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Community Foundation Welcomes Partnership With Heather A. Freeman Foundation

June 21, 2019 By admin

HAFF Board of Directors Recently Approves Affiliation to Strengthen Organization’s Efforts

    WATERTOWN — The Northern New York Community Foundation welcomes a new partnership to its family as an affiliate charitable foundation.

    The Heather A. Freeman Foundation (HAFF) board of directors recently approved consolidation of operations as a Community Foundation affiliate. The move strengthens efforts to continue all that HAFF donors, supporters and board members have spent more than a decade working to accomplish in Heather’s memory.

From left, Karla Stefanini, president, Heather A. Freeman Foundation; Lynn Pietroski, vice-president, Heather A. Freeman Foundation; and Max DelSignore, assistant director, Northern New York Community Foundation.

    Karla Stefanini, HAFF board president, said the move leverages additional resources and expertise while preserving the mission and spirit of all that the organization embodies.

    “When Heather walked into a room, she lit it up. She was a person everyone would want to have as a friend; kindness, empathy and understanding came naturally to her spirit,” Mrs. Stefanini said. “Everything Heather did was with passion and grace, from her sense of community to her love for her family and friends. This partnership builds on her legacy to inspire the best in others.”

    Not long after her untimely passing in 2007, friends and family established the Heather A. Freeman Foundation, “to empower others to do the best they can in the pursuit of happiness.”

    Since it organized more than 10 years ago, reception from the community and those who loved Heather has been monumental for the work that the foundation does in her name, said Lynn Pietroski, a HAFF board vice president and Heather’s best friend.

    “We realized how influential Heather was to so many people and knew we needed to continue in sharing Heather’s spirit,” Mrs. Pietroski said. “Many generous donors and dedicated volunteers graciously support HAFF and its mission.”

    While HAFF’s efforts have grown, those who manage its operations turned to the Community Foundation earlier this year to explore how it could reach new success and ensure that its work would continue in perpetuity. For HAFF board members, the solution was clear and exciting as a new partnership brings it to the Community Foundation as a component charitable fund.

    “The Community Foundation complements the HAFF and a partnership like this makes our effort completely sustainable,” Mrs. Pietroski said. “Why not align with an organization that does many of the things that we do, but on a much larger scale and with great success? This will be the next best thing for the HAFF and take it to a level we couldn’t alone.”

    As HAFF marks a new milestone, it is excited to continue its mission and support for many worthy charitable causes and local community-based programs. The Community Foundation is proud to have the Heather A. Freeman Foundation Fund as a new partner and member of its charitable family. The North Country communities will see the good works of HAFF for years to come.

    Rande Richardson, Northern New York Community Foundation executive director, said the new affiliation comes at a time when HAFF board members were seeking an innovative way to leverage assets with an organization that can provide operational support and promote growth.

    “We feel incredibly humbled and honored to partner in this next chapter of Heather’s legacy continuing to make our community a better place,” Mr. Richardson said. “Through this collaboration, together, we build upon all that has been done and can reach even higher while providing a permanent home for their work and mission.”

About the Heather A. Freeman Foundation

    The Heather A. Freeman Foundation is dedicated to sharing values that make a difference in our communities. It creates public service campaigns that model the benefits of a life lived by positive values. In turn, it hopes to inspire people to make these values a part of their own lives and communicate the resulting benefits to others.

    As the individual it honors and is so named, the Heather A. Freeman Foundation: Embraces the realistic values of all that is good in improving the lives of all mankind; encourages people to open their minds and hearts to new possibilities by demonstrating that collectively and individually they are capable of doing more than they thought possible and enhances the positive quality of individual, family and community life by providing services that are consistently available, accessible and responsive to the needs of those seeking assistance, and to work with the community to contribute, facilitate and promote solutions for the enrichment of all.

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 in communities across Jefferson, Lewis and St. Lawrence counties.

    Through partnerships with businesses and organizations, generous individual donors and families, and charitable foundations, 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 enduring legacies of community philanthropy while inspiring others.

    The Community Foundation is a resource for donors, local charitable organizations, and professional advisors. 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

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Northern New York Community Foundation
2 days ago
Northern New York Community Foundation

Congratulations to Kyle Moyer, the 2022 recipient of the Northern New York Community Foundation Anna Mae Searles Cooper Memorial Scholarship.

Kyle graduated in June from Belleville-Henderson High School in June and will attend SUNY Brockport to study exercise science. He aspires to work as a physical therapist.

Kyle is a National Honor Society member and an accomplished three-sport athlete, competing in varsity soccer, basketball, and baseball throughout high school. He is the son of Michelle and Jeromy Moyer, Mannsville.

Established in 2019 at the Community Foundation, the Anna Mae Searles Cooper Scholarship honors the life and legacy of longtime South Jefferson Central Schools teacher Anna Mae Searles Cooper. It is presented annually to a South Jefferson High School graduate who demonstrates exceptional motivation and potential.

Kyle recently met with scholarship founders Denny and Pamela Jerome and Anna Mae’s longtime dear friend, Sandra Haight, who presented him with a $1,000 scholarship award. Pictured, from left: Denny Jerome, Pamela Jerome, Kyle Moyer, and Sandra Haight.

We are honored to part of the special way that Anna Mae will be remembered as she continues to touch the lives of students in her community.

#NNYCF #Scholars #ClassOf2022
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Congratulations to Kyle Moyer, the 2022 recipient of the Northern New York Community Foundation Anna Mae Searles Cooper Memorial Scholarship.

Kyle graduated in June from Belleville-Henderson High School in June and will attend SUNY Brockport to study exercise science. He aspires to work as a physical therapist. 

Kyle is a National Honor Society member and an accomplished three-sport athlete, competing in varsity soccer, basketball, and baseball throughout high school. He is the son of Michelle and Jeromy Moyer, Mannsville.

Established in 2019 at the Community Foundation, the Anna Mae Searles Cooper Scholarship honors the life and legacy of longtime South Jefferson Central Schools teacher Anna Mae Searles Cooper. It is presented annually to a South Jefferson High School graduate who demonstrates exceptional motivation and potential.

Kyle recently met with scholarship founders Denny and Pamela Jerome and Anna Mae’s longtime dear friend, Sandra Haight, who presented him with a $1,000 scholarship award. Pictured, from left: Denny Jerome, Pamela Jerome, Kyle Moyer, and Sandra Haight.

We are honored to part of the special way that Anna Mae will be remembered as she continues to touch the lives of students in her community.

#NNYCF #Scholars #ClassOf2022
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Anna Mae would love seeing all the recipients of this scholarship. She was an amazing person!

Thank You for your generosity ❤️

Great teacher. She’s smiling on this

Congratulations

Thank you Anna Mae . Thank you Sandy .

Moyer Michelle

Pamela Jerome

Yes sir!

Awesome Michel Soluri Michel F. Soluri

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Northern New York Community Foundation
2 days ago
Northern New York Community Foundation

Watch your mailboxes for our Summer 2022 issue of “Thoughtful Giving” that is now on its way to all our valued donors, partners, and Community Foundation friends!

We feature a wide range of stories in 32 pages about the work donors make possible to strengthen communities across Northern New York. We also pay special tribute to many incredible people who our community recently lost and whose legacies will live on in many special ways.

Donors like YOU support so much of our work that improves the quality of life across Northern New York for everyone.

Click here for a “sneak peek” of the issue: issuu.com/nnycf/docs/tg_summer_2022

#ThoughtfulGiving #ThoughtfulLegacies #NNYCF #Grateful
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Watch your mailboxes for our Summer 2022 issue of “Thoughtful Giving” that is now on its way to all our valued donors, partners, and Community Foundation friends!

We feature a wide range of stories in 32 pages about the work donors make possible to strengthen communities across Northern New York. We also pay special tribute to many incredible people who our community recently lost and whose legacies will live on in many special ways.

Donors like YOU support so much of our work that improves the quality of life across Northern New York for everyone.

Click here for a “sneak peek” of the issue: issuu.com/nnycf/docs/tg_summer_2022

#ThoughtfulGiving #ThoughtfulLegacies #NNYCF #Grateful
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Northern New York Community Foundation
3 days ago
Northern New York Community Foundation

Congratulations to the 2022 recipients of the Northern New York Community Foundation North Side Legacy Fund Scholarship!

Pictured, from left: North Side Legacy Fund Advisory Committee member Terry Williams; Advisory Committee member and past League president William Parody; North Side Legacy Scholarship recipient Victoria Ledoux, Immaculate Heart Central graduate; scholarship recipient Martin J. Hutchins, Immaculate Heart Central; scholarship recipient Hannah M. Reichard, Cicero-North Syracuse High School; and Advisory Committee member Terri Mallette. Absent from photo: scholarship recipient Loise A. Pador, Watertown High School.

Each of this year’s recipients have strong family ties to Watertown’s North Side Improvement League.

We are honored to be the permanent home for the North Side Improvement League to build upon its legacy of charitable work and support for college-bound students. Because of this endowment, the League’s civic deeds and community pride will forever continue.

#NNYCF #NSIL #Scholars #ClassOf2022
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Congratulations to the 2022 recipients of the Northern New York Community Foundation North Side Legacy Fund Scholarship! 

Pictured, from left: North Side Legacy Fund Advisory Committee member Terry Williams; Advisory Committee member and past League president William Parody; North Side Legacy Scholarship recipient Victoria Ledoux, Immaculate Heart Central graduate; scholarship recipient Martin J. Hutchins, Immaculate Heart Central; scholarship recipient Hannah M. Reichard, Cicero-North Syracuse High School; and Advisory Committee member Terri Mallette. Absent from photo: scholarship recipient Loise A. Pador, Watertown High School.

Each of this year’s recipients have strong family ties to Watertown’s North Side Improvement League.

We are honored to be the permanent home for the North Side Improvement League to build upon its legacy of charitable work and support for college-bound students. Because of this endowment, the League’s civic deeds and community pride will forever continue.

#NNYCF #NSIL #Scholars #ClassOf2022
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So glad to see the North Side Improvement League is still touching the lives of our community. As a former volunteer with my grandparents and a descendent of a past president of the ladies auxiliary, I am proud of the organization!!!

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