Thousands of youth and families served by The Village for Families & Children will receive the help they need to overcome challenges and heal for generations thanks to members of the organization’s board of directors and supporters who recently made transformative legacy gifts to The Village.
Two sections of The Village’s historic 100-year-old campus at 1680 Albany Avenue in Hartford have been named in honor of monumental contributions from Jeanmarie and Colin Cooper, as well as Barry Lastra and his late wife Alison Coolbrith.
The courtyard at the heart of The Village’s Albany Ave campus, which houses a youth mental health clinic, residential psychiatric treatment for children and The Village’s walk-in youth mental health Urgent Crisis Center, has been renamed The Jeanmarie & Colin Cooper Family Courtyard in honor of a legacy gift the Coopers have made through their estate and their support for The Village for more than two decades.
Jeanmarie has served on The Village’s Board of Directors for more than 20 years, but the Coopers’ connection runs deeper: Colin was adopted through The Village more than 60 years ago.
The Coopers have also been donating to The Village for 21 years, and Jeanmarie has helped bring in hundreds of thousands of dollars to help women and girls heal from trauma through her role on the committee for The Village’s annual Girl Within fundraiser.
“The Coopers have been instrumental to the success of The Village, especially as it’s evolved significantly over the years they’ve been involved, said Village President and CEO Hector Glynn. “It’s fitting that the Coopers have a mark left on our historic campus, just as they’ve helped leave a mark on countless youth and families we serve for decades.”
Also at the Albany Ave campus is a fully operational school where children who are temporarily living at The Village’s residential psychiatric program, Eagle House, attend classes, receive one-on-one therapy, participate in therapeutic recreation as they prepare to return to their community or for placement in a foster home.
The school, a beacon of healing and growth for youth living on campus, has been designated as The Alison Coolbrith & Barry Lastra School in honor of a legacy gift to The Village that Barry has made in his and his late wife Alison’s honor.
Barry has served on The Village’s Board of Directors for more than 18 years and is involved in other nonprofit boards where he’s dedicated his time and energy for the betterment of the community. In 2016, Alison was posthumously named The Village’s Woman of The Year at the annual Girl Within event for the energy she devoted to improving the lives of women and girls in Greater Hartford. Their gift will help ensure The Village is able to continue providing vital support to women and girls for generations to come.
“This school is a crucial way through which we’re transforming lives, and so it’s only fitting that it be named in honor of Alison Coolbrith and Barry Lastra as a representation of their commitment to helping The Village transform the lives of people of the greatest need,” Glynn said. “We are so grateful of this inspiring legacy of Alison and Barry’, their immense generosity, and the time and effort they’ve poured into helping our community.”
To learn more about legacy giving at The Village, please contact Senior Director of Development Sarah Adanti at [email protected].