NEWS RELEASE
Contact: Patty McQueen 860-985-3533
Community Nonprofit Providers Hold Voter Registration Drives and Candidate Events; National Voter Registration Day is September 25
(Hartford, CT) – Across the state, members of the CT Community Nonprofit Alliance including group homes and family support programs for people with developmental disabilities, outpatient mental health and addiction services, children in foster care, housing programs and arts and cultural organizations, are holding public events with gubernatorial and legislative candidates as well as voter registration drives in an effort to increase nonpartisan voter participation and involvement this election season.
“The Alliance has hundreds of members across the state with tens of thousands of employees who serve half a million people and their families – each one impacted by the decisions that state and local elected officials make,” Gian Carl Casa, Alliance President & CEO said. “Community-based services and programs are some of the most important work of state government and our goal is to educate and empower members to participate in that process.”
Events (linked here) include candidate forums, breakfasts and roundtable discussions about relevant policy and funding issues, a bus tour for elected officials of nonprofit providers in northeast Connecticut communities and more than a dozen voter registration drives to coincide with National Voter Registration Day on Tuesday Sept. 25.
The Alliance will also host a forum with gubernatorial candidates during its 2018 Annual Nonprofit Conference on October 2, with candidates answering questions from a moderator about issues important to the nonprofit community. The 9:15 – 10:45 am forum is open to the press.
Connecticut’s community nonprofits contract with the state to provide a wide range of essential services for people with developmental disabilities and behavioral health needs, re-entry and employment programs for people coming out of prison, homeless and domestic violence shelters, among other services.
Community nonprofits received a one percent cost of living increase in 2018, and before that had not gotten an increase in more than a decade, threatening the ability to provide essential services.
Link to nonprofit election events HERE.