The New American Dream Foundation Inc

THE NEW AMERICAN DREAM FOUNDATION, INC (TNADF) HAVE SINCE 2015 PRESENTED THE AMERICAN DREAM AWARDS TO 22 STUDENTS OF THE YEAR, 5 PERSONS OF THE YEAR, 5 VETERANS OF THE YEAR, AND 2 NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS. THAT REPRESENTS A TOTAL OF $71,000 IN SCHOLARSHIPS AND FINANCIAL INCENTIVES THAT WERE ONLY POSSIBLE TO BE ACHIEVED WITH THE CONTINUOUS COMMITMENT AND SUPPORT OF EACH ONE OF OUR SPONSORS/DONORS. THE AMERICAN DREAM AWARDS GALA, WHICH IS THE MAIN FUND RAISING FOR THE TNADF. IT ALSO RAISES FUNDS TO BENEFIT NUVANCE HEALTH (DANBURY HOSPITAL). FOR THE PAST SIX YEARS, TNADF HAS WORKED WITH LOCAL VENUES TO KEEP FOOD COST FOR THE GALA DOWN TO ALLOW MORE FUNDS TO BE DONATED TO HELP SUBSIDIZE PART OF THE COST OF MISSION HEALTH DAY-A DAY OF WELLNESS PROVIDED BY A PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN DANBURY HOSPITAL AND WESTERN CT STATE UNIVERSITY TO OFFER FREE HEALTH CARE TREATMENT TO THE LOCAL UNDER AND UNINSURED POPULATION. EVEN THOUGH THE MISSION HEALTH DAY WAS CANCELLED IN 2021 DUE TO THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC, TNADF DECIDED TO INCREASE THE ANNUAL DONATION TO $15,000 TO SUPPORT THE FOLLOWING PROGRAMS: DONATION OF $7,500 TO CONTINUED EDUCATION OF NUVANCE'S STAFF, TO SUPPORT THE STAFF'S ATTENDANCE AT CONFERENCES (IN-PERSON OR VIRTUALLY) AND OTHER EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES RELATED TO COVID-19. DONATION OF $7,500 TO ASSIST THE HOSPITAL'S EMPLOYEE MORALE EFFORTS, AND SELF-ESTEEM LETTING THEM KNOW THAT THE COMMUNITY CARES ABOUT THEIR DEDICATION AND EFFORTS, DURING THIS CHALLENGING TIME, PROVIDING FUNDS TO BRING ICE CREAM TRUCKS TO CAMPUS, PIZZA PARTIES, AND MORE TO THE STAFF WHO CONTINUE TO TREAT COVID PATIENTS. IN 2022, TNADF DONATED $10,000 TO NUVANCE. SO FAR, TNADF'S GALA HAS RAISED $99,800 JUST FOR THE DANBURY HOSPITAL/NUVANCE HEALTH. TNADF HAS DONATED $11,250 TO WESTERN CONNECTICUT REGIONAL ADULT AND CONTINUING EDUCATION (WERACE), A REGIONAL PROGRAM THAT PROVIDES FREE STATE MANDATED ADULT EDUCATION SERVICES TO ADULTS 17 YEARS OF AGE AND OLDER TO STRENGTHEN WERACE'S CAPACITY TO SERVE MORE MEMBERS OF OUR COMMUNITY, BY PROVIDING FINANCIAL SUPPORT TO OFFSET THE COSTS OF THEIR ESL INSTRUCTION AND CITIZENSHIP CLASSES. BETWEEN SCHOLARSHIPS, FINANCIAL INCENTIVES, WERACE'S AND THE HOSPITAL FUNDS, TNADF HAS DONATED $182,050 SINCE THE EVENT'S INCEPTION. CONSIDERING THE IMPACT THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC HAS HAD ON FAMILIES IN THE DANBURY AREA, IN APRIL OF 2020, THE NEW AMERICAN DREAM FOUNDATION (TNADF) POSTPONED ITS ANNUAL SCHOLARSHIP GALA. TNADF PLACED ALL ITS EFFORTS ON SUPPORTING THE COMMUNITY'S IMMEDIATE NEEDS AS WE FIGHT THE VIRUS THROUGH THE CREATION OF ITS TNADF COVID-19 HOT MEAL PROGRAM. SINCE THE START OF THE PANDEMIC IN 2020, THE PROGRAM HAS SERVED CHILDREN AND FAMILIES AND SENIORS IN DANBURY WITH NEARLY 33,000 MEALS PURCHASED AT COST FROM THE AMBER ROOM COLONNADE, THE OFFICIAL VENUE FOR ITS ANNUAL GALA. AS THE FOUNDATION SHIFTED THE FOCUS OF THE MEAL'S PROGRAM TO SUPPORT OLDER ADULTS AND SPECIAL NEEDS ADULTS LIVING IN THE DANBURY AREA, IT CONTINUED PROVIDING 650 MONTHLY MEALS WHICH ARE DELIVERED TO EIGHT (8) LOCAL SENIOR FACILITIES. TNADF RAISED OVER $179,000 THROUGH SMALL ONLINE CONTRIBUTIONS FROM INDIVIDUALS AND GRANTS FROM LOCAL AND GLOBAL CORPORATIONS AND FOUNDATIONS SUCH AS ROBYDODD FAMILY CHARITABLE FOUNDATION INC, UNION SAVINGS BANK, SAVINGS BANK OF DANBURY,LINDE, THE UNITED WAY OF WESTERN CT, TUFTS HEALTH PLAN FOUNDATION, CT HEALTH FOUNDATION, GREGORY BRIAN BUTLER AND THEMIS KLARIDES, GENERAL MOTORS COMPANY, RIZZO COMPANIES, ALLSTATE,, AMONG MANY OTHERS. IN DANBURY, 10.9 PERCENT OF OLDER ADULTS ARE FOOD INSECURE, A UNIVERSITY OF CONNECTICUT REPORT HAS FOUND. ACCORDING TO THE UNITED WAY, IN PARTS OF THE CITY, FOOD INSECURITY AMOUNG OLDER ADULTS IS AS HIGH AS 30 PERCENT, WHICH BELIEVES THESE FIGURES LIKELY INCREASED DUE TO THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC. TNADF'S HOT MEAL PROGRAM HAS BRIDGED A GAP BETWEEN HOMEBOUND SENIORS SERVED BY MEALS-ON-WHEELS AND THOSE WHO CAN PREPARE THEIR MEALS AND FIND RELIEF IN RECEIVING GROCERIES. ON DECEMBER 31, 2020, STATE FUNDING WAS CUT FOR THE LOCAL SENIOR CENTER'S CONGREGATE MEALS PROGRAMS TO FOCUS ON HOMEBOUND SENIORS. UNFORTUNATELY, WITH THE STATE CUTS, 52 SENIORS IN DANBURY AND BETHEL WERE LEFT WITHOUT SUPPORT. TNADF SUPPORTED THE DANBURY SENIOR CENTER AND THE BETHEL SENIOR CENTER WITH EMERGENCY MEALS DUE TO THE ABOVE-MENTIONED STATE CUTS. AS THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC CONTINUES TO IMPACT CONNECTICUT, MANY OLDER RESIDENTS AROUND THE STATE ARE FEELING SCARED, CONFUSED, AND ISOLATED. TNADF HOT MEAL PROGRAM PROVIDES HOPE, A WARM MEAL, AND SAFE HUMAN CONTACT TO THE MOST VULNERABLE SENIORS IN OUR COMMUNITY. THROUGH THIS PROGRAM, COMMUNITY MEMBERS CAN VOLUNTEER AND GIVE BACK TO THE DESCENDANTS OF THE PREVIOUS IMMIGRANTS, ON WHOSE SHOULDERS EVERY NEW COMMUNITY STANDS. TO BE ABLE TO CONTINUE CATERING TO 650 SENIORS LIVING IN TAX-CREDIT COMMUNITIES IN DANBURY, TNADF APPLIED AND WAS GRANTED ITS FIRST CONGRESSIONAL FEDERAL GRANT OF $50,000 FROM THE U.S. ADMINISTRATION FOR COMMUNITY LIVING, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, WASHINGTON,D.C., 20201. THAT GRANT WILL PARTIALLY HELP TOWARD PURCHASING THE HOT MEALS FROM SEPTEMBER 2022 THROUGH AUGUST 2023. AT THE 2022 AMERICAN DREAM AWARDS, TNADF ANNOUNCED A NEW INITIATIVE-THE CREATION OF THE NEW AMERICAN DREAM CENTER. THE CENTER WILL BE AN IN-PERSON RESOURCE CNTER TO GUIDE AND SUPPORT NEW IMMIGRANTS WHO DREAM OF BECOMING AMERICAN CITIZENS IN DANBURY. THE CENTER IS SET TO OPEN IN 2023, AND IT WILL RUN TWO PROGAMS - NEWCOMERS AND NEW AMERICANS.