A Better Chance of Wilton is celebrating its 30th anniversary. This article was thoughtfully developed through a collection of past articles and conversations with A Better Chance of Wilton‘s founders, current and former board members, and former ABC Scholars, whose voices and experiences helped shape its story. The article was contributed by ABC volunteers.

The original chronicle of A Better Chance of Wilton represents the pillars of ABC of Wilton through its characters and vision, one built on education and opportunity supporting ABC of Wilton’s mission for three decades. Welcome to its story.

In the early 90’s, a decade into his tenure as then-superintendent of Wilton Public Schools, Dr. David F. Clune remained inspired and impressed with the Wilton community. Familiar with educational opportunities and programs in his home state of Massachusetts for less fortunate, bright students of color, he envisioned Wilton as an ideal town to support such a program. In one of his frequent conversations with Wilton High School principal at the time, Dr. John Sullivan, Clune shared his keen observations of the town and its potential regarding possibilities for bright and deserving students who do not have the same resources to succeed. Sullivan was listening.

A couple years later in 1994, Sullivan, Maureen Graham — who served as a part-time coordinator of the independent study program at the high school and was a former inner city school teacher in New Jersey — and the Rev. Dr. David Graybill of the Wilton Presbyterian Church, met at Graham’s home. The topic of that meeting was a collected initiative to open a Wilton chapter of the national organization of A Better Chance.

For 60 years, A Better Chance National, based in New York City, has placed high-performing students from underserved communities into the nation’s leadership pipeline through increased access to the nation’s top independent and public schools.

The goal of that meeting was to inform purpose, gain an audience and launch the idea of offering highly motivated high school students of color the opportunity to live in Wilton and obtain an exemplary secondary education that may not be available to them in their home districts — that which would become the mission of A Better Chance of Wilton.

“I don’t feel personally that I can change the world, but I do feel that if I can help give a few kids a better chance, I would like to,” Graham said at the time. Following that meeting, the ABC of Wilton founding committee was official.

Spreading the Word and Mission of ABC

Each of the three original members of the committee held positions of influence in the Wilton community helping the vision to grow legs. They would use their roles as a vessel of the ABC national mission in hopes of garnering curiosity, courage and eventual support of the town and its residents.

Graybill approached John Hamm, a relatively new resident of Wilton, to serve as chairman of the board. The group of four voted unanimously later that year to formalize the vision by incorporating core values through the national organization’s mission statement into a concrete and actionable plan in order to open A Better Chance of Wilton. While the vision was the primary motivation, civic pride fueled the momentum of the committee.

A lofty set of objectives — including, but not limited to, raising awareness, fundraising, acquiring a house, obtaining a charter from the National organization and appealing to residents for a full volunteer working board — was set over a relatively short period of time. The committee was starting at basically ground zero with virtually no name recognition, no funds and no real estate prospects.

In 1995 the group was able to be calendared for presentation and heard by dozens of Wilton civic, religious, educational and charitable organizations such as the Wilton Library board, the Board of Education, churches, the Boy Scouts, the Girl Scouts, the Wilton Woman’s Club, Wilton Garden Club, Wilton Newcomers, and the Republican and Democratic organizations, to name a few.

A Fundraiser that made the Difference

In 1995, although fundraising efforts were proceeding slowly, discussions of other means of raising awareness and funding took place. In one of those meetings, Hamm recalled that almost four years earlier while in town for dinner, he and his wife had seen a poster for a production being staged at the middle school entitled, Wilton Dearest. They attended the performance, a musical show about living in Wilton with about 20 scenes celebrating different aspects of Wilton life and performed by Wilton citizens. He proposed the idea of a revival of Wilton Dearest sponsored by Wilton’s newest charity, A Better Chance.

Wilton resident Susi Gross, instrumental in the first production of Wilton Dearest, rallied the production crew back together to write a new, Wilton Dearest 2 – This Time It Is Personal. The performance was a hit and A Better Chance became one of the most beloved charities within Wilton generating recurring individual donations over the years.

Securing a House

The issue still facing A Better Chance of Wilton was securing a house to serve as a chapter house in an expensive real estate town like Wilton. In 1995, Mark Carta, a local attorney, was instrumental in the structuring of the “unique,” real estate venture.

One of the very few homes on smaller lots within the “village,” or Wilton Town Center as it is often referred to, was the Goslee family home, a 1920’s bungalow-style structure. This had been the home to successive Goslee generations. Upon the death of one of the Goslee residents, the estate put the house on the market and it was purchased by the Wilton Library for potential land expansion.

The library had intentions to use the land but not the house. ABC of Wilton inquired about acquiring the structure to serve as the charter house but was turned down, as the library wanted to use the land underneath. The ABC committee then proposed to buy only the structure and not the land, and instead lease the land under the structure for 10 years with the option to renew going forward.

Incorporated into the proposal within one year of purchase, ABC of Wilton would move the building to the far end of the property so as not to interfere with the library expansion. With the move, the house would be renovated and expanded to accommodate five bedrooms. The library agreed and a capital campaign enabled ABC to accommodate the acquisition. In late 1996, the Goslee home was moved and additions to incorporate more bedrooms led by general contractor Walter Smith. (Anne Goslee Jovovic, the remaining Goslee family member here in town remains an avid supporter of A Better Chance of Wilton and often shares notes of sentiment regarding the home she was born into in 1948.)

A Vision Realized

Once the house was purchased, a charter was received from the National organization. The recruiting committee, led by Sheri Richards, selected its first Scholars: Ray Chambers, a sophomore from Mt. Vernon High School; and Luis Lora and Hasani Hollingsworth, both freshmen at NYC high schools. Thirty years ago this September, they began at Wilton High School.

Chambers’ excitement about A Better Chance of Wilton was captured in a phone interview shortly before coming to Wilton. “This is a good opportunity for me to attend a better high school than the one I’m going to now. I’ll have a better chance to go to a higher rated college coming out of Wilton,” he said.

In 2010 the acquisition of a second building opened the doors for female scholars at A Better Chance of Wilton. ABC of Wilton remains a successful, community driven Wilton nonprofit organization independently funded through the generosity of donors. It remains focused on education and opportunity, recruiting talented female Scholars for the program. A Better Chance of Wilton is led by a committed Board of Directors and executive director, who work in tandem with a nurturing and encouraging house staff to drive the 30-year mission adopting the mantra, “Boarding school, family style.”

Graham, Graybill and Sullivan, the innovators of Clune’s vision in the early days, recruited for archetypal roles to drive the mission of A Better Chance forward. Those character roles were instrumental in developing the first chapter and include many who still live in Wilton. Marylynne Clune and Louise Shames remain active members of the board of directors today.

ABC of Wilton remains grateful to all the members of the original “village” who helped shape the narrative. Thirty years later, the ABC of Wilton story continues with each group of Scholars invited into the program for a chance at a top-ranked education and life experiences designed to propel them forward and build strong foundations for their futures. ABC officials are grateful to the town of Wilton, the Wilton School District and the community for their roles in its continued success.

Individuals who want more information on getting involved with A Better Chance of Wilton can email Julie Fowler.

A 30th Anniversary Celebration

On Saturday, May 16, the community is invited to join as A Better Chance of Wilton says thank you in remembrance of the architecture and first chapter of its story at the Shore and Country Club of Norwalk. A Better Chance of Wilton will honor the founding committee of Maureen Graham, Dr. David Graybill and Dr. John Sullivan for their vision, motivation and persistence.

Also recognized on this evening will be Ray Chambers, the program’s first graduate in 1999. Chambers attended Brown University, went on to get an MBA from Harvard and today serves as one of Google’s top strategists. Amanda Allison and Onessa Harewood will also be recognized as the first graduates of the girl’s Scholar program in 2012. Allison is a private school teacher in NYC and also serves on the ABC of Wilton Board of Directors as the alumni relations member, and Harewood is a successful independent business owner.

The evening, hosted by A Better Chance of Wilton alumnus Chris Payne (Class of 2008), will feature a sit down dinner, silent auction, live music and dancing. Anyone interested in being part of this special milestone, whether by sponsoring the celebration or attending, can visit the event website or support the program on ABC of Wilton’s main website.