The Amiel and Mary Anne Zak Public Service Fund at the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving has awarded nine Suffield organizations grants totaling $70,980.
The fund, formerly known as the Amiel P. Zak Public Service Fund, has a long history of supporting programs that benefit the community of Suffield. The Fund was established in 2002 by Michael Zak to honor the service of his late father, Amiel, a teacher at Suffield High School for 35 years who also served on numerous town boards and many civic and public associations. Michael’s mother, Mary Anne, passed away in 2022, and a provision was in place to change the name of the Fund to honor both parents. According to Michael, Mary Anne shared her husband’s love of Suffield, and both sought to support their community in a variety of ways. To date, the Amiel and Mary Anne Zak Public Service Fund has made 195 grants to benefit the Suffield community totaling $1,631,937.
The 2025 Zak Public Service Fund grant recipients include:
- Oak Hill received a $1,500 grant for sensory items for residents of Oak Hill’s Suffield home.
- Sibbil Dwight Kent DAR a $10,000 grant for the Old Center Cemetery Preservation and Restoration project with $5,000 as a challenge match component.
- Suffield Historical Society, Incorporated, received a $9,600 grant for the King House Museum & Barn brochure.
- Suffield Lions Club, using the Town of Suffield as fiscal sponsor, received a $9,000 grant to purchase a Pediatric Spot Camera for the KidsSight Screening program in Suffield schools.
- Suffield Volunteer Ambulance Association, Inc. received a $17,700 grant for the Responder Wellness and Resilience Initiative.
- Suffield PTAC received a $6,500 grant for the Jordan Toma Speaker Presentation “I’m just a Kid with an IEP.”
- Suffield Soccer Club received a $9,680 grant to purchase soccer field benches and a soccer goal net.
- Suffield PMC Kids Ride, using fiscal sponsor Pan-Massachusetts Challenge Trust, received a $4,000 grant for the Suffield Pan Mass Challenge Kids Ride.
- Suffield Economic Development Department, using the Town of Suffield as fiscal sponsor, received a $3,000 grant for the Suffield visitor map.
The Hartford Foundation for Public Giving is the community foundation for Hartford and 28 surrounding communities. Made possible by the gifts of generous individuals, families and organizations, the Foundation has awarded grants of more than $1 billion since its founding in 1925. For more information about the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving, visit www.hfpg.org or call 860-548-1888.