West Hartford Jewish Giving Circle Awards Grants To Hartford Program, Israeli Children's Trauma Initiative

WEST HARTFORD, CT — The Lillian Fund, a women's giving circle of the Jewish Community Foundation of Greater Hartford in West Hartford, has awarded two grants to nonprofit organizations supporting women and children in Hartford and Israel.

The grants were presented June 16 during a gathering of Lillian Fund donors, their families, and friends at the Mandell Jewish Community Center.

This year's recipients are House of Bread in Hartford and the Shiloh Israel Children's Fund.

House of Bread received a $5,000 grant to support Learning Together, an educational program designed to improve English language skills, literacy, and socialization for women and children from Hartford's immigrant and refugee community.

The Shiloh Israel Children's Fund received a $10,000 grant for Restoring Childhood, a six-month trauma therapy program serving high-risk Israeli children affected by the psychological impacts of the ongoing war in Israel.

"The Lillian Fund invites women to not only be generous, but to decide together how they want to solve challenges and create the world we want to see," Kathryn Gonnerman, president and CEO of the Jewish Community Foundation of Greater Hartford, said in a statement. "These grants will provide two nonprofit recipients with the funding to tackle tremendous needs and deliver hope to women and children."

The Lillian Fund is led by volunteer co-chairs Corey Glider and Debbie Mehlman, who organize giving opportunities centered on Jewish values.

Founded in 1999, the Lillian Fund supports nonprofit organizations in Greater Hartford and Israel that provide services such as education, domestic violence support, mental health counseling, and job training for women and children.

The Jewish Community Foundation said women who contribute $100 or more to the Lillian Fund become voting members and help determine future grant recipients.