When Judy Kissane’s first husband passed away, she knew she wanted to honor his legacy in a meaningful way. She discovered The Village as she was looking for ways to help others, and was inspired to take action. Along with her sons, Chris, Dan and Bill, she decided to start the Kissane Family Emergency Assistance Fund at The Village to provide direct aid to families in crisis situations.
“I wanted to be more focused with my giving and help fill the needs of families in crisis situations,” said Judy. “Many people live very close to the edge, where a $100 expense could be devastating.”
Money from the Kissane Family Fund goes to support families served by The Village who are facing financial barriers. Last year, the father of a child in our IICAPS (Intensive In-Home Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Services) program came to us for help. He had recently gained custody of his daughter, and while he had an apartment, he didn’t have anything to sleep on other than air mattresses and one blanket. The Fund provided him and his daughter with money to purchase bedding supplies to make their apartment a home – a comfortable place for each of them to sleep each night.
“This generous donation helped this child feel settled and like she finally had a permanent home,” said Chris Lentini, a family support specialist in our IICAPS program who helped the family access these emergency funds.
There’s something so special about a family like the Kissane’s working together to help other families – and now you can get involved, too! If you’re feeling inspired by Judy’s work and want to help contribute directly to our clients in financial distress, simply go to thevillage.org/give, select your donation amount and write “Kissane Family Fund” in the special instructions field. Together, we can make real change happen for children, adults and families throughout Connecticut.