About Us
The Wallingford Wishing Well is a charitable organization devoted to the benefit and well being of needy children residing within the boundaries of the town of Wallingford. We fulfill both monetary and material needs to children and families through donations from private donors and businesses.
Our entire organization is run entirely by a very generous group of volunteers that donate countless time and effort to helping those in need. Our primary team consists of 4 officers and 7 board members. These few people plan, organize, and work every single event that we participate in. The rest of our help comes from many, many volunteers that offer their help and their time, and expect nothing in return. Without these people, our work would be impossible.
History
In the late 70’s a local carpenter by the name of Roger Campbell decided to try and help children, especially during the Christmas holiday. He had someone hand make teddy bears and passed them out to children for Christmas. He was also instrumental in starting cash fundraisers to help the children of our community. Together with the help of Ed Ruszczyk, owner of Grand Central Café and Joe Kolodziej, owner of TJ’s Café a large sum of money was raised and presented to Paul Newman, which he accepted for the “Hole in the Wall Gang” which is a camp created by Newman in Ashford, CT to help sick children.
As more people became involved with the fundraising it became obvious that we could be very effective in our community and our namesake, The Wallingford Wishing Well was born. The members decided when forming the organization that all efforts and proceed would remain in the town of Wallingford, CT to assist needy, sick and under privileged children. Our Articles of Incorporation were filed with the State of CT and we became an incorporated, non-profit organization in 1990.
During our transition to a legal entity, a group of our members were already getting a reputation for catering excellent food. This evolved simply while helping friends and family with special occasions. The catering originated at “Chick’s Auto” with the help of the many people that had been volunteering throughout the years with what had become the Wallingford Wishing Well.
Naturally, the efforts were of the volunteers became the major source of funding for the Wallingford Wishing Well and its mission. The catering not only provided a steady financial source for the Wishing Well but also spawned such events as the Taste of Wallingford and the annual Game Dinner.
Through the years the Wallingford Wishing Well has grown to an active membership of approximately 80 people. These volunteers are from all walks of life. The Wishing Well has tapped the talent and resources of all these people at one time or another to fulfill our goal, “Wallingford People Working for Wallingford Children”.