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Northern NY Community Foundation

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Rock Charitable Fund Established; Community Foundation Legacy Will Forever Support St. Lawrence County

January 14, 2020 By admin

First Grant Awarded to Heuvelton Historical Association to Support Pickens Hall

    WATERTOWN — The Rock Charitable Fund, a component fund of the Northern New York Community Foundation, has been established through a bequest from St. Lawrence County resident and retired Lieutenant Colonel of the United States Army Marjorie J. Rock, who passed away in February 2017 at the age of 96.

    The fund’s charitable purpose has three focus areas: for the maintenance and preservation of churches and cemeteries in St. Lawrence County; for the preservation and maintenance of places of legitimate historical significance in the county; and to benefit and/or assist veterans of the United States military who reside in St. Lawrence County.

Second Lieutenant Marjorie J. Rock U.S. Army Nurse Corps, 1942. Ms. Rock retired from the Army as a Lieutenant Colonel in 1970 and made St. Lawrence County her home.

    “We are extremely honored to be part of the special way Marjorie’s passions and interests will benefit in perpetuity. Her incredible thoughtful generosity will have an enduring impact on the places and people of St. Lawrence County, not just one year, but forever,” said Rande Richardson, Community Foundation executive director. “This is a transformative gift for the region.”

    The Community Foundation, in collaboration with a board of advisors, will administer this permanent charitable legacy fund. Grant funding will be awarded annually to qualified nonprofit organizations whose missions and efforts align with the fund’s objectives. This year, up to $100,000 in grant funding will be made available.

    The Rock Charitable Fund board of advisors recently recommended its first grant award of $100,000 to the Heuvelton Historical Association to support Pickens Hall restoration, in particular, the ongoing preservation of the third floor opera house. Built in 1856, Pickens Hall is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

    Eligible nonprofit organizations are encouraged to apply for grant funding later this year through the Rock Charitable Fund of the Northern New York Community Foundation. More information about the application process will be released in coming months, with grants anticipated to be awarded by the end of 2020.

About Marjorie J. Rock

    Ms. Rock grew up in St. Lawrence County and graduated from Heuvelton High School in 1937. In 1941, she graduated from the three-year nursing program at Flower Fifth Avenue School in New York City. The following year, she joined the U.S. Army Nurse Corps, serving in North Africa and Italy during World War II. After the war, she attended Teachers College at Columbia University where she earned a Bachelor of Science degree in 1948 and a Master of Arts in 1950.

    She spent six years teaching in nursing programs, first as an instructor for Hartford Hospital in Connecticut and later at New York City’s Lennox Hill Hospital. She returned to active Army service in 1954 to assist with medical courses for enlisted personnel and helped to establish a medical education system, particularly in the United States, Japan and Germany. She served as a supervisor, chief nurse, instructor and director of an advance medical technician school. Her last overseas duty was in Vietnam.

    In 1970, she retired from the U.S. Army as a Lieutenant Colonel and returned to St. Lawrence County, joining her mother in Ogdensburg to help with her care. She earned many honors during her Army service, including the Bronze Star and Army Commendation Medal. Her only sibling, a brother, was killed in 1944 while piloting a P-47 Thunderbolt plane over Normandy. For the rest of her life, Ms. Rock made St. Lawrence County her home while traveling with friends, caring for others, and assisting her church and other organizations, including the Army Nurse Corps Association and other veterans’ groups. She maintained a keen interest in documenting local history and furthering the education of others in the county.

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

3,258

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

DEADLINE FAST APPROACHING: Apply by this Friday, Feb. 10!

This is a great opportunity to join a terrific team and make a lasting difference in your community!

Complete details: www.nnycf.org/about/employment

#NNYCF #Team #Hiring #Community

DEADLINE FAST APPROACHING: Apply by this Friday, Feb. 10!

This is a great opportunity to join a terrific team and make a lasting difference in your community!

Complete details: www.nnycf.org/about/employment

#NNYCF #team #hiring #community
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Meet Cullen Miller, an eighth grader at Lowville Academy and Central School.

For Cullen, community is “a place where people motivate and support each other to make better decisions.”

“What I love about my community is all the people. Good people make a good community. It’s a great place to live because the community is grateful, respectful, and helpful to each other,” Cullen wrote in his winning essay. 

As a Northern New York Community Foundation Community Spirit Youth Giving Challenge winner, Cullen had a chance to present a grant to the Lewis County Agricultural Society, an organization he chose for its work to build community. 

“The Agricultural Society brings people together to show their love for the community and animals,” Cullen wrote. 

Cullen met with Lewis County Fair Manager Rachel Lisk last fall and presented a $500 Youth Giving Challenge grant that will help the Agricultural Society continue its 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, Fair Manager Rachel Lisk; Lowville Academy and Central Schools Middle School student and Youth Giving Challenge winner Cullen Miller; and Community Bank Lowville Branch Manager and Vice President Tammie Lambert.

Cullen is one of dozens of thoughtful youths who looked inside his community to recognize an organization that works to improve quality of life in the region. 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. Cullen’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 Cullen Miller, an eighth grader at Lowville Academy and Central School.

For Cullen, community is “a place where people motivate and support each other to make better decisions.”

“What I love about my community is all the people. Good people make a good community. It’s a great place to live because the community is grateful, respectful, and helpful to each other,” Cullen wrote in his winning essay.

As a Northern New York Community Foundation Community Spirit Youth Giving Challenge winner, Cullen had a chance to present a grant to the Lewis County Agricultural Society, an organization he chose for its work to build community.

“The Agricultural Society brings people together to show their love for the community and animals,” Cullen wrote.

Cullen met with Lewis County Fair Manager Rachel Lisk last fall and presented a $500 Youth Giving Challenge grant that will help the Agricultural Society continue its 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, Fair Manager Rachel Lisk; Lowville Academy and Central Schools Middle School student and Youth Giving Challenge winner Cullen Miller; and Community Bank Lowville Branch Manager and Vice President Tammie Lambert.

Cullen is one of dozens of thoughtful youths who looked inside his community to recognize an organization that works to improve quality of life in the region. 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. Cullen’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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We are proud to partner with The Orchestra of Northern New York to present “Winter Serenade” this Saturday, Feb. 4, at 7:30 p.m. at St. Marys Church in Canton and Sunday, Feb. 5, at 3 p.m. at First Presbyterian Church in Watertown.

Dont miss this chance to see a wonderful live orchestral music event. The Community Foundation, with the support of its loyal donors, is a major underwriter of the entire ONNY season. Hope to see you there!

#Winterlude #WinterConcert #LiveMusic #ONNY #NNYCF

We are proud to partner with The Orchestra of Northern New York to present “Winter Serenade” this Saturday, Feb. 4, at 7:30 p.m. at St. Mary's Church in Canton and Sunday, Feb. 5, at 3 p.m. at First Presbyterian Church in Watertown.

Don't miss this chance to see a wonderful live orchestral music event. The Community Foundation, with the support of its loyal donors, is a major underwriter of the entire ONNY season. Hope to see you there!

#Winterlude #WinterConcert #LiveMusic #ONNY #NNYCF
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