Filter By

Stories
Publications
Blogs
Topics
Collage photos of Bob Vitkus fishing and with friends and family

When Bob Vitkus passed away last year, his estate named the Community Foundation the recipient of $10 million to support outdoor parks and recreation areas, a cause that had significant importance to him.

Through their work in the fields of medicine and education, Jef Sneider and Gwen Kay have spent their lives teaching and caring for adults. When the couple began giving charitably together, they both agreed on one thing: they wanted to advocate for children.

Donald Trufant

Donald Trufant

Thanks to the generosity of former Cayuga County resident Donald Trufant, a $3 million scholarship fund will award annual scholarships to graduates of Auburn and Union Springs high schools.

Mary Thorpe

The Thorpes

The generosity of this brother-sister team will now carry on into perpetuity. Already it has provided meaningful grants to programs in Syracuse and surrounding communities.

The Spanfelners

The Spanfelners

Visiting Idaho and Montana every year to fish, the Spanfelners felt a strong connection to nature and sought to honor it with their field-of-interest fund.

Don Ryder

Don Ryder

Don Ryder lived a very private and quiet life in Baldwinsville, NY. But when he passed away, he left an indelible mark on our community by leaving his entire estate to benefit CNY charities.

Dorothy Riester at the Cazenovia Art Park

Dorothy Riester

Those who knew Dorothy Riester knew that she was a talented artist and sculptor. Dorothy was the founder of Stone Quarry Hill Art Park in Cazenovia, one of the world’s first art-in-nature parks, and created a fund at the Community Foundation to ensure the long-term...

Gale Owen

Gale Owen

Gale Owen was a smart, caring and giving woman with many talents, including her signature whistle. Now her legacy is carrying on her support for organizations that empower the lives of local women and girls.

The Millers

The Millers

The kindness and compassion of Jim and Aileen is something that their friends remember fondly. Their foresight and generosity allow their kindness to live on and the fruits of their success to continue supporting the community they called home.

The McCurn Family

Around the time Neal McCurn was considering retirement, he established the McCurn Family Fund, which would be funded through his estate. He wanted his grown children to use it to help organizations that mirrored the values that he and his wife taught them growing up.