A Utica couple whose generosity has touched countless lives over the last two decades has received the Community Foundation of Herkimer and Oneida Counties’ highest award for community philanthropy. 

The Connor Arthur Lynskey Memorial Scholarship Fund’s scholarship committee is pleased to announce this year’s recipients for its scholarship awards to graduating seniors from high schools in Oneida and Herkimer counties.

Debbie's Kids is a memorial fund established by Kari & Daniel in memory of their mother, Debra Reuben Deronda, who passed away on Mother's Day 2017. This fund will honor and remember her life's work in the Mohawk Valley and in North Carolina as a social worker and child advocate who fought tirelessly to protect and to empower children. Proceeds will benefit youth advocacy and youth mental health services.

The Jean M. Hernon-Kallus’82 Memorial Scholarship Fund was established in memory of Jean Marie Hernon-Kallus, who passed away in 2022, by her family, 1982 classmates and friends.  The fund will honor and remember Jean’s vibrant spirit for years to come, providing graduates of New Hartford Central School District with scholarships.

In a significant step for its multi-partner Cornhill initiative, the Community Foundation of Herkimer and Oneida Counties recently welcomed the first two staff dedicated to neighborhood revitalization. Jessica Amber Hernandez and De’Quan Watson, working as community project strategists, will guide and help develop and implement the strategy that connects two planned new centers with nonprofit organizations and residents.

The Community Foundation of Herkimer and Oneida Counties will host the second-annual 24-hour day of community giving, “Mohawk Valley Gives,” on September 20, to benefit local nonprofits serving the two counties. Registration for area nonprofit organizations launched on May 23, at givemv.org and is available through July 31.

The Community Foundation of Herkimer and Oneida Counties has announced nearly two dozen grants totaling more than $165,000 as part of a long-term strategy addressing the fundamental causes of systemic racism and socioeconomic inequity that impact historically marginalized populations in the two counties.

Hero Fund America (HFA) Fund, a field-of-interest fund of the Community Foundation of Herkimer and Oneida Counties, is seeking applications for its First Responder Grant Round from organizations in New York and other states to help meet the education, training, lifesaving equipment and mental health needs of fire, emergency medical services (EMS), and law enforcement agencies.

The Community Foundation of Herkimer and Oneida Counties will award a round of grants to support organizations in the two counties providing programs and services that focus on the health and wellbeing of older adults. Applications from nonprofit organizations are being accepted from Monday, April 3, through Friday, April 28, at 11:59 p.m.