Hartford Business Journal

www.HartfordBusiness.com • March 5, 2018 • Hartford Business Journal 5 Brackets For Good kicks off statewide nonprofit tournament By Carl Carchia Special to the Hartford Business Journal T he UConn men's basket- ball team is unlikely to be participating in March Madness, but few fans will ever forget its out-of-nowhere 2011 national title run. Connecticut's charitable founda- tions shouldn't either. UConn's im- probable championship victory over Indianapolis-based Cinderella story Butler University indirectly led to nationwide philanthropic efforts that are now permeating the state. Shortly after that game, a pair of Butler alums started the nonprofit Brackets For Good, which aims to raise awareness for charities by pit- ting them against each other in an online fundraising tournament. The idea was to re-create the same exposure for nonprofits that consec- utive national championship appear- ances created for their tiny school. Hartford participated in the five- week tournament last year after Boy Scouts executive Steven Smith kick-started the initiative. This year's tournament, which began March 2, is open to charities across the state and runs through April 6. "Connecticut has always been part of the Brackets For Good story," said Reid McDowell, the nonprofit's partnerships and marketing direc- tor. "We kind of made jokes when we were in Connecticut last year that we were heartbroken and had upset feel- ings toward UConn and Connecticut, but we were also happy to bring the fun and good from Indianapolis." The Brackets For Good tournament began in 2012 and, to date, 681 nonprof- its have raised more than $6.4 million (Brackets For Good takes about a 5 per- cent fee from credit card transactions). The Hartford tournament last year raised $216,348 — 33 percent from first-time donors, a number slightly higher than the national average, which opened the door to expand the tournament statewide in 2018. "A place like Connecticut is so syn- onymous with March Madness," said Foodshare President and CEO Jason Jakubowski, a UConn alum whose charity is a first-time entrant in the competition. "I can see why it's taken off here and so many different chari- ties want to be part of it." There are 58 nonprofits competing in Connecticut this year. Here's how the tournament works. Charities get one point for each dollar raised (they are grouped based on their resources to avoid any 1 vs. 16-seed type mismatches). The first four rounds each last one week. The "Phil- anthropic 4" and the cham- pionship last three days each. The winner at the end of the five-week tour- nament receives a $10,000 grant from New Brit- ain-based Stanley Black & Decker. An official from Community Men- tal Health Affiliates in New Britain, which won last year's tourney, said the added exposure is almost as im- portant as the money. "Mental health is sometimes overlooked," CMHA Communica- tions Manager Amy Ogle said. "It's not warm and fuzzy like some of the other causes, but it's so important. We see it every day with the violence and shootings and the opiate crisis." CMHA, which raised $46,000 last year, is using the winnings to move into a new building in downtown New Britain. It has also been able to educate more people about Narcan, a reverse-overdose medication. CMHA is going up against about the same number of entrants this year, but the scope of their opponents' reach is larger. Foodshare, for example, runs a food bank that serves 127,000 low-income people in Hartford and Tolland coun- ties and will feed 2.5 people for every dollar it raises. PDS has been meeting the needs of the construction industry since 1965. Our dedicated team of design and construction professionals welcomes the challenge of serving its past and future customers on their most demanding projects. C&S Grocers | Windsor Locks, Connecticut PDS was selected as General Contractor to build a pre-engineered metal building addition for this grocery distribution fi rm. The building has 13 overhead doors, two overhead canopy's, two trash balers, two offi ces and a break room area. The building is clear span and is used for recycling purposes. The new building is also connected to an existing building. Project Size: 11,000 SF 107 Old Windsor Road, Bloomfi eld, CT 06002 (860) 242-8586 | Fax (860) 242-8587 www.pdsec.com DESIGN BUILDERS • GENERAL CONTRACTORS • CONSTRUCTION MANAGERS SPOTLIGHT ON: C PDS ENGINEERING & CONSTRUCTION, INC. THINK • PLAN • BUILD Our products and services were designed with your growing needs in mind. Visit chelseagroton.com/growthatbusiness or call 860-448-4203 to learn how we can grow that business of yours together. When you have the right bank for your business, you'll never have to grow alone. BUSINESS BANKING & COMMERCIAL LOANS • CASH MANAGEMENT SOLUTIONS A snapshot of the bracket for this year's Brackets For Good tournament in Connecticut, which features 58 nonprofits. Jason Jakubowski, President and CEO, Foodshare

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