PUBLISHER'S WORD

So many good people filling so many needs David Tyler

Adeadly global pandemic. An economy in shambles. A deeply divided nation.

Families unable to see loved ones.

Vast swaths of our country ablaze.

As I walked through Wegmans the other day, a woman passed by wearing a t-shirt with only two words on it: “2020 SUCKS!” While her wardrobe may be a little blunt for my taste, the sentiment rings true. We are living through an incredibly tough year.

All of the above-mentioned challenges have affected my life or the lives of friends and family members, but what we’ve gone through in 2020 is minor compared to the difficulties faced by those who have lost work, or lost loved ones to the pandemic, or struggled with depression or substance use disorder flowing out of the endless stream of bad news, or become homeless or food insecure. There is a lot of need out there – perhaps now more than ever.

The focus of this month’s edition of Syracuse Woman Magazine is philanthropy, and we’ve focused our attention on some of the people and organizations who are putting their time, effort and money into building a better, stronger community.

On the cover is Vicki Brackens, a local businesswoman who has created the Jelly Bean Angel Fund, which provides money and support for budding entrepreneurs, mostly women and people of color. It is Vicki’s passion to finally say “Yes!” to people who are used to be told “No.”

We also meet Karen Belcher, the new executive director of the Food Bank of Central New York. Karen describes how food insecurity has sharply increased during 2020, and what the Food Bank is doing to combat this growing need.

And we explore the arts community in Central New York, where empty theaters and cancelled festivals have left so many artists without work and arts organizations on the brink of collapse. We talked to the people at CNY Arts to find out how the community can help support these people and organizations that bring so much joy into our lives. 2020 has been a terrible year, but there are many people putting their effort and resources into ensuring those that are struggling the most receive the supports they need to make it through this difficult time. They deserve our thanks and praise.

David Tyler

SyracuseWomanMag.com contact@syracusewomanmag.com

PUBLISHER David Tyler dtyler@eaglenewsonline.com DESIGN Andrea Reeves

PHOTOGRAPHERS Austin Gebhardt Alice G. Patterson Nancy Miller David Tyler CONTRIBUTORS Alyssa Dearborn Farah Jadran Jason Klaiber Heather Shannon Dr. Shane Sopp David Tyler

Cover photo by Alice G. Patterson

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The American Heart Association Go Red for Women and Circle of Red getting it done Virtual Style!

The Circle of Red Reception, sponsored by Stickley Audi & Co., had over 116 virtual participants and is anticipated to raise over $30,000 from this virtual event . A great time was had by all who zoomed in as the AHA Syracuse raised awareness for the #1 Killer of Women, heart disease. Photos courtesy of: Me'Shae Rolling, Franchise Owner/Operator, EventPrep, Inc.