Franklin Community Center is thrilled to announce that The Alfred Z. Solomon Charitable Trust has granted our after-school prevention program, Project Lift , $5,000.00 toward continuing the program for the 2012 calendar year. 

This is the second time Project Lift has received grant funding from The Alfred Z. Solomon Charitable Trust;  back in 2008, they helped offset the cost of the program’s expansion into Geyser Road Elementary School.  

The Alfred Z. Solomon Charitable Trust in was established in 2004 and has given away millions of dollars to programs in our local community.  

We are honored to have their support!

“May the ones you love be near you, with the laughs of friends to cheer you…”

It’s that time of year when we celebrate the holiday season surrounded by the warmth and comfort of our loved ones while reflecting upon all the things for which we are grateful.   Franklin Community Center never takes for granted how lucky we are to have the support of all of you—and because of that connection, we were able to serve nearly 1,000 people with holiday assistance at Christmas and Thanksgiving this year. 

The gifts and donations poured in, allowing us to serve all the families who turned to us for help.  Struggling parents were moved to tears as they picked up their gifts and felt the love from their community, allowing them to provide their children with Christmas memories that would not otherwise have been possible.  Thank you to all of the individuals, businesses, churches, civic groups and organizations who helped make this holiday season our brightest yet!  And to top it off, after successfully serving all the residents who applied for help in our own community, we were even able to share the love with our neighbors in Schoharie County, who are still reeling after the flooding from Hurricane Irene.  Toys were delivered to that area (care of The Giving Circle) from the leftover general donations, ensuring some normalcy and joyous Christmas memories for the affected children and their parents.       

So, from our FCC family to yours, we wish you all the love and support that you have shown to us over the years.  It is truly a blessing to be part of this community, and we look forward to a prosperous and healthy 2012 with you by our side!
 
What a great way to end 2011:  The Alfred Z. Solomon Charitable Trust has granted Franklin Community Center $5,000 toward the continuation of Project Lift into the 2012 calendar year.  This is the second time FCC has been lucky enough to be recognized by The Alfred Z. Solomon Charitable Trust, as back in 2008, they helped offset the cost of Project Lift’s expansion to Geyser Road Elementary School.  We are so thankful for their support!

As we hauled nearly 50, 12 pound turkeys yesterday, served dozens of others with holiday fixings and food pantry, answered endless phone calls and tripped over mounds of food donations, we left the office feeling happy, grateful and even a bit punchy from exhaustion!  This time of year is always equally rewarding as it is busy, and as a team, we enjoy greeting those in need with a comforting smile and showing donors our gratitude.  

Working at FCC gives us a whole new outlook on the holidays.  It’s easy to see how much of an impact our agency and our donors make on our community this time of year, and despite the organized chaos and influx of traffic, we are appreciative of our awesome teamwork and our families waiting for us at home.

Today, as the phone rings constantly with people wondering where they can get help for Christmas, we gear up for the next round of holiday hoopla headed our way.  Sometimes it’s difficult to comprehend just how many people in our area need help this time of year, but we can’t get discouraged, and we try to focus on the silver lining, with the amount of donors and support that pours in. 

Though our registration deadlines for Christmas have come and gone, we are hopeful that no child we serve will go without at least one gift on their wish list.  We are still searching for donors to adopt families and even donate general gifts that can be used to distribute to folks who will turn to us after our deadlines.  I think all of us can understand the joy through the eyes of a child that comes from Christmas morning. 

If you have the means, please consider sharing your holiday joy with a local child in need.  Just call 587-9826 to adopt a family, or let us know whether you’d like to purchase general gifts.  Either way, you’ll be making a difference, right here at home.           

The holiday season is in full swing at the Center, and it’s amazing the outpouring of support we see this time of year.  People of all ages and all walks of life are in the spirit of giving, and even those who have little to give are making an effort to spread kindness and good will.  It is a pleasure each day to see folks dropping off Thanksgiving food items, Christmas gifts and adopting families to help make the season bright.

It’s busy, that’s for sure, and anyone who knows the ladies of FCC (aka the Franklin Facilitators ) knows we love meeting and greeting as often as we can.  Today was especially touching, as two extraordinary young men walked through our blue door, teaching us a lesson in generosity we never expected.

Shortly after lunch, a 4-year-old boy and his dad stopped by with a car load of toys and canned goods collected at the boy’s birthday party over the weekend.  According to the boy’s dad (let’s call the kid ”E” for the story’s sake), “E” decided to forfeit birthday presents for himself so he could give back to kids in the community.  To my surprise, this young little guy at the age of 4 was truly thrilled to drop off the carload of goods at the Center.  He seemed to fully understand and surrender to the fact that he was basically foregoing his birthday loot , and he even listened intently as I gave him an age appropriate tutorial about the food pantry and the people we serve.  It was  a beautiful moment where I learned from a 4-year-old the true meaning of selflessness.  And dad watched proudly as the boy took the lead. 

Fast forward to a few hours later, in walks an 11-year-old boy (let’s call him “T”) carrying a stack of gift cards for turkeys that he could barely fit in his hands.  How did he get them?  By asking friends, neighbors, businesses and strangers to kindly donate toward the purchase of holiday items for folks served by Franklin Community Center.  Nearly $900 later, this 11-year-old single-handedly brought in more money in just a few weeks than most people could raise in a year!  Did I mention this was his second year taking on such a task?  The best part of the story is–as his mother told it–”T’s” generosity was spawned when his mom mentioned that there were “people right there in Saratoga Springs” that might not have the money to purchase Thanksgiving dinners for their families.  Unable to accept it, ”T” took charge to see that would not happen, and that’s when he became an ambassador for FCC.

We could stand to learn a lot from these kids, don’t you think?  Each boy taking charge and doing something in their own way to make a difference.  Moved by their desire to change unfortunate circumstances, they are already making strides in their community.  At a time when I find myself getting caught up in the stress of purchasing gifts and shopping for my loved ones, I am quickly knocked back into reality when I arrive at work and see both sides of the scenario: so many struggling families and yet so much kindness, even at the youthful ages of 4 and 11.  We are blessed to have kids like these as the faces in our community–future leaders working together to make a difference. 

And that’s what the holiday season should be all about.

You can already feel the chill in the air, which means it’s time to start thinking about Coats for Kids, a program offered by Cudney’s Launderers and Dry Cleaners, and sponsored Fox 23 News.

A warm coat is something many of us take for granted, but no child or adult should have to go without.  So, take a look in your closets and see if there might be some warm coats in good condition that could be of use to someone in-need. 

Coats can be dropped off at any Cudney’s location, and the fabulous folks there will clean them and make sure they get to people who need them.  Children’s and adults’ coats are accepted.

A little tip: Please make sure the zippers are in working order so no one has to feel the winter chill!  Thank you! 

Click here for a list of Cudney’s locations!

Our first attempt at helping to take the spook out of spending for local families was a huge success! 

Over the past several weeks, generous community members have been donating new and gently used  costumes to help the families served by Franklin Community Center.  Thanks to The Comic Depot who let us use their space, we were able to outfit about 75 children with Halloween costumes, last evening.  Watching the kids’ faces light up as they chose their costumes was awesome!  We are so grateful for the constant outpouring of support we receive from our donors, no matter what the cause. 

Get ready for next year because we plan to do it again.  Since this was our first year, we learned to get more costumes that are sized for our Project Lift kids, ages 6-10, to make sure we have enough.  So, hang on to your costumes from this year; next October, you can plan to share them with local families who need them! 

It began with a phone call as I was helping Debbie at the front desk on a typical, busy Wednesday morning in July.  Upon taking the call, I was informed by a well-spoken woman on the other end of the phone that she was recently homeless, looking for food and shelter until she could start her job a week later. 

“I don’t know what to do,” she said, her voice sounding shaky and defeated.  “I’m so embarrassed.  I’ve never been in a situation like this before.”

She had been to DSS.  The shelter was full, as it often is during the summer months, and she was starting to feel like she had overstayed her welcome with friends.  I tried to reassure her on the phone, and I could feel my chest tighten as I sensed her desperation.  I invited her to come to Franklin Community Center, where we could help her with food to bring to her friend’s home where she was staying the next two nights, and I explained that she could fill out an application for our low-income housing apartment building, where we could put her on the waiting list.  She said she’d be in soon.    

As I hung up the call, a group of women who live at a local shelter in town came in to pick up vouchers for our free store at 101 Washington Street.  I decided to ask the ladies standing in the office whether there might be any openings where they live, and a quick reply offered a glimmer of hope for the woman I had just spoken with on the phone. 

“We’ll have an opening at our shelter on Friday,” said the kind-hearted woman in front of me.  She was eager to help, empathizing with that feeling of desperation, and she shared some important contact information for me to pass along when I met the woman on the phone in person. 

When she arrived at the center 20 minutes later, she asked for me.  I sat down with her for a moment in the lobby to take down her information.  She shuddered as she listed “homeless” as her address, and I tried to remain positive as I shared the information regarding the women’s shelter.  As I returned back from the food pantry with some groceries for her, I could see she was crying. 

“Thank you so much for helping me,” she said.  “I appreciate it so much.  I can’t even believe I’m here right now.”

As she tearfully whispered her concerns to me, another woman getting assistance overheard. 

“I’m sorry to listen in, but did I hear you say you need a place to live?” she asked.  “I saw you crying, and I know how scary it is.  I’ve been there, done that,” she explained.  She went on to say that in one week—right around the same time the woman I was helping would begin her new job—she would have a mobile home for rent.  The two exchanged information, offering another option for the woman who, just minutes ago, was not only homeless, but hopeless.

There are moments in my job every day that make me incredibly proud to do what I do, but in this case, it was just a matter of being in the right place at the right time.  It’s about people in need, supporting other people in similar, difficult situations.  It’s about empathy, kindness, and a willingness to help, no matter how big or small your offering is.

It’s also about a very real, but seldom-seen picture right here in our city; because on the other side of town, away from the galas, the glitz and the glamour, there is a different crowd, struggling to make ends meet and relying on others to help them when they don’t know where to turn.  And in some cases, it’s about a lack of options, with not enough affordable housing for the people who work in our city to keep the tourism industry thriving.

It’s not about feeling guilty.  We should have fun and revel in all of the amazing things our city has to offer and be grateful for what we have.  But when we find ourselves judging others without knowing who they are or where they’ve been, or when we catch ourselves dwelling on the superficial, let us be reminded of those who might not be so lucky. 

It’s a lesson I learned at the perfect time, from people whom I least expected to teach me.  And I couldn’t be more thankful.