A New Chapter in Fairfield County’s History

Dear Friends,

The start of 2022 marks the beginning of a pivotal and exciting year at the Community Foundation.

In the months ahead, we’ll celebrate our 30th anniversary and embark on a bold new effort to close Fairfield County’s opportunity gap.

We believe everyone who calls Fairfield County home deserves an opportunity to have a bright future. And while we cannot expect to achieve this ambitious vision in 2022, we know we must approach our work differently to get there.

This evolved approach begins with listening. During the past year — and, really, throughout the pandemic — we have spent a lot of time doing just that.

We’ve listened closely to nonprofits that are working in every corner of our county to meet the immediate needs created by COVID-19 and search for longer-term solutions to systemic problems.

We’ve listened to community, business, government leaders, and donors to understand their needs and priorities, with the goal of developing powerful partnerships and bringing new perspectives to the table.

We’ve also listened to those whose voices have been traditionally left out — immigrants, youth, and many others who are critical to our collective future. We know we need to do more of this moving forward — and in 2022, we’ll continue this process.

This includes working with our nonprofit partner DataHaven on two significant projects.

The first is an update to the Fairfield County Community Wellbeing Index to understand the complex issues facing our communities, how COVID-19 has changed Fairfield County, and where we are heading.

DataHaven will also work with the Community Foundation for a first-of-its-kind look at Fairfield County’s immigrant population to help our community learn about their experiences and challenges. We see this as an opportunity to build trust among our immigrant population and identify strategies for providing support and opportunity.

I invite you to read on to learn more about what’s coming up in the months ahead — including information about Fairfield County’s Giving Day, our annual Fund for Women & Girls Luncheon, and much more.

With gratitude,

Juanita T. James
President & CEO