For Immediate Release
June 11, 2026
NCEF Supports Educational Excellence in the Northeast CT Community
PUTNAM, CT – Spring 2026 was a busy season for the Northeast Connecticut Education Foundation (NCEF). In addition to awarding over $201,000 in scholarship funds to college students in May, NCEF also proudly sponsored cultural enrichment activities for students attending CT State Community College Quinebaug Valley. Support like this is made possible thanks to donors who continue to invest in education for NE CT residents.
Thanks to the Eris G. Langhammer Museum Trip Fund, endowed with the NCEF, 88 Quinebaug Valley students visited the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston on April 10. For some students, this was a first-time chance to visit an art museum in a major city and offered an important cultural experience. Jessica Porzuczek, CT State Quinebaug Valley Visual Arts Professor and Program Coordinator, noted how important this experience is for students, “Supporting student experiences like museum visits is essential to their development and growth. Art and culture cannot be fully understood secondhand; it must be encountered in its physical presence.”
Later in April, the NCEF provided $1,000 in prize money for the 19th Annual Julius Sokenu Poetry Awards, an event honoring the best student poetry in English and Spanish at CT State Quinebaug Valley. The 2026 Awards were hosted at the Quinebaug Valley Willimantic campus and featured 2025 National Youth Poet Laureate Stephanie Pacheco. Jon Andersen, CT State Quinebaug Valley English Department Chair, shared the impact these awards have on students, “Community college is like poetry itself, I think: a place where you can discover what you have to say, a place to say it, and a place to be heard. On the Sokenu Awards night we celebrate our many differences and all we share. The Foundation makes this possible, year after year.”
As an important reminder of the ways businesses and individuals can make a lasting impact in students’ lives, Charlie Pious, President of the Protective Packaging Division of UNICORR/Nutmeg Container, made a $6,500 donation in support of the NCEF as part of UNICORR’s annual day of giving. Pious is a former Foundation member and long-time supporter of Quinebaug Valley. His generosity has supported the Dr. Robert E. Miller Education Advancement Fund and the Advanced Manufacturing and Technology Center (AMTC). During the check presentation on April 27, Pious and CT State Quinebaug Valley Director of Institutional Advancement Monique Wolanin were joined by Tyson Winchell and DJ Bledsoe, two UNICORR employees who are graduates of the AMTC. As residents who successfully transitioned from the college into their roles at a leading area manufacturing facility, both Winchell and Bledsoe exemplify how supporting local students helps strengthen community.
The mission of the Northeast Connecticut Education Foundation is to provide scholarships and other financial support to residents of Northeast Connecticut who want to pursue higher education. To learn more about the NCEF, visit www.necteducationfoundation.org. For more information on how to support local students at CT State Quinebaug Valley, please contact Director of Institutional Advancement Monique C.K. Wolanin at (860) 932-4174 or monique.wolanin@ctstate.edu.
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