Five Local Organizations Will Share $5,000 in Funding to Strengthen Efforts
WATERTOWN — Five North Country nonprofit organizations will share $5,000 in grant support to strengthen their missions and work thanks to recent awards from the Youth Philanthropy Council of the Northern New York Community Foundation.
The Council and its executive committee selected the five organizations based on each nonprofit’s mission, success in achieving goals, demonstration of fiscal responsibility, sustainability, and formal presentation. Each of the following tri-county organizations were awarded a $1,000 grant to help with a wide range of community programs and projects:
- Children’s Home of Jefferson County (CHJC), Watertown. CHJC operates the SoZo Teen Center. The SoZo Teen Center focuses on health and wellness, academics, job readiness, life skills, and civic engagement. Staff members work to help local youth become productive and healthy adults.
- Double Play Sports Community Center, Lowville. For more than a decade, Double Play has been an all-encompassing health and wellness organization focused on improving the quality of life for Lewis County residents and surrounding communities. Its programming is centered on enrichment, education, recreation, and social activities for children, teens, seniors, and families.
- Food Bank of Central New York, Syracuse. For almost 40 years, the Food Bank has focused its mission on eliminating hunger in collaboration with 300 community organizations across 11 counties in Central and Northern New York. Locally, the organization supports emergency food programs at food pantries, soup kitchens, and homeless shelters across Northern New York.
- Jefferson Community College Center for Community Studies, Watertown. The Center has been a valuable community assessment tool for more than 20 years. Research and data gathered through annual surveys help to inform the tri-county region on a variety of community assets and needs.
- St. Lawrence Land Trust, Canton. The Land Trust works to protect privately owned open space through voluntary means within the watersheds of rivers that flow north out of the Adirondack Mountains to the St. Lawrence River. It works with willing landowners to conserve ecologically, culturally, and recreationally important elements of the landscape, while maintaining private ownership of the land.
“It is both encouraging and inspiring to see these young adults explore the role they can and will play in leading our communities now and in the future,” said Rande S. Richardson, Community Foundation executive director. “These grants are also a way for them to understand the responsibility of stewarding funds on behalf of others while gaining a greater understanding of the work and mission of local charitable organizations.”
This is the fourth year the Youth Philanthropy Council has awarded mission-based grants to nonprofits serving tri-county residents, which is in addition to the Council’s annual grantmaking program.
Youth Philanthropy Council Grants Committee Chair Ella Smith said the Council begin its grantmaking effort with a review of more than 150 Northern New York Community Foundation partner organizations before selecting five nonprofits that students believe will educate Council members and benefit the community.
“This selection process involves researching the mission and impact of each organization as well as considering the needs of the community,” Miss Smith said. “This collaboration helps the council members learn about effective philanthropic practices, understand the local nonprofit landscape, and make informed decisions about where to allocate their resources for maximum impact.”
Council members are now reviewing more than two-dozen proposals for up to $20,000 in funding that will be announced in June. Each year, the Council provides support to a wide range of agencies, not limited to youth programs, that serve tri-county residents for projects or initiatives that positively impact the quality of life in Jefferson, Lewis, and St. Lawrence counties.
Last spring, the Council awarded seven grants totaling $20,000 in support to nonprofit organizations that serve residents of the tri-county region.
This year’s Youth Philanthropy Council includes 18 student delegates, representing Lyme Central School, General Brown, South Jefferson, and Watertown high schools. Representatives from each school district are: Lyme Central School: Rosamond Hunt, junior. General Brown High School: McKenna Lee, senior; Colden Marks, junior; and Olivia Wisner, senior. South Jefferson High School: Jack Mangan, senior; and Watertown High: Jack Adams, junior; Justin Draught, junior; Hannah Eldridge, junior; Harper Lane, junior; Mia Kelly, junior; Vincent Knapp, junior; Bennett Pistner, junior; Anastaja Smith, junior; Ella Smith, junior; Finley Swartz, junior; Olivia Urf, senior; Sienna Virga, junior; and Maya Voss, senior.
The Youth Philanthropy Council and its grant program is made possible by annual gifts made to the Friends of the Foundation Annual Community Betterment Fund and support from Watertown Savings Bank, the Renzi Family Charitable Foundation of the Northern New York Community Foundation, RBC Wealth Management of Watertown, and the Mart Liinve Family Charitable Fund of the of the Northern New York Community Foundation.
The Youth Philanthropy Council was chartered in 2010 to promote positive youth development and engage young people in meaningful activities that build their leadership skills while educating them about community philanthropy and its impact on Northern New York. Since its inception 14 years ago, the Council has awarded nearly 135 grants to nonprofit organizations in the tri-county area, totaling $230,070 in support. Nearly 150 students from seven different tri-county high schools have served as Council members.
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.