BRAFFLE 2025 SELLS OUT

Braffle, Branford Rotary’s Outrageous Restaurant Raffle, has sold out for the 5^th straight year, raising more than $60,000 and bringing its five-year total to $262,500.

Proceeds from Braffle 2025 primarily benefit Branford Counseling & Community Services‘Basic Needs’ program, which helps local families in need with food, rent and utilities.

More than 1,300 people snapped up the 2,500 tickets, giving them a chance to win Braffle’s Absurd Grand Prize of $5,500 in gift cards to 55 different Branford restaurants. The Ridiculous Second Prize is $2,750 in gift cards to those 55 restaurants, and there are eight more prizes.

The drawing will be held May 8 at 6 p.m. at The Stand in Branford, 196 S. Montowese Street. It will also be live-streamed at Facebook.com/BranfordRotaryClub. Branford First Selectman Jamie Cosgrove will once again pull the winning numbers. Ticket holders do not need to be present to win.

“We’re thrilled and grateful that so many people stepped up to help neighbors in need, and to give themselves a shot at winning some truly absurd prizes,” said Branford Rotary President Ellen Carucci. “It’s not just people from Branford. We have ticket buyers from every town in our area, people who know Branford is a great restaurant destination and would be happy to make the short trip. Possibly 55 times.”

The proceeds from Braffle are more welcome than ever, said Peter Cimino, Executive Director of Branford Counseling & Community Services.

“We’re seeing a lot more families facing hardships because utilities have gone up, because food is more expensive,” said Cimino. “And particularly, we’re seeing more elderly people who can’t pay their rents because their social security just isn’t enough anymore.”

“The funds that come in through Braffle make a big impact, and I just want to say thank you to everyone who bought tickets,” he added.

Born during the pandemic to help struggling restaurants and those out of work, Branford Rotary’s Braffle has gone on to become the largest fundraiser for the town, said First Selectman Cosgrove.

'RESILIENT STUDENTS' WIN ROTARY'S GROUNDBREAKING NEW SCHOLARSHIPS

Her first day was frightening.

“It was so scary because I see all these young kids, and they’re all teenagers, and I’m 45!” recalled Branford’s Ilkay Ozdemir Sen, of her first day at community college two years ago. “I’m thinking, ‘Most of my teachers are the same age as me. It’s embarrassing.’”

“But then,” she added, “I had to do it. I had to do it for my kids.”

Now enrolled at CT State College – Gateway, in New Haven, Ilkay is one of the first recipients of Branford Rotary’s new “Resilient Scholarships,” awarded to working adults age 26 and above who are going back to college, or going for the first time, to get a degree or a technical certificate. ... MORE

WELCOME TO BRANFORD ROTARY

The Rotary Club of Branford, Conn., is a volunteer group of community leaders from all walks of life who join together to serve. As part of the 1.2-million-member Rotary International, our members give their time and expertise to improve lives in Branford, across the shoreline, and around the world. Interested in helping your community? Click 'Join Rotary' and learn more.

ROTARY LAUNCHES ADULT SCHOLARSHIPS WITH GATEWAY

NEW HAVEN, CT – College students who don’t go straight from high school to college make up the majority of undergraduates in America, yet these older, “nontraditional” students, many of them working parents, struggle to find financial aid. Branford Rotary has now rallied to that cause, creating the first dedicated nontraditional student scholarships at CT State Community College – Gateway.

Starting in the Fall of 2023, Branford Rotary will award $5,000 a year to Gateway – the largest campus of the state’s recently combined 12 community colleges. The money will be used to help nontraditional students from Branford aged 26 and older, and can be awarded to multiple students seeking degrees or technical certificates. (Read more...)

BRANFORD ROTARY PANDEMIC RESPONSE TOPS $85,000

BRANFORD, CT - As the coronavirus swept into the state, the strains in Branford were everywhere. At Connecticut Hospice, frontline health workers needed protective equipment. The Branford Food Pantry was having trouble sourcing fresh food. Restaurants and small businesses across town were suffering due to closures, and the ranks of the unemployed swelled.

Faced with this panoply of challenges, the Branford Rotary Club responded in force. The Club spent $5,000 to buy medical gowns for Hospice. For the Food Pantry, Rotary members sourced, bought, and delivered a truckload of fresh produce. And as the needs in town grew, Rotary launched the ambitious HELP OUT – TAKE OUT program, which supports both local restaurants and those who’ve lost work due to the pandemic.

 FEED OUR NEIGHBORS

MADISON, CT - Every year, Branford Rotary participates in one of the largest Rotary food relief efforts in Connecticut, as hundreds of Rotarians and volunteers from across the shoreline gather  to package 50,000+ meals for the struggling residents of Haiti. 

ROTARY PEACE FELLOW APPLICATIONS

Every year, The Rotary Foundation funds some of the world's most dedicated and brightest leaders to study at Rotary Peace Centers. Many recipients go on to careers with governments, NGOs, the military, law enforcement, and international organizations like the United Nations and the World Bank. Read more...