What my mom is getting in her Christmas stocking

reSET Communications • December 18, 2014

By: Joanne Donaghue, Director of Development and Communications at reSET

“World peace and an end to hunger ― or a bike” was my brother’s classic line when my mom would ask him what he wanted for Christmas. As a baby boomer, I remember all the toys under the tree: Slinkies, Tinker Toys, Chop Sticks, the magic boxes that made pennies disappear. Toys that we came to think of, much later, as iconic.

My mom ― mother of five and the original super woman ― worked hard every year to give us an exciting and memorable Christmas. Presents, literally mounds of presents. Turkey with all the trimmings. Only as an adult did I understand the planning and time and expense involved. And only as an adult did I understand the joy that came from giving.

And so this is Christmas, and I’m the grown-up, and I want to give to my mother a present that conveys all the emotion, all the joy, all the thoughtfulness that she gave us and so much deserves.

Perfume? A blender? Concert tickets? Not even close to what she wants and deserves, which is a lot closer to my brother’s smart-ass reply about what he wanted for Christmas.

My mom, never a stranger to hard work, cherishes opportunity for everyone. She wants every child to have what she was able to give to her kids, and every parent to have the opportunity to give it. She is a true believer in the American dream.

[ctt title=”And so my mom is getting social entrepreneurs for Christmas.” tweet=”And so my mom is getting social entrepreneurs for Christmas. @SocEntTrust #give” coverup=”63evG”] I just sent through authorization for monthly payments to reSET in her name. She is going to help people test and start new businesses and expand existing ones. Businesses with more than a profit motive, businesses that are working to solve social and environmental problems.

My mom is getting Keshia Ashe for Christmas. Keshia is the founder of Many Mentors, and is helping young people to expand their interest in science, technology, engineering and math by providing them with mentors. These will be the problem solvers and innovators of the future.

My mom is getting Arati Sureddi for Christmas. Arati is the founder of the LOTUS Alliance, which is helping to make new lives for victims of human trafficking through employment in sustainable tourism.

My mom is getting Evan Dobos for Christmas. Evan is the founder of the CivicLift, which is stimulating community-driven economic development, encouraging civic engagement and neighborhood connectivity.

Keshia, Arati and Evan are three of 125 social entrepreneurs that reSET has worked with in the past two years, all of whom are harnessing the enormous power of business to tackle problems, make a profit and make the world a better place.

So now my mom is nurturing social entrepreneurs. That is a gift worthy of her.

I just don’t know how we’re going to fit them all in her stocking…

By Joanne Donaghue, in honor of Ann LeBrun

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Leadership Transition Announcement: reSET Executive Director to Step Down in 2026

By awalsh • February 13, 2026

Dear reSET Community, The Board of Directors today announces the departure of Sarah Bodley as Executive Director of reSET in a planned transition later this year. The Board has immense gratitude for Sarah and all her contributions over the years. Over the last seven years, Sarah has built an amazing foundation for the organization and she leaves reSET in a strong position for continued growth and service. Sarah joined reSET in 2018 and over the past seven years has solidified and expanded reSET’s mission of supporting impact-driven entrepreneurs throughout Connecticut. Here are a few key highlights from Sarah’s time here: Facilitated the acquisition of Collab New Haven, expanding reSET’s footprint to a statewide geography and further enhancing our mission Developed and implemented new core programs including the award-winning Food Incubator, as well as the Food Accelerator, Retail Incubator, Measure What Matters, and Digital Marketing Mastermind Established reSET as a founding partner of the Hartford Culinary Collaborative, enabling greater connectivity and cooperation among food-centric support organizations in our region Doubled the organization’s budget to over 1 Million Dollars, securing multi-year State government grants Won the prestigious Neighborhood Builders Award from Bank of America, and the Leadership Greater Hartford Polaris Community Award in 2022 Established an endowment fund thanks to support from the Zachs Family Foundation to support the long term sustainability of reSET’s mission Over the coming months, we will be continuing our search to find reSET's next Executive Director. Sarah will stay onboard through June to ensure a smooth handoff to our next leader, and will be available as a resource throughout 2026. It is the Board of Directors’ priority, along with Sarah's, to make this transition as smooth as possible to continue the great work Sarah has helped us do over her tenure. The Executive Director’s Job Posting can be found at this link, and we invite you to keep in mind any potential candidates in your community or network that you think might be a great fit. The Board of Directors wishes Sarah the best of luck in her future endeavors. We are appreciative of the dedication and enthusiasm she has given to reSET over the last seven years, particularly navigating our organization seamlessly during the historic times of the pandemic, changes in administration, and an ever-evolving landscape of opportunity for entrepreneurs. We are confident that with Sarah’s support, this transition will be a smooth one for our Connecticut entrepreneurs, partners, and generous supporters. We look forward to continuing our growth and to serving our mission of supporting the social enterprise sector. If you have any questions or concerns during this transition, please don’t hesitate to reach out via contacting admin@resetco.org to get in touch with the board. Sincerely, Ali Lazowski + Dave Menard, co-chairs, reSET Board of Directors

Applications Open for Spring 2026 Impact Accelerator

By awalsh • February 10, 2026

Inviting Impact Entrepreneurs Into Transformative Growth

reSET Announces Pitch Competition Winners from Fall Food Accelerator and Floor–Plan Retail Incubator Programs

By awalsh • November 25, 2025

21 Businesses Participated, Gaining Valuable Impact-Driven Business Training

reSET to Host Two November Events Celbrating Connecticut's Next Generation of Food and Retail Entrepreneurs Making an Impact

By awalsh • October 27, 2025

Special Discount Available for Attendees Purchasing Tickets to Both Events

reSET Announces Second Food Accelerator Cohort

By awalsh • October 1, 2025

11 Impact-Driven Food Businesses Ready to Scale Operations and Community Impact

reSET Announces 5th Cohort of Floor - Plan Retail Incubator Featuring 10 Emerging Entrepreneurs

By awalsh • September 22, 2025

Program Partnership with Breakfast Lunch & Dinner Supports Early-Stage Retail Businesses with Social Impact Focus

reSET Food and Retail Programs Featured in Radio Interview

July 7, 2025

Listen in to the replay of John Voket of Connoisseur Media's interview of reSET Food Program Manager Katrice Claudio and Program Manager Ndubisi Okeke that aired on Sunday July 6, 2025. They talked about the reSET programs that are enrolling for the fall--the Food Accelerator for food businesses looking to scale, and the Retail Incubator for early stage product-based businesses looking to ramp up for holiday markets in Connecticut. Listen here: https://audioboom.com/posts/8745230-reset-fall-program-preview The interview aired on the award-winning "For the People" show on Sunday, July 6 on WEBE 108 FM, STAR 99.9, WPLR FM and THe VOICE of Connecticut and on the podcast.