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We are proud of our long history of support of various religious, cultural, civic, political and charitable organizations throughout the state. In addition to financial support, our principals, associates and staff are active members of such organizations, devoting time, energy, enthusiasm and expertise to each. Below is listing of a few of the organizations we actively support:
Read to Grow
Read to Grow was first established as the Books for Babies Fund in 1998 through the Community Foundation for Greater New Haven. It later incorporated as Read to Grow in 2000. Yale New Haven Hospital became its first partner with Hospital of Saint Raphael joining in 1999, with Lawrence and Memorial Hospital in New London joining in 2001. In 2003, the firm was pleased to be at the forefront of launching Read to Grow at St. Francis Hospital and Medical Center in Hartford. Employees at the firm continue to support this activity (now in their third year) by gathering new and gently used books, and volunteering their time to deliver literacy packets and new books to parents and their new born infants.
Since its inception, over 100,000 new and gently used books have been distributed through the Read to Grow programs to children throughout the state.
Programs:
Books for Babies program involves parents, health care professionals, local volunteer groups, and community sponsors in bringing a literacy information packet and a new book to new parents to read to their infants. By encouraging parents to read to their newborns from birth, the “Books for Babies” program helps parents understand the important role they play in the development of their children. The “Books for Babies” program is currently in place at Yale-New Haven Children’s Hospital and The Hospital of Saint Francis Hospital and Medical Center in Hartford, Saint Raphael in New Haven and Lawrence & Memorial Hospital in New London.
Books for Kids program collects and distributes over 30,000 new and gently used books annually to children through healthcare centers, schools, community organizations and other similar entities. Read To Grow facilitates book drives with these organizations, as well as individuals and businesses and then matches the books with programs that serve children.
Connecticut Library Hotline 1-877-240-5404 is a toll free number that provides location, directions, phone numbers, and program information on all Connecticut public libraries.
Motheread/Fatheread is a program designed to promote family literacy through class lessons involving the family learning together. The curriculum for this program is specifically designed to stimulate highly engaging literature and discussion classes for both adults and children.
For additional information on Read to Grow programs and volunteer opportunities, you may contact the Firm's Read to Grow Coordinator, Deneen Seifel, at 860-548-2660, dseifel@uks.com, or log onto the Read to Grow website at www.readtogrow.com
My Sisters' Place
My Sisters' Place (MSP), a non-profit organization established in 1982 and located in Hartford, provides support and development opportunities for approximately 600 homeless mothers and children each year. Darlene Adler and the employees of Updike, Kelly & Spellacy, P.C. have been actively engaged in MSP's causes through various volunteer initiatives such as supporting fundraising events, coordinating baby clothes and baby formula donations, as well as women's clothing donations and participating in landscaping and clean-up activities. The employees of our firm believe in supporting our communities in an effort to make a difference.
Gifts of Love
The firm and its employees have been strong supporters of Gifts of Love since the foundation of this charity 15 years ago. The mission of Gifts of Love is to help meet the basic needs of individuals and families experiencing a temporary financial crisis so they can achieve or maintain self-sufficiency. Gifts of Love has directly touched the lives of thousands of people in the Greater Hartford area, including residents of over 30 Connecticut towns.
Annually, our employees collect and deliver Easter dinners, Easter baskets, back to school backpacks, Thanksgiving dinners and Christmas dinners as well as holiday gifts for families who would otherwise not be able to afford these luxuries.
Of course, there is something in this for us as well. It gives us the opportunity to get together as a "family" to organize, purchase, wrap and deliver happiness to others, making our bond with each other as a team even stronger. One of our greatest rewards occurred one year during a Christmas delivery. A stranger stopped us to say "thank you" for taking care of his neighbor who was in desperate need. He said "If not for you, they would not have had a Christmas this year".
Coordinating Council for Children in Crisis, Inc.
Coordinating Council for Children in Crisis, Inc., ("CCCC"), is a private, nonprofit organization with a mission to prevent child abuse, neglect and victimization across the life span and to serve those affected through home visiting, parenting education, counseling and advocacy. CCCC was the first agency in Connecticut to develop a domestic violence program in the context of child abuse prevention. The program was recognized by the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges in Family Violence: Emerging Programs for Battered Mothers and Their Children. CCCC has the only program in Connecticut funded by the Connecticut Department of Developmental Services to provide specialized services to parents with a psychiatric disability. CCCC collaborates with other organizations to provide coordinated multidisciplinary services to families. All of its services are home-based, available in English and Spanish and most services are free of charge.
The Lutz Children's Museum
The Lutz Children's Museum is a non-profit organization located in Manchester. We offer hands-on exhibits, live animals, classes, concerts, trips and special events for children aged two to ten. We also have an extensive school outreach program and are responsible for the operation of a fifty-two acre nature center located nearby. You can find more at our website ( www.lutzmuseum.org).
Hazel P. Lutz was a Manchester art teacher. She carried artifacts in the trunk of her car to share with students at various schools. The museum was founded in 1953 with the assistance of the PTA. Initially located in a school basement, in 1960 the Manchester Board of Education offered the historic Cheney Schoolhouse as our first home. We moved again in 1982 to our current building, the former South School.
We continue to enjoy a close working relationship with the Manchester Board of Education, but now we also serve twenty-eight other school districts. Over 35,000 people visit the museum each year from all parts of Connecticut and beyond.
The museum is governed by an all-volunteer board elected by the museum members. An Executive Director serves at the pleasure of the board and is responsible for the daily operation of the museum. It takes a staff of ten museum professionals and over one hundred volunteers to operate the museum and deliver a wide range of quality educational programs and services.
Cherish the Children Foundation
Improving the quality of children’s lives, one child at a time remains the dream of the Cherish the Children Foundation ("CTCF"). CTCF's mission is to provide a responsive and direct resource to children in need so they have the opportunity to achieve their greatest potential.
The Cherish the Children Foundation is an all volunteer organization that actively reaches out to fulfill the needs of Connecticut’s children and their families. The children and families CTCF helps do not meet the funding criteria of traditional resources. Often the families have exhausted the resources of their medical insurance provider, and are facing financial hardships to provide their children with necessary medical equipment and other supplies to improve the quality of their lives.
Unlike many nonprofit organizations with expenses for salaries, rent and utilities, CTCF is a 100% volunteer based organization made up of a dedicated board of directors, an army of enthusiastic volunteers, and generous donors, all of whom have identified CTCF as their charity of choice. With your help, we are fulfilling our dream, improving the quality of children's lives, one child at a time.
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