’Tis the season of giving, and you needn’t look too far to find a worthy recipient for your time and financial donations. Central New York has a wealth of deserving organizations doing good, and they’re all in need of your support. To get you started, here’s an A-to-Z primer (minus X), complete with a description of each along with websites, contact information and basic needs.
Remember, these are just a few of the many deserving nonprofits in Central New York, and the introductions offered barely scratch the surface of the services they offer. Check out the websites of these organizations for more information.
Got your own favorites? Feel free to share at Facebook.com/eaglestarreview.
Animal Alliance of Greater Syracuse
Info: P.O. Box 94, Liverpool, NY 13088; animalallianceofgreatersyracuse.org
Donations accepted? Yes
Volunteers needed? Yes
The Animal Alliance of Greater Syracuse is a formed in association with the city of Syracuse. Its aim is to unite local organizations to create humane solutions to the homeless pet problem in our community. It operates Cuse Pit Crew, an organization dedicated to humane education about pit bulls and other bully breeds in the city of Syracuse, which has been a vocal advocate for the rights of animals. The AAGS also provides a mobile, low-cost spay-neuter clinic for Onondaga County residents.
Burn Foundation of CNY
Info: P.O. Box 11277, Syracuse, NY 13218-1277; burnfoundationofcny.org
Donations accepted? Yes
Volunteers needed? Yes
The Burn Foundation of Central New York, which covers the area from Watertown to Binghamton and Utica to Rochester, is an entirely volunteer-based organization dedicated to supporting those suffering from the life-altering experience that is burn injury. Volunteers come from a wide range of backgrounds, from doctors and physical therapists to firefighters and emergency responders to educators and accountants. The Burn Foundation’s major efforts include Burn Camp, which allows children ages 6 to 16 who have suffered major burns to attend overnight camp with other survivors in a safe environment with others who’ve shared the same experiences without the fear of being judged or stared at because of their scars. The cost of the camp is entirely underwritten by donations.
Clear Path for Veterans
Info: 1223 Salt Springs Rd, Chittenango, NY 13037; 687-3300; clearpathforvets.com
Donations accepted? Yes
Volunteers needed? Yes
Clear Path for Veterans was founded in 2011 to help returning veterans readjust to civilian life by providing social and economic support services in a home-like setting. Offerings include vet-to-vet support programs, therapy and service dog training programs, a veteran-run kitchen, a community garden and a variety of retreats. To view Clear Path’s wish list, visit clearpathforvets.com/how-you-can-help-us/wish-list/.
(Friends of) Dorothy House
Info: 212 Wayne St., Syracuse, NY 13203; 471-6853; friendsofdorothyhouse.org
Donations accepted? Yes
Volunteers needed? Yes
Friends of Dorothy House was started in 1992 by two men seeking to help with the AIDS crisis in Syracuse. Ever since, the house has operated to provide home-based care to people with AIDS in a variety of ways, including recuperative or hospice care, supportive housing and emergency assistance. The house holds vegetarian dinners at 7 p.m. the last Wednesday of each month at St Vincent’s Parish Center, located at the corner of Winton and Burnet streets. Volunteers are encouraged to help prepare the dinners, and donations are accepted to help sustain the costs of running the home. In addition, Friends of Dorothy House accepts gift cards to Wegmans, Target, Walmart, JcPenney and other stores.
Enable
Info: 1603 Court Street, Syracuse, NY 13208; 455-7591; enablecny.org
Donations accepted? Yes
Volunteers needed? Yes
Enable, which is also known as the United Cerebral Palsy and Handicapped Children’s Association of Syracuse Inc., provides clinical, educational, personal and community services to people with disabilities all over Central New York. The agency serves more than 1,500 adults and children each year. Enable’s programming includes off-site housing, early intervention programs, an integrated preschool and more. The agency is now located at 1603 Court Street in a LEED-certified building, where it moved in 2006. While most of its funding is provided by Medicaid, it relies on donations to fill the gaps.
Friends of the CanTeen
Info: P.O. Box 1521, Cicero, NY 13039; canteencny.com
Donations accepted? Yes
Volunteers needed? Yes
The Friends of the CanTeen are the fundraising arm of the teen center next to Cicero-North Syracuse High School. The board oversees the day-to-day operations of the youth center, which serves kids in eighth through 12th grade. There, teens can play games, do homework, watch movies, make food (which the center provides) or socialize. The CanTeen sees kids from all walks of life, every clique and all backgrounds. Regardless of any stereotypes and prejudgement, the CanTeen provides a welcoming environment for everyone, whether it’s kids that come every day or someone just stopping in for the day. The Friends group raises approximately $40,000 a year, supplemented by other funding streams, to fund field trips and events as well as provide food, internet and other amenities while paying the bills.
Girl Scouts of NYPENN
Info: 8170 Thompson Road, Cicero, NY 13039; gsnypenn.org
Donations accepted? Yes
Volunteers needed? Yes
Girl Scouts are an American institution, aimed at empowering girls of all ages. Girl Scouts of NYPENN Pathways, headquartered in Cicero, has a membership of nearly 19,000 girls in grades K through 12, and nearly 8,000 adult members. Girl Scouts of the USA charters NYPENN Pathways to administer the Girl Scout program in 24 counties of New York and two in Pennsylvania. The local council is always in need of leaders as well as donations.
Hope for Heather
Info: 159 Dwight Park Circle, Syracuse, NY 13209; hopeforheather.org
Donations accepted? Yes
Volunteers needed? Yes
Hope for Heather serves women battling ovarian cancer and their families. It seeks to raise awareness of and funds for ovarian cancer while supporting those who suffer with the illness. Named for Liverpool High School graduate Heather Weeks, the foundation was started by her family after she passed away in 2008 to carry on her goals; Heather was employed by the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund before her death. The nonprofit has created an Angel Fund at the soon-to-be-completed Upstate Cancer Center to help women battling ovarian cancer with incidental expenses to help ease the burden on patients and their families. It also distributes teal ribbons and symptom cards to help educate women about this often silent disease.
Interreligious Food Consortium
Info: 222 Teall Ave., Syracuse, NY 13210; 474-8855; ifccny.org
Donations accepted? Yes
Volunteers needed? Yes
The Interreligious Food Consortium was founded 30 years ago for the purpose of developing a united network of the more than 70 emergency food pantries in Onondaga County. This network serves nearly three million meals each year. The IRC uses this network to make referrals and distribute food to those in need. It also helps raise awareness of the need in the community, particularly as that need rises in challenging economic times.
Jenni-Lyn Watson Memorial Scholarship Fund
Info: Jenni-Lyn Watson Memorial Fund, c/o Central New York Community Foundation, 431 East Fayette St., Suite 100, Syracuse, NY 13202; 422.9538; [email protected] to arrange for donations of other assets; cnycf.org.
Donations accepted? Yes
Volunteers needed? Yes
Jenni-Lyn Watson, a 2008 Liverpool High School graduate, was murdered by her ex-boyfriend, Steven Pieper, in November of 2010 while she was home on break from Mercyhurst College, where she was studying dance. Pieper is currently serving a 23-year-to-life sentence in prison. In order to memorialize her and help others who shared her passion, her family established the Jenni-Lyn Watson Memorial Fund. The fund provides scholarship opportunities for children and teens who love the arts but might not be able to afford specialized training. The fund is administered by the Central New York Community Foundation. The largest fundraiser for the scholarship fund is a golf tournament held each June, but donations are accepted by the Community Foundation year round.
KittyCorner
Info: P.O. Box 182, Liverpool, NY 13088-0182; 457-4420; kittycorner.org
Donations accepted? Yes
Volunteers needed? Yes
KittyCorner is a small, independent home for cats in the village of Liverpool run by sisters Linda and Deb Young. The Youngs refer to KittyCorner not as a shelter, but as a foster home for cats. Once a cat comes to stay in the home, it is spayed or neutered and receives complete veterinary care. The cat will stay at KittyCorner until it finds a loving, permanent home. The shelter is staffed entirely by volunteers, and donations from the community help keep the agency afloat.
Learning Disabilities Association of Central New York
Info: 722 W. Manlius St., East Syracuse; 432-0665; LDACNY.org
Donations accepted? Yes
Volunteers needed? Yes
The Learning Disabilities Association of Central New York (LDACNY), an affiliate of the Learning Disabilities Association of America, aims to create opportunities for success for all adults and children affected by learning disabilities and to reduce the incidence of learning disabilities in future generations. Nationwide and locally, the organization advocates for laws and policies for people with learning disabilities and joins with other organizations to work on important legislative issues. LDACNY provides individuals and families affected by learning disabilities with year-round and summer instructional programs, educational consulting, employment support and other services. Many services are free, and others are available on a sliding scale.
Molly Project
Info: 6198 Stone Arabia Road, Cicero, NY 13039; 698-1925; themollyproject.org
Donations accepted? Yes
Volunteers needed? Yes
When Kristin Romane Atkinson lost her mother, Molly, to cancer, she realized she had very few pictures by which to remember her. In talking with two friends, Kristin Wicks Johnston and Tara Lesko Polcaro, they realized it was a common problem among women: they tended to position themselves behind the camera. So they decided to do something about it. They founded the Molly Project to coordinate free, on-location photography sessions for women whose lives are being redefined by cancer or terminal disease. Polcaro, a professional photographer, and other volunteer photographers offer up their services for free to women facing or taking care of someone with cancer so that they and their families can have photographs that “capture the beauty of their bond for generations to come.” Families are provided with not only the portraits, but a digital copy of the images, as well.
North Area Meals on Wheels
Info: 413 Church St., North Syracuse, NY 13212; 452-1402; namow.org
Donations accepted? Yes
Volunteers needed? Yes
The volunteers at North Area Meals on Wheels serve those living in the towns of Clay and Cicero and the villages of Liverpool and North Syracuse. Meals on Wheels programs organize, plan and administer the service of delivering nutritious meals, nutrition education and resource assistance to people living in our community unable to do so for themselves, whether they are seniors, the disabled or others. One hot meal and one cold meal are delivered each weekday around noon. All meals are low in sodium, and special dietary needs, such as diabetic diets, low-fat diets, low-cholesterol diets or others, can be accommodated. NAMOW is always in need of volunteers — drivers, cooks and meal packers. For more information, call executive director Donna Barrett at the number above.
Ophelia’s Place
Info: 407 Tulip St., Liverpool, NY 13088; opheliasplace.org
Donations accepted? Yes
Volunteers needed? Yes
Ophelia’s Place is a center in the village of Liverpool that addresses eating disorders and dysfunctional body image. Founded by Mary Ellen Clausen in the wake of watching her own daughters struggle with eating disorders, Ophelia’s Place provides many opportunities for all those impacted by eating disorders to learn more and gather help and resources. In 2008, a relationship was formed between Ophelia’s Place and The Nutrition Clinic. Through this collaboration, an intensive outpatient program is offered by The Nutrition Clinic at Ophelia’s Place for those who need it. The center also offers support groups for those struggling with eating disorders, disordered eating and body dissatisfaction, as well as their friends and families. It also conducts education and outreach efforts throughout Central New York. All of those efforts are funded through the support of community donations, as well as the proceeds from the adjoining Café at 407.
Paige’s Butterfly Run
Info: P.O. Box 494; Baldwinsville, NY 13027; pbrun.org
Donations accepted? Yes
Volunteers needed? Yes
Paige Yeomans Arnold was just 6 years old when she was diagnosed with leukemia in 1993. She died in 1994 from complications of her treatment. In her honor, her family started Paige’s Butterfly Run to raise money for pediatric cancer research and to support those families currently undergoing treatment at the Center for Children’s Cancer and Blood Disorders at Upstate Golisano Children’s Hospital. The first run was held in 1997, and event gained Children’s Miracle Network status in 2000. The annual event, which includes a 5K race, a 3K fun run/walk and a 40-yard “Caterpillar Crawl” for kids, has since raised hundreds of thousands of dollars to help treat current patients and develop treatments for future patients. College scholarships have also been funded through the Baldwinsville Community Scholarship Foundation.
Q Center
Info: 627 West Genesee St.; Syracuse, NY 13204; 701-2431; aidscommunityresources.com/content.cfm/Services/q-center
Donations accepted? Yes
Volunteers needed? Yes
The Q Center is a safe place for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning youth, their families and allies. It offers after-school programs, support groups, outreach and education programs and special events. A service of ACR Health, formerly known as AIDS Community Resources, the center serves anyone between the ages of 8 and 26. Though most of their referrals come through youth workers and Gay-Straight Alliances at local high schools, many kids find their way in through word of mouth. The Q Center also provides many LGBTQ youth, some of whom don’t have the support of their families, with food, clothing and transportation to and from the center itself. Funding for the center is piecemeal; some comes from the state and county health departments, but some comes from donations. The center is always looking for donations for its library and clothing pantry, as well.
REACH CNY
Info: 1010 James Street Syracuse, NY 13203; 424-0009; reachcny.org
Donations accepted? Yes
Volunteers needed? Yes
REACH, which stands for Resources, Education, Advocacy and Collaboration for Health, seeks to ensure access and support to health service to all regardless of economic ability, reduce teen pregnancies and promote the health and well-being of individuals and families through education and advocacy. Its programs seek to improve health and reduce health disparities in areas such as prenatal and perinatal health, adolescent pregnancy and parenting, and HIV/AIDS in Onondaga, Oswego, Madison, and Cayuga counties. REACH CNY accepts donations, which go to support youth outreach programs and healthy living programs for pregnant and parenting families. In addition, it seeks volunteers in such areas as Syracuse Healthy Start and breastfeeding support.
Stand Against Suicide
Info: 5361 Lynch Road, Elbridge, New York 13060; 882-2500; standagainstsuicide.org
Donations accepted? Yes
Volunteers needed? Yes
Stand Against Suicide was founded in 2010 by Tara Kinsella Dennee in memory of her father, Wayne Olmstead, who died by suicide in 2008. The Elbridge-based organization gained nonprofit status in 2012. It seeks to raise awareness about the risks of mental illness and to encourage those in need to get help. Stand Against Suicide seeks to erase the stigma surrounding the discussion of mental illness and suicide. The group also reaches out to those who have lost a loved one to suicide, sending condolence baskets and hosting support groups at the Elbridge Community Church. SAS is run entirely by volunteers, and all programming is funded through fundraisers like its annual Take A Stand, Save a Life Community Walk at the Inner Harbor or through donations.
Transitional Living Services of Onondaga County
Info: 420 E. Genesee St., Syracuse, NY 13202; 478-4151; tls-onondaga.org
Donations accepted? Yes
Volunteers needed? No
Founded in 1974 as state facilities were shut down, Transitional Living Services offers not only residential services but also support with employment, education, medical and substance abuse issues, community involvement, habilitation activities and service coordination. The agency serves individuals with developmental disabilities, mental health issues, and traumatic brain injuries, and provides support to many of their families. Many of the individuals TLS serves live at or just above poverty level, so the agency has created a Special Needs Fund to help them meet their basic needs.
United Way of Central New York
Info: 518 James St., Syracuse, NY 13203; 428-2211; unitedway-cny.org
Donations accepted? Yes
Volunteers needed? Yes
The United Way acts as a kind of charitable clearinghouse for local nonprofits. The Central New York chapter of the national agency approves a variety of local organizations, and when donors send money to the United Way, it redistributes those dollars to the nonprofits. You can donate directly to the United Way, or set up payroll deductions through your employer. The United Way also helps recruit volunteers for local agencies as well as for its own uses.
Vera House
Info: 6181 Thompson Rd #100, Syracuse, NY 13206; 422-7273; verahouse.org
Donations accepted? Yes
Volunteers needed? Yes
Contrary to popular belief, Vera House is more than just a shelter for who have been abused by their partners. Vera House is, according to its website, a comprehensive domestic and sexual violence service agency providing shelter, advocacy, and counseling services for women, children and men, education and prevention programs and community coordination. It offers 24-hour crisis and support lines, youth education and prevention outreach programs, elder abuse education, a men’s education program, short-term supportive and educational counseling, LGBTQ outreach, a pet foster program, sexual assault and rape crisis services, services for individuals with disabilities who are survivors of assault and abuse and much more. In addition, the organization trains volunteers who wish to help survivors of abuse and assault and seeks to open a dialogue in the community about how we can address these issues. Volunteers are always needed, as are donations for the shelter and various other programs. To view Vera House’s wish list, visit verahouse.org/give/shelter-needs-list-1-2.
Wanderers’ Rest
Info: P.O. Box 535, Sutherland Drive, Canastota, NY 13032; 697-2796; wanderersrest.org/
Donations accepted? Yes
Volunteers needed? Yes
If you’re in the market for a new pet, Wanderers’ Rest, the only animal shelter in Madison County, has many wonderful choices. An independent, single-location shelter, it relies entirely on donations from the community to keep its doors open. Wanderers’ Rest also offers pets for adoption at local pet stores, including the PetSmart on Route 31 and the Petco at Northern Lights in Mattydale. You can also check out their Amazon wishlist at amazon.com/registry/wishlist/1PQMA7L2EHC06/ref=cm_wl_sortbar_v_page_2?_encoding=UTF8&page=2.
Young at Heart Senior Club
Info: 5924 Lathrop Drive, Cicero, NY 13039; 452-3298; cicero.recdesk.com/recdeskportal/Facilities/SeniorCenter/tabid/3663/Default.aspx
Donations accepted? Yes
Volunteers needed? No
The Town of Cicero Senior Center, otherwise known as the “Young At Heart” Community Center, provides numerous activities, ranging social events and trips to exercise classes to crafts and more. Membership is free to any resident of the town age 55 or older. Non-residents are charged a yearly fee, with a discount provided to couples. The program includes health and wellness checks, an award-winning exercise program and a well-balanced nutrition program provided by PEACE, Inc. Your donations help maintain the facility and programming for the seniors.
Zen Center of Syracuse
Info: 266 W. Seneca Turnpike, Syracuse, NY 13207; 492-9773; zencenterofsyracuse.org
Donations accepted? Yes
Volunteers needed? No
The mission of the Zen Center of Syracuse is simple: to offer peace to all who walk through its doors. One of the oldest continuously-run Zen centers in the country, it teaches the practice of meditation to laypeople as well as some instruction in Tibetan Buddhism. Aimed at making the Central New York community “a more compassionate and caring place,” the Zen Center works with at-risk youth at Faith Hope Community Center as well as Elmcrest Children’s Center, and members hold weekly meditation sessions at Auburn Correctional Facility and the Onondaga County Justice Center. Meditation is held several times per week at Hendricks Chapel at Syracuse University and Hamilton College in Clinton. In partnership with H.O.M.E., Inc. (Humanitarian Organization for Multicultural Experiences, Inc.), the Zen Center teaches meditation to people with developmental disabilities and brain injuries. Donations from the community support such outreach programs.
