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| Connecticut River, Middletown and Portland, CT © 1995 B. B. Greenbie, Courtesy of the Connecticut River Watershed Council
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Archived Biennial Reports
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The goals of the Associate's Program remain to intrigue, engage, and train the next generation and prepare for leadership transition. The Foundation's Associates Program has matured and evolved over the past several years. During the period of time covered by this report, many Third Generation Associates (G3s) took the initiative to involve themselves more deeply in Foundation activities. Whether through participating on a focus area committee, or attending a board meeting, they brought fresh insight, energy, and a willingness to learn. In 2005, three became eligible and were nominated to serve on the Board. A great step forward for all.
G3 Associates Grant-Making
Due to the increased interest and involvement of EHTF's G3s, in June of 2004, the board of directors raised the amount of grant-making program dollars for the Associates from $28,000 to $73,000. In doing so, the board set several parameters, including a requirement that the Associates make a minimum of two and a maximum of three grants per cycle, and that grants must be for $15,000 or more. Following criteria established in 2003, the G3s pursued grant-making opportunities to support economically disadvantaged neighborhoods and communities in the city of Bridgeport, CT with a focus on school enrichment programs.
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In late 2004, the G3s made a grant to Groundwork Bridgeport for its Butterflies Are Teachers (BAT) program. The BAT program uses hands-on learning to educate elementary school students in the areas of math and science. Students use math skills to design butterfly gardens and increase their science knowledge as they learn about the garden ecosystem. The program also provides Bridgeport high school students the opportunity for civic engagement through teaching the BAT curriculum to elementary and middle school students. port high school students an opportunity for civic engagement through teaching the BAT curriculum to the younger students. The grant advanced the organization's goal of increasing the number of schools and classrooms that participate in the program and provided additional funding for its garden maintenance endowment.
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Spotlight: Chris Hoyt, B.A.T. Student Instructor
 Supported by the Tremaine Foundation's Third Generation Associates, and run by Groundwork Bridgeport, the Butterflies are Teachers (B.A.T.) program is an interactive indoor and outdoor classroom that uses the full life cycle of butterflies as a teaching tool.
The program benefits two sets of students, points out Groundwork Bridgeport Executive Director Dick Tiani. "High school students are trained to serve as subject matter experts," he explains. "They, in turn, teach elementary school students basic science, math, and ecology."
"Working with the elementary school students helped me feel like a role model," recalls former student instructor Chris Hoyt. "It was satisfying to get to teach the kids something that I never got to experience growing up."
Indeed, Chris may have found a lifetime supply of inspiration through his involvement with B.A.T. He's currently studying landscape design and horticulture at Naugatuck Valley Community College in Waterbury, CT, assisted by a scholarship awarded through B.A.T. that was matched by the college.
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 The Associates also made a grant in 2004 to the Music and Art Center for Humanity (MACH), an organization known for connecting students to arts and music education. The grant specifically supports subsidized private music lessons for economically disadvantaged students as well as steel drumming group lessons. The use of music in the lives of these students has helped boost their self-esteem and provided them with opportunities for cultural enrichment. MACH assisted more than 250 youth and parents over the course of a single school year.
In 2005, the G3s renewed grants to MACH and Groundwork Bridgeport, and chose a third organization to support: The Regional Youth/Adult Substance Abuse Project (RYASAP). Specifically, the grant supports the program Youth As Resources: Developing Bridgeport Youth Initiative (YAR). YAR identifies and builds upon the inherent talents and strengths of urban children, and engages them as active participants in efforts to improve their schools and neighborhoods. The program empowers students by encouraging them to develop projects and then enabling them with the financial and human resources necessary to bring their projects to fruition.
Associates Meeting
The Foundation's annual retreat has long been an important component of the Associates program. A streamlined meeting format adopted in 2004 focuses on updating the Associates on Foundation activities, presenting future grant-making opportunities, and reconnecting the group with their peers.
To view a listing of the grants made in 2004-2005, please click here.
Return to the 2004-2005 Biennial Report Table of Contents.
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