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Wistariahurst Museum Awarded $25,000 in Smart Giving Challenge Springfield, December 14, 2007 The Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts presented Wisatriahurst Museum in Holyoke with an unrestricted award of $25,000 in recognition for being selected to win the 2007 Smart Giving Challenge. The Challenge began at the Foundation’s Annual Meeting in October when 10 individuals were randomly chosen to direct a $1,500 gift to their favorite charity, courtesy of two anonymous donors. The charities then had the option to participate in our Smart Giving Challenge and compete for a $25,000 bonus grant. All ten organizations chose to participate. They had only five weeks to devise, implement and document how their organization made the most creative, smart and effective use of the original $1,500 gift. A committee of five foundation volunteers reviewed the submissions and selected Wistariahurst as the winner. Wistariahurst used the original gift of $1,500 to create a project called Bridging Generations: Shared Stories – a series of youth and elder oral histories. The Museum collaborated on this project with students from South Hadley and Holyoke High Schools, The Boys and Girls Club of Greater Holyoke, Enchanted Circle Theater, interns from Mt Holyoke and UMASS, and the Loomis Communities. The ten participating charities in this challenge were: The Community Music School of Springfield, Junior Achievement, Longmeadow Educational Excellence Foundation, MAB Community Services, Noble Health Systems, Square One, The Children’s Study Home, Thom Springfield Infant Toddler Services, Westfield Atheaeneum and Wistariahurst Museum Association Charities. The ten randomly selected donors who made their smart gifts were: Donald Blair, Mr. and Mrs. William Carter, Jeannie Connor, Carol Constant, Peter Greenberg, Teresa Harris, Todd Lever, Judy Paroline, Marie Peirent and Barbara Salisbury.
From left to right: Laurie Millman - Boys and Girls Club of Greater Holyoke, |
