Up to $10,000 Available for Nonprofits Serving Tri-County Residents

    WATERTOWN — Nonprofit organizations that serve residents of Jefferson, Lewis and St. Lawrence counties are encouraged to apply for up to $10,000 in grant funding through the Shaw Harbor Foundation, a Northern New York Community Foundation charitable fund.

    Special preference will be given to nonprofits serving Jefferson County residents of Adams, Ellisburg, Henderson, Lorraine, Rodman, Worth, and Hounsfield. Organizations whose work supports investments in arts and culture, history, LGBTQ services and programs, and general activities, projects and initiatives that strive to make life better for all will receive additional consideration. Multiple projects may receive full or partial support.

    Adams Center native John S. McNeely established the Shaw Harbor Foundation as a permanent Community Foundation fund in 2017 to support and enhance the community where he and his family chose to grow a once small business into a thriving international firm. After many years of international travel and work at airfields near and far, Mr. McNeely sold Hi-Lite Airfield Services last fall and began to plan how he could help others who share a love for the region.

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Initiative open to all 7th and 8th graders in Jefferson, Lewis and St. Lawrence Counties

    WATERTOWN — The Northern New York Community Foundation’s 2020-2021 Community Spirit Youth Giving Challenge is now open to students. The challenge seeks to engage seventh and eighth graders in learning about their communities while they compete for an opportunity to award a $500 grant to a local nonprofit organization of their choice.

    This is the fourth year of the program, which is made possible by donors to the Community Foundation’s Friends of the Foundation Annual Community Betterment Fund, a major gift from an individual donor, and corporate support from Community Bank.

    Students presently attending 7th and 8th grades in Jefferson, Lewis or St. Lawrence counties are eligible to compete for a share of $10,000 in total grant awards. Twenty students will be selected to each present a $500 grant to a charitable organization of their choice. The initiative aims to have students explore their view of “community” and select a charitable organization for a grant award that makes their community a great place to live. To enter in the competition, students must complete an essay-based application in writing.

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    MASSENA — The Northern New York Community Foundation is pleased to announce a challenge grant to support Massena Meals on Wheels all-day “$tock the Pot” Roadside Collection event, set for this Friday, Sept. 25.

    The Community Foundation will match all donations made between 7 a.m. and noon, up to $2,500. Massena Meals on Wheels volunteers will take to the streets with collection pots during a “socially distanced” event from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. The roadside collection will be held in front of the Massena Meals on Wheels building, 70 East Hatfield St., across from the Massena Electric Department. Volunteers will be standing in the center of the road taking collections from passers-by from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. They’ll accept spare change, dollars, checks and debit or credit cards.

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Several Years in Development, New History Center Will Preserve Community’s Past

    WANAKENA — A pair of Community Foundation grants will help bring the past to life at the Wanakena Historical Association’s new History Center, which officials plan to open later this year at 21 Second St.

    The Foundation’s board of directors recently approved $16,000 in funding for the Historical Association. A $6,000 grant will fund equipment and supplies at the center and a $10,000 matching commitment will help build an endowment at the Community Foundation for the center.

    Several years in planning, the project gained momentum after a group of partners stepped forward to purchase and restore the Second Street house to its original design. Construction began last year with renovations continuing through early summer. The center will feature a collection of exhibits, modern presentations and meaningful artifact displays tied to the region’s past while also promoting historical and genealogical research and local tourism.

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Donors Work to Expand Opportunities for Educational Aid Through New Awards, Initiatives

    WATERTOWN — The Northern New York Community Foundation, in partnership with private donors, 33 public school districts and two private schools, has awarded scholarships to 531 students from Jefferson, Lewis and St. Lawrence counties that will help them pursue post-secondary educational goals.

    Thanks to the generosity of hundreds of donors who continue to make gifts that support Community Foundation scholarships, opportunities for students this year have grown through the establishment of new awards and partnerships. Awards to 531 students in the three counties total more than $900,000. In the past year, donors created 28 new scholarships at the Community Foundation. Another three scholarships were transferred to the Foundation from donors and partnering school districts to administer on their behalf.

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