By Debra McLaughlin
The Friends of Nathaniel Witherell (Friends) is honored to have been selected to participate in a special partnership with Sacred Heart University’s Center for Nonprofits. Through the university’s Capstone Project, a group of MBA students teamed up with Friends this summer to offer fresh ideas and practical support – helping us strengthen our work and grow our impact in the community.
The Capstone Project pairs graduate students with local nonprofit organizations, giving students real-world experience while providing valuable help to community groups. We were thrilled to be chosen and to have the chance to work with such a bright and committed group of students.
Friends supports The Nathaniel Witherell, a much-loved short-term rehab and skilled nursing center in Greenwich, Connecticut. For more than a century, The Witherell has provided outstanding care in a warm, welcoming environment. It’s a special place where residents, families, and staff come together like a community – and many call it a second home.
To kick off the project, Friends presented the student team with a challenge: help us think of new ways to grow and better support the people we serve. We asked them to come up with useful ideas and tools that we could actually put into practice.
Each week throughout the summer, the students met with Friends staff and board members to learn about our work, ask questions, and share their progress. On July 25th, some of the students visited The Nathaniel Witherell to see is all in action. Seeing the care, compassion, and sense of community first hand gave them a deeper appreciation for the heart of our mission.
The project wrapped up on August 11th, when the student team gave a final presentation filled with professional recommendations, thoughtful insights, and research Friends can use going forward. Their ideas will help Friends continue to support The Witherell in meaningful ways.
Best of all, this program came at no cost to Friends, thanks to the generosity of Sacred Heart University. We are deeply grateful to the university, the Center for Nonprofits, and especially the students who dedicated their time, talent, and heart to this project. Thanks to this partnership, we are even better equipped to enhance the quality of life for residents at The Nathaniel Witherell.
