News & Events

February 9, 2010

The Lake Foundation established within Community Foundation to help battered women, abused children and disabled veterans

The Lake Foundation has been established through the Community Foundation of Orange and Sullivan by Michael and Christine Lake as a way to provide support to nonprofit organizations that serve battered women, abused children, and disabled veterans.  By bringing The Lake Foundation under the umbrella of the Community Foundation, the Lakes will now be able to focus on fundraising and their desire to award grants to charitable causes that are important to them.  

One of the first fundraising activities The Lake Foundation has embraced is the publication of a book written by Christine Lake entitled Circle of Healing For Women, which can be purchased online at www.thelakefoundation.org.  A portion of all proceeds from the sale of the book will be donated to The Lake Foundation to help support its mission.  

The Community Foundation helps individuals, businesses, and organizations establish permanent charitable funds that award grants and scholarships.  The Community Foundation handles all of the administration and fiscal reporting for each charitable fund within its umbrella, thereby keeping administration costs much lower than a private foundation, and allowing more dollars to flow toward grants.  Over 90 charitable funds have been created since 2001 that have awarded over five million dollars in grants in the areas of land preservation, education, health/human services, youth development, the arts and culture. 

To make a contribution to The Lake Foundation please contact Community Foundation of Orange and Sullivan – The Lake Foundation, 30 Scott’s Corners Drive, Suite 202, Montgomery, NY 12549.  The Community Foundation of Orange and Sullivan is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.  All gifts are tax deductible under current tax laws.Donations may also be made through the Foundation’s website at www.cfoc-ny.org.    

November 9, 2009

Fund for Fallen Firefighter will Provide Scholarships to Ski Team Members

The Firefighter (FF) Denis P. Germain Memorial Scholarship Fund has been established within the Community Foundation of Orange and Sullivan.

This Fund was created by the family of FF Denis P. Germain to honor the 33 year-old New York City Firefighter with Ladder Company 2 who perished on September 11, 2001. Although Dennis spent his working hours in the canyons of Midtown Manhattan, he spent his free time in the winter on ski slopes coaching high school ski racing teams and actively participating in annual downhill races at Hunter Mountain with teams of firefighters. This Fund will provide an annual scholarship to a graduating male and female student at Suffern Senior High School who is also a member of the Suffern Senior High School Ski Team. A ski race fundraising event will be hosted by Belleayre Mountain on February 20, 2010 to support the scholarship fund.

The Firefighter (FF) Denis P. Germain Memorial Scholarship Fund is now one of over 90 component charitable funds administered by the Community Foundation of Orange and Sullivan. To make a gift to The FF Denis P. Germain Memorial Scholarship Fund, please make checks payable to “CFOS-The FF Denis P. Germain Memorial Scholarship Fund” and mail to the Community Foundation of Orange and Sullivan, 30 Scott’s Corners Drive, Suite 202, Montgomery, NY 12549; or visit www.cfoc-ny.org to donate on-line.

October 21, 2009

September 11th Anniversary Benefit Fund established through Community Foundation of Orange and Sullivan

The purpose of The September 11th Anniversary Benefit Fund is to provide grants to the Washingtonville V World Trade Center (WTC) Firefighters Memorial Fund, the FDNY VFW, and the New York Firefighters Burn Center Foundation.

The Community Foundation helps individuals, businesses, and organizations establish permanent Charitable Funds that award grants and scholarships forever.  Over 90 charitable funds have been created since 2001 that have awarded more than $5.2 million in grants in the areas of land preservation, education, health/human services, youth development, the arts and culture. 

Simple and cost effective, it costs nothing to establish a fund and the Foundation charges a modest fee annually to administer the fund.  To contribute to The September 11th Anniversary Benefit Fund, contact Karen VanHouten at 769-9393 (vanhouten@cfoc-ny.org.) or donate directly to the Fund at www.cfoc-ny.org. 

The Carly Fund Gives Back to the Community

Carly Fund check present to Gardertown school

Carly's classmates singing tribute

On May 16, 2009 “Carly’s Kids’ Day for The Young and Young at Heart” was held at Chadwick Lake Park in the Town of Newburgh to celebrate the life of eight-year old Carly Marie Sigelbaum
who passed away due to injuries sustained in a car accident on October 10, 2008.

The no-charge event drew crowds from throughout the community. Activities throughout the day were also complementary. Refreshments were available at a moderate cost and raffles and tee-shirts were sold. Community members provided entertainment and K104 DJ’s Woodman and Scotty Mac generously donated their time to the cause.

Veronica Valle, Melissa Taylor, Josh Miller, Ashley Zambito, and Jim Nee organized the fundraising event. Many volunteers and local vendors assisted. Over $16,000 was raised for The Carly Fund. Carla & Louis Sigelbaum, Carly’s parents, and their families, were enormously thankful to those who made Carly’s Kids’ Day a reality and to all those who attended and contributed.

Carly’s Kids’ Day is planned as an annual event going forward. For those interested in being a part of the 2010 Carly’s Kids’ Day, visit www.carlyskidsday.org.

On June 4, 2009, The Carly Fund awarded its first two scholarships to two graduating seniors at NFA, Melissa Kaknis and Christopher Seymour.

On June 17, 2009, The Carly Fund provided a grant to Gardnertown School. The school plans to purchase and construct a water wheel in the school’s courtyard. It will be the center where students can gather, read, write poetry, and the water wheel will serve as a beautiful memorial for Carly at the school she attended.

The Carly Fund is a component charitable fund of the Community Foundation of Orange and Sullivan. Through The Carly Fund, grants that reflect Carly’s love for others will be awarded to local schools or nonprofit organizations that focus on “random acts of kindness.” In addition, a scholarship is awarded annually to one outstanding male student and one outstanding female student from Newburgh Free Academy. To make a gift to The Carly Fund, please make checks payable to “CFOS-The Carly Fund” and mail to the Community Foundation of Orange and Sullivan, 30 Scott’s Corners Drive, Suite 202, Montgomery, NY 12549; or visit www.cfoc-ny.org to donate on-line.

Four Port Jervis High School Students Receive a $10,000 “Oscar B. Greenleaf Scholarship”

Four (4) graduating students of Port Jervis High School were awarded a scholarship of $10,000.00 each from the Oscar B. Greenleaf Scholarship Fund. The scholarship fund is administered by the Community Foundation of Orange and Sullivan. Recipients were selected based on an essay, letters of recommendation, their participation in extracurricular and co-curricular activities, their good moral character, and their contributions to the community.

This scholarship fund was created in 2003 to honor Oscar B. Greenleaf, originally from Otisville and later, Port Jervis, who died at the age of 97 in 2003. Greenleaf was an ordinary person of modest means with extraordinary goals. He made a provision in his will and left a one million dollar bequest to the Community Foundation to establish an endowment fund that assists Port Jervis students with college expenses. The scholarship is awarded at a rate of $2,500 per student, per year, over the student’s four years of college. Oscar B. Greenleaf gave so that others could learn. His name and goodwill lives on forever because of his gift to the Community Foundation.

The 2009 Oscar B. Greenleaf Scholarship Fund recipients are:

o Amanda Balch who will study Biology at Syracuse University.

o Kenneth Foss who will study Mathematics Education at Oneonta College.

o Hannah Myett who will study International Relations at SUNY New Paltz.

o Matthew Parlier who will study Secondary Education with an emphasis on Social Studies and Special Education at Lockhaven University.

The Oscar B. Greenleaf Scholarship Fund is facilitated through the Community Foundation of Orange and Sullivan, a 501(c)(3) public charity that was created to help people establish charitable endowments within their community. To create your own charitable endowment, contact Karen VanHouten, Executive Director at (845) 769-9393 or vanhouten@cfoc-ny.org. To make a contribution, please visit the Foundation website at www.cfoc-ny.org.

Charity 5K Honors Caitlin M. Hammaren - Raises funds for Scholarships and Arts Institute

Westtown, NY. The second annual 5K4Caitlin took place on May 30, 2009 with over 284 participants in the 5K and more than 500 in attendance. Many simply came to celebrate Caitlin’s life with love and laughter. The fundraising event was held at the Bella Vista Holiday Spa, one of Orange County’s premier day spas.

The afternoon race also featured live music and a barbeque. The event raised over $8,000 for the Caitlin M. Hammaren Memorial Foundation and Arts Institute Fund.

The 5K4Caitlin charity race is named for the young college student, and only child of Marian and Chris Hammaren, who died in the Virginia Tech shooting in April 2007. After Caitlin’s death, friends, family, and community members donated funds to establish a scholarship in Caitlin’s honor at her alma mater, Minisink Valley High School. That effort has blossomed into additional grants to Orange-Ulster BOCES students in the Culinary Arts program and students in the SUNY Orange Communications and Arts Program. In addition, the Fund also supports a summer music program.

The overall winner and male winner of the 5K4Caitlin was 23 year old Liam Welsh from Westtown. The overall female winner was 18 year old Clarinda Lain, also from Westtown.

The Caitlin M. Hammaren Memorial Foundation and Arts Institute Scholarship Fund is administered through the Community Foundation of Orange and Sullivan, a 501(c)(3) public charity that was created to help individuals, organizations, and businesses establish charitable endowments within their community. To create your own charitable endowment, to add to this fund or to an existing named endowment, contact the Community Foundation, Karen VanHouten, at (845) 769-9393 or visit www.cfoc-ny.org.

Mike Levine Journalism Workshop Honors Mike Levine’s Life and Craft

“In these difficult times for newspapers it’s easy to forget what we love about journalism and what is needed to do good journalism. That is passion. Mike Levine was about passion. The Mike Levine Workshop stoked that fire.” - David Filkins (Albany Times Union)

Montgomery, NY – In December 2007, The Mike Levine Journalism Education Fund was established through the Community Foundation of Orange and Sullivan to honor and memorialize Mike Levine, the beloved late executive editor and columnist of the Times Herald-Record.

On April 30, 2009 through May 3, 2009, the first Mike Levine Journalism Workshop took place at the Shandelee Lake Inn in Livingston Manor, NY. According to Barbara Gref of Orange Magazine and Meg Maguire of the Times Herald-Record who headed the effort, the Workshop’s focus was to help young journalists from across the country “pursue the news of the day with the compassion and craft that became the hallmark of Mike’s work.”

Ten renowned journalists from throughout the United States participated as coaches, including Neil Swidey of the Boston Globe; Barbara King Lord, former writing coach for the Associated Press; Celina Ottaway of the Albany, NY Times-Union ; Paula McMahon of the South Florida Sun Sentinel; Josh Margolin of the Newark Star Ledger; Mike Vaccaro of the New York Post; Terry Egan, former editor at ESPN Magazine; Brendan Scott of the New York Post, and our very own Chris Mele of the Middletown, NY Times Herald-Record. All of the coaches have won awards ranging from National Headliners Awards to the Pulitzer. Pete Hamill, a novelist, essayist and journalist whose career has endured for more than forty years gave the key note address.

The “working Workshop” was open to journalists having three to eight years of experience and a desire to finish a story with the help of a workshop coach and their peers. A generous grant from James H. Ottaway, Jr., former owner of Ottaway Newspapers and a former member of the Dow Jones board of directors made this first workshop possible. The 2009 Workshop was also supported by Mike Levine’s (1952-2007) friends, family, colleagues and readers.

To make a contribution to support a future Mike Levine Journalism Workshop, please visit www.cfoc-ny.org and select The Mike Levine Journalism Education Fund.

Community Foundation appoints new Directors and Officers

Andrew Pavloff

Stephen Burger

Josh Sommers

Joanne Gross

Montgomery, NY - The Community Foundation of Orange and Sullivan is pleased to announce its newest appointees to the Board of Directors: Stephen Burger and Andrew Pavloff.

Stephen E. Burger, Manager of New Business Services & Gas Operations for Central Hudson Gas & Electric Corporation was appointed as a new board member. Burger also serves on the following Boards of Directors: Walden Savings Bank, Orange County Chamber of Commerce, Leadership Orange, and Council of Industry of Southeastern New York. He also serves as the 2009 Campaign Chair for the Orange County United Way. A native of Newburgh, Burger resides in Wallkill, with his wife Donna. The couple has three children.

Andrew J. Pavloff, CPA, a founding partner of Knack, Pavloff & Co., LLP, was also appointed to the board. He is a principal of Knack, Pavloff & Co., LLP, a public accounting firm with offices in Monticello and Middletown. Andrew has a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from the State University of New York at Albany and has been a CPA since 1982. He is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the New York State Society of Certified Public Accountants. He is a member of the Board of Directors of the United Way of Orange County and Secretary of the Cooperative Federal Credit Union in Sullivan County. Originally from Woodridge, Andrew served as Trustee and Deputy Mayor of the Village of Woodridge and was Chairman of the Board of Fire Commissioners of the Woodridge Fire District. He resides in Newburgh with his wife, Sherri, and their children.

Two existing directors, Joanne Gross and Josh Sommers, were recently appointed as Officers of the Community Foundation. Gross is the owner of several businesses including Sneakers to Boots, CMC Properties, and Stonehedge Farm. Joanne Gross will serve as Vice President – Distribution, a new officer position on the Foundation’s board. Josh Sommers will serve as Assistant Secretary of the Foundation’s board. Sommers is Vice President and CEO of Focus Media in Monticello with additional offices soon to be located in Goshen.

Other Officers of the Community Foundation Board of Directors are RJ Smith as President (President, RJ Smith Realty); David Cocks as Vice President – Finance (President, Walden Savings Bank; Gerald Jacobowitz, Esq. as Vice President-Development (Jacobowitz and Gubits LLP); Derrik Wynkoop as Treasurer (VP of Retail Delivery, Hudson Valley Federal Credit Union; and William Vacca as Secretary (Regional VP, Provident Bank.

Directors of the Foundation include: Chris Ashman, Orange County Commissioner of Mental Health, Goshen; Ann Barber Smith, Principal, Ann Barber Consulting, New Paltz; Michael Bonura, General Manager, Anthony’s Pier 9, New Windsor; William Bratton, Community Volunteer, Westtown; William Devitt, Sr. V.P. Investments, Merrill Lynch, Middletown; Dorothy Fein, Executive Director, Crystal Run Healthcare, Middletown; Katharine Fitzgerald, V.P, Provident Bank, Florida; Philip Guarnieri, President & COO, Empire State Bank, N.A.; David Hawkins, President, D.L. Hawkins Realty, Goshen; Sandy Leonard, Supervisor, Town of Monroe, Monroe; Jonah Mandelbaum, President, MJJ Builders Corporation, Warwick; Dr. Patrick Michel, Superintendent of Schools, Monticello Central School District, Monticello; Howard Mills, Chief Advisor, Deloitte & Touche USA, LLP, New York; Anne Palmer Moss, Community Volunteer, Washington Township, NJ; Rolland Peacock III, V.P., TD Banknorth – Middletown; Tom Sullivan, President, Smith Seaman and Quackenbush; and Joe Vanderhoof, President & Publisher, Times Herald-Record - Middletown.

The primary goal of the Community Foundation is to connect people who care with causes that matter. “We achieve this goal with the help of a large volunteer support system of Board members and working committees. Board members are selected because their professional spheres of influence are compatible with the needs of the Foundation,” said Board President RJ Smith. “We are extremely fortunate to have many prominent and community-minded citizens lend their talents in cultivating, managing, and growing permanent charitable endowments on behalf of individuals, businesses, and organizations,” added Karen VanHouten, the Foundation’s Executive Director.

To learn more about the Community Foundation of Orange and Sullivan (845) 769-9393, or visit www.cfoc-ny.org.

February 4, 2009

THE CARLY FUND IS ESTABLISHED

On Saturday, May 16, 2009, from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., friends in the community will host Carly’s Kids’ Day for the Young and The Young at Heart at Chadwick Lake Park, Route 300, Town of Newburgh, to celebrate and honor Carly Marie Sigelbaum and to raise additional dollars for the charitable endeavors which The Carly Fund will support, now and forever.Please visit the Carly’s Kids’ Day website at www.carlyskidsday.org for sponsorship information and to join in the fun! 

January 12, 2009

Caplan-Bensley Foundation supports work of Community Foundation

Montgomery, NY – The Community Foundation of Orange and Sullivan has received a $1,500 grant from the Caplan-Bensley Foundation.  “The Caplan-Bensley Foundation would like to recognize the importance of the Community Foundation’s work in connecting people who care with causes that matter,” said a trustee of the Caplan-Bensley Foundation.  “We applaud the work of the Community Foundation in growing charitable funds that strengthen local nonprofits and provide scholarships to students,” added David Caplan, chairman.

The Community Foundation of Orange and Sullivan is a vehicle that helps individuals, businesses, and organizations establish permanent charitable funds that award grants and scholarships.  Over 85 charitable funds have been created since 2001 that have awarded over five million dollars in grants in the areas of land preservation, education, health/human services, youth development, the arts and culture.   According to Community Foundation Executive Director Karen VanHouten, “The Community Foundation provides hands-on assistance to individuals, organizations and nonprofits to establish and grow endowment funds that benefit our community forever, and provides grant-making expertise; financial, investment, administrative and compliance oversight for each of its charitable funds; planned giving, estate planning, and wealth management expertise; and is a trusted partner to hundreds of professional advisors and their clients.  We are humbled by the generosity of the Caplan-Bensley Foundation and its trustees.”

Simple and cost effective, it costs nothing to establish a charitable fund, and the Foundation charges a modest fee annually to administer the fund.  For more information about how to make a gift to The Community Foundation, to establish a charitable fund, or to donate to a named fund administered by the Community Foundation, please contact Karen VanHouten at the Community Foundation of Orange and Sullivan at (845) 769-9393.

January 29, 2009

Sullivan County Bicentennial Fund established with Community Foundation of Orange and Sullivan

The Sullivan County Bicentennial Fund has been established within the Community Foundation of Orange and Sullivan to accept revenue and make grants on behalf of the Sullivan County Bicentennial Committee in association with the many events taking place throughout 2009 to celebrate the history and culture of Sullivan County.

According to Fred Stabbert III, a member of the Sullivan County Bicentennial Committee, “2009 marks a ‘once in a lifetime’ opportunity for Sullivan County, as we celebrate the history and heritage of the Sullivan County Catskills.”

Sullivan County commemorates its Bicentennial with a seventeen-week “Bicentennial Season,” celebrating its heritage and culture with large, county-wide events, community specific events and book, movie and historical discussions as well.  Communities and civic organizations are enhancing existing events to include the Bicentennial theme, and in some instances, creating entirely new events to showcase what their community does best.

“The goal of these varied celebrations is three-fold,” said Alexis Eggleton, another member of the Sullivan County Bicentennial Committee.  The goal is to “offer Sullivan County residents the opportunity to celebrate our heritage and unique history, to encourage former residents and guests to come back and revisit our communities, and to entice new visitors to come and discover the beauty and opportunities of Sullivan County for the very first time.”

Currently there are plans for more than seventy-five individual Bicentennial-affiliated events, taking place in nearly every township within Sullivan County.  These events range from historical lectures and architectural bus tours to the Chalkwalk Festival in Jeffersonville, a summertime jazz concert on Luxton Lake, and the County Fireman’s Association’s Bicentennial Parade in Wurtsboro.

In addition to the County’s 200th Anniversary, there will also be celebrations for the 40th Anniversary of the Woodstock Music Festival and the 200th Anniversaries of the Towns of Bethel and Rockland, as well as other notable anniversaries and events.

To make a contribution to the Sullivan County Bicentennial Fund, please make checks payable to CFOS – Sullivan County Bicentennial Fund, and mail to:  Community Foundation of Orange and Sullivan, 30 Scott’s Corners Drive, Suite 202, Montgomery, NY 12549 or donate through the Foundation’s website at www.cfoc-ny.org.  Click on “Donate Now,” then “Field of Interest” Funds, and select SullivanCounty Bicentennial Fund.  To make a gift of appreciated stock to the Sullivan County Bicentennial Fund, please contact Karen VanHouten at the Community Foundation.

The Community Foundation of Orange and Sullivan is a vehicle that helps individuals, businesses, and organizations establish permanent charitable funds that award grants and scholarships.  Over 85 charitable funds have been created since 2001 that have awarded over five million dollars in grants in the areas of land preservation, education, health/human services, youth development, the arts and culture.   According to Community Foundation Executive Director Karen VanHouten, “The Community Foundation provides hands-on assistance to individuals, organizations and nonprofits to establish and grow endowment funds that benefit our community forever, and provides grant-making expertise; financial, investment, administrative, and compliance oversight for each of its charitable funds; planned giving, estate planning, and wealth management expertise; and is a trusted partner to hundreds of professional advisors and their clients.”