Building a Generation of College Graduates and

Transforming Our Community

In May, the festivities kicked off when many of our scholars stopped by our office to pick up special Waterbury Promise stoles to wear to graduation and gift bags to commemorate this incredible achievement. We were cheering and beaming with pride when they crossed the stage to earn associate, bachelor’s and master’s degrees! This was a huge milestone moment for our program that was four years in the making, as members of our inaugural cohort—a.k.a. our “first-borns”—became college graduates! Their achievements were a powerful reminder of what is possible when students are provided opportunity and afforded unwavering support. This is how promises are kept, dreams are realized, and futures are transformed. 

Many of our recent graduates are already employed full time or have been accepted to graduate programs to earn advanced degrees! We look forward to continuing to engage with this very special group as Promise alumni in the months and years ahead and are forever grateful to our amazing village of support that has made this all possible. Congratulations to all of our college graduates—more than 100 to date—we could not be prouder of you!

College Bound!

In June, our team was honored to attend high school graduations across the district and celebrate the hard work of our incoming scholars. Early next month, we will officially welcome hundreds of new college-bound students to the Waterbury Promise family as part of our 2026 cohort at our signature summer transition programming. We are excited to help shape the next group of leaders, innovators and change makers that hail from our great city and to serve more than 1,000 scholars in college this fall!

Mark your calendars! Join Team Promise at the Eversource Hartford Marathon on Saturday, October 10, 2026 in downtown Hartford! As an official Charity Partner, this is an incredible opportunity for you to help Waterbury Promise raise awareness and critical funding for our transformative college access and success program! Waterbury Public Schools Superintendent, Dr. Darren Schwartz, has graciously agreed to be our team captain and will be running the marathon with his wife!

Come and be part of this awesome event and experience the magic of finishing your race just beyond the Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Arch in Bushnell Park! Enjoy live music, local food and fabulous swag—all while getting your steps in and supporting a great cause! 

Not a marathoner? No problem. You can also sign up for the Half Marathon, Team 26.2 Relay (teams of 2-5, with a designated relay team captain) or the Charity 5K.  

As a gold-level partner, we need to recruit 50 fundraising runners/walkers, 30+ volunteers, as well as tons of local sponsors to help us reach our $26,200 fundraising goal! A HUGE THANK YOU to all of the runners/walkers who have already registered and to everyone who has donated so far!

Here’s a breakdown of the fundraising minimum requirements that are tied to each race:

• Marathon: Raise at least $350
• Half Marathon: Raise at least $250
• Team 26.2 Relay: Raise at least $350 (Note: This minimum applies to the relay team as a whole and not to each runner. All dollars raised for each relay team must flow through the relay team captain to count towards the fundraising minimum.)
• Charity 5K: Raise at least $100

Reminder: Waterbury Promise will cover all race registration fees and will pick up and distribute race packets in Waterbury before the big day!​ There’s no need to pay online to have yours mailed to you!

Register today! Registration fees will increase as we get closer to race day, so the sooner you join Team Promise, the more money we’ll raise for our fabulous scholars!  

Sponsor Our Team!

Become a Team Promise sponsor and ensure our more than 1,000 scholars this fall have the resources and support they need for success in college and beyond!

Sponsorship forms are now available on our website at https://www.waterburypromise.org/events.html. Don’t miss out on the chance to have your corporate logo prominently displayed on Dr. Schwartz’s race day gear! Please reach out to Hedy Ayers, Director of Development and Community Engagement, at hedy.ayers@waterburypromise.org or 203-574-8118 with questions about this exciting event!

Thank you for helping to make this event a huge success so our scholars can cross the finish line and earn a

life-changing college degree!

Thank you to our major and individual donors! Your generosity is changing the lives of Waterbury students every day!

THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR SUPPORT!

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Established in late 2021 in collaboration with the City of Waterbury and Waterbury Public Schools, Waterbury Promise is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization dedicated to building a generation of college graduates in Waterbury. Our mission is to increase college aspirations, reduce financial barriers and inspire every student in Waterbury toward post-secondary education and completion. The program’s comprehensive college success model provides a generous last-dollar scholarship as well as critical support services to help talented Waterbury students get to college, thrive there, persist through graduation and be career ready to help create a robust and diverse talent pipeline for the local economy.