Hartford Foundation for Public Giving and WNPR Bring “Words to Give By” Stories From the Community to Radio and Online Channels

Every Wednesday through November 11, 2015, stories from recording sessions in the community-wide storytelling project, Words to Give By, will air on WNPR each Wednesday at 3:04pm before the Faith Middleton Show and they will also be available online at WordsToGiveBy.org.

As part of the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving’s 90th anniversary celebration, the Hartford Foundation collaborated with WNPR, Connecticut Public Radio, to launch Words to Give By. Over the course of six weeks during the winter, WNPR recorded stories of everyday generosity directly from the community.

A total of 149 recording sessions took place at 16 locations throughout central Connecticut. Co-hosts for the recording locations included the Hartford Public Library, Roaring Brook Nature Center, the Little Theatre of Manchester at Cheney Hall, Connecticut Radio Information System (CRIS), and town libraries.

Each location allowed the Hartford Foundation and WNPR to reach a diverse group of participants. Each participant was asked to tell of a personal act of kindness during a 20-30 minute interview with WNPR producers. Stories range from the big – recovering from brain surgery – to the small – thanking a friend for a small act of kindness.

The production efforts were extensive, with the Hartford Foundation and WNPR teams spending nearly 200 hours in the community. Somehow the teams weathered the tough Connecticut winter and even had a successful recording session during a power outage in Hebron.

If generosity was a theme for the stories, it also became a daily occurrence during the entire project. From the location partners who opened their doors (and kept them open for sometimes more than 12 hours) to the participants who trusted WNPR producers with very personal stories, Words to Give By allowed the Hartford Foundation and WNPR to receive community support that exceeded expectations and made this project possible.

About The Hartford Foundation for Public Giving

The Hartford Foundation for Public Giving is the community foundation for Hartford and 28 surrounding communities. In 2015, the Foundation celebrates 90 years of grantmaking in the Greater Hartford region, made possible by the gifts of generous individuals, families and organizations. It has awarded grants of more than $600 million since its founding in 1925. For more information about the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving, visit www.hfpg.org or call 860-548-1888.

About WNPR

WNPR is an affiliate of National Public Radio, Public Radio International and American Public Media. As part of the Connecticut Public Broadcasting Network (CBPN), WNPR serves 276,000 listeners weekly in Connecticut, New York and Rhode Island with news and information. WNPR has also been the recipient of many esteemed awards, including two George Foster Peabody Awards, five Ohio State Awards, two Gracie Allen Awards and over 50 Associated Press Awards, including eight Mark Twain Awards for Overall Station Excellence. WNPR’s award-winning local programming lineup includes The Faith Middleton Show, Where We Live and The Colin McEnroe Show. Overall, the network brings a broad spectrum of public affairs, entertainment, sports and educational programming to viewers, listeners and readers. CPBN also includes CPTV, a media service that is a locally and nationally recognized producer and presenter of quality public television programming, including original documentaries and educational programming. CPTV offers 11.5 hours of positive, nurturing children’s programs each weekday, reaching 450,000 households each week. CPBN also includes two affiliate channels: CPTV4U, a 24/7 television channel featuring award-winning drama, news and talk programming, concert performances, independent films, nature shows, British comedy and more; and CPTV Sports, Connecticut’s only 24-hour local sports network, covering statewide high school, college, semi-professional and professional sports. CPBN also houses the Learning Lab, home to the Journalism & Media Academy Magnet School satellite campus and the Institute for Advanced Media, which includes the Veterans Vocational Training Program. For more information, visit WNPR.org or WordsToGiveBy.org.