• Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter

Northern New York Community Foundation

Northern New York Community Foundation

  • About
    • Board of Directors
    • Staff
    • Contact
    • Employment
    • Philanthropy Center
    • Milestones
    • News & Media
      • Recent News
      • News Archive
      • Publications
      • Northern New York Community Podcast
  • Donors
    • Donate Online
    • Gift Information “At A Glance”
    • Making A Gift
    • Top 10 Things You Can Do To Leave A Legacy
    • NNYCF vs. A Private Foundation
    • FAQs
    • Investment Performance
  • Students
    • Scholarship Overview
    • Applications
    • Scholarships Available
  • Nonprofits
    • Apply for a Grant
    • 2023 Grant Opportunities
    • Partner & Grantee Resources
    • Recent Grant Recipients
  • Programs
    • Community Spirit Youth Giving Challenge
    • Youth Philanthropy Council
    • LEAD Council

Community Spirit Youth Giving Challenge Awards $10,000 in Grants to Charitable Organizations

January 23, 2020 By admin

Now in Third Year, Initiative Sees More Than 100 Entries From North Country Middle School Students

    WATERTOWN — The Northern New York Community Foundation announces $10,000 in Community Spirit Youth Giving Challenge grants to 20 nonprofit organizations that serve Jefferson, Lewis and St. Lawrence counties.

    Now in its third year, the Community Spirit Youth Giving Challenge includes schools in Jefferson, Lewis and St. Lawrence counties. This year’s program committee received and reviewed 104 entries from seventh- and eighth-graders who recommended grants to 66 different organizations that serve residents in the three counties.

    Schools participating in the 2019-2020 challenge include: Jefferson County — Belleville-Henderson Central School; Case Middle School-Watertown City Schools; General Brown Central School; Immaculate Heart Central School; and Thousand Islands Central School; Lewis County — Beaver River Central School; Lowville Academy and Central School; and South Lewis Central School; St. Lawrence County — Edwards-Knox Central School and Morristown Central School.

    The initiative was launched in 2017 to introduce middle school students to concepts of philanthropy and community needs. The challenge seeks to engage seventh- and eighth-graders as they explore the meaning of community and are empowered to recommend grants to support their concepts that strengthen the quality of life in the region. Students write an essay that articulates their definition of community and explains what makes it a great place to live, work and play. Students are then asked to name a charitable organization that makes their community a better place through its service to local residents.

    “For many students, this is a gateway into civic engagement and responsibility. For others, it moves them into a deeper relationship with their community,” said Rande Richardson, Community Foundation executive director. “These types of investments in our future leaders, board members, volunteers and donors help position our region with a continuum of stewardship and care.”     

    Consistent themes of “community” that most often appeared in essays were: “working together to support each other,” “shared values,” “safe and supportive people,” “welcoming,” and “caring for each other.”

    Charitable organizations students selected for funding range from those that provide support for essential human needs and animal welfare to those that enrich our communities through arts and culture, environmental preservation, health, wellness and recreation, and the preservation of regional history.

    Gifts to the Friends of the Foundation Annual Community Betterment Fund, a $2,500 grant from Community Bank, along with a $1,000 gift from an anonymous private donor, support the program. A committee that included Community Foundation staff and a retired junior high school teacher judged and scored the applications with results as follows:

Jefferson County

  •      $500, Cape Vincent Community Food Pantry, Branden Jackson, Thousand Islands Middle School
  •      $500, Community Action Planning Council of Jefferson County, Watertown, Jayveon Richey, Case Middle School, Watertown City Schools
  •      $500, Henderson Harbor Water Sports Program, Henderson Harbor, Ella Poulin, Belleville-Henderson Central School
  •      $500, Knights of Columbus Council 259, Watertown, Gianna Richards, Immaculate Heart Central School
  •      $500, North Country Chapter of the American Red Cross, Watertown, Noah Fulton, Thousand Islands Middle School
  •      $500, OBI Land Trust, Chaumont, George Weir, Case Middle School, Watertown City Schools
  •      $500, Salvation Army of Watertown, Leah Ingerson, Thousand Islands Middle School
  •      $500, SPCA of Jefferson County, Watertown, Madalyn Paquette, General Brown Junior-Senior High School
  •      $500, Thousand Islands Area Habitat for Humanity, Watertown, Ava Diabo, Thousand Islands Middle School
  •      $500, Watertown Family YMCA, Ella Smith, Case Middle School, Watertown City Schools

Lewis County

  •      $500, Friends of Lewis County Hospice, Lowville, Sarah Herzig, Beaver River Central School
  •      $500, Lewis County Humane Society, Glenfield, Alyvia Millard, Lowville Academy and Central School
  •      $500, Lewis County Search and Rescue, Lowville, Mariah LaFountain, South Lewis Central School
  •      $500, Lowville Food Pantry, Denali Dietrich, Lowville Academy and Central School
  •      $500, Make-A-Wish Foundation Central New York, Syracuse, Carli Freeman, Lowville Academy and Central School

St. Lawrence County

  •      $500, Gateway Museum of Morristown, Brody Cosler, Morristown Central School
  •      $500, Hospice of St. Lawrence Valley, Potsdam, Kadein Kelley, Edwards-Knox Central School
  •      $500, Morristown Volunteer Fire Department, Raelee Downs, Morristown Central School
  •      $500, Ogdensburg Boys and Girls Club, Walker Belile, Morristown Central School
  •      $500, St. Lawrence Valley SPCA, Ogdensburg, Sydney Thompson, Thousand Islands Middle School

     In the coming weeks, the Community Foundation and schools will work with winning students to coordinate visits to their respective charitable agencies to present grants and learn more about the organization they chose to support.

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

Comments Box SVG iconsUsed for the like, share, comment, and reaction icons
Northern New York Community Foundation

Northern New York Community Foundation

3,425

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

The Challenge is now on! 

We are excited to kick off the seventh annual $10,000 Northern New York Community Foundation Community Spirit Youth Giving Challenge.

Students attending 7th and 8th grades in Jefferson, Lewis, and St. Lawrence County can now compete for a chance to award one of ten $1,000 grants to a tri-county nonprofit that helps strengthen quality of life in their community. 

Apply online or download an application and entry rules at nnycf.org/givingchallenge and enter by Friday, Oct. 27, 2023.

The Giving Challenge is made possible through the generosity of all who give to the Friends of the Foundation Annual Community Betterment Fund, a major gift from an individual donor, and corporate support from Community Bank, N.A. 

Complete details: www.nnycf.org/2023-giving-challenge
 
#NNYCF #GivingChallenge #CommunitySpirit

The Challenge is now on!

We are excited to kick off the seventh annual $10,000 Northern New York Community Foundation Community Spirit Youth Giving Challenge.

Students attending 7th and 8th grades in Jefferson, Lewis, and St. Lawrence County can now compete for a chance to award one of ten $1,000 grants to a tri-county nonprofit that helps strengthen quality of life in their community.

Apply online or download an application and entry rules at nnycf.org/givingchallenge and enter by Friday, Oct. 27, 2023.

The Giving Challenge is made possible through the generosity of all who give to the Friends of the Foundation Annual Community Betterment Fund, a major gift from an individual donor, and corporate support from Community Bank, N.A.

Complete details: www.nnycf.org/2023-giving-challenge

#NNYCF #GivingChallenge #communityspirit
... See MoreSee Less

2 days ago
View on Facebook
· Share
Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
View Comments
  • Likes: 3
  • Shares: 1
  • Comments: 0

Comment on Facebook

View more comments

This week the Youth Philanthropy Council of the Northern New York Community Foundation visited the SoZo Teen Center of Watertown to learn more about the important work they do.

This week the Youth Philanthropy Council of the Northern New York Community Foundation visited the SoZo Teen Center of Watertown to learn more about the important work they do. ... See MoreSee Less

6 days ago
View on Facebook
· Share
Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
View Comments
  • Likes: 14
  • Shares: 3
  • Comments: 2

Comment on Facebook

Thank you for the conversation, questions, and feedback! We're excited to see the work these youth do for the community!

Melissa Shova!

View more comments

We are proud to introduce the Youth Philanthropy Council of the Northern New York Community Foundation Class of 2024! This year’s class welcomes eight new and eight returning student delegates and includes juniors and seniors from General Brown, Lyme, South Jefferson, and Watertown High Schools. 

During the last meeting of the school year in June, students elected members to the Council’s 2023-2024 Executive Committee. Watertown High senior Olivia Urf will serve as the Council Chair; General Brown senior Olivia Wisner will serve as Vice Chair; and Watertown High senior Maya Voss will serve as Secretary. South Jefferson High School senior Jack Mangan is Immediate Past Chair.

The Council also named committee chairs for the new year. Mia Kelly, Watertown High junior, will chair the Communications Committee; McKenna Lee, General Brown senior, will chair the Service Committee; and Ella Smith, Watertown High junior, will chair the Grants Committee.

The Youth Philanthropy Council and its grant program are made possible by gifts from donors who make contributions to the Friends of the Foundation Annual Community Betterment Fund and generous support from Watertown Savings Bank, RBC Wealth Management Watertown, the Renzi Family Charitable Foundation, and the Mart Liinve Family Charitable Fund.

Top photo: Front row, from left, Anastaja Smith, Watertown High junior; Mia Kelly, Watertown High junior; Colden Marks, General Brown Junior/Senior High junior; Rosamond Hunt, Lyme Central School junior; and Finley Swartz, Watertown High junior. Second row, from left, Olivia Urf, Watertown High senior; Maya Voss, Watertown High senior; Hannah Eldridge, Watertown High junior; and McKenna Lee, General Brown Junior/Senior High senior. Third row, from left, Ella Smith, Watertown High junior; Jack Mangan, South Jefferson High senior; Sienna Virga, Watertown High junior; Harper Lane, Watertown High junior; and Olivia Wisner, General Brown Junior/Senior High senior. Back row, from left, Jack Adams, Watertown High junior; Justin Draught, Watertown High junior; Bennett Pistner, Watertown High junior; Vincent Knapp, Watertown High junior; and Elyse King, Watertown High junior.

Bottom photo: From left, Secretary Maya Voss, Watertown High senior; Chair Olivia Urf, Watertown High senior; and Vice Chair Olivia Wisner, General Brown Junior/Senior High senior.

Complete details: www.nnycf.org/2023-24-ypc-class

#YPC #NNYCF #LeadershipImage attachment

We are proud to introduce the Youth Philanthropy Council of the Northern New York Community Foundation Class of 2024! This year’s class welcomes eight new and eight returning student delegates and includes juniors and seniors from General Brown, Lyme, South Jefferson, and Watertown High Schools.

During the last meeting of the school year in June, students elected members to the Council’s 2023-2024 Executive Committee. Watertown High senior Olivia Urf will serve as the Council Chair; General Brown senior Olivia Wisner will serve as Vice Chair; and Watertown High senior Maya Voss will serve as Secretary. South Jefferson High School senior Jack Mangan is Immediate Past Chair.

The Council also named committee chairs for the new year. Mia Kelly, Watertown High junior, will chair the Communications Committee; McKenna Lee, General Brown senior, will chair the Service Committee; and Ella Smith, Watertown High junior, will chair the Grants Committee.

The Youth Philanthropy Council and its grant program are made possible by gifts from donors who make contributions to the Friends of the Foundation Annual Community Betterment Fund and generous support from Watertown Savings Bank, RBC Wealth Management Watertown, the Renzi Family Charitable Foundation, and the Mart Liinve Family Charitable Fund.

Top photo: Front row, from left, Anastaja Smith, Watertown High junior; Mia Kelly, Watertown High junior; Colden Marks, General Brown Junior/Senior High junior; Rosamond Hunt, Lyme Central School junior; and Finley Swartz, Watertown High junior. Second row, from left, Olivia Urf, Watertown High senior; Maya Voss, Watertown High senior; Hannah Eldridge, Watertown High junior; and McKenna Lee, General Brown Junior/Senior High senior. Third row, from left, Ella Smith, Watertown High junior; Jack Mangan, South Jefferson High senior; Sienna Virga, Watertown High junior; Harper Lane, Watertown High junior; and Olivia Wisner, General Brown Junior/Senior High senior. Back row, from left, Jack Adams, Watertown High junior; Justin Draught, Watertown High junior; Bennett Pistner, Watertown High junior; Vincent Knapp, Watertown High junior; and Elyse King, Watertown High junior.

Bottom photo: From left, Secretary Maya Voss, Watertown High senior; Chair Olivia Urf, Watertown High senior; and Vice Chair Olivia Wisner, General Brown Junior/Senior High senior.

Complete details: www.nnycf.org/2023-24-ypc-class

#YPC #NNYCF #Leadership
... See MoreSee Less

1 week ago
View on Facebook
· Share
Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
View Comments
  • Likes: 46
  • Shares: 11
  • Comments: 2

Comment on Facebook

What a great group!

Congratulations to all

View more comments

Load more

Copyright © 2023 · Northern NY Community Foundation · Site Design: Riverside Media, LLC.