Project Will Enable Greater Access to Oral Health Care for Jefferson, Lewis Residents

     WATERTOWN — A Community Foundation grant will help the North Country Family Health Center expand oral health care services at its main Arsenal Street location, which will provide safe and affordable access for patients while decreasing dependency on hospital and emergency room care across Jefferson and Lewis counties for oral health cases.

     The Foundation’s Board of Directors approved a $25,000 award during its last quarterly meeting that will enable the Health Center to move forward with a planned 1,200-square-foot renovation, which will convert current administrative space to create three new dental exam rooms and a lab, which will allow the Health Center to expand oral health care services at 238 Arsenal Street. Recent research indicates a significant spike in emergency room cases because of oral care needs among rural residents of Jefferson and Lewis counties who have limited access to proper oral health care.

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Community Foundation will match all gifts to fund, dollar-for-dollar, up to $25,000

     WATERTOWN — Zoo New York and the Northern New York Community Foundation are partnering to establish a new charitable fund to provide animal care and habitat revitalization at the zoo.

     The Zoo New York Animal Wellness Fund has been created at the Northern New York Community Foundation. The fund is designed to help support medical care costs for zoo animals and enhance animal habitats. The Community Foundation recently awarded a $25,000 matching commitment to encourage charitable gifts from the community toward this meaningful fund.

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Funding Will Help Two Organizations Complete Priority Efforts for Nonprofits

     ADAMS — The Six Town Community Fund of the Northern New York Community Foundation recently awarded $2,000 in grant support to help two south Jefferson County nonprofits with a pair of building projects.

    A $1,000 award to the Historical Association of South Jefferson will help complete siding on the Six Town Meeting House at its East Church Street campus. It will finish exterior renovations to the building, which is a valuable meeting space for community organizations.

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VanNess Family Fund Assists Efforts Focused on Arts, Culture, and Youth

     POTSDAM — John and Dorotha VanNess cared deeply for the Potsdam area. A legacy fund honoring their commitment to the community lives on with a trio of new grant awards impacting the area this year.

    The John and Dorotha VanNess Family Fund of the Northern New York Community Foundation recently approved $10,000 in grant support for three nonprofit organizations that deliver arts, culture, and youth-based programs. The family legacy fund is a permanent, grantmaking fund that will forever support programs, activities, and initiatives that support the general welfare of the Potsdam community. Mr. and Mrs. VanNess’s daughter, Susan J. Sewall, established the fund at the Community Foundation in 2018 as a lasting tribute to her parents’ civic mindedness.

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$10,000 Allocated for Efforts Led by WPBS-TV, Jeff-Lewis BOCES

     WATERTOWN — The Jefferson Economic Development Fund of the Northern New York Community Foundation recently awarded $10,000 in grant support to two community projects.

     A $6,000 award to WPBS-TV will support its GPS For Success initiative, which is an online resource that provides educational information to encourage local career exploration by Northern New York students and adult learners. The website offers a wide range of research, data, and videos highlighting 16 professional careers relevant to the North Country. In collaboration with other local partners, WPBS is building a platform to feature soft skills such as résumé writing and entrepreneurship. This grant will support a module focused on critical interview fundamentals, while also helping to develop complementary materials for students and teachers.

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