Emmett A. Saunders, Naugatuck
$2 million legacy gift provides for the “sick and infirm” of Naugatuck
In 1923, former Naugatuck resident Emmett A. Saunders was thinking about the future when he established a sizeable trust to benefit his family and his communities. According to his wishes, when the last beneficiary of the trust died in 2004, the remaining funds – more than $4 million – were to be distributed to the footwear and rubber manufacturing executive’s descendants, a hospital in Indiana, and the Borough of Naugatuck for care of the “sick and infirm.”
In 2008, the Mayor and the Burgesses of the Borough established the Saunders Fund for the Sick and Infirm of the Borough of Naugatuck, a permanent advised fund of nearly $2 million with the Connecticut Community Foundation.
Working with the Foundation’s staff, an advisory committee comprised of members of the Naugatuck community, annually will recommend grants for agencies and nonprofits that provide care for the sick and infirm of Naugatuck.
Mr. Saunders’ gift will provide “good medicine” for Naugatuck residents far into the future.
Gathering at the home of Mark and Nikki Yanarella to announce the Saunders Fund, June 2009.
Nikki Yanarella; former Mayor Mike Bronko; CCF President Peter Jacoby, M.D.; Saunders Advisory Committee members Loraine Shea, Mary Pelletier, and Stan Dudrick, M.D.; Senator Joan Hartley; Mark Yanarella
