Board of Directors

Katherine F. Fenlon
President

Catherine Burns Quencer
Vice President

Mark R. Lavarnway
Secretary/Treasurer

Jude Renzi
Immediate Past President

Beverly A. Brown
Marie A. Hess
David J. Males
Maxine M. Quigg
Theresa L. Quintin
Thomas R. Sauter
Jacquelyn A. Schell
Robert M. Sligar
Emily Sprague
Cheryl R. Steckly
Stephen J. Todd
Katherine Wyckoff

Northern New York Community Foundation

13 hours ago

Meet Toryann McKinney, a Watertown City School District eighth grader at Case Middle School and 2020-2021 Youth Giving Challenge winner. A community, according to Toryann, values its people most and “needs to be healthy in every way.”

As a Youth Giving Challenge winner, Toryann recently presented a grant to the North Country Family Health Center, Watertown, a nonprofit organization she chose because it embodies her definition of a healthy community. “They have a highly dedicated staff who treat newborns, kids, and adults and they are available to the whole community to help local people be healthy.”

“They are available to people in two counties with community and school-based sites that are easy to get to,” Toryann wrote. “The help they provide to pregnant women and new mothers with nutrition education and counseling is also very important.”

Last month, Toryann, joined by her mother, met with North Country Family Health Center Marketing & Community Relations Director April Fallon, and presented a $500 Community Spirit Youth Giving Challenge grant that will support the Health Center’s Unmet Needs Program. Toryann’s thoughtful effort to help the Health Center will provide financial assistance to patients whose needs cannot be met through existing community resources.

The grant is supported by donors to the Friends of the Foundation Annual Community Betterment Fund, a partnership with Community Bank, N.A., and a generous gift from an anonymous donor.

Pictured, from left, Al Romano Jr., Washington Street branch manager, Community Bank, Watertown; Phyl McKinney, Toryann’s mother; Toryann McKinney, Case Middle School eighth grader and Youth Giving Challenge winner; and April Fallon, North Country Family Health Center marketing & community relations director.

Toryann is one of dozens of thoughtful youths who looked inside her community to recognize an organization that strives to improve quality of life for all in the region. The 2020-2021 Giving Challenge asked students from Jefferson, Lewis, and St. Lawrence counties to explain in an essay what community means to them and to choose a nonprofit that embodies their definition of community. Toryann’s essay is one of 20 chosen from 144 submissions.

Look for more photos and stories behind the 2019-2020 Youth Giving Challenge gifts in the coming weeks.

#ThoughtfulGivingNNYCF #YouthGivingChallenge #CommunitySpirit ... See MoreSee Less

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Northern New York Community Foundation

3 days ago

For Russ and Mary Wilcox, growing up in the North Country came with a deep appreciation for community and helping others. Today, the couple is experiencing joy in ways they didn't think possible during their lifetimes. The Wilcox Family Fund at the Northern New York Community Foundation is making a difference today and forever. #NNYCF #legacy ... See MoreSee Less

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Northern New York Community Foundation

4 days ago

We are excited to support this endeavor that encourages the youngest among us while also supporting elementary classrooms and education across the North Country! Thank you to our friends at NBC Watertown for the opportunity to partner on such a meaningful project.

#classroomkindnesschallenge #NNYCFAre you up for the Challenge?!

Join Sundance Leisure, Buffalo Wild Wings, Pivot 2 Health, and Northern New York Community Foundation spread a little kindness this Spring!

Every week we will be selecting at random one classroom in the North Country from grades K-5 that has completed the challenge to win a Do-Nut Be A Bully Party over the next 5 weeks! At the conclusion of the 5 weeks we will randomly select 5 classrooms to win the grand prize!!

To find the challenge board and submit your classroom click the link below!
nbcwatertown.secondstreetapp.com/The-Classroom-Kindness-Challenge---Spring-2021/rounds/1/gallery/ ... See MoreSee Less