“Your future is created by what you do today.”
This simple message appears in the entryway of the Akwesasne Boys & Girls Club — it’s also a through-line of our summer-long Spirit of Generosity series: making the decision to give back, even in a small way, has ripple effects that can last for generations.
The Adirondack region is fortunate to have a robust nonprofit sector that focuses on a range of issues and needs, from environmental protection and education to support for the business sector, social services, and much more. Many of these organizations are well-known, but we must not overlook the big impact that some of the more off-the-radar groups have in strengthening their communities and maintaining and improving quality of life for all. These community organizations embody the Spirit of Generosity, working in a smaller geographic area or with a more targeted demographic to serve the unique needs of individuals or families. They tend to be the kind of organizations that people don’t know about until they have a reason to find them.
The North Country Association for the Visually Impaired (NCAVI), for example, provides free assistance to people of all ages who suffer from a visual impairment. And while the needs of the people they serve may be more targeted, their scope is broad, reaching more than 200 people per year across a 7,550 square mile territory that includes Clinton, Essex, Franklin, and St. Lawrence counties.
For some folks, the Spirit of Generosity means supporting the things that matter to them in the present, and making sure their communities continue to have support in perpetuity.
Janice Marchut Conrad and Dr. Peter Conrad, retired scientists and plant biologists who live in Beekmantown, spent much of their lives and distinguished careers on university campuses across the country – from New Hampshire and Massachusetts to Wisconsin and Texas, before returning to the Northeast for positions at the State University of New York at Plattsburgh. Along the way, they’ve served their country and community in a variety of ways: Peter in the United States Army, and both through higher education and research, as well as stints on zoning boards and nonprofit boards, including Mountain Lake PBS and Literacy Volunteers, and volunteering at local animal shelters.
Earlier this summer, we highlighted the ways in which the Spirit of Generosity is working to uplift early child care services across the Adirondack region — it’s also helping aging adults improve physical and social health outcomes.
There’s good work happening in senior care everywhere, but in particular the Sleeping Giants program — established in Minerva in 1969 — provides meaningful connections for seniors living in this remote town with a population of approximately 800.
Nancy Monette. Photo by Erika Bailey, provided by Adirondack Foundation
For Malone residents Bruce and Nancy Monette, their businesses are inextricably tied to the people in the Adirondack region who they have had long connections to as neighbors, employees, or customers. With their business growth came their Spirit of Generosity.
Nancy — who, in the interest of full disclosure, is a trustee of Adirondack Foundation — always finds time for a visit at her Malone office, a tiny command center tucked into a corner of one of her family’s businesses, a Mountain Mart gas station, Dunkin’ Donuts franchise, and convenience store on Route 11. The store happens to be on what was once the site of the Monette dairy farm owned by Bruce’s family. Entrepreneurial and community oriented, she and Bruce have developed with his brothers a multifaceted company that started with Adirondack Energy, a fuel oil delivery business Bruce began in the late 1980s.
Steven Googin and Ashlee Kleinhammer of North Country Creamery in Keeseville. Erika Bailey photo, provided by Adirondack Foundation
It started with Emergency Food Packages spearheaded by AdkAction. These packages, filled with local food – including organic yogurt, apples, granola, carrots, greens, eggs, and more – were assembled at Hub on the Hill in Essex and delivered to the doorsteps of people who were experiencing economic hardship as far away as Tupper Lake and Malone. The packages came at a time when local farmers were losing wholesale business revenue as schools and restaurants paused for health and safety reasons.The quantities needed for the packages compensated for these losses and helped to keep farmers in business.
Katie Falzetta and her family. Photo by Erika Bailey, provided by Adirondack Foundation
Across the Adirondack region, individuals, businesses, organizations, and communities have continuously demonstrated their Spirit of Generosity by investing in one of our most pressing needs: early childhood education. But there’s still much to be done.
Finding affordable child care is a challenge for nearly everyone, but especially so for single-parent households and working families with mid to low-wage jobs. Adirondack Foundation, through its Birth to Three Alliance, has heard countless stories of parents who struggle to balance work with raising their children — and in many cases, the two things are inseparable.
Every day, there are local individuals and families working hard to make ends meet. With limited or low-income, they are often forced to make difficult decisions — unexpected expenses, such as fixing a vehicle to get to and from work, can mean deciding between paying for rent, food, or even medical care. Across the Adirondack region, grassroots organizations like North Country Ministry are stepping up to make these decisions a little easier.
Across the Adirondack region, life is returning to something resembling normal. Communities are beginning to host events, businesses are welcoming customers, and neighbors are opening their doors to each other — in short, we’re all coming back together. It’s for this reason that Adirondack Foundation is celebrating the Spirit of Generosity all summer long by sharing stories about the people and places that make our home so special.
With the support of the Sand Family, Adirondack Foundation is thrilled to announce a Restorative Justice Scholarship which will fund a year-round resident of the Adirondack region to earn a Professional Certificate in Restorative Justice through the Vermont Law School Center for Justice Reform. Restorative justice creates less punitive responses to harm and builds and strengthens communities and organizations through relational practices and inclusive participation. Restorative justice practices are expanding in the criminal justice, child protection, and educational fields. The Professional Certificate in Restorative Justice is available fully online or residentially. A strong priority will be given to applications from first-generation college graduates with an interest in working in justice systems, education, or with underserved populations.
For more information and application requirements, please visit the Vermont Law School website here or call Vermont Law admissions at 888-277-5985. Deadline is July 15, 2021.
Adirondack Foundation this year awarded $590,000 in Generous Acts grants to meet pressing needs and support important initiatives in local communities across the Adirondack region.
“Generous Acts isn’t just a grant program — it’s a unique approach to philanthropy that invites donors and partners to work together to strengthen communities and help our neighbors,” said Cali Brooks, Adirondack Foundation’s president and CEO.
Grant awards ranged from $1,000 to $20,000. Recipients are broken out and listed according to the following needs and opportunities:
Hoping to promote a more resilient local food system and better understand regional food insecurity issues, a collaborative new effort has launched the Adirondack Food System Network. Comprised of a group of Adirondack food system stakeholders from across the region, the initiative was launched with seed funding from Adirondack Foundation.
Adirondack Health Institute announced the initiative April 5 after teaming up with multiple organizations to identify food insecurity issues and regional solutions.
As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, AHI said, market supply chains and trade disruptions have limited food accessibility, especially for vulnerable residents lacking access to transportation and the means to purchase fresh food.
At the same time, farmers have been faced with significant disruptions in market access, especially due to the closure of restaurants, retail, and other food establishments, and the threat of the loss of market access for area farmers.
The Adirondack Foundation, alongside several funding partners has awarded close to $1.2 million over the course of 175 grants to nonprofits, schools, and community-based organizations towards COVID-19 response. This rapid-fire community response is due to a coalition of corporate, philanthropic, and nonprofit organizations and partnerships on the front lines. Several of these organizations serve those of us who were greatly affected during times of crises.
With over $1.3 million raised, grants are being gifted all throughout the region, alleviating the social and economic hardships of tens of thousands of Adirondack citizens. These grants consist of both emergency-response grants and long-term relief. The grants awarded fall into the categories listed below. If you would like to view the full list of recipients, you may do so by following this link.
As Adirondack Foundation and our partners continue to respond to the impacts of the pandemic, our work is guided by meaningful participation from business, faith, nonprofit, education, and civic leaders who understand that we all must join together to build a better tomorrow.
Since March, we have awarded $1.1 million through 175 grants specifically supporting COVID-19 response and relief efforts. This portion of our overall grantmaking is thanks to more than 500 donations from people deeply concerned about the social, emotional, health, and economic toll this pandemic is taking on our region.
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Spirit of Generosity: Let’s Show Our Community Support
The Adirondack region embodies the Spirit of Generosity. From volunteering to making gifts that empower nonprofit organizations to do their best work, it’s clear community is what makes this a special place.
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