Fairfield Christmas Tree Festival Makes Final Contribution, to REACH Program

FAIRFIELD, CT - REACH, a mental health program based at Bridgeport Hospital, is the final beneficiary of the Fairfield Christmas Tree Festival, which has supported area nonprofits for over 30 years. A gift of $20,951 was presented to the REACH team in early December. 

Bridgeport Hospital’s REACH Youth Program is an innovative outpatient program for children and adolescents suffering from mental illness.  The program offers a multidisciplinary therapeutic approach coupled with a unique level of intensity.  At REACH children and adolescents learn how to identify and implement positive approaches to coping with stressors and intense moods and emotions that inhibit them from functioning at their full potential. 

“We are so grateful to the Fairfield Christmas Tree Festival committee for their generous support of the REACH Youth Program at Bridgeport Hospital. Their gift will enable us to provide necessary counseling and mental health services to the youth of our community,” said Dr. Margarita Munoz, medical director.

The Fairfield Christmas Tree Festival closed its doors in June. Over the course of three decades, the festival has contributed millions of dollars and raised public awareness for over fifty local charities. 

“The Fairfield Christmas Tree Festival is thankful to the community for its many years of support,” said Toni Zeleny, past president, and Carol Timpanelli, president.  “Although bittersweet, our board is pleased to present Bridgeport Hospital’s REACH Youth Program with our final gift. We are proud to support the REACH program and the mental health services which it provides to the children and youth of our community.” 

Bridgeport Hospital, part of Yale New Haven Health, is a non-profit 501-bed acute care hospital with two campuses (plus 42 beds licensed to Yale New Haven Children’s Hospital). Both Bridgeport Hospital and the Milford Campus of Bridgeport Hospital serve patients throughout Fairfield and New Haven counties. The hospital admits more than 23,000 patients and provides nearly 350,000 outpatient treatments annually. The Connecticut Burn Center at Bridgeport Hospital is the only burn center in the state and one of only 64 verified burn centers in the United States. Bridgeport Hospital is committed to providing safe, compassionate and cost efficient care to its patients and the community.  www.bridgeporthospital.org

PHOTO:  L-R, Kate Pigue, Events Manager; Donna Twist, PhD, Vice President, BH Foundation; Toni Zeleny, Fairfield Christmas Tree Festival, Past-President; Carol Timpanelli, Fairfield Christmas Tree Festival, President; and Shaun Amberg, Fairfield Christmas Tree Festival, Design Chairperson.