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Local Focus - Robinson-Broadhurst
Above photo: The benefactors of the Robinson-Broadhurst Foundation were, from left: Avery Robinson, Winnie Robinson and Anna Broadhurst. Their portraits hang on the wall of the Robinson-Broadhurst Center on Main Street in Stamford.
STAMFORD – Did you ever wish you had a rich uncle? Well the Robinson children did and now the communities of Stamford and Worcester, New York and Winchendon, Massachusetts also have a rich uncle who has benefitted them $87 millionfold over the past 41 years. The Robinson-Broadhurst Foundation, based in Stamford, handed out more than $3 million in grants last spring to fund 94 projects that benefit people in these three communities.
The Foundation is sometimes misunderstood because it is bound specifically to the three communities where Robert Avery(Avery) Robinson and his sister, Anna Broadhurst, lived. They are known as a place based funder making these communities the envy of their surrounding communities.
Anna and Avery were the nephew and niece of Sam Robinson, that rich uncle. They were the children of Eliza and Byron Robinson (Sam's older brother), who lived in Winchendon. Sam made early investments in IBM. He was a business major. When he died in 1948, a sizable portion of his estate went to his niece and nephew. Avery would also assume many of his uncle's business responsibilities, which included being director of the National Bank of Stamford. When Sam's wife passed away in 1955, Anna and Avery inherited the remaining portion of Sam's estate, another $8 million.
Avery and his wife, Winnie, lived on Main St. in the village of Stamford. They, along with Anna, were generous to their communities long before the R-B Foundation was established.
In accordance with Sam's wishes, Avery's will declared that a sizable portion of the Robinson family assets would be used to set up a charitable foundation, specifically to aid the three communities. At the time of Avery's passing the total assets were approximately $7.3 million. When Anna passed in 1984, $3.5 million was added and with Winnie's passing in 1996, a final $7.5 million was added.
Today, those assets total nearly $70 million.
"The Foundation is very specific on our funding. We are a Private/geographical Foundation. Our grants need to benefit the community members of the three towns in which we serve," said Don VanEtten, president of the R-B Board of Directors.
The Foundation board is made up of five board members and seven advisory members. Three of the directors are in Stamford and two directors are in Winchendon. There are advisory boards from all three communities, two represent Stamford, two represent Winchendon and three represent Worcester.
"The Foundation's board and advisory boards all consist of people who are extremely active within our communities," said VanEtten. "Each member has been or is involved with other civic organizations, government, nonprofit organizations, schools, hospitals, churches, historical societies and fire departments. Most have some business background or have owned their own business."
Members of the Board of Directors include VanEtten as president; Glenn Hunt, vice president, treasurer and director; Heather Clark, secretary and director; Cindy Landanno and Patty Callagy, directors. Serving on the Winchendon Advisory Board are Ken LaBrack and Keith Barrows; Stamford Advisory Board members are John Hubbard and Gerry Moore and theWorcester Advisory Board is made up of Jim Empie, Larry Bobnick and Jim O'Connor Jr.. Diane Frazee serves as the office manager.
The R-B Foundation provides grants to fund things that will improve the quality of life; support historical preservation; enhance educational opportunities; support projects that promote community spirit and cooperation; support qualifying volunteer organizations; youth programs that encourage responsibility, community interest, citizenship and a a healthy lifestyle; support religious organizations in their service to the community; support municipalities to improve and maintain infrastructure and support efforts to improve safety.
"Stamford and Winchendon were the primary home towns of Avery and Winnie Robinson and Anna Broadhurst and each community received equal funding. Worcester was a second home for the Robinsons and received a percentage of the total amount that we are allotted for each year," explained VanEtten.
The Foundation grants are typically made once per year with a deadline for submission of application as November 30. The application is straight forward with basic questions and documentation that is required to support the grantees request. Applications are available on the Foundation's website: robinsonbroadhurst.org. There is also a Facebook page that has a link to the website. Grant submissions received are considered and award notifications made the following May. Letters of notification go out in the mail, usually within a week or two following the annual meeting.
Although it is rare, VanEtten said the Foundation has awarded a one-time grant to each of the three communities for large projects. Something large in scale that would benefit the entire community for many years to come.
The Stamford community received a beautiful new swimming pool to replace the 62-year-old pool. The pool was built on the site of the former Catskill Mountain Little League field. The community can use the pool for free and it receives annual support. It provides summer recreation and summer employment for lifeguards. It also coincides with the Camp H.E.R.E. summer program, also supported by the Foundation, to provide daily activities, and learning for children for four weeks and it provides summer employment for counselors.
With the Little League field displaced, the Foundation then funded a new baseball/softball complex for the Catskill Mountain Little League, making a deal with the village of Stamford for a piece of property near Russ Archibald Memorial Field.
The third Stamford special project was establishing a paid commercial ambulance service in the wake of declining volunteer EMS services. In May of 2021 at the annual R-B meeting, a project was approved to get support of three towns to establish a not for profit ambulance service. Headwaters Emergency Medical Services went into service in May of 2023 to respond to 911 calls.
Worcester received a community center with a beautiful addition to the Worcester Hose Company building. It contains a large meeting room, state of the art kitchen, restrooms and smaller meeting rooms. It can be used for a nominal fee by any community resident or organization.
In Winchendon, a 50-acre parcel owned by the town of Winchendon in the heart of the downtown community became a large community park, known as the Winchendon Community Park, with an amphitheater. The park is host to a number of activities, from concerts, fairs, festivals, comedy nights, fireworks, walking trails, disc golf, birthdays, holidays and more. It has been a huge boost to the entire community with a full calendar schedule each year.
Many do not understand the R-B Foundation's parameters. However, VanEtten will advise you that if you can tie your request into something that will benefit any of these three communities, the board will consider funding.
The history of the Robinson family is quite interesting and is available on the website. They were philanthropists and very generous to the communities long before the Foundation was formed. The Robinsons could be found at Scotch Valley, started by a group of local business people, but perpetuated by Avery and Winnie Robinson. They funded fire apparatus and an ambulance. The local rescue squad was known as the R. A. Robinson Fire and Rescue Company. Avery and Anna did not live in mansions, nor did they live luxurious lives. They helped their communities.
The R-B Foundation continues to do that and invites local not-for-profits to develop projects that will further benefit the communities and improve the quality of life for everyone in them.
The community hospital, Stamford library, Scotch Valley Ski Resort, the DEC buildings, theStamford Golf Course and Robinson Terrace are just a few of the benevolent endeavors Avery and Winnie were involved in.
The following were among the list of 2025 grantees: Arts & Rec, Inc.,Bassett Healthcare Network, BSA Leatherstocking Council, Catskill Athletic Club, Catskill Mt Little League, Catskill Revitalization Corp., Community Music Network, Inc., Family Planning of South-Central NY, Friends of Music of Stamford NY, Goodyear Lake Polar Bears, Inc., Hanford Mills Museum, Hartwick College, Headwaters EMS, Helios Care, Land of Strangers, Michael Kudish Natural History Preserve, The Party Theater, The Roxbury Arts Group, Inc., Sacred Heart Parish, SGC Junior Golf, Inc., Stamford Cemetery Association, Stamford Central School (2), Stamford Children's Activity Center, Stamford Christmas Feeling Fund, Stamford Fire Department, Stamford Joint Fire District , Stamford Village Improvement Association (SVIA) (2), Stamford Village Library (2), Stamford Wellness Center (2)
Stamford/Harpersfield/Kortright Rural Fire District, Town of Harpersfield, Town of Stamford, Village of Stamford and the West Kortright Centre.
Home base for the Robinson-Broadhurst Foundation office is 101 Main St. in Stamford.
Members of the Robinson-Broadhurst Board of Directors and the Headwaters EMS Board of Directors pose for a ribbon cutting as the new not-for-profit ambulance service began operations in May of 2023.
People gather inside the new addition to the Worcester Fire Department that is a community center and a major project for the Worcester community.
The exterior of the Worcester Fire Hall with the added Worcester Community Center.
An aerial view of the Catskill Mountain Little League’s Field of Dreams softball and baseball complex in Stamford.
