Fund Highlight: Donald & Mary Lou Welch Fund

Don and Mary Lou were thrilled to live and raise their family in Branford. Don was most at home on or near the water – fishing, clamming, lobstering, and boating, often with his grandchildren, or organizing the family’s annual “Sedge Island Day,” a well-timed picnic on a sandbar at low tide! Mary Lou was the ‘glue’ and strength of the family; she, too, cherished beach living, and along with her gardening, sewing, and cooking skills she created a nurturing environment for her family. Beyond her roles in real estate and as a preschool teacher, Mary Lou was involved in the Branford community. She was active with Habitat for Humanity and even had a house in West Virginia dedicated in her name. She was also instrumental in the establishment of Camp Totokett, a wonderful organization for children dealing with AIDS that the Branford Community Foundation initially helped fund and continues to support.

While Ginger created this fund to keep her parents’ spirit alive, she also looks to the future. As a fourth grade teacher in Branford, she has taught her students the importance of giving back to the community. She explains to her kids how The Donald and Mary Lou Welch Fund, through the Branford Community Foundation, can help needy children or preserve the environment, two issues near to her parents’ hearts. When Ginger celebrated her last birthday, the Foundation was thrilled to receive a check for $48 from “Mrs. Dendas’ Fourth Grade Class!”

The Branford Community Foundation is delighted to have Ginger Dendas honor her parents, Donald and Mary Lou Welch, and her husband, Sam, in a manner that so benefits the town of Branford.

Pictured: Don and Mary Lou, Don and Mary Lou with daughter Ginger.