Long Wharf Theatre Honors Charles C. Kingsley with Founders Award

Long Wharf Theatre will honor Charles C. Kingsley, a former chair of the Board of Trustees and a partner at Wiggin and Dana, and the Community Foundation for Greater New Haven, with the organization's Founders Award.

The ceremony was held on Monday, June 20 at 7 pm during the theatre's 2016-17 season preview event, which took place on Stage II. The Founders Award was created to acknowledge those organizations, businesses and individuals who have made long term outstanding contributions to Long Wharf Theatre. The theatre's founders were known for their commitment and dedication and the award seeks to honor those who mirror the same qualities.

Some people have been with Long Wharf since the beginning, attending The Crucible in 1965. But you might say that Charles Kingsley has been with Long Wharf since before the beginning - as an associate at Wiggin and Dana, he was the attorney who prepared the theatre's incorporation papers with our founding Chairman, C. Newton Schenck III, and has been a loyal subscriber ever since. Kingsley served on the Board of Trustees for 24 years, including two years as chair. Kingsley led the Board during the renovation of the Claire Tow Stage at the C. Newton Schenck III Theatre, which was Long Wharf largest capital project since the opening of Stage II in 1978.

"Those of you who know Charlie know that he is a man of few words, but his air of quiet authority somehow communicates his innate wisdom and also compels your immediate respect," said Managing Director Joshua Borenstein.

"We have all benefited greatly from his leadership, his counsel, and his generosity," said Artistic Director Gordon Edelstein.

Long Wharf Theatre's relationship with the Community Foundation for Greater New Haven really deepened in 1982 when the theatre worked with them to establish its first endowment fund, aptly called the Future Fund. Since then, the Community Foundation has been one of Long Wharf Theatre's closest partners on nearly every level - they have been recent programmatic collaborators, they have managed the theatre's endowment holdings, and they have been a key funder of theatre's artistic, education, and community programs. Will Ginsberg, President and CEO, accepted the award on behalf of the Community Foundation.

"The difference between a donor and a philanthropist is that a donor gives you money, while a philanthropist helps you build your future. The Community Foundation has been an outstanding philanthropist not only to Long Wharf, but to this entire region," said Managing Director Joshua Borenstein.

The Community Foundation's mission is to create positive and sustainable change in Connecticut's Greater New Haven region by increasing the amount of and enhancing the impact of community philanthropy. The Foundation pursues its mission by inspiring people to get involved in local issues; providing leadership by mobilizing the community to address key local issues and by supporting others in their leadership roles; responding to community priorities through grantmaking and in other ways; raising new charitable resources to address current community priorities and for permanent endowment; honoring the wishes of past donors and collaborating with current donors; and growing the community's charitable endowments by managing the financial assets entrusted to it.

For more information, visit www.longwharf.org or call 203-787-4282.