Grantees Share Success Stories at VCF Annual Reception

Good news about the Valley

At VCF's 2019 Annual Reception, several grant impact stories were shared with donors, community leaders and VCF supporters, including:


Junior Achievement Life Prep Initiative

Junior Achievement (JA) of Greater Fairfield County is implementing a three-year plan that provides knowledge, tools and inspiration to help at-risk students become prepared for career and life success, expanding future possibilities for themselves, their families, and ultimately the community at large.

Children who struggle with life, struggle in school. At-risk students who struggle in school have a dramatically higher potential to drop out. Young adults who have dropped out of high school are three times more likely to be unemployed and are educationally ineligible for 65% of jobs. They will earn a quarter of a million dollars less in their working lifetime than high school graduates.

JA's Life Prep Initiative is designed to help close the achievement gap and introduce important real-world topics to students in a way that traditional education does not. JA offers a distinct method of empowering youth to own their future success working through collaborative relationships with educators, local businesses, and the community at large, connecting classroom learning to real world application.

Watch JA describe its project at the Annual Reception

Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Bust Project

The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Bust Committee was created to honor his memory in the Valley. Its mission is to memorialize the transformative legacy of Rev. Dr. King, Jr. and to inspire, educate, and influence Valley communities with love, equity, justice, and compassion for all residents.

This bust of Rev. Dr. King, Jr. is the first to be installed in the Valley and is one of only two busts in Connecticut.
The Committee aims to engage Valley public schools, municipalities, and communities to ensure and develop ongoing learning and community engagement opportunities for regional youth and residents to participate in an annual Unity in the Community celebration.

Watch TEAM President talk about the MLK Bust Project