The Adirondack Trust Co. announced that 2016 has been a record-breaking year for its lending through the U.S. Small Business Administration. Bank officials said that for the year ending Sept. 30, Adirondack Trust Co. approved 56 SBA 7(a) loans, amounting to more than $4.4 million. In 2015, the bank approved a then-record of 38...
Domestic Violence Services Group Wins Grant Through A National Challenge Competition
Wellspring, the Saratoga County-based domestic violence and sexual assault services resource, won a $15,000 grant from the Allstate Foundation after placing fifth among almost 200 domestic violence organizations across the country in the Purple Purse Challenge.
This marks the second prize won by the organization during the month-long challenge. Wellspring also finished the first week of the challenge in the top five, winning an additional $10,000 challenge gift.
Wellspring was one of 20 organizations nationally to earn a grant competing against other domestic violence nonprofits with an operating budget of less than $1.75 million.
In total, Wellspring raised more than $51,000. Officials said they will use the money to support a comprehensive approach to helping victims of domestic violence, providing services such as shelter, a 24-hour hotline, counseling, and legal advocacy.
The funds will also help expand the programs that focus on prevention, issue awareness and social change, such as partnerships with local schools and law enforcement.
Business Report: Group Works To Keep Children Safe
Courtesy Northern Rivers Family of Services
By Lori Nadeau
As a foster parent recruiter/homefinder for Northern Rivers Family of Services, I travel throughout Warren, Washington, Saratoga and Essex Counties talking to people every day about opening their homes to children in need.
You may have seen me or a member of my team at a county fair or community event. We’re the ones at the Give Hope a Home table. And the number one thing I’ve learned from meeting so many friends and neighbors is that not everyone understands exactly what foster care is and how they can help.
There are times when the only safe option for a child is removal from their home. Reasons can vary from abuse and neglect, lack of proper housing or other challenges. Regardless of the reasons a child may enter foster care, the system has two goals: Keep the child in a warm, safe, loving place in their own community where he or she can heal and grow; and to work towards reunification and achieve permanency in the families’ life.
Northern Rivers serves 14,000 children and families in 36 counties as the parent organization to Parsons Child & Family Center and Northeast Parent & Child Society, and my team is headquartered on Quaker Road in Queensbury.
Saratoga Hospital Volunteer Guild Pledges Funds For Purchase Of ‘Smart’ IV Pumps
Courtesy Saratoga Hospital
Saratoga Hospital Volunteer Guild has pledged $500,000—the auxiliary organization’s largest gift ever—to help bring “smart” intravenous (IV) pumps to all Saratoga Hospital facilities.
The gift also is the most significant to date for the hospital’s newest fundraising initiative, which seeks more than $1 million to buy and set up 270 smart pumps and related software, officials said.
“That this project will touch every patient who comes through the doors of a Saratoga Hospital site every day is praiseworthy and extraordinary,” said Barbara King, guild president.
IV pumps have long been used to deliver lifesaving fluids, from blood products to advanced antibiotics, insulin, and chemotherapy. New “smart” pumps include technology designed to ensure that patients receive the right medication at the right dose and the right time. The result is enhanced safety and better outcomes.
Saratoga Rugby Club Grows, Seeks To Create Partnerships With Community Organizations
Courtesy Saratoga Rugby Club
By Liz Witbeck
Saratoga Rugby Club is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing rugby for people within the city. There are currently youth rugby teams for children 6 years old and up, competitive teams for high school and college students, and programs for adults.
It was founded in 2005 as a social organization. In a few years, the group has grown into a competitive program that now competes at Division 2 levels. This year, it held the Saratoga Collegiate Cup Sevens tournament.
With the growth of the organization, Eric Huss, vice president of the organization, has been interested in seeking out partnerships with community organizations.
“We are always looking for strategic partnerships. We want a partnership where we can both benefit from each other,” said Huss.
The Saratoga Marketplace Has Eclectic Offerings For Shoppers During The Holidays
©2016 Saratoga Photographer.com
By Maureen Werther
Downtown Saratoga Springs in the 1970s was a different place than what it is today. Shop owners and business people were vacating the historic buildings that lined Broadway in favor of shopping malls and corporate business parks.
Today, the city has thriving downtown community, which has become a destination for people.
Survey: Most New Yorkers Plan To Spend The Same As Last Year On Holiday Gift Shopping
Fifty-seven percent of New Yorkers plan to spend about the same this year as last on holiday gifts while 31 percent plan to lessen their spending and 9 percent intend to spend more according to a statewide survey of consumers by the Siena College Research Institute (SRI). Just over half, 51 percent, plan to...
Saratoga Performing Arts Center Has Special Ticket Offerings During The Holiday Season
The Saratoga Performing Arts Center is offering its 2016 holiday collection ticket specials in time for holiday gift giving. Available through Thursday, Dec. 22, the collection includes a classical season lawn pass for all performances of New York City Ballet and The Philadelphia Orchestra, a new flex ticket option for the Freihofer’s Saratoga Jazz...
Having Enough Money For Retirement Is A Concern, But Strategies Exist To Help People
Courtesy Madison Wealth Managers
By R.J. DeLuke
A survey conducted by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants says running out of money is a top concern among their clients when they are look ahead to retirement.
The elderly are living longer, said AICPA, and Baby Boomers, who hold the largest amount of retirement assets, are supporting both their parents and their children. This has amplified the fear.
Neil Edmonds of the Ascent Wealth Partners office in Saratoga Springs, who handles retirement matters for the company, agreed it is a big concern for people.
“There are not as many defined plans for retirement, like pensions,” he said, and in some cases people have nothing more than Social Security to fall back on.
Business Report: Healthcare Costs Are A Retirement Concern
Courtesy KeyBank
By Ruth Mahoney
For most of the American population, retirement is a paradox. We look forward to it, because we want to stop working. We fear it, because we cannot afford to.
People struggle to retire for several reasons. For starters, many of us aren’t saving enough. Even if we are, unexpected expenses such as a child’s college education, divorce, or care for an aging parent can delete resources from the retirement nest egg. However, according to a survey from Bankrate, the number one worry baby boomers have about living a secure retirement is the cost of healthcare.