LAKE PLEASANT — Hamilton County Twigs has voted to award $57,700 in grants to six non-profits within its service area of southern Hamilton County.
The vote took place during the group’s annual membership meeting Wednesday, Oct. 13, at Lake Pleasant Fire Hall.
Philanthropy drives so much good in the Adirondack region. Join Adirondack Foundation on Thursday, November 4 at 10 am for “Smart Philanthropy in 2021,” a special webinar that will highlight charitable giving strategies and expected tax law changes ahead. During the session, you’ll hear from the following experts:
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.
“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.
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.
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.
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:
Adirondack Foundation’s annual summer party is going digital. “Toast the Adirondacks: An Online Celebration of Community and Philanthropy” will stream live on Friday, August 14 starting at 4:30 pm. Everyone is welcome to attend.
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The power of giving
By Rich Kroes
Giving back to the people and places we love is one of the most sustainable and reliable ways we can strengthen communities in the Adirondack region. When we support our friends and neighbors through generosity, we can leverage opportunities to improve quality of life and create resiliency that helps us get through the hard times.
Adirondack Foundation is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, and it embodies that spirit of giving back. From providing emergency relief to investing in long-term strategies, the Foundation has worked tirelessly to become a lasting source of philanthropy for our region.
Over the last decade, I’ve had the privilege to serve our communities on Adirondack Foundation’s Board of Trustees, including five years as its chair. It seems like yesterday that I was sitting in one of the locker rooms at the 1980 Olympic Rink with former Trustee Vinny McClelland when he encouraged me to join. He told me then that he thought I would like it, and he was right — I have loved it.
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