Donors Work to Expand Opportunities for Educational Aid Through New Awards, Initiatives
WATERTOWN — The Northern New York Community Foundation, in partnership with private donors, 33 public school districts and two private schools, has awarded scholarships to 531 students from Jefferson, Lewis and St. Lawrence counties that will help them pursue post-secondary educational goals.
Thanks to the generosity of hundreds of donors who continue to make gifts that support Community Foundation scholarships, opportunities for students this year have grown through the establishment of new awards and partnerships. Awards to 531 students in the three counties total more than $900,000. In the past year, donors created 28 new scholarships at the Community Foundation. Another three scholarships were transferred to the Foundation from donors and partnering school districts to administer on their behalf.
“Community Foundation donors consistently express their belief in the value of education for both our region and society. We are seeing an increase in interest to diversify how we support students, including greater emphasis on technical and trade programs and supporting students who may not otherwise receive assistance from other sources,” said Rande S. Richardson, Community Foundation executive director. “We are also humbled that many have chosen to honor friends and loved ones in ways that perpetuate their impact on the lives of local students and a better future.”
In Jefferson County, 261 students from 11 public and one private school, as well as one home-schooled student, received Community Foundation awards. In Lewis County, 139 students from five public schools were awarded scholarships, and in St. Lawrence County, 121 students from 17 public schools and one private school received awards.
An additional 25 students from schools located outside the three counties were awarded scholarships administered through the Northern New York Community Foundation. In most cases, these awards were established by local donors who maintain strong ties to specific out-of-area schools.
Nine scholarships were also awarded to nontraditional students who may be returning to post-secondary studies after a break from school or who are older adults, pursuing college, vocational, or technical education for the first time. Through its partnerships with the 10th Mountain Division Association and the Watertown Rotary Club’s Purple Heart Scholarship program, the Community Foundation facilitated 24 scholarships to students with ties to the U.S. military. The Foundation also administers the Herring College Memorial Fund, which provides freshman scholarships for students pursuing studies in science, technology, engineering, mathematics and related fields. In 2014, the Thousand Islands Foundation became a component fund of the Community Foundation, which now helps to administer scholarships awarded to graduates of Alexandria, LaFargeville, Lyme and Thousand Islands high schools on its behalf.
Additionally, the Community Foundation administers the Jefferson-Can Community Scholars Program in partnership with the Jefferson Community College Foundation and alumnus Stephen Can. The Jefferson-Can Community Scholars Program awards Jefferson and Lewis County high school seniors who are in the top 15 percent of their graduating class a merit-based scholarship for the first two semesters of study at Jefferson Community College.
The Northern New York Community Foundation awards hundreds of scholarships annually and, in many cases, students may receive more than one award from the Community Foundation. All scholarships are made possible through the philanthropic spirit of groups and individuals from across Northern New York.
Scholarships are popular choices for many as a preferred method of charitable giving and are as varied as the individuals and groups that create them. Criteria for many scholarships the Community Foundation stewards include geography, major of study, college or university attended, student achievements and much more. Several scholarships may also serve as a tribute to loved ones. Most important, each scholarship is a gift that supports the education of local students, helping them to pursue their academic goals.
The Community Foundation also partners with 11 public and two private school districts to steward educational foundations and general endowment funds. In recent years, many donors have expressed interest in supporting their favorite local school in broad or more directed ways, for things other than scholarships. Through school educational foundations, alumni, parents, teachers, retirees and others for whom their school holds special meaning can leave a legacy.
A complete list of available scholarships and the applications for them may be found at nnycf.org/scholarships. The following students, listed by county, school district and type, were awarded a 2020-2021 scholarship:
Jefferson County
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Alexandria Central School
Taylor Calhoun
Troy Crofoot
Grace Goerger
Andrew Hansen
Shawn Mason
Lindsey Monica
Dylan O’Connor
Cristofer Tidd
Mya Weaver
Makayla Witt
Belleville-Henderson Central School
Jenna Canipe
Helina Disbro
Garrett Gehrke
Grace Gehrke
Nicholas Henry
Sydney Hess
Brady M. Maloney
Maria Picchianti
Karrigan Riordan
Logan Simpson
Katelyn VanBrocklin
Eden Vaughn
Carthage Central School
Thomas Albright
Kayla Burns
Angel Castillo
Alyana Contant
Hunter Covey
Giavanna Doldo
Braeden Dorchester
Nathan Doremus
Rebekka Fifield
Nicoleas Gittins
Walker LaVancha
Jordan Monaghan
Kennedie Mushtare
Colin Null
Itai Parnes
Juliet Tavernier
Samantha Thornthwaite
Shae Thornton
Macee Trudeau
Kelsey Waite
Larissa Wiltse
Emma Zehr
General Brown Central School
Allison Aumell
Jamie Biggers
Willow Boyce
Abigayle Buck
Kelsey Case
Alexis Christopher
Maria Covey
Caden Crosby
Lauren Devine
Averi Fields
Riley Foley
Nicole Freeman
Brenda Furchak
Jaye Harrod
Peter Harvill
Robert Hunter
Gavin King
Emma Kittle
Chloe Kruger
Nicholas Latham
Nicole Lee
Nicholas Lennox
Madison Lesher
Madison Longamore
Zachary Longamore
Brooke Mahon
Marissa Massey
Kailin McManaman
Zachary Miller
Jesse Moreno
Giovanni Orcesi
Sofia Perkins
Dylan Rastley
Jenneleh Robinson
Vincent Sheen
De’Shaun Thorigal-Brown
Marissa Valvo
Lila Ward
Homeschooled
Monica Reed
Immaculate Heart Central School
McKenna Cooney
Samantha Farone
Jonah Frechette
Cole Grant
Jacob A. Grant
Benjamin T. Hutchins
Brianna Laube
Nicholas McNulty
Kate O’Neil
Indian River Central School
Robert Alexander III
Anthony Barker
Madison Briggs
Connor Crawn
Hunter Czajkowski
Mikayla Estrada
Madison Gibbs
Joey Martin
Logan Patterson
Alexa Solar
Madison Staples
Megan Stewart
Tatyanna Ali Vincent
Tori Wilcox
Shun Win
Jefferson-Lewis BOCES
Gregory Holt
LaFargeville Central School
Kamryn Barnes
Trenton Barnes
Owen Parliament
Avery Peck
Peyton Sammons
Grace Seybert
Kennedy Vergin
Lyme Central School
Riley Aubertine
Jacob Bombard
Brian O’Donnell
Isaiah Wilson
Nontraditional
Meggin Burns
Kimberly Felton
Kiel M. Gregory
Corinne Koerick
Noah S. Newton
Melissa Stephens
Barbara Tucker
Sackets Harbor Central School
Madison Derouin
Murielle Fedorko
Jillian Flint
Jocelyn Fry
Veronica Gibbons
Kelsey J. Gonseth
Liam Hockey
Skylar Matice
Damaris Ososkalo
Taylor Sheitz
Mary Tyler
Ashley Wilson
South Jefferson Central School
Hunter Alberry
Andrew Amell
Hannah Babcock
Cole Bennett
Evelyn Bibbins
Jasmine Blum
Skyah Buker
Remy Bunker
Morgan Burt
Maddy Chamberlain
Kaylee Clark
Marlo Cook
Garrett Frezzo
Kaylee Haynes
Cassandra Johnson
Morgan Keeney
Caden Lucas
Nicolas Luciani
Amelia Lyon
Colden Montague
Eldon Montague
Gabriel Paige
Kanoelani Paredes
Abigail Piddock
Carter Pooler
Kobe Porter
Anthony Rasmussen
Megan Rice
Tyler Stevenson
Madeline Stowell
Andrew Thomas
Sarah Towles
Jenna Tubolino
Zoe Turtura
Owen Vincent
Ella Walton
Ella Washburn
Codie Wheeler
Megan Whitley
Olivia Williams
Abigail Wischerath
Holly Young
Spencer Zeltmann
Thousand Islands Central School
Logan Beerman
Jessica Bourcy
Kristi Bushey
Lydia Cantwell
Mikayla Cipullo
Jonathan Clark II
Gabriel Clement
Macey Cooper
Shannon Corbett
Kimberleigh DaSilva
Autumn Davis
Abigayle Dippel
Samuel Felicia
Cullen Gaffney
Quinn Gaffney
Kaitlyn Garnsey
Chase Grant
Rees Gray
Clayton Hall
Destiny Harris
Alexi Hartz
Taydan Jeffers
Alexa Kowalow
Jennifer McCarthy
David McDonough
Mikael Ann Melfi
Laila Mooney
Alyssa Nugara
Griffin Partridge
Duncan Richardson
Luke Riddoch
Ashley St. Croix
Colby Stewart
Aidan Sullivan
Paige Thompson
Kaylee Van Alstyne
Kassandra Votra
Kerrigan Wiley
Renzi Youngs
Watertown City Schools
Jessica Bardsley
Cody Benham
Emily Burns
Aaron Carpenter
Tylar Charlebois
Brianna Chest
Justyce Countryman
Soraya Crim
Kyra Daly
Chloe Davis
Katherine DeLaGarza
Haley DelSanto
A’Iesha Dixon
Madilyn Eveleigh
Katrina Farr
Hannah Gates
Emma Grimm
Madalyn Herron
Tuyen Huynh
Allison Kelly
Brennan Lynch
Hannah Malbouf
Nicholas Mallette
Philip Maphey
Brittany McIntosh
Alyson McKinney
Mikayla Murphy
Zoey Orbert
Emily Ortiz
Eric Perez
Ryan Peters
Serafina Philbrick
Mirabella Phinney
Brandon Polge
Brian Polge
Benjamin Rathbun
Tiffany Russell
Jonah J. Seymour
Benjamin Smith
Brenna Smith
Nicholas Spicer
Simon Stratton
Sierra Susice
Vatressa Teamoh
Jake Thomas
John Thomas
Darin Vandewater
Bayleigh Woodard
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Lewis County
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Beaver River Central School
Lesley Aucter
Drew Baker
Raegen Becker
Makenna Boliver
Kelsey Bowers
Tia Briot
Connor Demo
Juleanna R. Duell
Dalton Finster
Paige Kloster
Caitlin Lashbrooks
Zoie Lehman
Emily E. Lighthall
Jaymie Monnat
Natalie Monnat
Emmalee Ritz
Skylar Schmitt
Julia Schwendy
Emily Ward
Clare Woolschlager
Timothy Woolschlager
Copenhagen Central School
Riley Dalrymple
Mason Davis
Johnathan Fitzpatrick
Harrisville Central School
Brianna Loos
Nolan Parow
Desirae Roberts
Mia Shampine
Taylor Spencer
Lowville Academy and Central School
Mason Anderson
Morgan Aubel
Alexis Bach
Chad Bach
Chloe Beehm
Ariana Beller
Jared Beyer
William Beyer
Emma Bleakley
Hannah Bonbrest
Alyssa Brower
Sydney Brown
Angelina Burgy
Cierra Cannan
Samuel Clark
Audrey Clements
Elizabeth Compo
George Cornell II
Jeremy Dening
Margaret Fayle
Brianna Finn
Emily Finn
Vanessa Foulke
Marlee Fowler
Gabriella Frappier
Hannah Freeman
Matthew Garrison
Ethan Hall
Emma Hellinger
Jordynn Hellinger
Sierra Hickox
Bryanna Hoppel
Nicholas Houppert
Garrett Jones
Abigail Kaban
Hannah Kelly
Maryam Kirch
Caden Laribee
Shayna Laribee
Sierra Laribee
Abygayl Lee
Danielle Lehman
Trevor Lehman
Jonathan Lehmann
Anna Lyndaker
Catherine Lyndaker
Emily Lyndaker
McKailey Lyndaker
Sarah Lyndaker
Hannah Martin
Caleb Mayer
Daniel O. Mayer
Matthew McIntosh
Colin McManus
Anna Metzler
Wesley Millar
Kirstin Moshier
Chelsea Munger
Jody L. Mutschler
Brett Myers
Cooper Myers
Joshua Myers
Cassandra Neddo
Romeyn Noftsier
Madison Nortz
Melissa Nortz
Alyssa O’Connor
Nicole O’Connor
Michael J. Peebles
Brandon Phelps
Meghan Rhubart
Gabriel Rivers
Samuel Rivers
Abigail M. Rockwood
Hannah Rockwood
Martha Roes
Micah Roes
Tyler Rook
Carolyn Salk
Hanna Sellick
Tess Smith
Alyssa Spence
Jennifer Steele
Lillian Swain
MaKenna Thisse
Danielle Thomas
Storm A. Turck
Janelle Valentine
Rachel Van Buren
Elizabeth Western
Anna Wood
Eli Wood
Sara Wood
Kalani Zehr
Nontraditional
Alanna Zehr
South Lewis Central School
Branton Carpenter
Courtney D’Ambrosi
Andrea Dailey
BreyLynne Farr
Izabelle Liendecker
Dylan Mashaw
Cory Millard
Mason Moore
RuBea Ostrander
Kathryn Reid
Carson Schweinsberg
Brooklyn Sullivan
Katherine Vito
Brady Vosburgh
Kayley Walsh
Nathan Wright
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St. Lawrence County
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Clifton-Fine Central School
Ethan Northrop
Adam Szlamczynski
Colton-Pierrepont Central School
Aiden Knight
Rachel Sleeper
Kai Vebber
Edwards-Knox Central School
Jordan Collett
Leeann Gotham
Abigail Paro
Grace Sawyko
Grace Swartz
Morghan White
Graduate School Studies
Shannon Boyle
Gouverneur Central School
Amelia Beaver
Hailey Clancy
Taylor D’Agostino
John Erdman
Gracie Manning
Tanner Pignone
Marina Wood
Hammond Central School
Kelsey Bennett
Eliza Hadlock
Sara Hutton
Luke Lundy
Kylie Vaughan
Hermon-DeKalb Central School
Leah French
Makenna Smith
Heuvelton Central School
Kaitlyn Sibley
Megan Woodard
Hugh C. Williams Sr. High School, Canton
Sarah M. Bailey
Halle Coffey
Elizabeth Davis
Jillian DiSalvo
Isabella Jaskowski
Daniel Laddison
Joseph Mastro
Rorie Newman
Sarah Sieminski
Kenneth Stuntz
Arianna Whittaker
Lisbon Central School
Paige Carbino
Gabrielle Kroeger
Alexa McKee
Dana Olmstead
Kristian Perry
Maya Randle
Nathan Spooner
Karli Thompson
Lauren P. Truesdell
Amanda Walker
Kallie Wood
Little River Community School, Canton
Kira Molnar
Madrid-Waddington Central School
Maria Allen
Noah Bertrand
Anna Brady
Brennan Harmer
Jaelynn Jessmer
William Murphy
Emma Pemberton
Hailey Quintavalle
Sofia Rubin
Abigail Sabre
Alexis Sullivan
Lydia Thomas
Sarah Weaver
Massena Central School
Jillian Chapman
Callie Dow
Savannah Hargrave
Keeley Jock
Aiden Laughman
Violet Reyes
Jack Witkop
Morristown Central School
Carson Beggs
Haylee Butterfield
Nontraditional
Meghan Hance
Norwood-Norfolk Central School
Luke Allen
Jaron Belmore
Molly Coburn
Erin Dickinson
Olivia Eng
Skylar Fetter
Sydney Jarvis
Makenna King
Caitlin Layaw
Sydney Levison
Lily Parmeter
Isabelle Phippen
Blake Richards
Avery Sharlow
Levi Sochia
Erin Stickney
Grace D. Vari
Ogdensburg Free Academy
Mark Barr
Rylee Bresett
Haley Burlamachi
Noelle Dutch
Rose Jeneault
Avery Kuhn
Julia L’Orange
Caroline Lalone
Hailey Weber
Parishville-Hopkinton Central School
Emily Collins
Caera Stone
Potsdam Central School
Ashwin Ajit
Katherine Betrus
Noah Bohl
Adam Bollt
Jacqueline Butler
Seirra Cummings
Ellie DeRosa
Danner Dorothy
Emma French
Ryan Hayes
Samuel Helenbrook
Sophia Janoyan
Leon Lufkin
Brittany Martin
Molly Pickering
Emily Smith
St. Lawrence Central School
Grace Felix
Madison Frary
Kassidy Garnder
Chad Mason Jr.
Maggi Yandoh
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Outside tri-county area
Herkimer County
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Town of Webb Union Free School
Wyatt Beckingham
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Oneida County
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Adirondack Central School, Boonville
Bryar Croniser
Olivia DeVoe
Tyler Fauvelle
Caleb Fitch
Hayden Flinchum
Alexander Gaylord
Caleb Lisowski
Hannah Miller
Noah Mills
Kaeleigh Moore
Troy Nickerson
Alexander Otero
Samuel Pohoreskey
Erica Sanford
Ciara Schaffner
Abigail Scouten
Sierra Underwood
Skylar Witzigman
Rylee Yauger
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Onondaga County
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Cicero-North Syracuse Central School
Tyler Piazza
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Oswego County
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Pulaski Central School
Cameron B. Silsby
Caroline Stainton
Sandy Creek Central School
Madison Bauer
Marley Yerdon
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10th Mountain Division (Light) Scholarship Fund
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Noemi Cerritos Gatto
Hunter Czajkowski
Riley Dalrymple
John D. Dell’Olio
Michelle Dillinger
Nicole Flacinski
Mary G. Foster
Anthony A. Heyda
Natalie Heyda
Faith Knoedler
Katherine McAninch
Kayla R. McDonald
David McDonough
Hannah McNamara
Lauren Myer
Madison Myer
Serafina Philbrick
Amanda Sangster
Madeline Simpson
Aaron J. Swanson
Hailey A. Swanson
Justin L. Swanson
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Rotary Purple Heart Scholarship
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Kayla Burns
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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.