Adirondack Foundation Grants Help Kids, Seniors, Communities
Funds awarded to a wide array of nonprofits across region
Monday, June 18, 2018
LAKE PLACID — Adirondack Foundation recently awarded $137,866 in grants to more than three-dozen nonprofit organizations. The funding comes primarily from the Foundation’s Generous Acts Fund, which accepts applications once per year for grants from a pool of donations from generous people who care about local communities.
“Nonprofits are the heart and soul of Adirondack communities, providing vital programs and services that enhance our quality of life. This round of grants reaches far and wide—from Malone to Old Forge to Essex to Plattsburgh, and lots of places in between. We applaud the heroic work being done by these nonprofit grant recipients,” said Cali Brooks, President and CEO, Adirondack Foundation.
Grant awards ranged from $1,000 - $10,000, and the projects are helping kids, families, seniors, and other community members, as highlighted below.
Promoting healthy food and nutrition
- Adirondack Community Action Programs, Inc., serving Elizabethtown, Lewis, and Keeseville; Adirondack Community Outreach Center, serving Johnsburg and Minerva; Citizen Advocates, serving Franklin County and Akwesasne St. Regis Mohawk schools; Clifton Fine Central School and Ticonderoga Central School all received funding to help alleviate child hunger by providing food backpacks for kids.
- Silver Bay YMCA is helping provide a meal one night per week for teens, as well as teaching them how to cook.
- ADKAction’s “Farmacy” project, in Keeseville, is making sure everyone has access to affordable, locally-produced food, along with recipes and cooking tips.
- Lakeside School at Black Kettle Farm, in Essex, is providing year-round nutritious meals to babies and toddlers enrolled in its Sprouts Daycare Program.
"By providing healthy and filling meals for our youngest students we provide the energy they need to gain the most from outdoor exploration in our program as they grow and learn," said Maeve Taylor, Administrator of Lakeside School.
Helping kids learn, develop and stay safe
- The Akwesasne Boys and Girls Club of the St. Regis Mohawk Reservation and the Family YMCA of the Glens Falls Region are both offering programs to help kids stay academically engaged over the summer.
- Mountain Lake PBS is expanding its early literacy program by working with local libraries to offer PBS Play Date to reach more parents and children across rural areas.
- BluSeed Studio and Play ADK, based in Saranac Lake, are both offering unique programs to foster imagination, curiosity, and creativity in children through arts and play.
- Whallonsburg Grange Hall is offering an indoor pop-up playground for kids in the winter.
- St. Agnes School, in Lake Placid, is adding multilingual curriculum for preschoolers.
- Timber Tots Early Childhood Development Center, in Tupper Lake, is working with Adirondack Health to establish a new daycare center that will provide quality care and also bring kids and seniors together.
- Champlain Children’s Learning Center, in Rouses Point, is creating a new classroom for preschoolers.
- Essex County Department of Health Women, Infants and Children is transforming its waiting room facility, which sees up to 25 families per day, into an engaging space for babies and toddlers.
- Alice Hyde Medical Center, in Malone, is upgrading its maternity care facilities.
- The Tupper Lake Bike Rodeo this month helped kids learn about biking and bike safety, offering each kid a free helmet and free bike repair for those who needed it.
“The grant from Adirondack Foundation brought this event to a whole new level. It doubled the amount of participants and the activities we offered, which focused on skills, safety and fun. Roughly 600 people showed up and we handed out 250 helmets to local kids,” said Officer Mike Vaillancourt, Tupper Lake Police Department.
Addressing impacts of addiction
- St. Joseph’s Addiction Treatment & Recovery Centers is showing the documentary Reversing the Stigma of Addiction to help remove shame and misunderstanding as barriers to treatment for opioid and other types of addiction.
- The United Way of the Adirondack Region is helping to address an urgent need for additional foster care in Essex, Clinton and Franklin counties, stemming from the rippling effects heroin and opioid addiction have on families.
“Without available foster care in our area, kids are placed in homes further away, causing them to be separated from the communities and schools they are most familiar with and making it harder to maintain contact with parents who are in recovery. This is a true crisis for our region and we are working with lots of partners to address it,” said John C. Bernardi, CEO, United Way of the Adirondack Region, Inc.
Helping seniors and neighbors
- Catholic Charities’ Hamilton County Retired Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP), Lake Placid Center for the Arts, Adirondack Adult Center, in Tupper Lake, Mercy Care for the Adirondacks, which serves the Tri-Lakes region; the Community Health Center of the North Country, in Franklin County; and Town of Webb are all providing services for seniors. Combined, these programs are helping to alleviate loneliness, assist with transportation, provide social and recreational activities, and other services.
- Behavioral Health Services North is providing needed respite for caregivers to ensure they are taking care of themselves while also caring for loved ones.
- Indian Lake Theatre is offering Sunday matinees to show first-run movies to bring people together and overcome isolation during winter.
- The Westport Federated Church is helping to cover transportation costs for people who need medical assistance.
“Our RSVP program in Hamilton County recruits volunteers who are 55 years and older to help homebound seniors with meals, rides, errands, chores and camaraderie. These connections are especially important in this area where people are spread out and it is easy to become isolated,” said Vivian Smith, Program Director.