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Northern New York Community Foundation

Northern New York Community Foundation

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Sawyer Community Fund Grant Helps Upgrade Constableville Community Pavilion

February 5, 2025 By admin

$8,000 in Funding Will Enable Lighting, Rink Liner Improvements

     CONSTABLEVILLE — Dozens of youths will benefit from improvements to the Community Pavilion thanks to an $8,000 grant from the Kenneth V. and Jeannette Remp Sawyer Community Fund of the Northern New York Community Foundation.

     Constableville for Tomorrow and the Tug Hill Yeti Hockey & Figure Skating Club are working to upgrade lighting at the pavilion and acquire a new rink liner, which will have year-round impact. Grant funding will also support purchase of more figure skates for all ages.

From left: Tug Hill Yeti Hockey & Figure Skating Club participants Owen Luther, Molly Luther, and Suzie Carpenter in the net at the Constableville Community Pavilion.

     More than 100 local youth participate in the Tug Hill Yeti Hockey & Figure Skating Club in partnership with Constableville for Tomorrow. The club aims to increase program participation and activities in the pavilion with support from these upgrades.

     Thirteen grants totaling $57,446 were awarded last year from the Sawyer Community Fund to support projects and programs that broadly impact the quality of life for residents in Boonville, Constableville and Westernville.

     The Kenneth V. and Jeannette Remp Sawyer Community Fund was established in 2018 as a geographic-specific fund to support programs, projects and initiatives that broadly impact and enhance the quality of life in Boonville, Constableville and Westernville in perpetuity. The Sawyers were passionate about the quality of life in their community, participating in many community activities and volunteering for several local organizations. Through the community fund, the Sawyer family established a lasting charitable resource that will positively impact these communities forever.

     The application for the next grant cycle for funding from the Kenneth V. and Jeannette Remp Sawyer Community Fund will be available later this month. Contact Max DelSignore, Community Foundation vice president, max@nnycf.org, or 315-782-7110, to learn more.

Tug Hill Yeti Hockey & Figure Skating Club program coordinators, volunteers, parents and players in the Constableville Community Pavilion.

About Kenneth V. and Jeannette Remp Sawyer

     Mr. and Mrs. Sawyer participated in many community events and activities through the years and served on local boards and committees. Mr. Sawyer was a Boonville native, served in the United States Army, and enjoyed a career at Layng Furniture Company and as a supervisor at Boonville’s Erwin Park. Most notably, he was a talented musician. He played tenor saxophone in his high school band and clarinet with the Boonville Village Band. He frequently played with three separate drum and bugle corps in Boonville and Rome. Mr. Sawyer died in 2008.

     Mrs. Sawyer completed a successful career of more than 45 years at Rome Savings Bank and was an avid follower of the stock market. She also served on the finance committee of Boonville United Methodist Church. She assisted organizations such as the Daughters of the American Revolution, Dodge Pratt Northam Art and Community Center, the Erwin Library, and the Boonville Cemetery. Mrs. Sawyer died in 2015.

     In 2017, the Kenneth V. Sawyer and Jeannette Remp Sawyer Scholarship Fund was established at the Northern New York Community Foundation to benefit Adirondack Central School graduates. The endowed fund will award two scholarships each year forever, supporting the business and music pursuits of high school graduates from the district.

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

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Northern New York Community Foundation

Northern New York Community Foundation

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

We are pleased to announce the launch of the Potsdam Community Fund, a new charitable endowed fund established in partnership with donors who share a strong commitment to the Potsdam area.

Thanks to the generosity of founding donors and Potsdam natives David and Ellen Wagner who provided a $250,000 establishing gift, the fund will begin grantmaking this year.

The new Potsdam Community Fund is a permanent philanthropic resource that will support projects, programs, and initiatives that enhance the quality of life in the Potsdam area.

In this inaugural year, the Northern New York Community Foundation is excited to announce that it has awarded an additional $100,000 as a matching grant, which means all new gifts to the Potsdam Community Fund will be doubled, dollar-for-dollar.

Those who wish to join in supporting the fund may make a secure online gift at bit.ly/PotsdamCF or by mail to: Potsdam Community Fund, c/o Northern New York Community Foundation, 131 Washington St., Watertown, NY 13601.

Complete details: nnycf.org/potsdam-community-fund

#NNYCF #PCF #potsdam #communityfund #ThoughtfulGiving
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Community Foundation launches Potsdam Community Fund in partnership with Potsdam natives and founding donors

nnycf.org

Community Foundation launches Potsdam Community Fund in partnership with Potsdam natives and founding donors June 29, 2026 By admin Permanent charitable resource for Potsdam will help strengthen quali...
21 hours ago
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Attention parents, teachers, and youth leaders: Do you know a Jefferson County student who will be a high school freshman this fall?

The Community Foundation is hosting its first summer Youth Philanthropy Experience the week of July 27 and there’s still room for students to secure a seat!

This unique weeklong summer experience is exclusively for students who live in Jefferson County and are entering ninth grade this fall. Participants will learn about giving back to their community through volunteerism, leadership, grantmaking, and other ways they can help nonprofit organizations working to strengthen our communities.

Hear all the details in a Tunes Ninetytwofive interview with Community Foundation Philanthropy Associate Emily Pfeil at on.soundcloud.com/KIihmt5qgNe0Q2PNpO

Interested students should visit nnycf.org/summer-ype to obtain an application and apply today.

#NNYCF #Leadership #YouthDevelopment #SummerExperience #YPE #YPC
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Summer Youth Philanthropy Experience

nnycf.org

Summer Youth Philanthropy Experience Advisor Leslie Renzi, far right, leads Youth Philanthropy Council students in a team-building activity in 2023. (Kara Dry Photography) New Summer ‘Youth Philanth...
6 days ago
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Congratulations to Sackets Harbor senior Tanner J. Antonson, the 2026 recipient of the Northern New York Community Foundation Laurie Renzi Gadsden Award.

Ranked seventh in his class, Tanner was awarded a $1,000 Community Foundation scholarship during the districts High School Academic Recognition night this month. He plans to attend the University of New Haven, Connecticut, this fall to study forensic science.

Tanner also completed the criminal justice program at Jeff-Lewis BOCES and was active in the student-led program Skills USA. He aspires to work in the criminal justice field as a forensic investigator. Tanner is the son of Michelle Lunderman, Sackets Harbor.

Given by Gabriel Renzi and Dr. Eugene and Joyce Renzi and family, the Laurie Renzi Gadsden Award was established at the Community Foundation in 2022 in Laurie’s memory to honor her life and perpetuate her legacy of kindness and positivity. A school guidance counselor, Laurie passed away in August 2021 at the age of 57.

Pictured, from left: Laurie’s mother, Joyce Renzi; award recipient Tanner Antonson; Laurie’s sister, Jennifer Renzi Kelly, and Jennifer’s husband, Bo Kelly.

We are grateful to the Renzi family for choosing us as the permanent home of Laurie’s legacy and this meaningful award that embodies her character.

#NNYCF #ThoughtfulLegacies #SacketsPatriots #CLassOf2026

Congratulations to Sackets Harbor senior Tanner J. Antonson, the 2026 recipient of the Northern New York Community Foundation Laurie Renzi Gadsden Award.

Ranked seventh in his class, Tanner was awarded a $1,000 Community Foundation scholarship during the district's High School Academic Recognition night this month. He plans to attend the University of New Haven, Connecticut, this fall to study forensic science.

Tanner also completed the criminal justice program at Jeff-Lewis BOCES and was active in the student-led program Skills USA. He aspires to work in the criminal justice field as a forensic investigator. Tanner is the son of Michelle Lunderman, Sackets Harbor.

Given by Gabriel Renzi and Dr. Eugene and Joyce Renzi and family, the Laurie Renzi Gadsden Award was established at the Community Foundation in 2022 in Laurie’s memory to honor her life and perpetuate her legacy of kindness and positivity. A school guidance counselor, Laurie passed away in August 2021 at the age of 57.

Pictured, from left: Laurie’s mother, Joyce Renzi; award recipient Tanner Antonson; Laurie’s sister, Jennifer Renzi Kelly, and Jennifer’s husband, Bo Kelly.

We are grateful to the Renzi family for choosing us as the permanent home of Laurie’s legacy and this meaningful award that embodies her character.

#NNYCF #ThoughtfulLegacies #SacketsPatriots #CLassOf2026
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1 week ago
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Congratulations, Tanner!!

Congratulations 👏

Congratulations

Congratulations! 🎉

Congratulations Tanner!

Congratulations Tanner!

Congratulations Tanner.

Congratulations, Tanner!! 🎉🌟 Well deserved!!

Congratulations Tanner!! 🎉

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