Double your gift to the LEAD Holiday Giving Fund through a $5,000 matching challenge
WATERTOWN — The LEAD Council of the Northern New York Community Foundation is working to help bring warmth to vulnerable children and families in need this holiday season.
The advisory committee of young professionals is launching its year-end LEAD Philanthropy Challenge to support the tri-county region. To begin, the Council is restarting its LEAD Holiday Giving Fund at the Foundation and providing a $5,000 matching challenge. Each gift to the LEAD Holiday Giving Fund at the Community Foundation will be matched, dollar-for-dollar, up to $5,000.
Total gifts contributed to the LEAD Holiday Giving Fund will be evenly distributed to the following community initiatives and nonprofit partner organizations:
- Christmas Crusade for Kids — Led by Tunes 92.5/104.5 FM Intrepid Broadcasting, Watertown, this initiative provides holiday gifts to children and families across Northern New York. More than 1,200 families received support last year. The effort is a collaboration with the Community Action Planning Council of Jefferson County, Watertown Urban Mission, and the Salvation Army Watertown Corps.
- Christmas Sharing Holiday Assistance — This program of the Lowville Food Pantry distributes gifts, toys, food boxes, and more to children, families, and seniors in need across Lewis County.
- Potsdam Holiday Fund — This nonprofit provides annual support to St. Lawrence County individuals and families in need with gifts, food baskets, and winter clothing. Funding from this matching challenge will strengthen the organization’s voucher program this year.
“This challenge is something our members look forward to every year,” said Erin Simser, LEAD Council chair. “As we get closer to the holiday season, it brings great joy to our members to see the community come together to support those in need.”
LEAD members will also collect new toys, which will be donated to help brighten the holidays for local children in need. The Council’s challenge starts November 1, and runs through December 1. Last year, the Council raised $6,000 to support local holiday initiatives and distributed hundreds more in material donations.
“We always strive to make a positive impact on our communities,” said Jennifer Voss, LEAD Council executive committee member. “Being able to provide toys to children who may not otherwise receive any at Christmas fills our buckets, and we encourage community members to join us and donate new toys that we will distribute across the North Country.”
The LEAD Council is comprised of 24 young professionals who live and work in Jefferson, Lewis, and St. Lawrence counties. The Council is empowered to develop creative initiatives that directly benefit the community and to award strategic grants to tri-county nonprofit organizations whose work enhances the quality of life in the region.
To support LEAD’s effort, make gifts to: Northern New York Community Foundation, 131 Washington Street, Watertown, New York 13601, or online at nnycf.org. Please designate your thoughtful gift to the LEAD Holiday Fund.
The LEAD Council program and experience is made possible through the generosity of the Hyde-Stone Charitable Foundation of the Northern New York Community Foundation, Carthage Savings and Loan Association, Morgia Wealth Management, and donors to the Friends of the Foundation Annual Community Betterment Fund. Contact Max DelSignore, Community Foundation assistant director, 315-782-7110, or max@nnycf.org, to learn more about LEAD and its work.
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.