Paul Bass Photo
Platters of cheese and fruit, plates of pasta and prime rib and eggplant parmesan fed a crowd of “stakeholders” at Anthony’s Ocean View Thursday night. But the main item on the menu was eggs — eggs you couldn’t eat.
They were delicately hollowed-out and painted eggs given in honor of community leaders deemed “good eggs” in an annual awards event organized by the Greater New Haven Community Loan Fund. The not-for-profit fund — a consummate institutional good egg that has made more than $50 million in loans to support the construction of thousands of homes over 23 years — recognized builder and community volunteer Len Schiraldi …
… Continuum of Care, which helps people with “mental illness, development disabilities, and substance abuse treatment needs” …
… and (thank you!) the Independent.
Over 100 other good eggs were spotted in the room, in the form of lifelong community-builders like banker and former city economic development chief Walter Esdaile and Probate Judge Jack Keyes …
… communications maven Tom Ficklin (with camera, as always, in hand) and Lee Cruz of the Community Foundation for Greater New Haven and Chatham Square neighborhood organizing fame …
… and Community Loan Fund Executive Director Carla Weil (pictured chatting with the Community Foundation’s Sarah Fabish). Weil, who took a momentary break from tackling the foreclosure crisis and affordable-housing biz to emcee the evening, said the annual painted eggs honor “individuals and organizations who have given of their time and their personal gifts to make our community and our state stronger, fairer and more humane.” Word from the hatchery is that a big egg of that variety has her name on it, too.