The Leavenworth Family, Woodbury
Bonnie Leavenworth and her daughter, Sara Lynn Renda, share an enthusiasm for education and for helping women, but it’s hardly surprising. Bonnie, who volunteered many hours as president of the Waterbury YWCA in the 1980s, took her daughter along to board meetings when she was little. When Sara Lynn was away at college years later, her mom returned to school to embark on a new career in social work – a move that inspired her to enter the same field.
Their shared experiences have come full circle. Both are supporters of the Women’s Initiative Fund at Connecticut Community Foundation. The fund has in recent years supported family and work-related services for women and children. Its mission resonates with Sara Lynn, who formerly worked in a job-training program for teen mothers.
“I just believe in empowering women, whether it’s through education or job training,” she said. “Women who are disenfranchised need to be provided with opportunities, and mothers especially need extra support.”
A similar desire to provide opportunities is what led Bonnie and her husband Dick to establish the Leavenworth Family Scholarship Fund in 2003. The scholarship benefits students attending the Waterbury branch of the University of Connecticut, where Dick was in one of the first classes and Bonnie was a returning student.
“We felt very strongly about giving someone an opportunity who might not otherwise be able to go to college,” Bonnie said. “The way we always thought of it, I was fortunate to be able to go back to school later in life.”
Sara Lynn and her sister, Wendy Halpert, contribute to the Fund. Sara Lynn also credits her parents for instilling in them the importance of volunteerism. Since her retirement, Bonnie has become a Meals on Wheels driver, a literacy tutor and served on the Foundation’s scholarship committee. Dick volunteers with environmental groups and has been the chairman of Woodbury’s Conservation Commission for over 40 years.
