With Return of Words To Give By, Greater Hartford Residents Can Once Again Share Stories of Everyday Generosity

Last year, the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving and WNPR collaborated on the “Words to Give By” project to collect stories of giving and receiving from the 29 towns the Foundation serves. The project received an overwhelming response with 170 participants recording 154 interviews at 16 locations throughout the Hartford, Connecticut region to share personal stories of everyday generosity. Many of these stories were aired on WNPR with others features on WordsToGiveBy.org.

In an effort to further increase people’s awareness of the power of giving, the Hartford Foundation and WNPR have announced plans to offer another opportunity for people to share their stories of how an act of kindness made a positive impact on their lives or the lives of others. Anyone with a story to share is invited to sign up at WordsToGiveBy.org to be interviewed at one of five locations in the Greater Hartford area throughout the month of March. They may also call 860-275-7550 to sign up.

“As the region’s largest community foundation, we see every day how the generosity of others can lift up our communities and improve the quality of life for all of our residents," said Linda J. Kelly, president of the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving. “The Words to Give By effort has been a truly powerful way to expand people’s understanding of what it means to be a philanthropist and how even a small act of kindness can have a positive impact on someone’s life.”

Twenty-nine of these stories will air on WNPR from May through December; additional stories will be featured on the WordsToGiveBy.org website, and all of them will be archived for listening on the Hartford Foundation's website, HFPG.org. They all will also be archived in the town libraries for listening there.

The second year of this innovative collaboration will inspire us with more stories of kindness, which often go unheard, and help to illuminate the humanity and compassion all around us.

Jerry Franklin, President and CEO of Connecticut Public Broadcasting added his support to the project, “Words to Give By is a powerful way to showcase the importance of everyday generosity, and we are pleased to continue WNPR’s partnership with the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving to help grow a community of kindness. By highlighting the kind actions of friends, neighbors and strangers, Words to Give By shows how even the smallest of gestures can have a lasting impact on people’s lives.”

Here are the locations and specific recording dates:

East Granby Public Library
Tuesday, March 1
Saturday, March 12

American School for the Deaf (West Hartford)
Friday, March 4
Thursday, March 10

Hartford Public Library (Main Branch)
Monday, March 7
Monday, March 21

South Windsor Public Library
Tuesday, March 15
Thursday, March 17

The Little Theater, Manchester
Wednesday, March 23
Tuesday, March 29

Hartford Foundation for Public Giving
Thursday, March 31 (Snow Date)

Hartford Foundation for Public Giving is the community foundation for Hartford and 28 surrounding communities. In 2015, the Foundation celebrated ninety 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.

WNPR: wnpr.org (WNPR and WNPR H-D 1 Meriden at 90.5 FM (Hartford/New Haven area), WPKT and WPKT H-D 1 Norwich at 89.1 FM (Norwich/New London area), WEDW-FM Stamford at 88.5 FM (Stamford/Greenwich), W- 258-A-C Storrs at 99.5 FM (Storrs/Mansfield), WRLI Southampton at 91.3 FM east end of Long Island, New York), WAIC Springfield at 91.9 FM (Springfield, Massachusetts) )