Shelter From The Storm—

Women’s Center Fundraiser Will Honor ‘A Few Good Men’

DANBURY — Three community leaders will be honored on May 2 at Shelter From the Storm, the annual fundraising auction and gala to benefit the Women’s Center of Greater Danbury. The theme of the evening is “A Few Good Men,” and the honorees are Harold Spratt of Ridgefield, Mark Nolan of Danbury, and Paul Dinto of Danbury.

“Each year, the center honors an individual who is making a difference in the 13-town community we serve,” said Kathleen Pape, chair of the fundraising committee. “This year, we decided to honor a group of men, each of whom has worked tirelessly to make this community a better place for all of us.”

Paul Dinto, a lifelong resident of Danbury, is the president and CEO of Paul Dinto Electrical Contractors. He has been a force in the community, serving on such committees as the Danbury Hospital Major Gifts Committee, Education Committee, a charter member of the hospital’s 1885 Society, and chairman of the President’s Club. He has also served on the board of directors for Ann’s Place/The Home of I Can, as president of Ann’s Place, and as an incorporator and member of the board of directors of the Savings Bank of Danbury.

Mr Dinto also serves on the Advisory Council of the Women’s Center.

Mark Nolan, partner and general manager for Nolan Enterprises Real Estate Investment and Development Company, is well known for his work to provide housing for low- and moderate-income families. He is a community partner in a variety of arenas, including director and treasurer of the nonprofit Rental Housing Corp., serving on the Program Advisory Committee of the State of Connecticut Housing Trust Fund, and as co-chair of Danbury Housing Partnership.

He is also co-chairman of the Women’s Center Advisory Council, and has served as a consultant to the center regarding all building matters, offering service and advice on tenant practices and building management.

A native of England, Harold Spratt has lived in the greater Danbury area since 1967, when he moved here with his family after accepting a position with Union Carbide. He worked at Union Carbide for 18 years, after which he became vice president and chief financial officer at Strategic Minerals in Danbury. Since his retirement in 1992 he has served on the board of directors of Danbury Hospital Development Fund, chairman of Danbury Hospital 1885 Society, and established the Harold and Myra Spratt Endowed Chair in Minimally Invasive Surgery at the hospital.

In honor of his late wife Cora, Mr Spratt provided a gift that enabled the Women’s Center to begin an endowment fund. He also serves on the Advisory Council and helped to fund the purchase and installation of the center’s elevator, among other contributions

Shelter From the Storm will run from 6 to 9 pm on Friday, May 2, at The Lounsbury House, 316 Main Street in Ridgefield. The event will feature dinner by the bite, an assortment of wines and desserts, and a wide selection of silent and live auction items. The raffle prize is an all-inclusive eight-day vacation for two to Cancun.

Proceeds from the event will help the center maintain its emergency shelter where individuals and families fleeing domestic violence can find safe haven, counseling, and other supportive services; operate 24-hour hotlines for victims of domestic violence and sexual assault; offer individual counseling and support groups to people in crisis; provide counseling and therapeutic play groups to the “secondary” victims of assault, the children who witness violence in their homes, or the spouses of sexual assault survivors; conduct hundreds of community education programs for children and teens in area schools for early intervention and prevention of abuse; and provide training to police, hospital personnel, and other professionals who work with victims of violence in their workplace.

For further information or to purchase tickets, contact the Women’s Center of Greater Danbury at 731-5200.