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“My parents give that money because I had such a positive experience at Miss Porter’s, and they want that to continue to be available to other people.” —Julia Eddy ’12
The Eddy-Normen Family Forever Grateful
G
iving to Miss Porter’s School is a family affair for Julia Eddy ’12 and her parents, Paul Eddy and Elizabeth Normen. Each year, Mr. Eddy and Ms. Normen make a gift in Julia’s name from their donor-advised fund at the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving.
“My parents give that money because I had such a positive experience at Miss Porter’s, and they want that to continue to be available to other people,” said Ms. Eddy, who graduated from Carnegie Mellon University in 2016. She now works as a director of fundraising for Left Rising, a Washington, D.C.-based consultancy that raises money for progressive campaigns and causes. Ms. Normen, publisher of Connecticut Explored magazine, is clear that the gift is a family affair. She and Mr. Eddy, group general counsel at Travelers Insurance, collaborate with both of their daughters on philanthropy, and the annual gifts to Miss Porter’s School are no exception. For the past two years, Ms. Eddy has asked that they be directed toward the school’s diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging (DEIB) efforts.
The death of George Floyd in 2020 sparked conversations about race and racism among Ms. Eddy and her classmates, who discussed ways they could encourage Miss Porter’s to do more to support students of color. Directing the family’s annual gift to DEIB felt like a way of showing the school that its efforts to be more inclusive and supportive of all students were important to Ancients, Ms. Eddy explained. Her parents agreed. “Once you get students on campus, there’s a lot more that has to happen on a day-to-day basis to support students,” said Ms. Normen. “We see our gift as helping the school continue that. It’s a small signal, but it’s a little voice that says, ‘Yes, keep working on this.’” Annual fund gifts directed to DEIB help finance educational opportunities and offerings for students, faculty and Ancients. These include the Alumnae Board’s multiyear DEIB initiative, facilitated by the Disruptive Equity Education Project, as well as student and faculty participation in the annual People of Color Conference offered by the National Association of Independent Schools.
Donor Profile
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