Wheeler Health Exceeds Original Goal, Extends Bristol Fundraising Campaign to Celebrate 55th Anniversary
Annual golf classic tournament pushes campaign over $500,000 toward new health center and administrative headquarters
Bristol, Conn (July 13, 2023) – Wheeler Health has exceeded its original four-year fundraising campaign goal for its new Bristol health center and administrative headquarters two years ahead of schedule and is extending its goal to celebrate and honor its 55th anniversary in 2023.
Thanks to greater-than-normal support for its 38th Annual Wheeler Golf Classic, presented by Mutual of America, in September, the organization stands at an estimated $515,000 as of the end of its fiscal year on June 30, 2023, or 93 percent to the new goal of $555,000 in gifts and pledges over four years.
The fundraising campaign, publicly announced in February 2022, was launched through an initial pledge of $100,000 from the Barnes Group Foundation during a silent fundraising phase, as well as a $100,000 goal in gifts and pledges from Wheeler’s Board of Trustees, and $80,000 from Wheeler’s senior and executive leadership. Since the launch, Wheeler has received donations toward the campaign from approximately 400 individuals and organizations, ranging from under $1 to $50,000, from corporate employee giving campaigns to realized planned gifts. Particularly notable contributions include a gift from the Corsini and Brantner families to create a second named teaching kitchen in the center for Wheeler’s nutrition programming in honor of Raymond Corsini, Wheeler’s longest-serving trustee, and an educational training center supported through a gift from the estate of Hall “Cap” Adams, Jr., a longtime philanthropic investor in Wheeler’s work.
In addition, a supporting named brick campaign is on track to have at least 100 bricks in place when the facility opens in 2024. Bricks are available for purchase through the summer of 2023, an extension based on construction timelines for the center.
“The support from the Bristol community is amazing,” said Sabrina Trocchi, PhD, MPA, president and CEO of Wheeler. “When One Hope Street opens, the community will have a state-of-the-art health center right in Centre Square, with 200 professionals working and shopping in the heart of the city.”
Wheeler’s 46,000-square foot community health center and administrative headquarters at One Hope Street will offer integrated primary and behavioral health care for all ages, treatment for substance use disorders, nutrition services, and much more. It is Wheeler’s first newly constructed facility since its original location in 1972, and the occasion of the 55th anniversary in 2023 made the decision to move the new campaign goal to $555,000 an easy one.
“We are profoundly grateful to every donor who invests in our mission and everyone we serve,” says Francis Vincent, MBA, secretary of Wheeler’s Board of Trustees, and chair of the board’s Development Committee. “We are standing on the shoulders of the leaders who came before us, and the donors who are allowing us to provide hope at One Hope Street. We’re honoring our past and looking to the future of the entire Bristol region.”
To stay abreast of the latest news on One Hope Street, or invest philanthropically in the project, please visit: WheelerHealth.org/Bristol.
Wheeler Family Health & Wellness Centers
Wheeler’s Family Health & Wellness Centers in Hartford, Bristol, New Britain, Plainville, and Waterbury are community health centers that provide medical and dental care for the whole family, as well as behavioral health care and referral and linkages to specialty services.
Wheeler’s Health & Wellness Centers in Hartford, Bristol, and New Britain are funded in part by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), an operating division of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Wheeler is a Health Center Program grantee under 42 U.S.C. 254b and a deemed Public Health Service employee under 42 U.S.C. 233(g)-(n).
Medicaid, Medicare, and commercial health insurance welcome. No patient will be denied health care services due to an individual’s inability to pay for services.
Improvements to the Family Health & Wellness Center in Hartford are supported in part by the State of Connecticut Nonprofit Grant Program, the Connecticut Health & Educational Facilities Authority, the Maximilian E. and Marion O. Hoffman Foundation, and the Ensworth Charitable Foundation. Additional support is provided by Delta Dental of New Jersey Foundation.
Wheeler
Wheeler provides comprehensive solutions that address complex health issues, providing individuals, families, and communities with accessible, innovative care that encourages recovery, health, and growth at all stages of life. Our integrated approach to primary and behavioral health, education, and recovery creates measurable results, positive outcomes, and hopeful tomorrows for more than 50,000 individuals across Connecticut each year. Learn more: www.WheelerHealth.org