The Darien Foundation

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The Darien Foundation

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The Darien Foundation provides grants for technology and capital initiatives which create opportunity for Darien’s youth, support our town’s safety and security services, and enhance the overall quality of life.

08/27/2026

Back to School, Darien! 🎒📚

The backpacks are packed, the classrooms are ready, and a new year of learning, friendship, and discovery is about to begin! 🍎✏️

Wishing all of Darien’s students, teachers, and parents an amazing year ahead. 💙💚

Back-to-school season is especially meaningful to The Darien Foundation. We were founded by visionary Darien parents with a mission to support our public schools—and we’ve been cheering on Darien’s students ever since. 🙌

From providing the first computers to teachers and students to launching the elementary school media centers to the ongoing funding of innovative learning tools and spaces, we’re proud to help create new opportunities for students across all seven DPS schools. 💡🌐

Here’s to a great year ahead, Darien! Let’s make it a good one. 🎉

08/20/2026

🌊The Blue Wave: Darien's Finest Keeping Darien’s Waters Safe👮

While we’re soaking up the sun and enjoying Darien’s waters, the Darien Police Department Marine Division is out there keeping our waters safe—day and night.

They don't dry dock after Labor Day. The resilient officers of the Marine Division perform rescue and water safety missions year round, in all kinds of weather. 🌦️

The Darien Foundation has been proud to support the DPD Marine Division, first in 2015 with a $65,000 grant when they launched the new vessel DPD-127. Then, in 2023, we awarded a $124,000 grant to equip the police boat with advanced onboard hardware and software for improved GPS navigation, FLIR thermal imaging, side-scan sonar, LED spot lighting, and all-band radios so officers can communicate directly with first responders on land or at sea.🚨

Because keeping our community safe starts with making sure the officers who protect it have the right tools to do their jobs. 🙌

We’re grateful for the dedication, teamwork, and community spirit of the Darien Police Department’s Marine Division. 💙🖤 And if you see them out on the Sound, give a friendly hello wave to Officer Ehret (pictured) and the rest of the DPD team! 👋

08/11/2026

As we are enjoying the long days of summer, we want to celebrate the incredible Darien moms behind the at W**d Beach! ☀️

Back in 2008, a group of Darien moms had a vision: to create a playground by the sand at W**d Beach. The Darien Foundation partnered with these super moms to help bring that vision to life. 🛝

Working hand in hand with the Town of Darien and fundraising at every level, these dedicated moms turned their dream into reality. In 2009, the Playground by the Sound officially opened.

Proof that when moms come together, amazing things happen! 🙌

Today, the Playground by the Sound is a beloved gathering place where families connect, friendships are made, and generations of children create lasting memories. 💚💙

Hear the inspiring story from the moms who made it all happen in our brief micro-documentary. 🎬

See you at the Playground by the Sound! 🌊

🎥:

**dBeachPlayground

07/22/2026

Explore The Mather Homestead this summer. ☀️

For the first summer since The Mather Homestead Foundation was established, visitors are able to comfortably tour Darien’s only National Historic Landmark thanks to a new climate control system funded by a $161,600 grant from The Darien Foundation. 🙌

The new HVAC system is doing more than making tours more enjoyable for guests and volunteers—it is also helping protect the Homestead’s historic artifacts and interiors from damaging temperature and humidity fluctuations, preserving this important piece of Darien’s history for generations to come. 📜

This summer, At Home in Darien and other groups from Darien and neighboring communities have already enjoyed guided tours with Mather Homestead docents Dave Miller, Florence Heubeck, Neev Sahgal, and Cristi Mohr, with more visitors exploring the Homestead each week. Tours are by appointment only.

We invite you to email [email protected] to make an appointment with one of Mather Homestead’s fabulous docents.

We love seeing our grants make a lasting impact. We are preserving Darien’s history while making it more accessible for everyone. 💙💚

The Mather Homestead

📸 Photo Credits: Darien Foundation

 

07/16/2026

Already making an impact!

Just 3 weeks after entering service, Post 53’s Special Operations Vehicle, Unit 318, is already proving to be an invaluable resource for our community. 🚑

Funded in part by a $95,000 grant from The Darien Foundation, Unit 318 serves as a mobile support station equipped with emergency medical supplies, communications equipment, firefighter rehabilitation resources, and incident command capabilities.

Designed to support first responders during critical incidents such as an accident on I-95 or a house fire, Unit 318 helps keep crews safe, connected, and ready to respond. 🚒

The public got its first look at Unit 318 in action during Darien’s Fourth of July fireworks, where it was stationed to provide on-site medical support for anyone who needed assistance. 🎆

Going forward, the vehicle will support first responders at other community events such as the Memorial Day Parade and Darien High School graduation. In three short weeks, Unit 318 has already responded to three medical cases as well as two large structure fires. 💪

We’re proud to have helped make this resource available to our community. 💙💚

Thank you to the dedicated volunteers of Post 53 for providing this vital support to their fellow first responders and for everything you all do to keep our community safe! 🙌

Darien EMS - Post 53

📸 Photo: .Photography

07/08/2026

Thank you to all our amazing donors! We are truly grateful. Now that we've wrapped our 2025-2026 fiscal year, we want to express how much we appreciate everyone who has supported our mission in Darien.

The impact of your contributions is visible all over town!

🏫 Darien High School Classroom Smart Boards — $298,000
🌿 Darien Land Trust Olson Woods Access & Enhancements — $100,000
📚 Darien Library Teen & Tween Center — $314,000
🌳 Darien Nature Center Animal Room Forest Experience — $20,000
👮 Darien Police Department Crime Lab Modernization — $80,000
🚑 EMS-Post 53 Special Operations Vehicle — $95,000

With your help, we've awarded over $900,000 in grants that directly benefit Darien—a record for us.

More exciting initiatives are in development for our 2026-2027.

Your support means everything to us. 🫶

Together, we are moving Darien Forward!

Ward Glassmeyer, Chairman
Sarah Woodberry, Executive Director
& The Board of the Darien Foundation

📸 Photo Credits: Calderwood Photography

07/03/2026

Happy Fourth of July from The Darien Foundation! 🇺🇸🎆
Wishing everyone a fun, safe, and joyful Independence Day as we celebrate the 250th anniversary of our country!

Enjoy the holiday with family, friends, and neighbors! ❤️🤍💙

06/25/2026

Meet Detective Sergeant Mauricio Vigil and Detective Lieutenant Derek Mulcahy of the Darien Police Department. The Darien Foundation is proud to partner with them on an $80,000 grant to modernize the DPD Crime Lab.👮‍♂️🔬

This investment will help Darien Detectives preserve and analyze digital evidence more efficiently, investigate computer-related crimes, extract critical data from electronic devices, and build stronger, more timely criminal cases.📱

Digital forensics has become an essential tool in modern policing—not only for cybercrime, but for uncovering critical evidence in a wide variety of cases, including burglaries and car thefts.🔍

The upgraded lab will also allow detectives to process certain physical evidence, including fingerprints and DNA, in-house which will greatly expedite the turnaround time from the State Laboratory. This means faster investigations, less uncertainty for victims and their families, and stronger support for our community. 💙💚

The Darien Foundation is honored to support our Darien Detectives with a modernized Crime Lab, and we are grateful for all they do to keep Darien safe. 🚓

Darien Police Department (CT)

📸 Photo Credits: Darien Foundation

06/18/2026

From 5th grade to 8th grade to the incredible Darien High School Class of 2026, we’re celebrating each milestone and all the hard work it took to get here! 🎉✨

We’re sharing a few photos from the 8th Grade Promotion ceremony, where Jeff DeMaio and his team used the DHS video wall to enhance the experience for graduates and their proud families. We’re also including a few stills from the Darien High School graduation, where DAF Media’s multiple live camera angles gave the audience close-up views of presenters at the podium and those unforgettable diploma handoffs. 🎥

The Darien Foundation was founded by visionary parents who wanted to equip Darien Public Schools with technology and computers. Today, we take immense pride in our enduring partnership with and ongoing support of the DPS community. 💙💚

It is incredibly rewarding to watch our students grow, reach these important milestones, and embark on their next adventures—from middle school to high school, and from high school to college, careers, and beyond. Congratulations to all the graduates and to the families who have supported them every step of the way! 🙌

You can watch the MMS and DHS graduation videos here: https://www.youtube.com/c/DAFMedia/videos

📸 Photo Credits: DAF Media & Darien Public Schools

DAF Media
Darien Public Schools
DHS Parent Association
Middlesex Parent Association

Address

Darien, CT
06820

Website

http://www.darienfoundation.org/

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