Saratoga Native Will Return To Hometown To Open His Own Edward Jones Financial Office

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Brandon Bogardus will open an Edward Jones Financial office next year. Courtesy Brandon Bogardus
Brandon Bogardus will open an Edward Jones Financial office next year.
Courtesy Brandon Bogardus

By Jennifer Farnsworth

Saratoga native Brandon Bogardus is adding his name to the roster of local of financial advisors under the Edward Jones Financial  umbrella.

A 2012 graduate of Saratoga High School, Bogardus will officially be an Edward Jones advisor early next year,  after completing an intense training course that will allow him to offer a variety of financial planning tools to area residents.

Bogardus said the business will focus on five specific client needs; preparing for retirement, living in retirement, paying for education, planning an estate and preparing for the unexpected.

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Annual Showcase Of Homes Raised $70,000 In 2016 For Two Nonprofit Organizations

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Members of the Saratoga Builders Association present checks to Rebuilding Together Saratoga County and Habitat for Humanity of Northern Saratoga, Warren and Washington Counties. Courtesy Showcase of Homes
Members of the Saratoga Builders Association present checks to Rebuilding Together Saratoga County and Habitat for Humanity of Northern Saratoga, Warren and Washington Counties.
Courtesy Showcase of Homes

The Saratoga Builders Association recently presented proceeds totaling $70,000 from the 2016 Saratoga Showcase of Homes to two nonprofit organizations.

Checks were presented to Rebuilding Together Saratoga County and Habitat for Humanity of Northern Saratoga, Warren and Washington Counties.

Showcase officials said the total is the highest amount raised in the past five years. The Saratoga Builders Association has now contributed over $1 million to local charities from the home tour event.

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Skidmore College Arts Planning Group Has Grants For Saratoga Springs Arts Programs

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The Skidmore College Arts Planning Group has a new program designed to directly support arts organizations in the Saratoga Springs community, with over $42,000 in grants available for the 2017 calendar year. Under the new program, 501(c)(3) nonprofit community arts organizations located in the Saratoga Springs area—including Greenfield, Malta, Ballston Spa, and contiguous communities—may...

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Domestic Violence Services Group Wins Grant Through A National Challenge Competition

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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.

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Business Report: Group Works To Keep Children Safe

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Lori Nadeau is a recruiter/homefinder for Northern Rivers Family of Services. Courtesy Northern Rivers Family of Services
Lori Nadeau is a recruiter/homefinder for Northern Rivers Family of Services.
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.

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Saratoga Hospital Volunteer Guild Pledges Funds For Purchase Of ‘Smart’ IV Pumps

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Amy Raimo, left, hospital VP for community engagement; Angelo Calbone, Saratoga Hospital president, and Barbara King, Saratoga Hospital Volunteer Guild, display a check for $500,000. Courtesy Saratoga Hospital
Amy Raimo, left, hospital VP for community engagement; Angelo Calbone, Saratoga Hospital president, and Barbara King, Saratoga Hospital Volunteer Guild, display a check for $500,000.
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.

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Saratoga Rugby Club Grows, Seeks To Create Partnerships With Community Organizations

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The Saratoga Rugby Club has programs for children, high school and college students. Courtesy Saratoga Rugby Club
The Saratoga Rugby Club has programs for children, high school and college students.
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.

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The Saratoga Marketplace Has Eclectic Offerings For Shoppers During The Holidays

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The Saratoga Marketplace at 454 Broadway in Saratoga Springs is home to more than a dozen eclectic shops and galleries s offering an assortment of gifts for people doing their holiday shopping. ©2016 Saratoga Photographer.com
The Saratoga Marketplace at 454 Broadway in Saratoga Springs is home to more than a dozen eclectic shops and galleries s offering an assortment of gifts for people doing their holiday shopping.
©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.

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