Up to $20,000 Available; Grant Proposals Due Friday, Dec. 13, for Spring 2020 Decisions

     WATERTOWN —     The Northern New York Community Foundation Youth Philanthropy Council welcomes grant requests from nonprofit organizations of all types for projects, programs or initiatives that positively impact the quality of life in Jefferson, Lewis and St. Lawrence counties. The council will evaluate each proposal and has up to $20,000 in grant funding to award.

     For award consideration, completed grant applications must be received at the Northern New York Community Foundation, 131 Washington St., Watertown, N.Y. 13601, no later than Friday, Dec. 13, 2019. Council members will notify finalists selected to present proposals in the spring. The council will recommend grants for funding to the Community Foundation’s board of directors, which will review recommendations during its quarterly meeting in June 2020. This past spring, the Youth Philanthropy Council awarded 10 grants totaling $20,600 in support to nonprofit organizations that serve residents of  the tri-county region.

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Deadline to Submit Request for 2019 Partnership is Friday, Oct. 18

     WATERTOWN — Nonprofit organizations in Jefferson, Lewis and St. Lawrence counties are invited to participate as partners in the 2019 #giveNNY campaign by Friday, Oct. 18.

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Parents Invited to Attend One of Two Sessions Oct. 10 at Watertown High School

     WATERTOWN — Jefferson County Businesses Against Drugs, a Watertown Knights of Columbus Council 259 initiative and Northern New York Community Foundation partnership, invites parents to join fifth- and sixth-grade students for a county-wide school assembly at the Watertown High School auditorium during one of two sessions this Thursday, Oct. 10.

     Former professional BMX athlete and Olympic team coach Tony Hoffman will present “One choice can change your life,” his story of alcohol and drug addiction and the lifelong impact of a single initial choice, in two sessions. The morning session is from 9 to 10:15 a.m. and an afternoon assembly is from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. There is no cost to attend and space is limited. Mr. Hoffman returns to Watertown this week to share his message with fifth- and sixth-grade students from across the county in his second visit to Watertown presented by Jefferson County Businesses Against Drugs, Jefferson-Lewis BOCES, and the Community Foundation. He shared his story in May with nearly 1,000 Jefferson County seventh- and eighth-grade students.

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Program open to 7th- and 8th-graders in Jefferson, Lewis and St. Lawrence Counties

     WATERTOWN — The Northern New York Community Foundation is pleased to kick off its 2019-2020 Community Spirit Youth Giving Challenge. The challenge seeks to engage seventh- and eighth-grade students in exploring their communities as they compete for an opportunity to award a local nonprofit a $500 grant.

     This is the third year of the program, which is made possible by generous donors to the Community Foundation’s Friends of the Foundation Annual Community Betterment Fund and a gift from Community Bank, N.A., which supported the program in 2018 as well.

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Permanent Endowment Established to Encourage Long-Term Charitable Support

     MASSENA — The Massena Public Library recently agreed to long-term partnership with the Northern New York Community Foundation. The library’s board of trustees approved establishment of a permanent endowment fund with the Community Foundation. The endowment provides past, present and future library donors and supporters with another charitable giving option to enhance the library’s work now and in the future. Library officials hope to build the endowment over time, which will help support and strengthen the organization’s programs, initiatives and operations.

     “Massena Public Library is very pleased to partner with the Northern New York Community Foundation,” said Elaine Dunne Thayer, Massena Public Library director. “This partnership allows us to invest in the future of Massena Public Library and contribute toward the greater good of the Massena community and the future of the North Country.”

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