Julia, a young mother with two sons, was introduced to Prudence Crandall Center (PCC) when she found herself in a dangerous situation with her abuser and was in search of a safe place to stay. After years of physical, emotional, and financial abuse, Julia decided to call the domestic violence hotline. She was immediately provided crisis intervention counseling and given a place to stay in PCC's shelter. Her family's first night in the shelter was the first time Julia had felt at ease. With the support of PCC staff, Julia and her family were comfortable and safe. It was the start of a new beginning. 

From the start, PCC staff collaborated on a comprehensive safety plan for Julia and her sons. Julia was connected with our court advocates to file a restraining order against her abuser for immediate safety. To help process the trauma she endured, Julia was also referred to PCC's counseling services, and throughout the winter, took the time she needed to heal and move forward.  

Mehtap is an LVCC student who lives in Southington with her husband and three children. She moved to the US from Turkey 12 years ago and is now a US citizen. With her tutor's help, Mehtap has made tremendous strides not only towards improving her English skills, but also towards improving her life, supporting her family and becoming more involved in her community. 

Mehtap currently works as a lunch aid in a local school, so her tutor has helped her to prepare for food safety certification exams. Her English lessons have also helped her to become more independent and involved in her community; she is now capable of using services in the community including the bank, medical facilities, and the library. She recently got a library card, which will enable her to continue learning and reading outside of class. 

This fall, MGCDC will begin their school year with 45 enrolled families. As enrollment orientations begin for new families, the benefit that MGCDC serves to the community is evident when they tell the family what their weekly rate will be, based upon income and family size. Families cannot bel​​​​​​​ieve that they are able to send their child to a high quality preschool for such a low cost compared with other centers in the area. When one family learned their weekly rate​​​​​​​ would be $130 a week, the parents were overjoyed that their weekly childcare bill​​​​​​​would be cut in half. "I'll be able to pay the electric bill on time!" was a direct quote as to how these savings ​​​​​​​would impact their family.

"The YMCA has made such a difference in all three of my children. I am a single mom of three children, with a 5-year-old boy, 7-year-old girl, and an almost 6-year-old boy. I have had the best experience with all staff involved when setting my children up with morning care so I can go to work. With my oldest being 15 now, there was a time when he too was in morning care at school… Every morning we are all greeted with smiling staff faces and they too are ready to start their day, to be the best help for my children in such the early hours. Thank you to the morning staff crew of the YMCA, you allow my children to have a great start to a long school day ahead of them. Thank you for your help with their last minute reading homework and for making sure they collect all their belongings when school starts. You have made my life easier, you have made my day better, knowing my children are safe, and cared for. My little ones have a lot of fun too with you all, it’s a fun time before they have to sit a little more still, and be a little bit quieter, once school starts. Thank you again to all who have been involved in setting my children up, with my days needed, hours needed, so I can be the best mom I can be. It truly takes a village!”

Peggy, who has been a member of our services since 2015, has needed medical transportation to physical therapy, procedure drop-offs/pick-ups, and to see specialists. She is 80 years old and lives alone, and for her to get to her out-of-town medical appointments was difficult, prior to our services. In March of this year, Peggy needed to see a spine specialist in Westport, CT, for a consultation. Although Westport is out of our transportation range, STS was fortunate enough to have a volunteer driver willing to go the extra miles to get Peggy to her appointment. Peggy did have another transportation service she was ready to use, but then informed us that this secondary service would have cost her $384 round trip to attend this consultation. With our services, the fee for transportation totaled to be $110, a drastic difference in price. Fortunately, STS is partially funded by the United Way of Southington via the Barnes Memorial Trust at the Community Foundation of Greater New Britain, which fully covers Membership Fees and Ride Fees for all Southington residents- meaning Peggy was able to meet with her specialist free of charge.

This past fiscal year presented significant challenges in maintaining sufficient
food supplies for the residents of Southington. Southington Community Services noted an 18% surge in the demand for essential food items. The escalating food costs made ensuring that our most vulnerable community members received proper nutrition exceedingly difficult. With the entire amount of funds provided by the United Way of Southington, Southington Community Services could fulfill every resident's needs, which encompassed the provision of fresh vegetables, meat, grains, milk, and eggs.