Stories
The Mohawk Valley Latino Association (MVLA) was founded in 2003. It's an organization with a mission and vision to educate and empower the area’s Latino community.
![Bringing Small Miracles to Local Families](https://foundationhoc.org/assets/ImpactStories/210318_cfhoc_cluster13_056.jpg)
For many, Cluster 13 is a saving grace, helping hundreds of families and individuals overcome life’s challenges for the last three decades.
![Centering Our Impact](https://foundationhoc.org/assets/ImpactStories/Centering-Our-Impact/Centering-Our-Impact-1.jpg)
Impact centers could benefit multiple communities across Herkimer and Oneida counties. In Utica, Community Foundation Trustees and staff have made multiple visits to inner-city neighborhoods, walking the streets, talking with residents, elected officials, agency heads and advocates.
![Organization Feature: Arc Park](https://foundationhoc.org/assets/ImpactStories/Arc-Park/ARC-Park-5.jpg)
What began with a vision, conceived by Arc Herkimer’s leadership on an afternoon stroll through a nearby empty field, is now a one-of-a-kind, fully accessible recreation facility where individuals of all ages and abilities are welcome.
![Organization Feature: Rebuilding CNY](https://foundationhoc.org/assets/ImpactStories/Rebuilding-CNY/Rebuilding-CNY-12.jpg)
For more than 30 years, our community’s generosity has empowered the local nonprofit organization, now known as Rebuilding Central New York (CNY), to rebuild futures for local families.
![Fund Spotlight: Gabriel, Joseph and Lila Mandour Karam Fund](https://foundationhoc.org/assets/ImpactStories/Karam/Karam-1.jpg)
The Gabriel, Joseph and Lila Mandour Karam Fund honors a remarkable individual, Joe Karam, in a way that extends his mission of service to others.
![Welcoming All With Open Arms](https://foundationhoc.org/assets/ImpactStories/Welcoming-Arms/Welcoming-Arms-1.jpg)
The Center, formerly known as the Mohawk Valley Resource Center for Refugees, has propelled its mission forward and has undergone dramatic changes in the last few years.
![Organization Feature: Rome Rescue Mission](https://foundationhoc.org/assets/ImpactStories/Rome-Rescue-Mission/Rome-Rescue-Mission-1.jpg)
At the Rome Rescue Mission, helping those in need is fundamental. Offering a hand up—not a handout—are the words that the organization lives and serves by.
![Serving Up Kindness: Mother Marianne’s West Side Kitchen](https://foundationhoc.org/assets/ImpactStories/Mother-Marianne/Mother-Marianne-1.jpg)
We come together in times of need, we help others when we can, and we welcome all with open arms. These are some of the key ingredients served up by Mother Marianne’s West Side Kitchen, a soup kitchen located at the corner of Columbia and Varick Street in Utica.