Adirondacks Honors Everyday Heroes with $1,000 Awards

The people who organize food drives, turn schools into community hubs, and check on elderly neighbors are about to get the recognition they deserve.

The Adirondack Community Foundation launched its Kindling Awards to celebrate the unsung heroes who keep mountain communities strong. The awards are named after kindling, the essential ingredient that starts the warm fires neighbors gather around during long winter months.

Last year, the foundation celebrated community events that brought people together. This year, they're shifting focus to the individuals behind those gatherings.

Each award winner gets to direct a $1,000 grant to a local nonprofit, library, youth group, or municipality of their choice. Winners will also be featured in community profiles to share their stories and inspire others.

"In the Adirondacks, we lean on one another," said Cali Brooks, president and CEO of the foundation. "Our towns are held together by the quiet, steady efforts of people who show up for their neighbors."

The foundation wants to recognize parents turning schools into welcoming community hubs, neighbors strengthening opportunities for local seniors, and small groups of friends organizing to tackle local needs. These are the living kindling of the region, Brooks explained.

The Ripple Effect

Every person nominated represents countless hours of unpaid labor that holds rural communities together. When one person organizes a meal train, coordinates volunteers, or simply shows up consistently for others, they create stability that ripples through entire towns.

By celebrating these individuals publicly, the foundation hopes to spark recognition in other communities. The $1,000 grants also ensure their work continues, directing resources to the causes they care about most.

The deadline to submit nominations is February 25, 2025. Any resident or small informal group within the Adirondack region is eligible, including portions of municipalities inside the Adirondack Park, all of Clinton and Franklin counties, and the Akwesasne Mohawk Territory.

Nominations are open now at adkcommunityfoundation.org/kindling-awards, or by calling 518-523-9904. The process is simple: just share who makes your community better and how they do it.