Speakers

Carolyn Brodginski first picked up a guitar at the age of 10 and found her passion. Since 2011, she has added other stringed instruments to her bag of tricks, including ukulele, mandolin, and the instrument dearest to her heart, the mountain dulcimer. In 2016 she completed a certification as a therapeutic musician, and now plays the dulcimer at the bedside for patients at St. Francis Hospital as part of the hospital’s Integrative Medicine Department. She also teaches dulcimer at workshops at the hospital, libraries, arts centers, and music festivals, and runs 2 separate monthly music gatherings for the community. Her original compositions, "Letting Go" and "Sweet Song Of The Mountains",  have appeared on the companion CD of Dulcimer Players News, a quarterly journal for dulcimer enthusiasts around the globe.

Ilana Bernstein is the Development and Marketing Director at Community Renewal Team, Inc., the designated Community Action Anti-Poverty Agency for Hartford and Middlesex Counties, headquartered in Hartford, CT. Ilana has been in working as a fundraiser for over 16 years and is especially passionate about stewarding donors and educating the community about their ability to make a difference.

Ilana has a B.A. from Simmons College and is a member of the Association for Fundraising Professionals. In each of the non-profits for which Ilana served she has increased the the money they raise exponentially as well as better organized the infrastructure for their development departments and their ability to sustainably steward and engage donors.

Currently, Ilana is working on growing the capacity of development department at CRT.

Ilana resides in West Hartford with her husband and three sons. When she’s not at work or involved with her family responsibilities, Ilana loves to cook and entertain friends and family.