THERE'S POWER IN OUR PROMISE!

Building a Generation of College Graduates and

Transforming Our Community

Waterbury Promise is gearing up to participate in the Connecticut Community Foundation’s 12th annual Give Local campaign and we need your help to reach our $20,000 goal! This exciting 36-hour online fundraising blitz for local nonprofits runs from 7:00 a.m. on Wednesday, April 24th through 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, April 25th. All funds raised during Give Local will provide much-needed support for our fast-growing program, as we prepare to serve more than 600 scholars (freshmen, sophomores and juniors) by this summer at colleges and universities across Connecticut, increase our annual last-dollar scholarship awards to up to $3,750 per scholar per year for our 2024 cohort, and build out and scale up critical college preparedness, college success and career readiness programs.

This is literally the best time of year to show your support for our talented scholars, as every donation of at least $10 will help us earn BONUS DOLLARS and CASH PRIZES. Plus, we’re thrilled to announce that Waterbury Promise has secured $7,000 in matching sponsorships that will DOUBLE YOUR DOLLARS instantly. Thank you LaBonne’s Markets and Dunkin’/B&Z Management Group for stepping up so generously once again as true Waterbury Promise Champions!

Join the Waterbury Promise Team as we set up shop in downtown Waterbury during Give Local at these fabulous local establishments. Come out and support Waterbury Promise scholars and our local business community. It’s a WIN-WIN!

Waterbury Promise Executive Director Kelonda Maull shares the importance of Give Local in the community.

While spring break is often synonymous with sandy beaches, rest and relaxation, our motivated scholars were busy honing their resumes, updating their wardrobes, posing for professional headshots, shadowing at exciting workplaces and networking to find internship and employment placements. All of this was part of Waterbury Promise’s inaugural Career Readiness Week, and none of it would have been possible without fantastic partners like UConn, Dress for Success Mid-Fairfield County, Uniquely Yours Photography, WORX, Ion Bank, the Waterbury Regional Chamber and the Courtyard Waterbury Downtown. We are beyond grateful to all of these entities, and to the more than thirty businesses and organizations that made our first Job and Internship Fair in collaboration with the Chamber a resounding success!

Thank you one and all for providing these invaluable career exploration and readiness activities as we shape future leaders and build a diverse talent pipeline to uplift our region. And kudos to our scholars who represented themselves—and the program—so beautifully! 

Looking to hire an intern this summer or have job openings for bright, hardworking college students? Contact Noelia Giusti in our office at ngiusti@waterburypromise.org so she can spread the word to our scholars!

Partnerships power our promise and we are thrilled to announce three exciting new partnerships for 2024. Just last month, Southern Connecticut State University (SCSU) joined the ranks of UConn, ECSU, Post and the University of New Haven as a Waterbury Promise University Partner. SCSU will provide a broad range of support services to WP scholars to ensure their college and career success, including summer transition programming, academic and career counseling, mentorships, financial wellness activities and community building initiatives. Thirty-one scholars currently attend the New Haven-based campus.

As spring arrived, we welcomed the Savings Bank of Danbury Foundation and Hubbard-Hall to the Waterbury Promise family. Our newest banking partner awarded Waterbury Promise a $2,000 grant to support college exploration and readiness programming in the coming year. And Hubbard-Hall committed $5,000 for the next five years to cover last-dollar scholarships that will help put a life-changing college degree within reach. A tour of the chemical company’s headquarters is planned for next month. 

Thank you for believing in our mission and vision and for helping us make the magic happen on behalf of Waterbury’s rock stars!

Here’s a look at some exciting events on our calendar in the coming weeks! 

We can't wait to cheer on our first Waterbury Promise Scholars as they receive their college degrees!

Last year we chronicled the road to promise for hundreds of scholars, and are bursting with excitement as we look ahead to attending another round of college acceptance days, awards nights and high school graduations and ultimately welcome our third cohort with open arms. We can’t wait to see where their higher education journeys take them, but with the support of our community, the possibilities are endless! 

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Established in late 2021 in collaboration with the City of Waterbury and Waterbury Public Schools, Waterbury Promise is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization dedicated to building a generation of college graduates in Waterbury. Our mission is to increase college aspirations, reduce financial barriers and inspire every student toward post-secondary education and completion. The program’s comprehensive college success model provides a generous last-dollar scholarship as well as critical support services to help talented Waterbury students get to college, persist through graduation and be career ready to help create a robust and diverse talent pipeline for the local economy.