• Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter

Northern New York Community Foundation

Northern New York Community Foundation

  • About
    • Board of Directors
    • Staff
    • Contact
    • Employment
    • Philanthropy Center
    • Milestones
    • News & Media
      • Recent News
      • News Archive
      • Publications
      • Northern New York Community Podcast
  • Donors
    • Donate Online
    • Gift Information “At A Glance”
    • Making A Gift
    • Top 10 Things You Can Do To Leave A Legacy
    • NNYCF vs. A Private Foundation
    • FAQs
    • Investment Performance
  • Students
    • Scholarship Overview
    • Applications
    • Scholarships Available
  • Nonprofits
    • Apply for a Grant
    • 2023 Grant Opportunities
    • Partner & Grantee Resources
    • Recent Grant Recipients
  • Programs
    • Community Spirit Youth Giving Challenge
    • Youth Philanthropy Council
    • LEAD Council
      • Canstruction for Northern New York

Community Foundation’s LEAD Council Kicks Off ‘Canstruction’ Competition, Invites Schools to Join

March 16, 2023 By admin

Project Takes Aim at Food Insecurity by Helping to Restock Region’s Food Pantries, Backpack Programs

     WATERTOWN — The LEAD Council of the Northern New York Community Foundation invites local students at tri-county schools and organized student groups in Jefferson, Lewis, and St. Lawrence counties to participate in a creative and impactful project to help reduce food insecurity across the North Country.

     “Canstruction for Northern New York” is a group activity to encourage students to team up and construct a fun, themed structure made of donated canned food and other nonperishable food items or hygiene products to support a local food pantry or backpack program of their choice. 

     Joining the competition is easy through an online registration at bit.ly/CanstructionRegistration. Teams must register to participate by Monday, March 27, and select the local food pantry or backpack program that will receive team donations.

     “I’m really looking forward to seeing what our local students will do to participate in this endeavor and help meet the needs of local food pantries and backpack programs,” said Kerry Kennett, LEAD Council member and South Jefferson Central School math teacher.

     Participating students will have a chance to support essential needs for local residents while learning values of community philanthropy and building school spirit around a project that will make a meaningful difference in the lives of others. Overall, the project aims to raise awareness about hunger and food insecurity in our communities. The initiative will empower students to collaborate and inspire their school and community to join in the effort.

     Examples of canstruction projects may be found on the project web page at bit.ly/CanstructionNNY. Canstruction teams will compete for one of three chances to present a $500 grant to a nonprofit they care about most. A winning team will be named in the following three categories: “Top Collection Award” (most items donated/collected), “Best Design Award,” and “People’s Choice Award” (selected by an online vote).

     Each winning team will award a $500 grant to their chosen federally classified 501(c)3 nonprofit organization serving residents of Jefferson, Lewis, and St. Lawrence counties. Contact Max DelSignore, Community Foundation assistant director, at max@nnycf.org for additional guidelines on nonprofit selection. 

     All canstruction projects must be submitted by Friday, April 21. Complete project rules, including a sample planning calendar with key project deadlines, is available on the project web page at bit.ly/CanstructionNNY. The Community Foundation will provide a follow-up form to each registrant explaining the process for project submissions.

Members of the Northern New York Community Foundation LEAD Council gather at the Northern New York Philanthropy Center to plan for the “Canstruction” project and organize initial pantry items. Pictured, from left, LEAD Council Chair Andrew Boulter and his son, Jack, Watertown; LEAD members Erin Simser, Watertown, Bridget Fetterly, Deferiet, and Allison Roselle, Clayton; LEAD Vice Chair Anna Platz, Carthage; and LEAD members Marc Piche, Carthage, and Jessica Piatt Walczyk, Watertown.

About the LEAD Council

     The LEAD Council was chartered in 2014 as advisory committee of the Northern New York Community Foundation empowered to identify and address strategic needs in Jefferson, Lewis, and St. Lawrence counties. The Council is comprised of 18 young professionals who live and work in the tri-county area with an interest in enhancing the quality of life for all in the North Country. LEAD is an acronym that reflects four important guiding principles of the Community Foundation’s work: Leadership, Engagement, Access, and Direction.

     The Council works to gain a deeper understanding of community needs, issues, and the nonprofit sector to augment the Community Foundation’s mission and work. Since its inception, the LEAD Council has developed several creative initiatives to benefit the community and region. Strategic efforts include its “LEADing the Way” volunteer program, enhancements to child care and early childhood development

programs, hyper-local support for anti-poverty initiatives, community giving challenges, and building philanthropic values in the region’s schools through student-led projects.

About the Northern New York Community Foundation

     Since 1929, the Northern New York Community Foundation has invested in improving and enriching the quality of life for all in communities across Jefferson, Lewis, and St. Lawrence counties.

     Through partnerships with businesses and organizations, charitable foundations, and generous families and individual donors, the Community Foundation awards grants and scholarships from an endowment and collection of funds that benefit the region. Its commitment to donors helps individuals achieve their charitable objectives now and for generations to come by preserving and honoring legacies of community philanthropy while inspiring others.

     The Community Foundation is a resource for local charitable organizations, donors, professional advisors and nonprofit organizations. It also works to bring people together at its permanent home in the Northern New York Philanthropy Center to discuss challenges our communities face and find creative solutions that strengthen the region and make it a great place to live, work, and play.

Filed Under: Recent News

Northern New York Community Foundation

131 Washington Street
Watertown, NY 13601

Phone: 315-782-7110
Fax: 315-782-0047

info@nnycf.org

Comments Box SVG iconsUsed for the like, share, comment, and reaction icons
Northern New York Community Foundation

Northern New York Community Foundation

3,286

Working with donors to benefit the community through grants and scholarships since 1929.

Watch your mailboxes for our 2023 Friends Supporters issue of “Thoughtful Giving” this weekend!

We feature all donors who made gifts to the Friends of the Foundation 2022 Annual Community Betterment Fund and pay tribute to many special people who our community recently lost.

Annual donors like YOU help make possible so much of our work that strengthens Northern New York for everyone.

View a digital “sneak peek” of the issue at: issuu.com/nnycf/docs/tg_donorappreciation_spring_2023

#ThoughtfulGiving #ThoughtfulLegacies #NNYCF

Watch your mailboxes for our 2023 Friends Supporters issue of “Thoughtful Giving” this weekend!

We feature all donors who made gifts to the Friends of the Foundation 2022 Annual Community Betterment Fund and pay tribute to many special people who our community recently lost.

Annual donors like YOU help make possible so much of our work that strengthens Northern New York for everyone.

View a digital “sneak peek” of the issue at: issuu.com/nnycf/docs/tg_donorappreciation_spring_2023

#ThoughtfulGiving #ThoughtfulLegacies #NNYCF
... See MoreSee Less

1 day ago
View on Facebook
· Share
Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
View Comments
  • Likes: 17
  • Shares: 11
  • Comments: 0

Comment on Facebook

View more comments

ATTENTION TRI-COUNTY NONPROFITS:

Our partners at the Watertown Sunrise Rotary Foundation, a component fund of the Northern New York Community Foundation, welcome eligible nonprofit organizations in Jefferson, Lewis and St. Lawrence counties to apply for its annual Taste of the Town grant. Up to $5,000 in funding is available.

The Watertown Sunrise Rotary Club established a charitable foundation at the Community Foundation to help steward its philanthropic efforts and more effectively serve the region.

Nonprofit organizations should apply for this funding opportunity by Friday, March 31, through the Community Foundation’s online grant portal at nnycf.org/grants

Complete details: www.nnycf.org/taste-of-town-2023

#NNYCF #SunriseRotary #Partners #TasteOfTheTown
... See MoreSee Less

Link thumbnail

Watertown’s Taste of the Town Set for April 22; Sunrise Rotary Club Foundation Seeks Grant Applications

www.nnycf.org

Watertown’s Taste of the Town Set for April 22; Sunrise Rotary Club Foundation Seeks Grant Applications February 21, 2023 By admin Opportunity for $5,000 in Funding Open to All Tri-County Nonprofit ...
2 days ago
View on Facebook
· Share
Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
View Comments
  • Likes: 2
  • Shares: 0
  • Comments: 0

Comment on Facebook

View more comments

Meet Taya Coller, an eighth grader at Edwards-Knox Central School District.

For Taya, “Community means teamwork and people helping other people. When people are a part of a community, they look out for each other and work together.”

“In my community neighbors help each other,” Taya wrote in her winning essay. “Our hospital helps people recover from injury or disease.”

As a 2021-2022 Northern New York Community Foundation Community Spirit Youth Giving Challenge winner, Taya had a chance to present a grant to the St. Lawrence Health Foundation at Gouverneur Hospital, an organization she chose for its work to help those in the community who need it most. 

“Gouverneur Hospital best embodies my definition of community because it helps make the community a better place by looking out for other people,” Taya wrote. “For example, the hospital vaccinates people to try to help stop the spread of diseases like the flu, and hospital workers work together as one big team.” 

Taya met had a chance to meet Christina Latta, Gouverneur Hospital vice president for nursing, and present a $500 Youth Giving Challenge grant that will help the hospital continue its critical work. The grant is supported by donors to the Friends of the Foundation Annual Community Betterment Fund, a partnership with Community Bank, N.A., and a leadership gift from an anonymous donor. 

Pictured, from left, Diane Easton, Community Bank branch manager; Christina Latta, Gouverneur Hospital; and Taya Coller, Edwards-Knox Central School eighth grader and Community Spirit Youth Giving Challenge winner.

Taya is one of dozens of thoughtful youths who looked inside her community to help an organization that works to improve quality of life for its residents. The 2021-2022 Giving Challenge asked students from Jefferson, Lewis, and St. Lawrence counties to explain in an essay what community means to them and to choose a nonprofit that embodies their definition of community. Taya’s essay is one of 20 chosen from 193 submissions.

Look for more photos and stories behind the Community Spirit Youth Giving Challenge in the coming weeks.

#NNYCF #ThoughtfulGiving #YouthGivingChallenge #CommunitySpirit

Meet Taya Coller, an eighth grader at Edwards-Knox Central School District.

For Taya, “Community means teamwork and people helping other people. When people are a part of a community, they look out for each other and work together.”

“In my community neighbors help each other,” Taya wrote in her winning essay. “Our hospital helps people recover from injury or disease.”

As a 2021-2022 Northern New York Community Foundation Community Spirit Youth Giving Challenge winner, Taya had a chance to present a grant to the St. Lawrence Health Foundation at Gouverneur Hospital, an organization she chose for its work to help those in the community who need it most.

“Gouverneur Hospital best embodies my definition of community because it helps make the community a better place by looking out for other people,” Taya wrote. “For example, the hospital vaccinates people to try to help stop the spread of diseases like the flu, and hospital workers work together as one big team.”

Taya met had a chance to meet Christina Latta, Gouverneur Hospital vice president for nursing, and present a $500 Youth Giving Challenge grant that will help the hospital continue its critical work. The grant is supported by donors to the Friends of the Foundation Annual Community Betterment Fund, a partnership with Community Bank, N.A., and a leadership gift from an anonymous donor.

Pictured, from left, Diane Easton, Community Bank branch manager; Christina Latta, Gouverneur Hospital; and Taya Coller, Edwards-Knox Central School eighth grader and Community Spirit Youth Giving Challenge winner.

Taya is one of dozens of thoughtful youths who looked inside her community to help an organization that works to improve quality of life for its residents. The 2021-2022 Giving Challenge asked students from Jefferson, Lewis, and St. Lawrence counties to explain in an essay what community means to them and to choose a nonprofit that embodies their definition of community. Taya’s essay is one of 20 chosen from 193 submissions.

Look for more photos and stories behind the Community Spirit Youth Giving Challenge in the coming weeks.

#NNYCF #ThoughtfulGiving #YouthGivingChallenge #CommunitySpirit
... See MoreSee Less

2 days ago
View on Facebook
· Share
Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
View Comments
  • Likes: 8
  • Shares: 0
  • Comments: 0

Comment on Facebook

View more comments

Load more

Copyright © 2023 · Northern NY Community Foundation · Site Design: Riverside Media, LLC.