Junior Republic Announces Historic Gift

Gregory S. Oneglia, President of the Connecticut Junior Republic’s (CJR’s) Board of Directors, recently announced that the organization has received a gift of $906,000, the largest single charitable contribution of record to be made to the Republic since its founding in 1904. This gift was made through the will of Peter R. Cable. His wife, Miriam Mason Cable, funded a charitable remainder trust as a part of their estate planning. Through prudent investments, Mr. Cable substantially increased the value of the trust. These funds have been designated by the Board for the CJR endowment.

“We are deeply honored that Mr. and Mrs. Cable selected the Connecticut Junior Republic to be a beneficiary of this magnificent gift,” said Mr. Oneglia. “As an expression of our gratitude,” he continued, “we will be recognizing the Cables by naming the Connecticut Junior Republic’s Academic and Vocational Education Center in their honor,” he stated.

Opened in 1997, the Education Center houses the CJR School, including nearly all of CJR’s academic and vocational classrooms. The building was made possible by a $5 million capital campaign, which was supported by hundreds of CJR friends, including Mr. and Mrs. Cable. A ceremony to celebrate the naming of the Cable Academic and Vocational Education Center will be held later this spring.
“Peter and I have always been very impressed by the vocational opportunities provided for CJR students and by the way the program encourages students to develop social responsibility and to help one another,” said Mrs. Cable. “We became acquainted with CJR when Peter saw an advertisement in the paper indicating that the vocational program at CJR would fix small engines,” she recalled. “Peter took his chainsaw to be repaired and at some point we had a tour and saw the campus,” she continued. Mrs. Cable noted that her husband, who died in July of 2005, was also very impressed by CJR’s Bertha Wheeler Pool and Gymnasium complex and by its facilities for sports and recreation. “At the time of our first visit, we noticed the quality of CJR’s facilities and the exceptional opportunities provided for students,” she said. “In some ways, the campus reminded us of many of the prep schools we had seen,” said Mrs. Cable. “We were very disappointed, however, when we saw the classrooms and the old CJR School,” she recalled. “They were notably inferior to the other facilities at CJR and in great need of improvement,” she explained.

Mr. and Mrs. Cable were very favorably impressed by how this need had been addressed when they attended the opening of the Connecticut Junior Republic’s new Academic and Vocational Education Center in 1997. “I am certain that Peter would be pleased and proud to have the Cable name upon it,” she stated.

In recent years, Mr. and Mrs. Cable have been particularly interested in the Junior Republic’s vocational agriculture program and the CJR farm. “The farm captured our interest as a result of our many years of experience raising goats and other farm animals,” explained Mrs. Cable. “Caring for something weaker and less intelligent can work wonders for children and I hope that CJR will always keep farm animals for therapeutic reasons,” she said.

In acknowledging Mr. and Mrs. Cable’s contribution to the Connecticut Junior Republic, CJR executive director John Boyd stressed the important impact the gift will have on program operations into perpetuity. “Mr. and Mrs. Cable shared with us some years ago that they had included CJR in their estate planning,” he said, “but we had no idea that these plans included a gift of such historic significance.”

According to Mr. Boyd, the endowment is increasingly important to CJR. “Endowment funds enable us to improve both the diversity and quality of the experiences and opportunities we provide for the young people we serve at CJR,” he stated. Mr. Boyd cited the vocational agriculture class and farm as examples of programs at CJR that require supplementary funding to provide a varied and high quality educational experience for students.

Serving troubled and at-risk young people for more than 100 years, the Connecticut Junior Republic was founded in 1904 through the bequest of Litchfield resident, Mary Buel. Today, the organization provides residential and community-based care, treatment and education for boys and girls from communities throughout Connecticut. In addition to its residential campus in Litchfield, CJR operates a group home in East Hartford and community programs in Danbury, Torrington and Waterbury. Last year, the organization helped nearly 1,100 boys, girls, and their families through its various services.

A private charitable organization, the Connecticut Junior Republic is supported by contributions from individuals, businesses and organizations, and through services funded by the Connecticut Department of Children and Families (DCF), Court Support Services Division (CSSD) of the Connecticut Judicial Branch, and by Connecticut’s public schools. For further information, please contact Hedy Barton, Director of Development and Public Relations (860) 567-9423.

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