For longtime Board of Directors member Patricia “Pat” Herbert, the Community House, as well as her former school students and many others in West Haven, have been among her extended family. These days, Pat, who first began serving on the Community House Board more than 40 years ago, remains active, even as she is approaching her 100th birthday.
A past Community House Board president, Herbert has served many other local organizations in her time, including the library, Board of Education, Girl Scouts, and religious and civic groups, including being a founding member of the West Haven Land Trust, among others.
Pat was extremely active in the development of the Community House’s Head Start program and helped to establish their before and after school child care program in partnership with the West Haven Board of Education. However, her most enduring work has been with the initiation of the Community House Endowment Fund, which was established to ensure that the agency would sustain and thrive for many more years to come. Pat is a long time financial supporter of this fund and urges citizens to consider making a donation or bequest to support the Community House’s Endowment Fund as a way to leave a lasting legacy.
Community House Board President, Bill Heffernan, marveled at Pat’s commitments and achievements.
“To me, her commitment to the Community House and its work is unmatched for anybody over that length of time. Particularly moving to me is that Pat never loses sight of the real purpose of the Community House, which is helping people. I can still hear her say, ‘If we don’t take care of each other, who will?’ and I think that sentiment sums up what Pat is all about. She’s just phenomenal.”
Pat Herbert is certainly one of a kind, and the West Haven Community House has been very fortunate, indeed, to have her in its corner. Friends of Patricia Herbert are invited to join in a reception at the Community House on Tuesday, Aug. 21, between 1-3 p.m., and to share congratulatory wishes on this milestone birthday for an extraordinary woman. Guests are encouraged to donate to the Patricia Herbert Endowment Fund in her honor.
Please call (203) 934-5221 to reserve a place at the reception.
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