Frank R. and Vivienne V. Vanoni Fund Created

Dr. Frank Vanoni’s mother always said, "Charity begins at home." As a child, he took that to mean that his mother should be charitable with him. As a bright teen in Torrington schools, he was the recipient of the charitable attention of his teachers and in 1949 he became the recipient of a Charles Brooker scholarship to Yale. Returning to Torrington as a family practitioner, he took that charitable outlook with him on house calls and into board meetings of local, state and national organizations, especially the American Cancer Society.

Although he is now retired and living in Litchfield, Dr. Vanoni is still very active with many charitable organizations. When he and his wife, also a native of Torrington, recently created a Charitable Remainder Trust naming as the beneficiary the Torrington Area Foundation for Public Giving, they demonstrated the life-long truth of his mother’s words. After they are gone, the Frank R. and Vivienne V. Vanoni Fund will continue to perform charitable deeds in their name, according to their directions, for future generations.

He knew he wanted to be a doctor by the age of three, but was just a young child when his father died, leaving his mother to work as a waitress to support Frank and his sister. When he told his Latin teacher, Nellie Sullivan, that he didn’t like to read, she used cookies and lemonade to persuade him to come to an informal reading of the classics each summer morning on her porch. Nellie gave life to literature for her summer student, and they remained friends until her recent death. He went on to act in Torrington High plays and run a student radio program. Frank thought he couldn’t afford college, but the guidance director, John Hogan, said, "Of course you’re going to college." He took the time to guide Frank through the paces to successfully apply to Yale on a scholarship.

Returning to his hometown after Jefferson Medical School, Dr. Vanoni spent his life giving medical care to the people with whom he grew up. Dr. Vanoni recalls the warm and nurturing community of the Torrington schools with great love. He was inspired to give back to his community in a final fashion after becoming an ambassador with the Torrington Area Foundation, meeting other committed citizens doing their best to nurture their communities. "It hit me like a thunderbolt," he said. "This is the way I can continue the charity my mother began at home. I didn’t really know what a service the Foundation offered this area until I met the caring people who are involved."

The Torrington Area Foundation for Public Giving is the community foundation located in and serving northwest Connecticut as a collection of funds from local donors supporting local nonprofit organizations and scholarships within the towns of Barkhamsted, Colebrook, Cornwall, Falls Village, Goshen, Hartland, Harwinton, Litchfield, New Hartford, Norfolk, Torrington and Winsted. To learn more visit <www.tafpg.org>.