often read his stories in New Haven and has been featured numerous times on Connecticut Public Radio. He also spent eight years in Hollywood as a screenwriter, but that’s another story. (Oh wait — that story’s included in this book!)

Copies of My Search for Meaning, The Myron Stories (6x9 paperback, 162 pages, fiction/short stories, $15.00) can be purchased at the events, from Atticus Bookstore (1082 Chapel St, New Haven), from Best Video Film & Cultural Center (1842 Whitney Ave, Hamden) or by visiting www.hankpaper.com.

For artists Meg Bloom and Cyra Levenson, regeneration is the process by which the seen and the experienced becomes art. The exhibit, REGENERATIONS, is a conversation between the two artists, and an exploration of the common language they speak through experiences and image making. It will be on view at City Gallery from March 31 - April 30, with an Opening Reception on Saturday, April 1, 3pm - 5pm.

Meg Bloom is a sculptor, installation and mixed media artist. Finding beauty in the imperfect, acknowledging moments of change, and engaging with the process of transformation form the basis of her work. Her abstract art references nature, whether human or otherwise, often addressing broader social and environmental issues. Her works in this show are handmade paper and kozo fiber sculptures as well as 2D mixed media paintings. 

“As we each experience our surroundings and their visual-emotional-sensual effects, there is an external and an internal dialogue that takes place,” says Bloom. “There is a conscious process —a physical taking in of an experience, acknowledging it, witnessing the change, the deterioration, and then the regeneration, the re-creation, in the form of art.”

Cyra Levenson is an artist and an educator. She believes creativity is a birthright and works to help others believe that too. Her own practice is the recording of an experience of a place or a thing, most often found in nature. Her works in this show were made in response to a week spent in the northernmost town in Iceland on the Arctic Circle called Raufarhöfn. 

“These images were made from a place I didn’t know I was looking for and didn’t want to leave. Losing yourself feels good sometimes. Especially if it's in a tangle of vines, or the ghost of a winter garden, or the warm crater of a very old volcano,” says Levenson. “Meg and I look at things that other people might see as decay and find beauty.”

In that way, REGENERATIONS reflects the experiences of both artists in the (natural) environments of physical, emotional, and family spaces. It’s an exploration of a common language they speak through image making and an appreciation of each other’s unique voices.

The show is free and open to the public, and runs March 31 - April 30, 2023. An Opening Reception will be held on Saturday, April 1, 3pm - 5pm. City Gallery is located at 994 State Street, New Haven, CT 06511. Gallery hours are Friday - Sunday, 1pm - 4 pm, or by appointment. City Gallery follows New Haven City’s mask mandate policy. For further information please contact City Gallery, info@city-gallery.org, www.city-gallery.org.

Cultural stigmas and social taboos make mental health a difficult topic, creating barriers to seeking treatment and leaving communities vulnerable to suffering from mental health issues. Our Latine community is far more likely to face these barriers as well as inadequate access to culturally appropriate treatment.

To address this issue, the Progreso Latino Fund is making grants available to programs and services available to the Greater New Haven Latine community. Learn more and apply here.

AUDRA McDONALD: A Concert for Long Wharf Theatre, will be held on Southern Connecticut State University’s campus and feature a performance by the Emmy, Grammy, and Tony Award-winning artist

Long Wharf Theatre today announced the details of its annual benefit event entitled Audra McDonald: A Concert for Long Wharf Theatre. The event will take place on May 15, 2023 at Southern Connecticut State University’s John Lyman Center for the Performing Arts, as part of the two institutions’ new formalized partnership.

Sponsorships are on sale now on Long Wharf Theatre’s website; performance tickets will
go on sale on April 20.

“I have long admired Long Wharf Theatre and their bold conviction to build a new, inspired vision for regional theatres across the country,” said Audra McDonald. “Long Wharf’s leadership has done the tough work of thinking outside of the box and reimagining what’s possible for artists and audiences alike. I am so eager to return to New Haven and share this moment with the Long Wharf community at such an important stage in their history.”

As a performer and singer, Audra McDonald has won a record-breaking six Tony Awards, in addition to two Grammy Awards and an Emmy Award. In 2015, she was named one of Time magazine’s 100 most influential people and received a National Medal of Arts—America’s highest honor for achievement in the field—from President Barack Obama. On Broadway, McDonald is an accomplished musical, opera and drama performer, with roles in shows such as A Moon for the Misbegotten, 110 in the Shade, Carousel, Ragtime, Master Class, and Porgy and Bess. On television, McDonald has had major roles in series’ including ABC’s Private Practice, The Good Wife and The Good Fight. Her portrayals of Susie Monahan in Wit (2001) and Ruth Younger in A Raisin in the Sun (2008) led to two nominations for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Movie. Audra was also nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Movie and a Screen Actors Guild Award for her role as Billie Holiday in the HBO film Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill (2016). In 2015 McDonald won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Special Class Program after hosting the program Live from Lincoln Center. She is also widely known for her film performances, including roles in Ricki and the Flash (2015), Beauty and the Beast (2017), and Respect (2021). McDonald is a seven-time nominee for the NAACP Image Awards. She previously performed at Long Wharf Theatre’s 2015 benefit event during the company’s 50th Anniversary.

“Audra is a true groundbreaker and we cannot wait to welcome her back to New Haven to help us celebrate this extraordinary moment as we embark on our next chapter,” said Jacob Padrón, Artistic Director, Long Wharf Theatre. “When I think of boundary-breaking artists, I think of Audra McDonald — more than just about anyone. Audra lives our values of artistic innovation and radical inclusion every day. We are truly honored she’s chosen to spend this evening with us. This event will celebrate everything that Long Wharf stands for and we welcome the community to join us and support our bold new works and vision for New Haven.”

This year’s gala comes at a pivotal moment for Long Wharf Theatre, marking the end of its first season in transition beyond the company’s longtime space at Sargent Drive. The event invites patrons, artists, community members and theatre lovers to gather together for an evening of music, socializing, food and drink.

AUDRA McDONALD: A CONCERT FOR LONG WHARF THEATRE will begin with a cocktail hour, silent auction and speeches from institutional leadership. This will be followed by a paddle raise to support Long Wharf Theatre’s vision to bring theatre, without barriers, to spaces and stages across the region. Audra McDonald will then take the stage with a pianist accompaniment to perform a selection of songs. The festivities will include hors d’oeuvres, dinner and drinks, and an after party.

“Since undertaking its new model, Long Wharf Theatre continues to demonstrate leadership in presenting world-class theatre with productions like Live From the Edge and attracting top-tier talent to New Haven like Audra McDonald,” said Adriane Jefferson, Director of Cultural Affairs for the City of New Haven. “More than ever, Long Wharf Theatre is open for business and at the center of New Haven’s cultural revitalization. I so look forward to celebrating with our community at this year’s benefit and appreciate the important role the institution plays in putting New Haven on the map for theatre-lovers nationwide.”

This concert replaces the benefit reading of Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, which was originally announced as part of the 22/23 season lineup; the company looks forward to returning to this piece of Long Wharf Theatre’s legacy in a future season.

In December 2022, Long Wharf Theatre announced the launch of a new partnership with Southern Connecticut State University (SCSU), formalizing a more than thirty year long relationship between the two institutions. This collaboration embodies Long Wharf Theatre’s core pillar of kaleidoscopic community partnerships, and jointly strengthens each institution, both of which have deep roots in Greater New Haven. In addition to SCSU hosting this year’s benefit event, the partnership also includes opportunities to engage the next generation of theatre artists and audiences through the formation of a new paid internship program and special student discounts to Long Wharf Theatre productions.

On April 27, Live From the Edge will open at Space Ballroom in Hamden, and run until May 21. Created by Long Wharf’s Mellon Foundation playwrights-in-residence UNIVERSES (Steven Sapp and Mildred Ruiz-Sapp), the show is the first by the institution since it left its former space on Sargent Drive late last year. In early 2022, Long Wharf Theatre announced the move, reimagining the relationship between artists and audiences by creating theatre, without barriers, in spaces and stages across the region. Over the next few years, the company will produce in-person and virtual programming in partnership with local civic, cultural, and public institutions.

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About Audra McDonald
Audra McDonald is unparalleled in the breadth and versatility of her artistry as both a singer and an actor. The winner of a record-breaking six Tony Awards, two Grammy Awards and an Emmy, in 2015 she received a National Medal of Arts from President Barack Obama and was named one of Time magazine’s 100 most influential people. She won Tonys for her performances in Carousel, Master Class, Ragtime, A Raisin in the Sun, The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess and Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar & Grill, which also served as the vehicle for her Olivier-nominated 2017 West End debut. On television, McDonald won an Emmy as the official host of PBS’s Live From Lincoln Center; she stars as Liz Reddick in The Good Fight on Paramount+ and guest-stars in Julian Fellowes’s historical drama The Gilded Age on HBO and HBO Max. Her film credits include Disney’s live-action Beauty and the Beast and MGM’s 2021 Aretha Franklin biopic, Respect. A Juilliard-trained soprano, McDonald maintains a major career as a Grammy-winning = recording and concert artist. Her latest solo album, Sing Happy, was recorded live with the New York Philharmonic for Decca Gold. A founding member of Black Theatre United, board member of Covenant House International, and prominent advocate for LGBTQAI+ rights, her favorite roles are those performed offstage, as an activist, wife to actor Will Swenson, and mother.

The Lives They Lived, an annual New York Times Magazine feature, is devoted this year to the stories of 12 children killed by gun violence.

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/12/16/insider/gun-violence-children.html

Alexandra Miller, consultant  01/23/2023

Tucked into an unassuming brick building in East Rock, a New Haven startup is fighting to replace the global recycling system. Protein Evolution, founded in 2021, has been quietly developing a new way to recycle plastic. It thinks it can eventually recycle polyester fabrics, rugs and other plastics that end up in overwhelmed landfills. The company says their primary competitor is the recycling system itself....

https://www.ctinsider.com/business/article/new-haven-protein-evolution-plastic-recycling-17827335.php

The Milton Fisher Scholarship Committee is looking for students who are creative problem solvers.  Do you know a high school student who has found a distinctive solution to a problem faced by his/her family, school, community, or the world?  Who has solved an artistic, scientific, or technical problem in a new or unusual way?  Encourage them to apply to the Milton Fisher Scholarship for Innovation and Creativity!

This is a FOUR-YEAR SCHOLARSHIP for up to $20,000 (up to $5,000 per year for four years).  It is open to HIGH SCHOOL JUNIORS AND SENIORS and COLLEGE FRESHMEN in Connecticut and the New York Metropolitan area, as well as students from outside the region going to college in Connecticut or the New York City area.  More information and the online application can be found at mfscholarship.org.  Interested applicants must complete the online application on or before May 5, 2023. 

Questions? Contact info@mfscholarship.org.