Latino Philanthropy
The Progreso Latino Fund
Help us reach the $250,000 goal!
A Night in San Juan
On June 5th, 2010 the Progreso Latino Fund hosted Noche Bohemia, a fundraising gala honoring community leader and philanthropist, John Soto. Proceeds from the event are being used to increase the size of the endowment and its grantmaking activity to nonprofits serving the Greater New Haven Latino community. A portion will also be used to award a scholarship in honor of Mr. Soto, a well-known advocate of higher education. Thank you to all who attended in support of the Fund and to celebrate Mr. Soto's contributions.
Click here, or on the photo above, to view more Progreso Latino Fund Gala photos.
Special thanks to our event sponsors: Annie E. Casey Foundation, AT&T, Connecticut Health Foundation, Eder Bros., Gateway Community College, NewAlliance Bank, NewAlliance Foundation, Quenneville Roofing, State Farm, Sunset Shores Adult Day Care, United Illuminating Company Foundation, United Way of Greater New Haven, Universal Health Care Foundation of Connecticut, Webster Bank & Yale-New Haven Hospital
Latino Gala Brings San Juan to New Haven - news coverage by the New Haven Independent's Allan Appel
City of New Haven Board of Alderman Official Citation.
Click here to see Fund representatives interviewed on Channel 8's CT Style.
Latino Philanthropy
The Progreso Latino Fund Sponsors Conversation with Gubernatorial Candidates
Despite the rain, nearly 150 people turned out on Oct 4 to hear candidates Dan Malloy (pictured left) and Tom Foley (pictured right) discuss what they would do if they were elected Connecticut’s next Governor. In defining the focus of this forum, the Progreso Latino Fund Steering Committee framed a set of economic issues to explore with the candidates that included the state budget deficit, job creation, education and health care. Immigration, affordable housing and the death penalty were also discussed. Within the time allocated for remarks, each candidate was asked to address the following questions:
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Click here to see
photos from the event
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The State Budget Deficit:
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Given Connecticut’s current fiscal situation, what would the top priorities of the first two years of your administration?
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What are some of the difficult choices you intend to make?
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What kind of long-term tax reform strategies do you think are needed to get Connecticut moving again?
Economic Development, Employment and Health Care:
Connecticut mirrors the national economy in that a significant percentage of working adults have low literacy, limited English proficiency, or lack an educational credential beyond high school. These workers are beyond the reach of the K-12 school system, yet, the future economic competitiveness of Connecticut is dependent on this workforce.
- What will you do to train today’s workforce to meet the future needs of Connecticut employers?
Connecticut’s health care spending is 14% of the state budget. Annually rising insurance premiums are estimated to cost working families 50% of their annual income by as soon as 2016. Layoffs continue to increase the ranks of the uninsured in Connecticut, and small businesses cannot afford to offer their employees adequate, if any, coverage.
- How do you propose to ensure affordable access to quality health care for Connecticut’s working people and small businesses?
Education: Closing the Achievement Gap:
There is a strong correlation between childhood poverty and educational attainment. In 2004, Connecticut became the first state in the nation to legislate a goal for reducing child poverty (a 50% reduction by 2014). Yet, in six years, no significant progress was made to improve economic opportunity for low-income families.
- What specific commitments, if any, are you making to reduce child poverty in Connecticut?
Connecticut has the dubious distinction of having the worst achievement gap in the country. This year, our state failed in two attempts to secure Race to the Top funds that are intended to address this disparity.
- How will your administration implement school reform in Connecticut to close this educational disparity?
Though the candidate’s often differed on
how they would tackle the issues facing Connecticut, both agreed that this is a very important election and urged Connecticut voters to get to the polls November 2. For more information about voting locations in Connecticut,
click here.
Read about the event in the
New Haven Independent &
New Haven Register.
Residents of New Haven, Hamden & West Haven can tune into Citizen’s TV to see the event in its entirety. Visit
www.citizenstv.net for air times.
For more information about the candidates, visit their websites at
www.danmalloy.com and
www.tomfoley2010.com.