Stories
![Organization Feature: Mohawk Valley Junior Frontiers](https://foundationhoc.org/assets/ImpactStories/Junior-Frontiers/Junior-Frontiers-1.jpg)
Academic excellence, professional development, civic service, and self-esteem are the four foundational elements that comprise the methodology of success for the Mohawk Valley Junior Frontiers.
![Organization Feature: Meet Me + Make](https://foundationhoc.org/assets/ImpactStories/Meet-Me/Meet-Me-1.jpg)
Meet Me + Make is an off-site program that takes place at local rehabilitation and nursing facilities. Munson-Williams-Proctor Arts Institute staff take their tools and knowledge to the residents so they can learn and create their own masterpieces.
![Organization Feature: Innovation Collective](https://foundationhoc.org/assets/ImpactStories/Innovation-Collective/Innovation-Collective-1.jpg)
Innovation Collective Utica (ICU) is an economic transformation project aimed at developing a community-wide education platform to activate community members to participate in growing the economy.
![A Tide of Optimism: Rising Phoenix Fund](https://foundationhoc.org/assets/ImpactStories/Rising-Phoenix/Rising-Phoenix-1.jpg)
For many Herkimer and Oneida county residents, the fall 2019 storm is a distant memory. But for those whose homes and businesses suffered from flooding caused by nearly seven inches of rain in just a few hours, life has not yet returned to normal.
![A Legacy Remembered: Senator James H. Donovan](https://foundationhoc.org/assets/ImpactStories/Donovan-Funds/Donovan-Funds-1.jpg)
For Jerome Donovan, honoring his remarkable father by giving back to the community that meant so much to him was important.
![Fighting Food Insecurity](https://foundationhoc.org/assets/ImpactStories/Fighting-Food-Insecurity/Fighting-Food-Insecurity-2.jpg)
When the pandemic hit, many donor-advised fundholders stepped up to support relief efforts for organizations near and far. One fund in particular set out on a mission to combat one of the main pressure points that the community felt: food insecurity.
![Better Food. Better Health. Better Community.](https://foundationhoc.org/assets/ImpactStories/Farm-to-School/Farm-to-School-1.jpg)
The two-county community has something invaluable here—agriculture. Local farmers, growing and raising food, cultivated in our communities’ backyards, distributed across the region, state, and beyond.
![Stepping Up for a Community in Need](https://foundationhoc.org/assets/ImpactStories/COVID-Fund-1.jpg)
With the recent past being replaced by a new normal, communities struggle with the effects of the global pandemic, families try to meet basic needs and cope with a new educational environment—while nonprofit organizations attempt to keep up with the growing need for their services.