This is the first of a two-part series on The Newtown Fund, which is observing its 60th anniversary this year of helping Newtown residents through emergencies. The second part, focusing on the organization’s best-known annual event, will be presented in the issue of November 15, 2019.

The Newtown Fund, Inc is observing its 60th anniversary this year.

The nonprofit organization was created in 1959 — it was formally incorporated on April 19 of that year — by Joseph Chase and the Reverend Paul Cullens, who reportedly felt there should be an emergency fund for residents who needed help and were unable to get it through other channels.

For those who qualify, the fund offers a one-time payment for residents to help pay for food, fuel assistance, utility bills, rent, or medical expenses.

Newtown Fund President Linda Bates says the fund “has always been an emergency fund for the town.

“It was started,” she said this week, “by a couple of men who were just trying to help people who needed help, people who fell through the cracks.”

Ms Bates has been president of The Newtown Fund since 2010. Six decades after the creation of the fund, she and other board members — all volunteers — remain dedicated to serving residents who find their way to the fund after all other avenues have been exhausted.

Anne Ragusa, the fund’s vice president, says that while employees of Newtown Social Services are trained to know resources to help residents, “sometimes problems fall outside the scope of what other entities can cover.”

Newtown Social Services is the first stop residents take when seeking help. Only after all options are explored by that town department does The Newtown Fund get called upon. The town department is the liaison between the resident and the fund.

“Residents do not contact us,” said Ms Bates. “It’s always through Social Services. That’s how we figure out that people truly need help and qualify.”

Newtown Fund Treasurer Sharon Maynard understands that people have a lot of pride, she said last week. They find it very difficult to ask for help and try any other avenue before accepting what they may perceive as a handout.

“But sometimes they’ve exhausted all other sources or their allocations are gone. That’s when we can step in,” she said. “Sometimes we’re the stopgap.”

Newtown Fund officers, she said, do not meet too often. They will convene when a request is received so that action can be taken quickly.

‘Acute Situations’

Residents can find themselves in what Anne Ragusa calls “acute situations” very quickly.

“The loss of a job, medical emergencies that leave someone unable to work, the loss by both spouses of a job” will dramatically change a person’s life, she said. “One emergency, and then maybe you need help paying the mortgage, or rent, or making a car payment.

“You’re making ends meet until the car doesn’t work, and you can’t get to work,” she said. “Things can happen very quickly.”

The fund has also provided tuition for Parks & Rec summer camp programs.

“There are a few families that just can’t afford that payment,” said Ms Ragusa. “Camp is a great opportunity for the kids. If we step in to cover that cost, it also allows the parents to keep working.”

In addition to helping individuals, the fund has over the years provided seed money for other nonprofits. The fund is credited with helping the Town of Newtown hire its first social worker.

It has also contributed to the establishment of both Newtown Youth Services and Family Life Center (which eventually merged into what is now Newtown Youth & Family Services), The Children’s Adventure Center, Newtown Senior Center, and Nunnawauk Meadows.

It has also contributed to the former Masonicare at Newtown (now Newtown Rehabilitation & Health Care Center) and Kevin’s Community Center.

The fund, according to Ms Ragusa, was able to provide funding for equipment for Kevin’s Community Center when the healthcare organization first formed.

“We used to receive more medical-related requests,” she said, “but now with the Affordable Care Act and fewer people without medical insurance, Kevin’s Community Center is able to help them.

“We still see things not covered by insurance, however,” she added.

In addition to Ms Bates, Ms Ragusa, and Ms Maynard, The Newtown Fund’s officers also include Phyllis Zimmer, who serves as secretary. Board members at large currently include Don Brooks, Sharon Cohen, Siobhan Frieary, Alison Kistner, Carolyn Mandarano, Pat Marlin, Natalie Reed, Donna Tomasko, and Jacqueline Watson.

A longtime Newtown resident, Mr Brooks has been a member of the fund’s board for a few years. He is impressed, he said, at what continues to be done by a small group of people.

“To me, this is one of the most outstanding, working, charitable organizations in town,” Mr Brooks said October 28. “They don’t toot their horn much, but that officers’ group gets things done.”

Driven By Donations

The Newtown Fund operates solely through donations from individuals, groups, and businesses. The organization has very low overhead. Its only costs are postage and paper for occasional mailings. It does not host special events.

All funds raised are spent in Newtown.

Sharon Maynard said donations often follow a special event, like a birthday or wedding.

“People will ask their guests for donations for us in lieu of gifts,” she said.

Organizations in town will often donate or host special fundraisers. Newtown United has, for nearly 20 years, Ms Ragusa said, created and then sold what they call Boo Boxes — decorated Halloween boxes filled with small treats and toys — in order to raise funds for The Newtown Fund.

Newtown Lions Club, Newtown Savings Bank, and Taunton Press, among others, have also consistently supported the fund, according to its vice president.

Ms Bates said people will often include the fund in their estate planning or will donate in memory of someone.

Donations often arrive, according to Ms Maynard, at the end of the calendar year.

“Some people make a point of donating to us at year-end, probably while doing their taxes,” she said.

Some donations are earmarked for the holidays, according to Ms Ragusa, while others are left for the board to use at its discretion.

In August 2018, the fund issued a summer appeal, marking one of the first times the organization was heard from publicly at a time other than the holidays. Last month, members participated in the Newtown Health Fair.

“That was our way of reminding everyone that we’re here always, not just Christmas,” Ms Maynard said.

While it has a steady history of helping Newtown residents throughout the year, the organization is best known for its Holiday Basket Program centered around Depot Day. On one Saturday each December, Newtown Fund board members are joined by dozens of community volunteers to collect donated gifts, household goods, food, and other items at a central point. Everything is organized and then distributed among families, couples, and individuals who have qualified for the program through Newtown Social Services.

(Part two of this series will take a closer look at Depot Day.)

The toughest obstacle in recent years for the organization, according to its president, is name recognition.

“The name is the toughest thing to overcome,” Ms Bates said. “So many people don’t realize that we’ve been around for decades.”

In the wake of 12/14, many new organizations were created, she pointed out, with similar names.

“I mean nothing disparaging against any of those groups,” she added. “It’s just confusing for people sometimes to remember which group is which.”

Anne Ragusa agreed.

“We worry that people will get us confused,” she said. “We have been here 60 years, and we still have an identity crisis.”

The Newtown Fund is a 501(c)(3) organization, so donations are tax-deductible. Donations are accepted year-round. They can be sent to The Newtown Fund, PO Box 641, Newtown CT 06470-0641, or done online at thenewtownfund.org.

In addition, The Newtown Fund is a partner with Amazon Smile. When purchases are made through smile.amazon.com, if shoppers select The Newtown Fund, Amazon donates 0.5 percent of the purchase price of an order to the Newtown-based organization.

Sixty years after its creation, The Newtown Fund’s mission remains the same: to help those who need a hand. If the need is still so strong in 2019, Newtown is not, said Sharon Maynard, “as wealthy a community as many people think.”

On the other hand, residents are willing to help those less fortunate.

“We have always been about community helping community,” Ms Maynard said. “It’s giving people a leg up to help themselves.

“We don’t fix the problems,” she added. “We give them a hand so that they can help themselves and their family.”

Visit thenewtownfund.org, call 203-491-7586, or send e-mail to newtownfund@gmail.com to learn more about the fund or to make a donation. Residents who may need assistance from The Newtown Fund must first work with Newtown Social Services. Located within Town Hall South at 3 Main Street, the department can be reached at 203-270-4330.