Almost one year ago, on Dec. 7, 2019, Connecticut was rocked by the sudden death of beloved WFSB-TV 3 broadcaster Denise D’Ascenzo of Branford. At the time, she was the longest-serving news anchor at any single Connecticut television station with 33 years at Channel 3, and was an Emmy-award winning journalist numerous times over. Soon after, many of her family, friends, and co-workers established The Denise D’Ascenzo Foundation to continue her legacy by funding meaningful efforts that were important to her.

“The foundation is grateful for donations made in Denise’s memory by people from across the state who felt like she was a member of their family, even though most had never met her in person,” said Wayne Cooke, D’Ascenzo’s husband. “To commemorate the first anniversary of her passing, The Denise D’Ascenzo Foundation has made $5,000 gift to Mary’s Place, A Center for Grieving Children & Families in Windsor, Connecticut.

“Mary’s Place is a nonprofit organization that was especially close to Denise’s heart,” Cooke said. “The staff and volunteers provide grieving children, teens and families a safe place to share their experiences, receive support, and find comfort.”

Established in 1996, Mary’s Place was the first building of its kind in Connecticut with space dedicated for this purpose and, over the years, D’Ascenzo emceed many of the nonprofit organization’s fundraising events (www.marysplacect.org).

“This past May, the Denise D’Ascenzo Foundation made its first community donation, kicking off Nurse Appreciation Week 2020 with the presentation of $5,000 to help Hartford Hospital workers in the fight again the Coronavirus pandemic,” said Dennis House, president of The Denise D’Ascenzo Foundation, who was her co-anchor at Channel 3 for 25 years. “Months later, the foundation contributed funds to both the Connecticut Food Bank and Foodshare as part of Connecticut’s Millions of Meals campaign to help state residents hit hard by the COVID-19 economy. We have been exploring a variety of exciting opportunities to assist worthy organizations, and we appreciate the support and wonderful ideas we have received so far.”

The mission of The Denise D’Ascenzo Foundation is to carry on D’Ascenzo’s passionate efforts to support advances in medicine and health, women’s and children’s issues, and journalism studies. The foundation is a recognized 501(c)3 organization. For more information about the foundation or to make a donation, visit www.thedenisefoundation.com. Donations also can be made payable and mailed to The Denise D’Ascenzo Foundation Department 1370, P.O. Box 986500 Boston, MA 02298-6500.