“When I was a child I was cared for by Catholic Charities. I was placed at St. Francis Home . There the Sisters took care of me and I grew up,” is how Jimmy Miller tells the story of his early life. A family named Miller adopted Jimmy, and Jimmy took the family name. Unfortunately, a divorce in the Miller family and the fact that Mr. Miller was laid-off resulted in Jimmy returning to St. Francis H
ome. Miller continued to visit Jimmy regularly, but was unable to take Jimmy back into his home. After enlisting in the Navy Mr. Miller was assigned to the SeaBees (Construction Battalions) and served in the Pacific Theater during World War II. When he returned to the New Haven area he began a tradition that has continued for nearly 60 years – he returned to St. Francis Home on Christmas Eve and made a contribution to help make the lives of the children a little better. After earning an education in hair styling in Europe Jimmy returned to the New Haven area and began a string of businesses that over the years have made Jimmy a successful businessman with literally hundreds of friends and acquaintances throughout the region. And every year, on Christmas Eve, Jimmy would return to St. Francis Home with a gift for Sr. Helen Margaret Gormally, R.S.M., the Mother Superior at the institution. Jimmy was a true entrepreneur – he owned a chain of 28 beauty salons from Guilford to Fairfield County, he owned Paradise Pools, he went into the home renovation business (he bought up summer cottages in Milford, winterized them and then sold them), and a number of other business ventures. “I learned from my experiences at St. Francis Home and afterward that no one was going to give it to me, I had to earn it. But I also learned that I should give back,” Jimmy reflected. Over the years Jimmy has applied his business sense of more is better to his philanthropy. In April 2005, Jimmy was honored by the Connecticut Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals for his efforts to involve many in his good work. “I wanted some of my good friends to share in my giving. I would invite them to dinner early in December and ask them to make a gift to the boys home. I would try to match the gifts and would take the money to St. Francis Home and to Mount Saint John in the days before Christmas,” said Jimmy. In the past few years, with the support and encouragement of those close friends who are Jimmy's companions the dinner has grown. In 2002 more than 300 men attended the dinner at Anthony's Ocean View, and in recent years more than 1000 attendees. And the amount of money raised for the two agencies has increased as well. This year the goal is $150,000. One hundred percent of the funds go to improve the lives of the kids, and not to administrative or overhead costs. “I want these funds to be used for the children – as a way of allowing them to have access to the sorts of activities and opportunities that children who live with their families have, and I can see that having these nice things can provide the children with incentives to cooperate with the treatment programs,” Jimmy commented. “I feel that I can relate to the young people at Mount Saint John and St. I want them to know that, if you are willing to work hard, there are no limits to what you can do. I know that some of them feel sorry for themselves and can develop a mentality that they are trapped. But all they have to do is look at me – I had nothing when I began, and I have worked hard and have done well. But just as importantly, I want to give back.”
