Stories

In 2016, The Community Foundation partnered with more than two dozen organizations to launch the Lead-Free Mohawk Valley (LFMV) coalition. The investment over the next decade will focus on the reduction of lead hazards and expand testing and community awareness of the problem.

With funding from The Community Foundation and municipal government partners, the initiative will provide a cohesive, data-driven strategy identifying opportunities to enrich and enhance economic growth and community prosperity in Herkimer County.

For more than a decade, Donald Van Waes has been involved with The Community Foundation, serving as a member of the grants committee for many years and donor advisor to the fund he established with his wife, the late Margaret (Peg) Van Waes.

The Mele family is best-known for establishing Mele & Co.—the premier provider of jewelry boxes and accessory organizers in the nation.

Part of what makes the mix of urban and rural communities scattered throughout Herkimer and Oneida counties particularly interesting is the juxtaposition of tradition and technology, access and inclusion, and pockets of creativity in unusual places.

With a long-awaited upward trend in economic and urban revitalization underway, Downtown Utica is fast becoming a focus of investment and growth.

From the Boilermaker’s modest early days more than 40 years ago through decades of tremendous growth, the man behind it all was Earle C. Reed, community supporter and Boilermaker founding father.

The mosaic brings to life a pictorial representation of our region’s vibrancy—capturing important landmarks and the natural beauty of our communities from the Erie Canal and Mohawk Valley to the foothills of the Adirondacks, including city centers and many points in between.