For more than a decade, Loren Godfrey has been a steadfast supporter of The Village, driven by a deeply personal mission: to honor the legacy of his late wife, Cynthia. Though Cynthia sadly passed away in 2014, Loren continues to carry out their shared vision to empower women and girls to overcome adversity and reach their full potential.
Cynthia was a transformative force in the community, known for her extensive volunteer work with the Shelter for Women. Her legacy includes the establishment of the Alison Gill Lodge in Manchester, CT, a tribute to the dear friend she worked alongside for many years. When the Shelter for Women merged with The Village in 2010, the organizations’ combined forces helped expand services for women and girls in Greater Hartford.
As parents of four, Loren and Cynthia were especially attuned to the needs of teenagers. After Cynthia’s passing, Loren continued to champion the causes they cared about, focusing on supporting teen girls and addressing the challenges they face today. Their shared commitment has since evolved into the creation of the Sisterhood Group at Martin Luther King, Jr. Middle School in Hartford—a program designed to help teen girls build bonds, explore new interests and access opportunities that might otherwise seem out of reach.
At the Sisterhood Group, the girls take part in skill-building activities like dance and etiquette lessons. They get to attend experiences in the arts and theatre, luncheons at an upscale restaurant and inspirational events like The Village’s annual Girl Within event.
The Sisterhood Group also inspires students to take on leadership roles at school through initiatives like their annual Wear Red Day inspired by the American Heart Association, where they help teach their classmates and younger students at local elementary schools about the importance of heart health.
By helping provide these activities, Loren’s hope is that the girls will know that they are deserving of these opportunities, view college as a possibility and be equipped with the confidence to pursue their dreams.
Loren also created the Cynthia Godfrey Memorial Endowment at The Village with the intent that the fund would remain in perpetuity to continue helping girls and young women. Thanks to Loren’s unwavering support in memory of Cynthia, they are not only positively impacting the trajectory of girls’ lives but also inspiring girls for generations to come.
My motivation is the memory of my wife. I’ve continued to support The Village because I believe in trying to help children.
Cynthia Godfrey, a longtime Village supporter and Loren’s late wife.
We focus on empowering young girls so they know their values and morals, become future leaders of tomorrow and move on to high school believing that they can be who they want to be.
Right: (L-R) Student Shekera, Village Lead Positive Youth Development Worker Sherine and student Anniecia.