The Alliance Française of Hartford has for many years recognized the most promising students of French from local middle schools and high schools. Students are presented with a book and a certificate during a ceremony held in their honor each spring. In the fall of 2006, the Board of Directors of the Alliance Française of Hartford established an Annual Giving Society to recognize charitable contributions for the purpose of supporting the Robert McFarland Memorial Book Awards.
Give a donation to the Robert McFarland Book Awards Fund.
Following the death of past AFH President, Robert McFarland, after a long battle with cancer in May of 2002, memorial contributions from Bob’s friends and family poured into the Alliance as per Bob’s wishes. It was felt fitting to dedicate these funds to the purchase of books for the Book Awards Ceremony and the awards became officially known as the Robert McFarland Book Awards Ceremony.
This fund continues to support the purchase of books, but it needs new benefactors to sustain it. Please consider being one of the “bienfaiteurs” and choose to give at one of the following levels:
$25 – 99 Ami(e) de St. Exupéry
$100 – $199 Ami(e) de Molière
$200 – $299 Ami(e) de Balzac
All donors will be recognized on our website and donors at the highest level will be invited to attend the Book Awards reception to be recognized there as well.
This year’s McFarland Book Awards Program will be held at Central Connecticut State University in Founders Hall on May 21st, from 3:00 to 5:00. Both sponsoring teachers and their students should be present for the awarding of books and certificates. Parents are invited to attend and refreshments will follow the ceremony.
Teacher nomination forms will be sent out late in February but any middle or high school teacher is eligible to nominate their students. If you need more information or would like nomination forms, please contact our Executive Director at dirahf@gmail.com.
