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.

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. 

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.

The Levitt Foundation’s Amplify Music Places (AMP) Utica Music Series returned for its fourth year to Oneida Square’s Kopernik Park, a Genesee Street green space near the city’s Arts District.

Stanley Center for the Arts—known to many as the Stanley theater—is a historic treasure that has provided entertainment to Central New York for more than 90 years.

Thea Bowman House is an institution that has served Utica for more than three decades, providing a safe, nurturing environment for children and families that walk through its doors.

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.

Before any votes were cast, big checks signed or bundles of balloons inflated for The Community Foundation’s first-ever Community Choice Awards, there was just an idea.

Utica native Sadieann (Zogby) Spear grew up in a family that was dedicated to giving back to their community.