Carson Family Donates $550,000 to Berkshire Taconic to Help Rural Families in Need
May 16, 2007
Great Barrington, MA – Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation today announced that the Carson Family Charitable Trust will donate $550,000 over the next five years to its Northeast Dutchess Fund (NED) for programs addressing specific needs of low-income and immigrant families in northeast Dutchess County.
“We wanted to address some of the broader, underlying issues faced by the working poor in this region,” said Russ Carson. “By partnering with Berkshire Taconic and NED, we were able to take advantage of their unsurpassed local knowledge and resources to identify the best way to do so.”
The Carson family approached Berkshire Taconic and NED, challenging them to identify or create programs that would have significant region-wide benefits for disadvantaged families. Based on research conducted by NED, the Carson Family agreed to support two programs: a new “mobile social service agency” for Amenia, Clinton Corners, Millbrook, Millerton, Pine Plains and Stanford, and the Latino Outreach program of Grace Church in Millbrook.
“This is exactly what Berkshire Taconic is about – working with a donor’s dream and turning it into a tangible program,” said Jennifer Dowley, president of Berkshire Taconic. “NED, in consultation with community leaders, developed a program that would make the real difference that they envisioned.”
The new program, NED CORPS, will provide two bilingual case workers who will meet with clients at offices located in each of the six towns or at clients’ homes. They will connect clients with social services, helping them gain access to health insurance for children, translation assistance, emergency relief, free prescription drugs, food, shelter, mental health programs and other services and programs. NED has contracted with the Community Action Partnership of Dutchess County (CAP) to administer NED CORPS. The grant to Grace Church for the Latino Outreach program will allow an experienced community specialist to spend more time in the area.
“The Carson family’s donation gave us a wonderful opportunity to think big,” said Nancy Stahl, chair of NED. “And thanks to their generosity, NED can address this regional challenge while continuing regular grantmaking to a range of services and projects provided by other nonprofit organizations.”
The Northeast Dutchess Fund is one of Berkshire Taconic’s eleven area funds. It supports projects and services that improve the quality of life for residents of Amenia, Clinton Corners, Dover Plains, Millbrook, Millerton, North East, Pine Plains, Stanford, Washington, Wassaic or Wingdale. NED was established in 2002 as a permanently endowed fund and is managed by Berkshire Taconic.
Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation is a nonprofit organization that cultivates philanthropy in ways that have a direct positive impact in Berkshire County, MA; Columbia County and northeast Dutchess County, NY; and northwest Litchfield County, CT. For more information, please contact Berkshire Taconic at 271 Main Street, Suite 3, Great Barrington, MA, 800-969-2823, info@berkshiretaconic.org or visit www.berkshiretaconic.org.
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