The Child and Family Guidance Center hosted its second annual Champions for Children Fundraising Gala on May 4 at the Shorehaven Golf Club in Norwalk. Net proceeds for the event totaled nearly $100,000, and will be used to fuel mental health supports for Fairfield County youth and their families.
Gala honorees included Bob and Barbara Scinto, U.S. Senator Chris Murphy, and former CFGC client Yoelee Bracero and her counselor Natacha Jackson. Bob Scinto, Chairman, RD Scinto, recalled the help he personally received from The Child and Family Guidance Center when he was in elementary school. “It was 50 years ago…but this agency help me become the person I am today.”
Joel Espada, a former CFGC client, spoke about his journey from struggling with poverty and gang involvement in his teens to his success today as a college graduate and mentor to Fairfield County youth who struggled like he did. Espada shared the impact that The Child and Family Guidance Center has had on his life: “It is nothing short of a miracle that I am here tonight.”
For over 90 years, The Child & Family Guidance Center has served children and teens confronting behavioral and emotional challenges. They supported nearly 4,000 children and families over the last year alone, through its Bridgeport, Fairfield, Stratford and Norwalk offices. The Child and Family Guidance Center never denies services based on ability to pay, which makes the success of fundraising events like the Champions for Children Gala critical. “Mental health matters for all Fairfield County children,” commented Michael Patota, President/CEO of The Child and Family Guidance Center. “I am both humbled and energized by the outpouring of community support that we had at this year’s gala.”
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Photographs by Kristen Tomkowid
