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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Gifts to Permanent Community Foundation Fund Will Help Resurface 10 Courts

    WATERTOWN —The Watertown City School District Educational Foundation, a permanent fund of the Northern New York Community Foundation, is seeking charitable donations to resurface the 10 tennis courts at its Washington Street campus.

    This worthwhile community project will greatly benefit students, tennis team members, and the Frontier League. Watertown High School hosts the annual Frontier League Tennis Championship Tournament for boys and girls tennis. The 10 centrally located league courts make the venue attractive for this event. The city also hosts a tournament on the courts each September.

    The original tennis courts were installed around 1953. The present courts were resurfaced in 1973 and again in the late 1980s or early 1990s. In 1997, the courts were repainted. The courts presently have 800 feet of cracks in them and the surface is weathered.

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