The West Hartford company is collecting donations in the lobby of the Town Center Building on Dec. 9 and Dec. 10, 2015.

YHB Investment Adviisor volunteers include front row (l-r): Jessica Kott and Karen Dootson. Back row (l-r): Renee Zerio, Diane Daley, Matt Manning, Diane Bennett, Jenny Gordon, and Mark Everette. Submitted photo

By Ronni Newton

YHB Investment Advisors is hoping to begin an annual tradition and staff will hold their first fundraiser for West Hartford’s The Town That Cares Fund on Wednesday and Thursday, Dec. 9 and 10.

The company is headquartered in the Town Center Building, directly across the street from Town Hall at 29 South Main St., and volunteers from YHB Investment Advisors will be in the lobby both days from 11:30 a.m. – 2 p.m. collecting gift cards, adult gloves, and monetary donations.

“This is a way for us to volunteer and to do something good for The Town That Cares,” Senior Portfolio Manager Jessica Kott said.

Kott said that the company, which has been based in West Hartford for 20 years, recently met with Community Partnerships Manager Suzanne Oslander about getting involved with West Hartford’s Department of Human Services.

“I am always so touched by the giving spirit in this community,” Oslander said. She said she is very appreciative of what YHB has already done – donating backpacks and volunteering with the Morley Red Wagon Food Drive. By hosting an event in their office building, it will help bring some great awareness of what the Town That Cares does to people who may not otherwise be aware of the organization, Oslander said.

Figure Eight Properties, which owns the building, gave YHB Investment Advisors permission to use the lobby for the fundraiser, Kott said, and she is very thankful that they are helping make the event more accessible.

“The Town That Cares is this special fund, that helps people who are in crisis situations,” Kott said. “It’s 100 percent donor-supported.” She is hopeful that the fundraiser will be well-received and successful.

“The generosity that we see makes it possible for us not just to provide for people and brighten their holidays but to stock the food pantry and prevent fuel shut-offs during the winter,” Oslander said. Gloves are always needed, and Oslander said that they are given to the schools as well.

“We simply can’t do it without the support of the community,” said Oslander.

With so much negativity in the news these days, Oslander said it’s important to appreciate and recognize all of the good things that people are doing. “There’s a lot of kindness in the world, but sometimes it just gets overshadowed,” said Oslander.

“Every day I see the good in people, the kindness,” said Oslander. She said the people at YHB Investment Advisors aren’t just going through the motions, they’re enjoying it. “There’s tremendous joy in giving back,” Oslander said.

The efforts of the Town That Cares Fund are also deeply appreciated by those who receive the donations, Oslander said. She sees it on a daily basis, including today when she handed a pair of gloves to someone who she saw walking around without any.

“Those small kindnesses really do matter,” said Oslander. “West Hartford is a very caring community.”

“Together we can make a difference,” Kott said.

For more information about The Town That Cares Fund, click here.

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