THE COMMUNITY FOUNDATION OF

HERKIMER & ONEIDA COUNTIES ANNOUNCES

ACCENT ON EXCELLENCE GRANT RECIPIENT

 

UTICA, NY – The ballots are tallied and the people have spoken. The Accent on Excellence recipients have chosen Young Scholars Liberty Partnerships Program, a project of Utica College and the Utica City School District to benefit from a grant in the amount of $1,500 from the Accent on Excellence Fund of The Community Foundation of Herkimer & Oneida Counties. 

              Current and previous Accent recipients chose the winner in honor of the 2008 honorees by silent ballot at a reception last night. Also campaigning for the grant were:

• Ygirls, a program of the YWCA of the Mohawk Valley
• Junior Reserve Officer Training Corp (JROTC), a collaborative effort between the Rome City School District and the United States Air Force JROTC.

         Young Scholars will use this grant to help send students on enrichment field trips that include cultivating leadership skills and college visits. Students have the opportunity to experience such places as SUNY Morrisville, Washington, D.C. and the Adirondacks. This program is in its 16th year and in 2008, 100% of the graduating Young Scholars earned a Regents diploma or higher.

          Attorney Gregory Mattacola, member of the Accent Class of 2006, said, “The Accent on Excellence grant, administered by The Community Foundation of Oneida and Herkimer Counties, is the perfect combination of recognizing the talented young people in our area while putting resources toward a worthy and deserving cause. The young people we recognize today will be the leaders in philanthropy tomorrow. This grant fosters that giving spirit and I am pleased to be part of it.”  Michelle McCarrick Truett, President of The M and G Group and 2005 Accent recipient, echoed Mattacola’s sentiments. “To embrace one’s community is the best thing a young person can do – it gives a sense of belonging, introduces new people to each other and to other cultures and is truly fulfilling. I hope that, through example, this grant and this process will encourage the next generation of community leaders to get inspired by what we can do and get even more involved with our hometown causes,” she said.

         The Community Foundation has been a force for improving lives and promoting philanthropy throughout Herkimer and Oneida counties since 1952. The Foundation has made more than 3,800 grants totaling over $26.8 million in support of causes ranging from education to health care, the arts to the environment. Grants are generated by the more than 240 funds that comprise The Foundation’s endowment, established and advanced by area individuals and families.

         Accent on Excellence is an awards program focused on recognizing and encouraging the young leaders of the area. The program was founded in 2000 by the Observer-Dispatch and Northland Communications to honor residents of Herkimer and Oneida counties younger than 40 who are making a difference in the community.