Foundation receives regional award recognizing commitment to Herkimer County

HERKIMER, N.Y. —

The Community Foundation of Herkimer & Oneida Counties, Inc. recently was chosen to receive the 2013 Appreciate Herkimer County Award for Community Development. The Herkimer County Chamber of Commerce is honoring The Community Foundation because of their work in advancing development in Herkimer County.

“We looked for an organization that serves the same footprint as the chamber and one that is concerned with the future of this area, not only from an economic development standpoint, but one that appreciates the arts, the importance of health and the protection of our environment,” said John Scarano, executive director at the Herkimer County Chamber of Commerce. “The Community Foundation is all of this and more. It reaches out to help invest in both counties and in many cases to chamber members. For this, the chamber and its membership will always be grateful.”

In 2012 alone, The Community Foundation invested more than $500,000 in nonprofit programming and initiatives in Herkimer County. Recent investments in Herkimer County included grants to Bassett Hospital, Little Falls Hospital and Herkimer County schools in areas ranging from economic development to increasing literacy.

“We are truly honored to receive this award. Through partnership initiatives we will continue to strive to identify and address the area’s most important issues,” said CEO and President Peggy O’Shea. “For more than 60 years, our work toward bettering the community has been made possible by our donors and this award serves to highlight their generosity and passion for this community.”

The Foundation will receive the award at noon Thursday, April 25, at the Knights Inn of Little Falls, 20 Albany St., Little Falls.

The Community Foundation has been a force for improving lives and promoting philanthropy throughout Herkimer and Oneida counties since 1952. The Foundation has made more than 5,200 grants totaling more than $41.3 million in support of causes ranging from education, healthcare, the arts and the environment. Grants are generated by 290 funds that make up The Foundation’s endowment, established and advanced by area residents.