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Local Young Professionals Launch Volunteer Network for Nonprofits

June 18, 2020 By admin

Community Foundation’s LEAD Council Establishes LEADing the Way Initiative

    WATERTOWN — The Northern New York Community Foundation’s LEAD Council has organized the skills and talents of its young leaders in a volunteer network to assist nonprofit organizations across the region.

    The LEADing the Way initiative will provide additional support to help lift the mission and work of nonprofits that serve Jefferson, Lewis and St. Lawrence counties. The LEAD Council is an advisory committee of the Community Foundation empowered to identify and strategically address critical needs that impact nonprofits across the region. LEADing the Way was developed to support nonprofits facing key organizational and mission-centered challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.

    “Our communities are fortunate to have devoted, civic-minded young professionals with a breadth of meaningful experience,” said Max DelSignore, Community Foundation assistant director. “There is an energy and willingness to help at a time when nonprofits need it most. LEADing the Way is an opportunity to tangibly connect the valuable skills of our young leaders with the region’s nonprofits at a critical time. The Community Foundation is honored to work alongside the LEAD Council in this effort and is inspired by its vision and enthusiasm.”

    The LEAD Council is comprised of 26 young professionals who live in the tri-county area with an interest in strengthening the quality of life in the North Country. LEAD is an acronym that reflects four important guiding principles tied to the Community Foundation’s mission and values: Leadership, Engagement, Access and Direction.

    “I have never felt more fortunate to work with such an amazing group of professionals and an organization so committed to helping out our region. The ‘LEADing the Way’ initiative is one of the many efforts that makes the LEAD Council so special,” Council member Erin Simser said. “With a group comprised of some of the most talented, kind-hearted, generous people, I am always inspired by what is accomplished and I am sure this initiative will be no different. We are excited to offer help to those in need and share our talents and strengths so our communities can continue to grow and thrive.”

    Since its inception in 2014, the LEAD Council has developed several creative initiatives that augment the Community Foundation’s work. Strategic efforts to date include enhancements toward child care and early childhood development programs, hyperlocal support for anti-poverty initiatives, and building philanthropic values in local schools through student-led projects. The Council also oversees the “LEAD Impact Grant Program,” which awards key grants to organizations focused on specific areas of need that nonprofits within our tri-county region address.

    “The LEAD Council fosters the spirit of giving in its members and inspires philanthropy throughout our community,” Council member Jessica Piatt Walczyk said. “This new initiative, ‘LEADing the Way,’ introduces a creative way to cultivate vibrant ideas and welcome new allies to Northern New York’s nonprofit sector.”

    The LEAD Council is made possible thanks to generous support from the Hyde-Stone Charitable Foundation at the Northern New York Community Foundation, Carthage Savings and Loan Association, and donors to the Friends of the Foundation Annual Community Betterment Fund.

    Here are more details on how the LEADing the Way initiative will operate:

    How can nonprofits connect with LEADing the Way?

    Contact the Community Foundation with your inquiry or request and share if your need is for a specific individual, group, or general help to the organization. The Foundation will identify LEAD members who can help with the nonprofit’s request. Once LEAD members have been identified to help, their volunteer assistance may be deployed to the nonprofit via phone, email, virtual meetings or conference calls, group meetings or classes, and/or personal visits depending on COVID-19 restrictions.

    What are the focus areas of support?

    Nonprofits may request LEAD support for individual, group, or organizational needs such as, but not limited to: Professional development, marketing and outreach, finance, education, health and wellness, self-sufficiency projects, recreation, and others. The Community Foundation and LEAD will collaborate with a requesting nonprofit to identify the most appropriate plan and method for volunteer support.

    How can nonprofits ask for help?

    Organizations may contact Kraig Everard, Community Foundation director of stewardship and programs, at 315-782-7110 or kraig@nnycf.org. Please allow one to two days to pair up your nonprofit’s request with appropriate LEAD members. If the request is urgent, please note so in your request for support.

    LEAD Council Members

  • Eli Anderson, Sackets Harbor, Samaritan Medical Center
  • Krysta Aten-Schell, Adams Center, Holt Architects
  • Andrew Boulter, Watertown, Watertown Savings Bank
  • Anthony Burgess, Watertown, Jefferson Community College
  • Maria Buskey, Natural Bridge, Keller Williams, Lori Gervera Team
  • Jonathan Cole, Antwerp, Fort Drum Regional Health Planning Organization
  • Victoria Hasseler Collins, Croghan, Conboy, McKay, Bachman & Kendall, LLP
  • Bridget Fetterly, Deferiet, Carthage Savings and Loan
  • Kerry Kennett, Sackets Harbor, South Jefferson Central School
  • Cari Knight, Great Bend, ACR Health
  • Kristin LaClair, Watertown, Children’s Miracle Network of Samaritan Medical Center
  • Joanna Loomis, Watertown, North Country Initiative
  • Steve Magovney, Watertown, Belleville Henderson Central School
  • Amanda McIlroy, Watertown, Immaculate Heart Central School
  • Aaron Naklick, Watertown, Samaritan Medical Center
  • John Nuber, Clayton, RBC Wealth Management
  • Kayla Perry, Adams. Greater Watertown North Country Chamber of Commerce
  • Jessica Piatt Walczyk, Watertown, Greater Watertown North Country Chamber of Commerce
  • Anna Platz, Carthage, Lewis County Public Health
  • Allison Roselle, Clayton, North Country Prenatal Perinatal Council
  • Melissa Schmitt, Watertown, Samaritan Medical Center
  • Erin Simser, Watertown, WinnCompanies
  • Robert Sligar, Carthage, Carthage Savings and Loan
  • Emily Soderquist, Watertown, Samaritan Medical Center
  • Lisa Trembley, Carthage, Children’s Home of Jefferson County
  • Jennifer Voss, Watertown, City of Watertown

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.

Meet Taya Coller, an eighth grader at Edwards-Knox Central School District.

For Taya, “Community means teamwork and people helping other people. When people are a part of a community, they look out for each other and work together.”

“In my community neighbors help each other,” Taya wrote in her winning essay. “Our hospital helps people recover from injury or disease.”

As a 2021-2022 Northern New York Community Foundation Community Spirit Youth Giving Challenge winner, Taya had a chance to present a grant to the St. Lawrence Health Foundation at Gouverneur Hospital, an organization she chose for its work to help those in the community who need it most. 

“Gouverneur Hospital best embodies my definition of community because it helps make the community a better place by looking out for other people,” Taya wrote. “For example, the hospital vaccinates people to try to help stop the spread of diseases like the flu, and hospital workers work together as one big team.” 

Taya met had a chance to meet Christina Latta, Gouverneur Hospital vice president for nursing, and present a $500 Youth Giving Challenge grant that will help the hospital continue its critical work. The grant is supported by donors to the Friends of the Foundation Annual Community Betterment Fund, a partnership with Community Bank, N.A., and a leadership gift from an anonymous donor. 

Pictured, from left, Diane Easton, Community Bank branch manager; Christina Latta, Gouverneur Hospital; and Taya Coller, Edwards-Knox Central School eighth grader and Community Spirit Youth Giving Challenge winner.

Taya is one of dozens of thoughtful youths who looked inside her community to help an organization that works to improve quality of life for its residents. The 2021-2022 Giving Challenge asked students from Jefferson, Lewis, and St. Lawrence counties to explain in an essay what community means to them and to choose a nonprofit that embodies their definition of community. Taya’s essay is one of 20 chosen from 193 submissions.

Look for more photos and stories behind the Community Spirit Youth Giving Challenge in the coming weeks.

#NNYCF #ThoughtfulGiving #YouthGivingChallenge #CommunitySpirit

Meet Taya Coller, an eighth grader at Edwards-Knox Central School District.

For Taya, “Community means teamwork and people helping other people. When people are a part of a community, they look out for each other and work together.”

“In my community neighbors help each other,” Taya wrote in her winning essay. “Our hospital helps people recover from injury or disease.”

As a 2021-2022 Northern New York Community Foundation Community Spirit Youth Giving Challenge winner, Taya had a chance to present a grant to the St. Lawrence Health Foundation at Gouverneur Hospital, an organization she chose for its work to help those in the community who need it most.

“Gouverneur Hospital best embodies my definition of community because it helps make the community a better place by looking out for other people,” Taya wrote. “For example, the hospital vaccinates people to try to help stop the spread of diseases like the flu, and hospital workers work together as one big team.”

Taya met had a chance to meet Christina Latta, Gouverneur Hospital vice president for nursing, and present a $500 Youth Giving Challenge grant that will help the hospital continue its critical work. The grant is supported by donors to the Friends of the Foundation Annual Community Betterment Fund, a partnership with Community Bank, N.A., and a leadership gift from an anonymous donor.

Pictured, from left, Diane Easton, Community Bank branch manager; Christina Latta, Gouverneur Hospital; and Taya Coller, Edwards-Knox Central School eighth grader and Community Spirit Youth Giving Challenge winner.

Taya is one of dozens of thoughtful youths who looked inside her community to help an organization that works to improve quality of life for its residents. The 2021-2022 Giving Challenge asked students from Jefferson, Lewis, and St. Lawrence counties to explain in an essay what community means to them and to choose a nonprofit that embodies their definition of community. Taya’s essay is one of 20 chosen from 193 submissions.

Look for more photos and stories behind the Community Spirit Youth Giving Challenge in the coming weeks.

#NNYCF #ThoughtfulGiving #YouthGivingChallenge #CommunitySpirit
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Meet Aidan O’Shaughnessy, a Watertown City School District seventh grader at Case Middle School Case Middle School.

For Aidan, “A community is a group of diverse people that are brought together by where they live, as well as religion, school, and sports. People in a community care about each other and share common interests.” 

As a 2022-2023 Northern New York Community Foundation Community Spirit Youth Giving Challenge winner, Aidan had a chance to present a grant to Watertown Urban Mission, an organization he chose for its work to strengthen the quality of life in the community. 

“The Urban Mission makes Watertown a better place. Some people in our community face big challenges. The winters are long and cold, and some people may not have the resources to stay warm. The people at Urban Mission help find them a warm place to sleep and provide them with housing assistance,” Aidan wrote in his winning essay. “They provide so much to the community that they need as much support as they can get.”

Aidan recently met with Urban Mission Executive Director Cherelyn VanBrocklin and presented a $1,000 Youth Giving Challenge grant that will help the nonprofit continue its vital work and mission. The grant is supported by donors to the Friends of the Foundation Annual Community Betterment Fund, a partnership with Community Bank, N.A., and a leadership gift from an anonymous donor. 

Pictured, from left, Aidan’s mother, Colleen O’Shaughnessy; brothers Sam and William Considine; father, Matthew Considine; Case Middle School student and Youth Giving Challenge winner Aidan O’Shaughnessy; Watertown Urban Mission Executive Director Cherelyn VanBrocklin; and Community Bank representative Cheyanne Blundon.

Aidan is one of dozens of thoughtful youths who looked inside his community to recognize an organization that works to improve quality of life locally. The 2022-2023 Youth Giving Challenge asked students from Jefferson, Lewis, and St. Lawrence counties to explain in an essay what community means to them and to choose a nonprofit that embodies their definition of community. Aidan s essay is one of 10 chosen from 124 submissions that came from 11 different tri-county schools.

Look for more photos and stories behind the Community Spirit Youth Giving Challenge in the coming weeks.
#NNYCF #ThoughtfulGiving #YouthGivingChallenge #CommunitySpirit

Meet Aidan O’Shaughnessy, a Watertown City School District seventh grader at Case Middle School Case Middle School.

For Aidan, “A community is a group of diverse people that are brought together by where they live, as well as religion, school, and sports. People in a community care about each other and share common interests.”

As a 2022-2023 Northern New York Community Foundation Community Spirit Youth Giving Challenge winner, Aidan had a chance to present a grant to Watertown Urban Mission, an organization he chose for its work to strengthen the quality of life in the community.

“The Urban Mission makes Watertown a better place. Some people in our community face big challenges. The winters are long and cold, and some people may not have the resources to stay warm. The people at Urban Mission help find them a warm place to sleep and provide them with housing assistance,” Aidan wrote in his winning essay. “They provide so much to the community that they need as much support as they can get.”

Aidan recently met with Urban Mission Executive Director Cherelyn VanBrocklin and presented a $1,000 Youth Giving Challenge grant that will help the nonprofit continue its vital work and mission. The grant is supported by donors to the Friends of the Foundation Annual Community Betterment Fund, a partnership with Community Bank, N.A., and a leadership gift from an anonymous donor.

Pictured, from left, Aidan’s mother, Colleen O’Shaughnessy; brothers Sam and William Considine; father, Matthew Considine; Case Middle School student and Youth Giving Challenge winner Aidan O’Shaughnessy; Watertown Urban Mission Executive Director Cherelyn VanBrocklin; and Community Bank representative Cheyanne Blundon.

Aidan is one of dozens of thoughtful youths who looked inside his community to recognize an organization that works to improve quality of life locally. The 2022-2023 Youth Giving Challenge asked students from Jefferson, Lewis, and St. Lawrence counties to explain in an essay what community means to them and to choose a nonprofit that embodies their definition of community. Aidan 's essay is one of 10 chosen from 124 submissions that came from 11 different tri-county schools.

Look for more photos and stories behind the Community Spirit Youth Giving Challenge in the coming weeks.
#NNYCF #ThoughtfulGiving #YouthGivingChallenge #CommunitySpirit
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Jeannette Remp Sawyer passed away in 2015, and her husband, Kenneth V. Sawyer in 2008. This year, they will award up to $60,000 to nonprofits working to strengthen the quality of life for residents of the communities they cherished during their lifetimes.

Nonprofit organizations that serve Boonville, Constableville, and Westernville, should apply for 2023 grant support from the Kenneth V. and Jeannette Remp Sawyer Community Fund through the Community Foundation's online Grant Lifecycle Manager portal by Friday, April 21.

Complete details: www.nnycf.org/sawyer-fund-2023-#NNYCFN#thoughtfullegaciesacies
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Kenneth V. and Jeannette Remp Sawyer Community Fund Accepting Grant Proposals for 2023 Support

www.nnycf.org

Kenneth V. and Jeannette Remp Sawyer Community Fund Accepting Grant Proposals for 2023 Support March 22, 2023 By admin Up to $60,000 Available for Nonprofits Serving Three Communities WATERTOWN — No...
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