In addition to the wonderful family-oriented atmosphere at the Festival, the amount of money and awareness that is generated by the local non-profit and civic organizations that participate in the Festival is often overlooked. Following the 32nd Annual Milford Oyster Festival, the committee was informed by several participating groups that the 2006 festival was a huge success for them in terms of generating awareness for their organizations and the proceeds generated as a result of the great turnout at the festival. All of the groups who have food booths in the Budweiser Food Court are non-profit and civic organizations who use the event for fund raising. To some, the Annual Milford Oyster Festival is their most important fund raising event of the year.

As a non-profit organization ourselves, The Annual Milford Oyster Festival, Inc., donates money to many local charities and organizations every year. The Annual Milford Oyster Festival committee selects a few Local Charities each year to receive cash donations as a result of the proceeds from the annual festivals.

The 32nd Annual Milford Oyster Festival was the most successful year yet for the Charitable Organizations and Non-Profit Organizations who participated in the festival. Record turnout and Beautiful Weather combined with New Activities and Events proved to be the key for this years success.

Following the tally of all revenue and expenses from the 2006 Fest, The Annual Milford Oyster Festival, Inc. was able to distribute contributions to the following Local Charities: Milford PAY; Milford Toy for Tots; Milford VFW for Phone Cards for US Troops in Iraq & Afghanistan; Milford Alternative Education; Beth-el Shelter; Milford/Orange Senior Make-A-Wish; Bridges Clubhouse; Milford Literacy Center; Milford Rape Crisis Center; Boys & Girls Village for an Arts Scholarship Program; Milford Elks Food Baskets; and Milford Animal Shelter. The Annual Milford Oyster Festival, Inc. also sponsored the purchase of the Beautiful Hanging Baskets that grace the Foot Bridge that connects Milford Harbor Landing to Fowler Field.

Previous years Annual Milford Oyster Festival committee selected local charities.

The great turnout for the 31st Annual Milford Oyster Festival provided the committee with an opportunity to donate a generous amount of money. Milford Charities who received donations in 2005 as a result of the 31st Annual Milford Oyster Festival include: Milford PAY, Milford Literacy Center, Milford Toys for Tots, Young Mothers, Beth-El Shelter, Milford Animal Shelter, Scofield Leukemia Fund, Connecticut Audubon Society for their traveling touch tank and the Boys and Girls Village for their greenhouse project. The Annual Milford Oyster Festival also partnered with the Milford Chamber of Commerce to raise funds through the Mayor for the Day contest which benefits for the Milford Chamber of Commerce Trust Scholarship Fund.

The following Milford Charities received donations in 2004 as a result of the 30th Annual Milford Oyster Festival. P.A.Y., Toys for Tots, Beth El Shelter, Boys and Girls Shelter, Connecticut Audubon Society, Senior Wish List, Make A Wish, Elks Baskets and the Milford Animal Shelter.

In 2004, the Annual Milford Oyster Festival and the Milford Chamber of Commerce began co-sponsoring a Mayor For The Day Contest to help raise funds for the Milford Chamber of Commerce Trust Scholarship Fund. The fund is for the purpose of awarding scholarships to Milford youths for college assistance. In 2004, a total of $6,000 was raised for the scholarship fund and two $3,000 scholarships were awarded as a result of the proceeds from the Mayor for the Day Contest and the 2005 Anniversary Calendars.

About our Charities:

Police And Youth (PAY)
The Police And Youth program was established in October 1998 by retried Detective Sergeant Phil Maloney. The program was designed to link the police department members with the local youth in the 3 middle schools in Milford, East Shore Middle School, Harbor side Middle School and West Shore Middle School.

The objective of P.A.Y. is for the police and the youth to communicate with each other and also assist the members in the program with any troubles they may have experienced inside school, outside of school in their personnel lives. The officers are mentors and roll models to the youth in the program and can directly answer questions they may have. Most young adults look up to police officers and the officers in P.A.Y. strive to maintain and expand that relationship.

The selection of the participants in the program is left entirely up to each schools administration. Each schools administration picks 15 members ranging from 6th through 8th grade. P.A.Y. takes place one night a week at each of the schools from 4pm to 7pm. The Officers involved volunteer their time and get as much out of the program as the members.

Every week different events are planned for each school ranging in variety from going to the movies, Duck pin Bowling, having different actives take place at the school and various sports activities. Before the Christmas School break a bingo night is planned and the P.A.Y. members win prizes that are donated by various supporters. This past winter the P.A.Y. members were taken to New York City and saw the Christmas show at Radio City Music Hall.

Members in P.A.Y. will also have access to a secure area of the Milford Police Union’s website, WWW.MILFORDPOLICEUNION.COM. The members from the 3 schools can chat and leave messages for each other about past and upcoming school and P.A.Y. events. The website is monitored for content.

The programs success is due to the efforts of the following people:
Officers S. Staurovsky, M. Lima, T. Dancy, C. Kakalow, K. Catino, A. Dunaj, B. Rojee, N. Doerr, J. Kiely and D. Sharoh. In addition the school administrators from Westshore, Harborside and Eastshore Middle Schools.

The members of the Police And Youth program would like to thank the following supporters:
The Milford Police Union; The Milford P.B.A.; The Milford Bank; The Milford Oyster Festival Committee; The United Way; Bridges; Milford Transit; Arrow Bus Lines; Subway; Honey Spot pizza; Armellino's; Bella Napoli pizza; Mama Teresa’s; East shore Pizza; Michael and Anthony’s Pizza; Peterpan Pizza; Mr. Macs Canteen; Paul’s Hamburgers; The Greeks; The Party People; Montano Candy; Devon DuckPin Bowling; Showcase Cinema; Automated Services and many other supporters in the community.

Officer D. Broderick
Program Director