By Caitlin Nuclo; WFSB; May 13, 2026
PLAINVILLE, Conn. (WFSB) – The Plainville Police Department has found a new way to help the community by raising money for local charities through collectible patch sales.
Officer Shane Dufresne has been collecting police patches for 28 years. It’s a sort of currency between departments.
“So, when I became a police officer 28 years ago, I decided I was going to collect patches,” Dufresne said. “You would connect with people, and you did it the old-fashioned way, where you would mail them out, you know, connect with an officer.”
Officers also trade patches when they visit other departments for joint investigations or follow-ups.
Over the years, his collection has grown to a thousand patches at one point.
“But if you trade a patch with somebody, you can call them up and say, ‘Hey, I need some help with this,’” Dufresne said.
Now he’s sharing that passion project with the community. In the last five years, he’s created more than a dozen specialized patches and sells them to the public for $10. The money raised goes to charity.
“You know, sometimes in our job we see the downside of things with domestic violence and victims of domestic violence,” Dufresne said. “So we did these two years apart, and the proceeds went to the Prudence Crandall Center.”
The department also created a breast cancer awareness patch.
“The very first one we did was the Pink Cancer Awareness, and this raised the most money,” Dufresne said.
So far they’ve raised nearly $14,000 benefiting a local autism group, an Alzheimer’s charity and the Special Olympics.
The most recent design is marking America’s 250th birthday.
“It’s a great way to connect with the community and help people in your own community,” Dufresne said. “You know, we know where the money’s going. It stays local, and we’re proud to be a part of the community.”
The America 250 patch is selling now. Money raised from this one supports the Officer Robert Holcomb Scholarship Fund in honor of a fallen officer from the department.
Copyright 2026 WFSB. All rights reserved.
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By Brian Johnson; The Bristol Press; May 1, 2026
PLAINVILLE — The Town Council will have a public hearing on neighborhood assistance act proposals.
A public hearing is set for Monday at 7 p.m. in the Town Council chambers of the municipal center at 1 Central Square for 2026 Neighborhood Assistance Act Proposals. However, as of Friday, the town has not received any.
“This is a very worthwhile program that is of a great benefit to our nonprofits,” Town Manager Michael Paulhus said. “It is unfortunate that we haven’t received any applications yet.”
The Connecticut Neighborhood Assistance Act (NAA) Tax Credit Program is designed to provide funding for municipal and tax-exempt organizations. It provides a corporation business tax credit for businesses who make cash contributions to these entities.
This is the first year Paulhus recalled there being no proposals on the table.
“There is an application process for proposals that assist organizations that serve the Plainville area,” he said. “In past years we have had businesses submit proposals such as improvements at the Prudence Crandall Center. They are based in New Britain but also serve Plainville.”
Paulhus said if there are no proposals by Monday the public hearing will simply open and then close. He encouraged businesses that are interested in supporting local nonprofits to reach out to him.
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By Taylor Knight; WFSB; Apr. 30, 2026
HARTFORD, Conn. (WFSB) – Dana Casser was at WestFarms Mall on Sept. 8, 2018, when she got a call from the Middletown Police Department asking her to come down to the station.
They would not tell her what happened over the phone, but she already knew.
“I said to them, ‘is Danielle dead?’” Casser said. “And they said, ‘Yes.’”
Danielle Fasciacco, her college roommate and best friend, had been murdered. Police charged her ex-boyfriend.
“One of our last conversations was me telling her to go get a restraining order, which I don’t think would have saved her life,” Casser said. “But it was what we had talked about.”
In the weeks and months following, Casser relied on the good memories of her best friend to get her through.
“She was a free spirit, spunky, wild, crazy,” Casser said. “We lived together our sophomore year in the same room. That was an experience. She was incredibly intelligent, incredibly kind and caring.”
The next summer, Casser, a teacher, needed a distraction from the sadness. She started making cups.
“I started designing things. I was watching YouTube videos, and it kind of became a downward spiral of making all of these cups. My house turned into a glitter festival,” Casser said.
That glitter festival is now her nonprofit, Cups for a Cause DV. She sells them at farmers markets, craft fairs and her own fundraisers, like one coming up May 17 in Plainville.
A portion of the proceeds from each cup gets donated to a local domestic violence organization, like the Prudence Crandall Center.
Danielle Derosier is the chief program officer at the center. She said Casser’s impact goes beyond dollars.
“Dana’s been an amazing supporter to us for a long time,” Derosier said. “She’s always come through with if we need blankets and sheets for our shelter. If we need something for our kids to do an event she’s, like, the first one to raise her hand.”
Derosier said the signs of domestic violence are easy to miss until it is too late.
“Isolating you from things that you like, maybe your support systems like family and friends, being overly jealous or possessive, having your location, checking your phone all the time,” Derosier said.
Casser knows that feeling. She worried about her friend.
“It was a lot of verbal abuse at the end of the relationship when he had broken up with her,” Casser said. “Prior to that, it was a lot of taking her away from her friends, and taking her away from what she enjoyed doing.”
But she did not really know what resources were out there. Now after hundreds of cups and thousands of dollars donated, Casser knows what help is available and she is making sure no one else has to get that phone call without knowing where to turn.
Copyright 2026 WFSB. All rights reserved.
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By David Fortier; The Bristol Edition; Apr. 23, 2026
A free concert of music composed by women will be held at St. Joseph Church on Sunday, April 26, at 4 p.m. A free will offering will be taken to benefit Prudence Crandell Center. Following the concert, there will be a reception in the church hall.
The music program honors, according to the release announcing the concert, “the steadfast efforts and significant accomplishments” of women “living in a time when women’s efforts were undervalued and underrepresented.”
The concert is presented by the Waterbury chapter of the American Guild of Organists.
Prudence Crandell Center has for its mission “empowering individuals and families to heal and thrive free from domestic violence thorough comprehensive, coordinated services, while working to crate lasting systems change and safe communities,” the release announcing the concert states.
The center, the first domestic violence program in the state, serves aside from Bristol, Berlin, Burlington, Kensington, New Britain, Plainville, Plymouth, Southington and Terryville, with 28 units of supportive housing open to survivors from throughout the state.
Services include a 24-hour crisis hotline, emergency shelter, 63 units of supportive, affordable housing, court advocacy, counseling and community education and prevention services.
For additional information about Prudence Crandall Center or to donate, please visit www.prudencecrandall.org. To access the 24-hour hotline, call or text 888-774-2900. All services are free and confidential.
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By Brian Johnson; New Britain Herald; Apr. 20, 2026
BRISTOL — The Waterbury Chapter of the American Guild of Organists is presenting a concert benefiting Prudence Crandall Center at St. Joseph Church.
The “Play Like A Girl: A Concert of Music by Women to Help Women,” will be held Sunday, April 26 at 4 p.m. at the church at 33 Queen St. A reception will follow.
The concert is free to attend. A free will offering will be taken for Prudence Crandall Center.
Based at 594 Burritt St. in New Britain, the Prudence Crandall Center is “dedicated to helping individuals achieve lives free of domestic violence by providing care, advocacy, support and education.”
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By Michael Lemanski; Greater Hartford Patch; Apr. 13, 2026
United Way’s ‘860Gives’ initiative recently raised $104,816 from 843 donors, supporting 88 nonprofits in 48 hours.
HARTFORD, CT — A regional giving campaign led by the Hartford-based United Way of Central and Northeastern Connecticut raised more than $100,000 in its first year, drawing hundreds of donors and supporting dozens of nonprofits across the Hartford area.
The inaugural “860Gives” event generated $104,816 from 843 donors over a 48-hour period, benefiting 88 participating organizations, according to United Way officials.
“860Gives showed us something remarkable,” said Eric Harrison, president and CEO of United Way of Central and Northeastern Connecticut. “In just 48 hours, our region demonstrated that when we unite behind our nonprofits, we can create real, measurable change. Organizations filled critical funding gaps, donors discovered new causes to champion, and our entire community rallied around a shared purpose.”
The campaign began March 31 at 6 a.m. with a “Power Hour” kickoff that awarded $1,500 in prizes to the three nonprofits that secured the most unique donors in the first hour.
Additional cash and in-kind prizes were distributed throughout the event, with 14 organizations receiving awards as fundraising continued.
Among them was the Prudence Crandall Center in New Britain, which raised $12,749 from 38 donors.
“I loved the concept of 860Gives from the minute I heard about it,” said Carolyn Jasper, the organization’s chief development officer. “We raised $12,749 from 38 donors, but the real win was visibility. As Connecticut’s first agency serving domestic violence survivors and the only program serving a 9-town region in central Connecticut with housing programs available to survivors statewide, we need people to know we exist. 860Gives gave us that platform. Every donation, every page view gets us closer to connecting survivors with the support they need.”
United Way officials said funds raised through the campaign will support services such as food assistance, housing, and other community needs across the region.
The organization plans to build on the campaign’s initial success, positioning 860Gives as an ongoing effort to expand local philanthropy and nonprofit visibility.
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Hosted by Kate Baumann; MetroHartford Alliance Pulse of the Region Podcast; Mar. 25, 2026
This week on Pulse of the Region, we’re discussing 860Gives, a 48-hour community-wide fundraising campaign powered by United Way of Central and Northeastern Connecticut. Here to discuss 860Gives are Eric Harrison, President and CEO, United Way of Central and Northeastern Connecticut, Corrianne Chipello, CEO of Hartford’s Camp Courant, and Carolyn Jasper, Chief Development Officer of Prudence Crandall Center.
860Gives kicks off at 6:00 a.m. on Tuesday, March 31, and concludes at 6:00 a.m. on Thursday, April 2. Find out more about 860Gives and over 140 nonprofits that are participating in the giving campaign this year by visiting https://www.860gives.org/.
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By Claudia Hilario; Bristol Press; Mar. 24, 2026
BERLIN — A community book-themed fundraiser brought residents together to support survivors of domestic violence while celebrating women’s voices in literature.
Grassroots Berlin hosted the “Blind Date with HER-Story” event at Coles Road Brewing. The event, held during Women’s History Month, invited guests to choose from wrapped “mystery” books written by female authors, creating a surprise reading experience while raising funds for the Prudence Crandall Center.
“We were thrilled by the strong turnout from our community — so many people came out to support both our event and the Prudence Crandall Center and their generosity through book purchases and monetary donations was truly heartwarming,” organizers told the Herald.
The event drew steady interest throughout the afternoon.
“We had between 30-40 people attend the event over the four hours of the fundraiser,” coordinators said.
More than 50 books were sold, including selections for both adults and children. In total, the event raised $1,000 for the Prudence Crandall Center, a regional organization that provides shelter, advocacy and support services for individuals and families affected by domestic violence.
The event’s idea is directly tied to the missions of both Grassroots Berlin and the beneficiary organization.
“Grassroots Berlin is a community organization that believes that real change begins at the local level, and to that end, we look for opportunities to support local organizations who are doing positive things for our community,” coordinators said.
They added this month has been a meaningful time to partner with the center, which supports thousands of women and children each year.
Proceeds from the fundraiser will help fund critical services offered by the Prudence Crandall Center.
“Prudence Crandall uses the donations to run their 24/7 crisis hotline and provide emergency shelter, supportive housing, counseling, court advocacy and basic needs for adults and children who are survivors of domestic violence,” organizers said.
In addition to raising money, the event aimed to bring the community together in a relaxed, welcoming setting. Attendees browsed books, connected with neighbors and learned more about the work being done to support survivors.
Organizers said they were encouraged by the public response.
“We raised $1,000 for Prudence Crandall and have arranged to bring the check to them on March 30,” they said.
Grassroots Berlin plans to continue hosting community-focused events in the coming months, including educational and fundraising efforts tied to local causes.
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By Claudia Hilario; New Britain Herald & Bristol Press; Mar. 11, 2026
NEW BRITAIN — The Prudence Crandall Center has appointed four new members to its board of directors, strengthening leadership at the nonprofit organization that supports survivors of domestic violence across central Connecticut.
“Each of the four new Board members brings a deep passion for Prudence Crandall Center’s mission and a breadth of experience that will serve our clients well. I look forward to their contributions to our Board of Directors,” board chair David Rackliffe said.
The new board members are Christine Laprise, Destiny Rosado, Breana Vessichio and Dylan Yaworski.
Prudence Crandall Center, based in New Britain, has served survivors of domestic violence and their families for more than 50 years. The organization provides services such as emergency shelter, counseling, advocacy and community education programs aimed at preventing domestic violence and supporting survivors.
The organization said its board of directors plays an important role in providing guidance, oversight and long-term planning to support its mission.
Laprise, vice president of operations for Bristol Health, is one of the new members. In 2025, she helped lead a partnership between Bristol Health and the Prudence Crandall Center to strengthen services for survivors and increase prevention efforts in the Greater Bristol area.
“The Prudence Crandall Center must maintain a strong presence in our community. We will create a safe space for those who experience teen dating violence and domestic violence. And, we will create a conduit for hope, connecting survivors with the experienced professionals at the Prudence Crandall Center,” Laprise said.
Laprise holds a Master of Legal Studies and has more than 25 years of experience in human resources, corporate compliance and operations administration.
Rosado, a certified public accountant and senior tax manager at Fiondella, Milone & LaSaracina LLP, also joins the board. Since 2022, she has been involved with the organization’s engagement team, helping strengthen community connections through events and outreach.
“I’ve seen firsthand the amazing efforts and hard work that goes into developing their programs, their events. I hope that my contribution to the board is valuable and I look forward to giving back and learning in a more deeply meaningful way,” Rosado said.
Vessichio, an attorney and counsel at Travelers Insurance, brings more than a decade of advocacy and legal experience related to domestic violence awareness and survivor support.
“I so believe in [PCC’s] mission, helping victims and survivors of domestic violence through comprehensive services, to allow for them to live beautiful, fulfilling lives of love and happiness,” Vessichio said.
Yaworski, vice president of strategy and enterprise development for Corbin Advisors, also joins the board. He has more than 10 years of experience in corporate strategy and advising organizations on long-term planning.
“It was important to me to get involved with my community locally and it was important to me to find an organization where they place the mission at the center of everything that they do… It’s for that reason I’m honored and humbled to join the Board of Directors,” Yaworski said.
Organization leaders said the new board members will help guide the agency as it continues to respond to the growing needs of survivors and families across the region.
According to the Prudence Crandall Center, about 30% to 40% of its funding comes from private donors and community partners, underscoring the role of community support in sustaining its programs.
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