Women of Influence 2011 Saratoga County’s Top 6
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Saratoga TODAY proudly recognizes six Saratoga County women for their incredible and unique contributions to our community. In previous years, the Women of Influence awards contest was limited to five recipients. As we proudly honor Cindy Munter, Jaime Williams, Mary Caroline Powers, Michelle Larkin, Rabbi Linda Motzkin and Sara Mannix– the record-breaking 2011 Women of Influence, it is time to begin thinking about our next set of nominees. Thanks to the overwhelming response from you, our readers, in submitting your 2011 nominations, a tie between two contestants could not be broken. We hope to see an even greater response in 2012.
2012 Nomination Instructions: The Top 5 Women of Influence awards will honor women who have been making headlines. Saratoga TODAY is looking for candidates who are shaping the future of Saratoga County – women who stand-out in their fields and who each demonstrate a commitment to business growth, professional excellence and our overall community. The 2012 nomination deadline is March 19. The top 5 Women of Influence Awards will be presented to honorees on May 16.
Abbreviated nomination form: Entries must meet initial selection criteria to be considered for an award: • Must be a female resident of Saratoga County or employed in Saratoga County • Cannot be a member of the judges’ panel or a member of the judges’ immediate family Each nomination should include a cover page and biographical profile with the following information presented in this order:
Cover page: • Nominee: name, current position, company, address, contact information, length of employment, size of organization • Nominator: name, relation to nominee, day-time phone number
Biographical profile: Detail the nominee's impact and success within each of the three sections, along with their relevant awards and accomplishments. I. Professional Accomplishments II. Community Involvement III. Advocacy for Women To download the extended nomination form with more detailed descriptions of the requirements, visit www.saratogatodaynewspaper.com. Please mail completed packages (with cover page and biographical profile) to:
Saratoga TODAY 5 Case Street, Saratoga Springs, NY 12866 or e-mail to cbushee@saratogapublishing.com Faxed entries will not be accepted
Women of Influence 2011 Saratoga County’s Top 6
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Women Publisher Chad Beatty
General Manager Robin Mitchell Special Projects Writer Helen Susan Edelman Editor Yael Goldman
of Influence 2011 Graphic Designer Katy Holland
Account Executive Jim Daley Cindy Durfey Photographer Mark Bolles Printing Leader Herald
Art Director Tiffany Garland
Saratoga TODAY Newspaper Five Case Street, Saratoga Springs, NY 12866 tel: 518.581.2480, fax: 518.581.2487 • SaratogaPublishing.com
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Cindy Munter: C “What we have done for ourselves alone dies with us; What we have done for others and the world remains and is immortal.”
- Albert Pike
by Yael Goldman Saratoga TODAY
indy Munter is the kind of woman who graciously, and quietly,
gives back. The stay-at-home mom is working to better her community and instill a love of civic duty in children, whom she hopes will grow into compassionate, service-minded adults. “It’s important for my kids to see that what you do for others around you really matters. I have to live by example,” Cindy said. As a mother and former educator with a diverse background (she holds a bachelor’s degree from Skidmore College, where she studied Spanish literature, and a curriculum development and instructional technology Masters from SUNY Albany), Cindy is using her skills and
an Unusual Privilege
experiences to make positive changes. She is actively involved in four local organizations that strive to improve separate social areas, although their missions are permanently linked as aspects of our community: Saratoga County Economic Opportunity Council’s (EOC), Latino Advocacy Program, The Saratoga Regional YMCA’s Scholarship Program, Skidmore College’s “Friends of Skidmore Athletics” Committee, and St. Clement’s Catholic School’s Cultural Arts Program. For her, being a mom goes handin-hand with volunteer work. “It’s a great job,” she said. “I can do this at my own pace, and when my kids need me most I can be there for them.” With her children in mind and her heart in each of these missions, Cindy’s efforts affect an entire cross-section of our community. Nine years ago, a unique experience at Saratoga Hospital inspired Cindy to join EOC’S Latino Community Advocacy Program. The first-time mother was holding her newborn son Gabriel, eager to share with him the joy and comfort of his new life in the Munter home, when her world overlapped with a harsh reality. “That same day an immigrant mother who also just gave birth found out she wasn’t able to bring her baby home because she lived in a barn. It was December,” Cindy explained. At the time, there was not an EOC program to prevent a situation like this from happening, and Cindy was in shock. “Something like that shouldn’t happen; people in Saratoga Springs should not be living in barns, in the middle of winter; they should be getting the right care,” she said. “There is this misconception that Saratoga is a wealthy town, while there is this group that lives and works in our community and has great [unfulfilled] needs.” Realizing that her own ability to bring Gabriel home was in fact a privilege and a fortune, Cindy was compelled to remedy this remarkable inconsideration. She started volunteering and fundraising for the Latino Advocacy Program, which offers educational services for those in need and promotes awareness throughout the community. Through the EOC, Latino immigrants can take English
as a Second Language (ESL) courses, find translation services, and receive help with things like health insurance that address very basic needs. Without this program, which relies on donations and is on the verge of being cut, there would be nowhere for these families and individuals to turn to for help. Cindy has been instrumental in securing money, and has helped double the program’s fundraising goals through grant writing and event planning. She is involved with the program’s major fundraiser Vision, a black and white photo exhibit that portrays the community from immigrant perspectives. She’s currently preparing for the 2011 annual exhibit, which will be on display at Saratoga Race Course August 9, from 5:30 to 8 pm. “The project brings attention to a group of people that are here yearround, not just during the summer. They work in our restaurants, on our farms, and they’re out of the public eye,” she said. “Vision offers a look at life behind the scenes.” As a volunteer and board member for the Saratoga Regional YMCA, Cindy is dedicated to making important programs available to another community group. She is active in planning the “We Build People” annual scholarship campaign and volunteers for the annual Golf Classic, which will take place June 29 at Saratoga National Golf Club. Both events benefit the
scholarship fund, which ensures that no community member is denied the opportunity to participate in YMCA programs due to an inability to pay. “The YMCA gives out so much money, and they don’t turn anyone away,” Cindy said. “Scholarships provide subsidized memberships for youth, teens, families, military members, and so many other community members in need.” Though Skidmore College and St. Clement’s Regional Catholic School are private institutions, they both add separate and unique value to our overall community, and also require volunteer support. Cindy is dedicated to Friends of Skidmore Athletics both as a 1995 graduate and a mother whose children utilize the facilities. The committee raises money for the athletic department, to fund maintenance and facility improvement projects that tuition alone cannot support. As proof that the campus is not a segregate parcel, Skidmore opens its fields and doors to host camps, area leagues and school districts. “It’s important to me because my children, and many others, use those facilities,” she said. “I’m not just an alumna; I’m a community person getting involved to help with participation and sponsorships.” Similarly, Cindy works to improve St. Clement’s cultural arts offerings, and only partly because her nine-year-old son Gabriel and six-year-old daughter Anneliese are students there. Her most significant accomplishment as second-year volunteer co-chair for the program was
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securing an $11,000 grant that went toward artist and author visits (including awardwinning writer Brian Floca), special educational events and exciting fieldtrips. Curriculum-enriching programs like these “take learning to a whole new level.” They introduce students to “new cultures and inspire them to pursue their dreams,” Cindy said. With her hands and heart in so many aspects of our community, Cindy Munter, who is described by her peers as generous and passionate, is certainly doing her part to make a difference. And while Cindy finds comfort in seeing exactly how these efforts benefit her neighbors, one of the more important aspects of conducting community service is the message it sends to her children. “I have to live by example,” she said.
About Saratoga County Economic Opportunity Council’s Latino Community Advocacy Program: The Latino Community Advocacy Program (LCAP), which was created in 2005 through a community development block grant from the City of Saratoga Springs and a grant from Stanford University, addresses the special needs of the Spanish speaking immigrant population in Saratoga County. The goal of the program is to extend EOC’s mission of promoting economic self-sufficiency. The Latino Community Advocacy Program relies on a base of dedicated and enthusiastic volunteers, and is always looking for new contributors and support. How you can get involved: Anyone interested in volunteering with fundraising, tutoring or interpreting should contact the EOC at (518) 587-3158 or visit www.saratogaeoc.org. You may also help LCAP reach its fundraising goal by making a taxdeductible donation, or show your support by visiting the Vision black and white photo exhibit on August 9, from 5:30 to 8 pm at Saratoga R a c e Course.
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Jaime Williams: One Child at a Time S by Helen Susan Edelman Saratoga TODAY ome days Jaime Williams has backto-back meetings. Others, she has to fix a toilet. “It’s definitely not a desk job,” says the program director for Project Lift, a unique, free, after school prevention program for at-risk youth in first through fifth grade that promotes positive self-esteem and the development of decision-making and communication skills. Operated by the nonprofit human service agency, Franklin Community Center, Project Lift serves children and their families at Greenfield, Lake Avenue and Geyser Road elementary schools, providing structured,
goal-oriented, team-building activities and discussions that cultivate independence and responsibility. Staff is also available to act as liaisons between school staff and parents. In addition to the after school sessions, Project Lift helps children handle problems as wide-ranging as not having health insurance, having their electricity turned off, or being unable to celebrate a holiday with gifts or a special meal. “We make sure that these kids, who may be struggling in school or at home, have someone to walk by their side,” says Williams, who has been at Franklin Community Center for eight years, starting as a family outreach coordinator and progressing to her current position. In addition to her duties with Project Lift, she is also deputy director of Franklin Community Center. Williams is used to doing double duty at home, too. Her husband, Matt, is in the military and sometimes gone for months at a time, leaving her to parent their preschool daughter, Mia, alone (with help from her mother and the good company of her
beloved dog, Harley). “I learned how to use a snow blower this year,” she explains. “You prioritize. If there’s a crumb on the counter, you may have to leave it there. We teach the same kind of thing to the kids at Project Lift.” In the past, the perception was that Project Lift was for “problem kids,” Williams knows. “But it’s for any kid – all of our society’s children are in some way at risk, given what they’re exposed to,” says Williams. “However, the children who do attend the program are often from low-income families, maybe even transient or homeless. They need so much – from a sense of stability to social skills.” She adds, “When Project Lift was first founded in the ‘80s, there may have been some stigma attached to it – but now the kids want to be there. It’s cool. We have a Facebook page. All kids are there voluntarily, referred by their parents, teachers, staff and principals. We have kids walking in asking if they can join. There is absolutely no problem with recruitment or retention.” Sixty to 75 children are “Lifters” at any given time; add to that their family members, and the program touches about 150 Saratoga Springs school district residents throughout the year. In addition to overseeing the program, Williams goes to several after school groups each week and is a handson member of the team. Besides the professionals who run the sessions, high schoolers often participate, serving as role models for the younger students. Williams notes that these older youths also absorb some important messages: don’t
“Children are the world’s most valuable resource and its best hope for the future.” - John Fitzgerald Kennedy
smoke, don’t do drugs, don’t drink. “They learn to refuse risky behaviors,” Williams says. “In our groups, kids have a chance to indentify and talk about their feelings,” says Williams. “I mean, they all know ‘happy’ and ‘sad,’ but it’s harder – and just as important – for them to be able to describe when they are ‘anxious,’ and what makes them anxious. Most recently, there was talk about ‘hate’ after Osama bin Laden was caught, and the differences between ‘dislike’ and ‘hate,’ ‘like’ and ‘love,’ and what is ok to say to your mother when you’re mad.” Conversations about topics such as “the difference between tattling and reporting” are part of the program’s curriculum, explains Williams, “for children who don’t talk about these
things at home. You can’t take it for granted that these kids are developing those kinds of skills and insights.” Under Williams’s direction, Project Lift has been recognized as a New York State Exemplary Program and was successfully nominated by the New York State Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services to become an evidence-based model program that can be replicated and marketed, creating a much-needed income stream in a tough economy. To be evidence-based, outcome data needs to be collected and analyzed; a Skidmore College intern will do that statistical work, Williams said, emphasizing how important it is for the
Women of Influence 2011 Saratoga County’s Top 6
Friday, May 20, 2011 community to be involved with social service programs as volunteers or donors. “It’s a long road, but knowing that New York State believes in us is phenomenal,” Williams says. Outside of school, Lifters and their families have access to other Franklin Community Center services, including referral and advocacy, free clothing and food, summer camp scholarships and school supplies. Also, family events and presentations are scheduled throughout the year, enabling Lifters to benefit from diverse social interaction and become productive community members. Currently, Project Lift receives funding from the Alfred Z. Solomon Charitable Trust, Saratoga Gaming & Raceway Foundation, The New York State Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services, The Office of Children and Family Services, the Saratoga Springs City School District (through Safe and Drug Free Schools), the Town of Greenfield and the City of Saratoga Springs. Community donations and fundraisers supplement grant funding. (For more about fundraisers, check out www.franklincommunitycenter.org or call (518) 587-9826.) Williams also works with The Partnership for Prevention, a local coalition of community leaders, organizations and citizens dedicated to decreasing youths’ substance use, supporting families through the teen years, developing better relationships between youths and adults, and reinforcing family and community norms against drug use; and with Parent
University, a program that works through the school district to provide parents with information on topics such as how to deal with bullying or prescription drug abuse. Williams, her husband, Matt, her daughter, Mia, and her in-laws in Clifton Park integrate helping the people she serves at work with their personal lives, attending the fundraisers and making donations, such as turkeys at the holidays. Preschooler Mia also has learned to sort through clothes as she outgrows them and give them to Franklin Community Center, where they will be distributed at no charge to those in need. “It’s a lifestyle,” she admits. “There’s always a reason to push up my sleeves. I’ve even had to dig the mailbox out from under snow. Sometimes people need an affordable place to rent, sometimes they need a can opener. You would be surprised, in this economy, to know that people who used to donate to us are now using our services. Luckily, there are lots of people who help – local businesses, church groups, civic groups and individuals who bring groceries and household items for us to give away.” Williams knew from an early age that she wanted to be involved in a helping profession. Her mother was an aide to kids with disabilities and Williams would join them when her mother arranged outings in the community. She enjoyed the experience. “Really, what refuels me is lending a helping hand,” Williams concluded. “My karma bank is full.”
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Mary Caroline Powers: Educate to Innovate by Yael Goldman Saratoga TODAY
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n educator by nature, Mary Caroline Powers has built a 44year career on the power of information and the significance of the written word. Mary Caroline, who began her career as a traditional educator teaching high school English in the Scotia-Glenville Central School system, is now, years later, making higher education available to adult students through online and independent study programs. The 30-year
Saratoga Springs resident is currently vice president for the Office of Communications and Government Relations at SUNY Empire State College, a unique department that she envisioned and built. From the college’s Saratoga Springs headquarters, Mary Caroline and her team are directing an expansive outreach initiative, which involves strategic marketing campaigns and publications for ESC, connecting students with their educational dreams and lobbying for legislative change. The college creates hundreds of publications, makes its own posters, handbooks and promotional materials,
and it’s all printed on-site under Mary Caroline’s wing. Empire State College, which has 35 locations across the state, reaches students, many of them adults, across the U.S. and in 50 countries through its distance learning and independent study opportunities. Since joining the SUNY Empire State College team 11 years ago, Mary Caroline has used her talent for communication to promote the “open university,” subsequently positioning herself as an international innovator in education, particularly for adult students. Adults make up a significant percentage of the college population nationwide, and they have different needs than the traditional (18 to 22-year-old) students that most academic programs are designed for. They don’t have the time or the inclination to sit in a lecture hall; many of them are working and/or leading families, and have enough professional experience behind them to know precisely what they want to study and need to learn. Determined to remedy inequities in the system for adult learners, like lacking financial aid opportunities, Mary Caroline is a “galvanizing force” behind lobbying efforts with state and federal legislators. With the help of her team – the group of talented wordsmiths, visual artists and forwardthinkers that make up the Office of Communications and Governmental Relations – Mary Caroline is making an effort to change the way our government treats non-traditional students by pro moting “open education.”
“I don’t think that, until very recently, there has been [widespread] understanding of higher education for adult learners,” she said. “There is a lack of awareness reflected in legislation.” But that’s quickly changing. Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and SUNY Chancellor Dr. Nancy L. Zimpher recently unveiled the NYSUNY 2020 Challenge Grant Program, a program that invests in higher education and improves the education of those already in the workforce to drive New York State’s economic development. It seems that state officials are joining Mary Caroline’s campaign. Her impact is powerful and clear: Mary Caroline is a known advocate for accessible, quality public education, particularly for underserved populations. She is guiding big changes in how higher education is perceived and delivered. From her third floor office, with its exquisite view of Congress Park, Mary Caroline is directing the future of learning, and not entirely from a distance. Throughout her varied and colorful professional history, the charismatic leading lady has never strayed from her calling as a teacher, nor her natural ability to write.
Mary Caroline’s resume reflects many unforeseen career shifts, so much so that one might say she experienced a little bit of everything, perhaps in an effort to keep things interesting. Prior to joining SUNY ESC, Mary Caroline was a teacher and then a well-known media figure with a more than 25-year career in the public eye. She landed her first live gig as the weekend weather reporter for Channel 6, and advanced to become the first female news anchor on Channel 10. Still dedicated to inform her readers about the issues, people and events impacting their community, Mary Caroline made the transition to print media in 1987, writing and editing for local and then national publications. She received many awards for her reporting and column writing. She has done it all– from teaching high school English to studying literary theory, from editing newspapers to delivering the news as a television anchor. Through all of her professional callings, Mary Caroline has been responsible for the most valuable agent of social change: information. “It’s incredible how I was able to take all those things, all of that richness of my education, a couple of
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“Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at 20 or 80. Anyone who keeps learning stays young. The greatest thing in life is to keep your mind young.” - Henry Ford good skills, the written word and then video, and apply them here,” she said, explaining how her many professional soapboxes culminate in her position with SUNY ESC. “It’s a pretty exciting thing to be able to say at my age,” she said. Mary Caroline loves what she is doing– everything from promoting legislative amendments, to planning special events that draw hundreds of students and faculty to Saratoga Springs, and writing editorial content that pushes adult learners back into their studies. She has a real presence in our community, one that has grown and transformed through her many professional and personal experiences, bringing Mary Caroline to what is, perhaps, her most influential standpoint yet. As stated in one of her Women of Influence nomination forms, “all of this brings Saratoga Springs sharply into public view in a positive light, bolstering the economy and drawing an intellectually sophisticated cohort to the area.” When she isn’t promoting SUNY ESC, Mary Caroline Powers is involved with Soroptimist International of Saratoga County, a service organization of business and professional women committed to enhancing the quality of life for women and
girls in Saratoga County, the nation and the world. It is part of the international organization Soroptimist International of the Americas, Inc. The organization awards grants to women to help upgrade their employment status and to further their education, and to youth, recognizing their contributions to their homes, schools, and communities. Each year the Saratoga County Soroptimists distribute proceeds from their fundraising efforts to non-profit organizations serving the needs of women and girls in Saratoga County. Support this cause: The 2011 Secret Gardens Tour on Sunday, June 16 from 11 am to 5 pm features a fabulous mix of creative in-town spaces, lovely English country gardens, and inspiring perennial beds designed around fountains, fish ponds and woodlands. The Secret Gardens Tour is a daylong, self-guided tour, featuring a dozen gardeners in the heart of the city and a short drive from Saratoga Springs. The Secret Gardens Tour is one of Soroptimist of Saratoga County’s major fund-raisers. Last year $15,000 was raised for Domestic Violence Services and other programs. For more information, or to submit your garden tour information, email secretgardensinfo@gmail.com or visit www.soroptimistsaratoga.org.
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MichelleRaising Larkin: the Roof
by Helen Susan Edelman Saratoga TODAY
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ichelle L a r k i n ’s h o m e on the edge of Saratoga Springs is her oasis. “It embraces and embodies family. It’s not fancy, but it’s where I feel good when I wake up and good at the end of the day,” she says. These strong sentiments are a driver in Larkin’s dedication to Rebuilding Together Saratoga County, the organization she founded and serves today as executive director. Rebuilding Together Saratoga County is a coalition of volunteers and community members that work together to improve the homes and lives of many homeowners in need, especially the elderly, the disabled, veterans and the financially disadvantaged. Specifically, the volunteers contribute their energies to making physical repairs to homes, ranging from plumbing to painting. “The goal is to help them live in warmth, safety and independence,” Larkin says. “Some of the homes we see have rain water collected in pots indoors or have big holes in the floor. We do what we can to repair the damage.” There is never a cost to the homeowner. Rebuilding Together Saratoga County is one of 232 affiliates across the country of
Washington, D.C.-based Rebuilding Together, the nation’s largest volunteer home-rehabilitation organization. With the support of private industry, individuals, communities and 275,000 volunteers in 46 states, Rebuilding Together works to preserve and revitalize more than 1,800 U.S. communities by upgrading approximately 10,000 owner-occupied homes and community centers each year. “The thought of how some people live before we come in makes me sad,” Larkin admits, “especially when there are kids involved. I believe everybody should be able to come home to a place that is comfortable and safe.” Those who need assistance may be referred by social services, may have seen the group in action elsewhere, get information via word of mouth or from the website at www.rebuildingtogethersaratoga.or g. There are eligibility guidelines to participate in the program, and each applicant is considered on a caseby-case basis. The venture started in 2003 when Larkin and her husband, Dan, a sergeant with the New York State Police, were participating in a Rebuilding Together project in another city as part of a church group. “On the bus trip home, I thought, ‘We need one of these in our own area,’” recalls Larkin. “I vocalized it to someone – and then I knew I really had to do it. I was accountable.” Larkin began by sending out a letter to her friends. “I’ve got great friends, that’s why this has succeeded,” she says. “My friends brought
“A community needs a soul if it is to become a true home for human beings. You, the people, must give it this soul.” – Pope John Paul II
their friends, and those people brought their friends.” The group and its capacities grew exponentially. In 2004, its first year of operation, Rebuilding Together Saratoga County had 100 volunteers and six projects. In 2010, the organization had more than 600 volunteers and completed 75 projects. “Some people volunteer three times a week, some volunteer three times a y e a r.
We have people at all skill levels with different things to offer. Some are professionals, like a plumber, or retired handymen, some are high school students participating for community service credits. Everyone is welcome,” Larkin notes. Liverpool, NY-native Larkin ran the organization as an unpaid volunteer for four years as a “labor of love,” she says, as she built and shaped it. Though she has been known to hoist a hammer, now she has her hands full steering the complex administration of Rebuilding Together Saratoga County. She is involved in every aspect of operations — from recruiting to fundraising, from reviewing applications for help to making site visits, from learning about handicapped ramps to public speaking. In some seasons, the job requires seven days a week on call, making sure efforts run smoothly. One reason Larkin has been such an able spearhead is the entrepreneurial background that prepared her for the marketplace. In the past, she owned her own yarn store in downtown Saratoga Springs and worked in sales for a national company. She also coordinated the Arts and Education Program for the Schuylerville School District, where her own son and daughter
attended school. (Her son, Shane, is now in the Armed Forces; her daughter, Erica, is a college student.) “These experiences were good models for learning how to interact with all kinds of people,” she says. Also, she points out, the nonprofit world is not without business demands. Rebuilding Together Saratoga County has to compete for precious donor dollars with other worthy organizations soliciting funds; customer service skills are necessary to work with board members, donors, recipients of services and volunteers; budgets have to be controlled; and human resources have to be effectively allocated. And, like any good business person, she keeps the profile of the organization fresh and contemporary with a website, an informational video and a Facebook presence. Whether the efforts are manual or cerebral, the goal is always the same: “To help,” she says. “And, I have to say it’s fascinating. I love working with the board of directors – wonderful people who don’t get the recognition they deserve — and I love working with the volunteers and meeting the people we serve. The work is all meaningful.” She notes that some generous corporate sponsors, including Curtis Lumber, Allerdice, Quad Graphics and Roohan Realty, among others, have made it possible for the organization to continue its good work despite the shortage of funds in today’s economy. (Rebuilding Together Saratoga
County does not receive government funding.) Additionally, volunteer crews bolster the success of the organization. Private donations and help from charitable organizations, like Soroptomists, also help, and Larkin reports that “with community support, we are able to leverage each dollar donated to us three to four times its value in services given back to the community.” Last year, time was donated by workers from Gilbane Building Co., Roohan Realty, Kodiak Construction, Informz, Soroptimist’s, SUNY Empire State
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College, Clough Harbour & Associates, Sunrise Rotary, Saratoga Springs Rotary, GlaxoSmithKline, SEFCU, Bank of America, Presbyterian New England Congregational Church, Quaker Springs Methodist Church, Unitarian Universalist Congregation and Keller Williams. The organization also mounts fundraisers – two coming up in the next few weeks are a plant and yard sale and a golf tournament. (More information at (518) 695-3315.) “We are always grateful when someone offers to help, either with money or with time,” says Larkin. “One of my jobs in looking at an application is assessing whether we have the right resources to do the job. It has been especially challenging recently in this bad economy. People have let things go much longer on their houses and there is less money to go around. When people from outside the organization step up to the plate, it makes a big difference.” She is optimistic: “I think people naturally want to help each other, particularly in situations of devastation,” says Larkin. “It feels good to do good – especially when it’s neighbor helping neighbor. And we have the need in Saratoga County.” Larkin says the work is “spiritual, but not religious.” A member of the Presbyterian church, Larkin dis-
cusses faith in terms of “how you relate to others, how you treat them.” She admits that as much as she takes pleasure in knowing her efforts are benefiting others, she still gets exhausted and needs to “unplug.” So at night, she reads. But the real secret to her energy is that, “it keeps me going that people appreciate what we do,” she says. “And when I have time, I think about the bigger vision: how can we help more people, more ways? How can we raise more money so we are spending our time on projects and not worrying about surviving? How can we get more people involved?” Larkin says her position has really opened her eyes to how people live on $15,000 a year. But I try not to become enmeshed, to become too emotionally involved, or I won’t be effective. We have to focus on what we’re there to do.” In the end, says Larkin, “Life is about being able to look in the mirror and say ‘there’s a need and I can fill it,’ and doing it. All together, we can keep our community vibrant and strong.”
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“The world is moved not only by the mighty shoves of the heroes, but also by the aggregate of the tiny pushes of each honest worker.” - Helen Keller
Friday, May 20, 2011
Rabbi Linda Motzkin: Taking the World in for Repairs
by Helen Susan Edelman Saratoga TODAY
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wenty-five years ago, Rabbis Linda Motzkin and Jonathan Rubenstein, about to be ordained by the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in Cincinnati and parents of a baby girl, came to Saratoga Springs with a bold proposal for Temple Sinai. The wife and husband offered to fill the synagogue’s rabbi post as a team. When the visionary Temple board of directors agreed to the experiment, the couple became the first married rabbis in the world to job-share the sole rabbinic position in a synagogue. “We wanted to be partners in all areas of life,” says Motzkin, a Poughkeepsie native raised in California. “We didn’t want to compromise on being either parents or rabbis, and we didn’t want to work in separate congregations. We wanted to live, work and raise our family in the same community. We didn’t want to divide the family.” The original agreement in 1986 was for two years; the rabbis and the congregation have been flourishing ever since. The family expanded to include another daughter and a son, and the temple roster burgeoned with members wanting to be part of both the religious and social activities of the Reform congregation. During the rabbis’ tenure, the congregation has grown from around 60 to more than 200 households. With Temple Sinai as the base for her work, as well as her core community, Motzin has been able to pursue her passions for teaching Judaism, for artistic pursuits and for engaging in tikkun olam. “Tikkun olam” is a Hebrew phrase that refers to the idea that human beings are charged with “fixing the world and making it a better place in
any way we can,” she says, “from alleviating the suffering of a single human being to dealing with larger, systemic issues of social injustice, like hunger.” As a leader of Temple Sinai, Motzkin is proud of the congregation’s engagement in community activities such as staffing the E.O.C. soup kitchen once a month; operating Slice of Heaven Breads, a nonprofit, cooperative bakery directed by her husband, Rabbi Rubenstein; and presenting speakers and programs to the community on issues ranging from vegetarianism to Israel-Arab relations. She is similarly pleased with the caring community within the Temple that steps up to help each other in times of need, one-to-one. Motzkin’s personal involvement extends to sitting on the Ethics Committee at Saratoga Hospital, where she also serves as a volunteer chaplain on call to patients of any faith; and to her position as the Jewish chaplain at Skidmore College, where she has guided Jewish students and participated in interfaith and community-based efforts for a quarter of a century. She is also on the steering committee of the Adirondack Religious Coalition for Choice; a member of the Capital District Board of Rabbis and the Rabbinic Cabinet of the United Jewish Communities; and works with Jewish and secular groups promoting peace, human rights and interfaith dialogue. The rabbis’ three children have inherited their parents’ impulse to serve. The oldest, Ruhi, is studying to be a rabbi; son Ari has accepted a position with an environmental organization; and the youngest, Shira, is going to work this summer at a rape crisis center. Additionally, Motzkin has authored several text books designed to teach Hebrew to adults that are used around the world by Jews and non-Jews who want to read the Holy Scriptures in the original language. Four of her six books, a series published by the URJ Press, acknowledge people in Saratoga Springs who helped pilot the program. “I wrote them to help open the doorway to the world of sacred text to people who don’t want to read translations which have been filtered and interpreted for them. Learning to read Hebrew helps people access the fullest meaning of the texts for themselves,” Motzkin says. One central project that enables Motzkin both to explore the deep meanings of her religion and connect to a broad community of Jews and non-Jews is making a Torah scroll. A Torah scroll con-
Women of Influence 2011 Saratoga County’s Top 6
Friday, May 20, 2011
tains the first five books of the Jewish Bible (which is known to Christians as the Old Testament) and is the most sacred ritual object in the Jewish religion. Motzkin is a soferet (scribe), one of fewer than a dozen women in the world who have worked on the writing of a Torah scroll. Motzkin began learning the art of Hebrew calligraphy from master calligrapher David Moss at the Brandeis-Bardin Institute in southern California in 1979, but it wasn’t until 2003 that she met her scribal mentor, Rabbi Dr. Eric Ray. A ritual scribe is mentored and trained by a more senior scribe to handwrite in Hebrew sacred Jewish texts. Many scribes prepare such documents as marriage or divorce contracts and mezuzot - scriptural verses written on parchment that are placed inside decorative cases and mounted on the doorposts of Jewish homes. Besides being artists, practitioners of the scribal arts also need to be religiously observant, of good character and knowledgeable about the laws of Judaism. Motzkin’s first major work as a scribe was the biblical Book of Esther, which she wrote for Temple Sinai in memory of her mother, Evelyn Herszkorn Motzkin. When she works as a scribe, Motzkin wears a head covering (yarmulke) and a tallit katan, a ritual garment. She prays before she begins, and washes her hands from a special two-handled cup (laver). For a scribe, the act of writing is “sacred, holy and conscious,” says Motzkin. “It’s like a meditation.” The Torah project has been an opportunity for Motzkin to combine her love of scripture and Hebrew language, her talent as an artist and her commitment to community. Motzkin has undertaken the extraordinary task of creating her own materials, and may well be the only scribe in the world doing this. (Scribes typically obtain parchment, quills, ink and other materials from scribal suppliers.) This is where the community gets involved. The parchment panels are made from donated deer hides that Motzkin and volunteers stretch and treat in her home workshop; she makes ink with the help of a local chemist; and her quills are turkey feathers from area farms and individual donors. “Many people of different faiths have par-
ticipated in making this Torah,” says Motzkin. “I have recorded the names of virtually everyone who has made a contribution to the project. This list includes the hunters who donate hides, the volunteers who help process the hides into parchment, the person who lent me a drill to help build the frames to stretch them on, the farmers who let me collect quill feathers, the people helping to proofread the Torah and those who have contributed money to the project.” More than 700 names have been added to the list of people who have contributed to the Torah since 2007, when the project began. (If she continues at her current pace, Motzkin says it would take 11 more years to complete the Torah.) More than 500 volunteers have participated in proofreading completed panels, sometimes in groups as large as 50. “Many people never have the opportunity to be part of the creation of a holy object,” says Motzkin. “It is deeply satisfying to involve both people at Temple Sinai and beyond in this sacred work.” It couldn’t happen just anywhere, Motzkin is convinced. “Saratoga Springs is a fulfilling and nurturing place,” she says. “This city has a rare and unique spirit that supports community and personal involvement, within the congregation and outside of it.” “I feel blessed to have been able to live and work and raise my kids in the Saratoga Springs area for all these years,” says Motzkin. “We have easy access to natural settings that nourish the soul, there’s a real sense of community, and there’s an appreciation of the arts and of cultural diversity that has nurtured my work, as well as my family life.” June 3-5 will be a weekend to remember as Temple Sinai and the Saratoga Springs community honor Rabbi Linda Motzkin and Rabbi Jonathan Rubenstein with a three-day celebration to mark the 25th anniversary of their ordination and 25 years as co-rabbis of Temple Sinai. The rabbis also will be receiving their honorary Doctor of Divinity degrees from Hebrew Union College in Cincinnati for serving as rabbis for 25 years since their ordination.
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Women of Influence 2011 Saratoga County’s Top 6
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Friday, May 20, 2011
Sara Mannix: The Dot-Com Mom S by Yael Goldman Saratoga TODAY
ara Mannix jokingly refers to herself as a “dot-com mom,” even though there’s no more perfect way to describe her. The local mother of three is president and CEO of Mannix Marketing, a full service, globally-celebrated internet marketing company, which she launched in 1996 when businesses were just learning how to use the “World Wide Web.” She is an innovator, an industry pioneer and perhaps the biggest cheerleader for our local business community. Originally from Burnt Hills, Sara began her career in E u r o p e where she worked for Benetton Clothing after gradu-
ating from college with a double major in Spanish and Italian. Longing for the comforts of her home region and all its tourism appeal, she returned to the area and got a job as a media buyer for West Mountain – the position that unexpectedly inspired Mannix Marketing. It was 1995 and Sara was looking to hire a web company to build West Mountain’s Internet presence. At the time, developers were focused on the aesthetic rather than strategic aspects of websites. Sara could find the talent to “lay out” the site, but no one knew how to get them found. “It’s not just about having a pretty website,” she said.
“If they couldn’t get us found, I knew it was up to me.” So Sara started studying “searches,” and it wasn’t long before she’d figured out an important part of Google’s algorithm; how to get to “number one.” With this best kept secret in her hands, Sara held what those web companies were lacking. “Before I knew it, I had a business,” she said. Mannix Marketing took on its first client, a hospitality corporation, and strategically planted them in first place for “Lake George” and “lodging” searches. Always a big supporter of tourism in our region, Sara became passionate about helping grow the industry that has such an incredible impact on the local economy. “We all benefit from tourism here,” Sara, who paid for her college education by waitressing in Lake George, said. She viewed Mannix Marketing, the company that quickly grew from her “a-ha moment,” as a way to attract people to her community and bring more jobs to the area. This small startup company, which immediately caught a reputation for helping businesses get found on the Web, was serving local businesses, both small and large, and in turn, marketing the region as a whole. Sara saw a difference between marketing for an individual business and promoting that business as a vital component of an industry. She planned for her next ahead-of-thegame, forward-thinking move: regional guides. Mannix Marketing secured regional addresses, like Sara’s “crown jewel” www.Saratoga.org, along with www.Adirondack.net and www.LakeGeorge.com, to promote individual areas, their popular events and attractions, and at the same time market her clients. The company currently operates 24 regional portals that add the final, most unique element to the company’s “complete Internet marketing solution.” “The internet marketing industry
is fast-moving and complex, and Sara Mannix has stayed on the cutting-edge of the trends and changes,” said Jennifer Manz, director of portal marketing at Mannix Marketing. “Sara has provided small business owners with the tools and strategies that allow them to compete on a level playing field with even their largest competitors.” Sara established Mannix Marketing two steps ahead of her competition, and she remains on the forefront of the ever-changing industry, recognizing critical emerging trends before they hit the mainstream and making them resourceful for her clients before anyone else. Most recently, Mannix Marketing entered the mobile arena with the Lake George iPhone app, which has unique features that are new to the local market. And although the company services thousands of national and international clients, Sara Mannix is keeping her regional guides right here where they belong: in her community. “This is where our heart is,” she said. “You have to be passionate about an area to make a site work, and we are very community spirited.”
Using their Adirondack Facebook page as an example, Sara explained that they wouldn’t have more than 100,000 fans if someone from California was writing the content. “You have to love what you market,” she said. It’s quite obvious how Sara – a bubbly mother/CEO – feels about the community her children are growing up in. She volunteers for several organizations, including the Karen & Gary Dake Foundation for Children; St. Joseph’s House of Grace; Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Southern Adirondacks; and Double H Ranch (her favorite). She is unequivocally generous, and uses her business to give back. “Almost every charity that has walked through the doors of Mannix Marketing has received complimentary services,” Manz said. Sara, who has the love and support of her husband, Mark, and her mother, credits her success to the encouragement she still receives every step of the way. “My mom is my woman of inspiration,” Sara said. “She was a nurse and a mother who was always home to welcome her kids off the bus. She
“ You can’t solve a problem on the same level that it was created. You have to rise above it to the next level.” - Albert Einstein
Women of Influence 2011 Saratoga County’s Top 6
Friday, May 20, 2011 did it all, and showed me that I can too.” Like her own mother, Sara always wants to be there when her children (Sean, Kristina and Julia) get home from school. “Half of me is this business, but the other half? I’m a mom, and that’s the most important thing in life,” she said. The “dot-com mom” finds her work naturally rewarding, and claims to be both surprised and honored by this nomination. “It’s important to have support and to encourage the people around you,” she said. “Those working mothers who do it all by themselves, those are the amazing women; the women of influence.” As she humbly accepts this award, you know Sara will be quietly thanking her team. She’s a mother, a wife, a CEO, and a boss who knows how to find the right balance between her family and the real world because she’s inextricably immersed in both. “As women, we need to think about how we can accommodate other mothers; as bosses, we need to allow them to be there for their families,” she said. Double H Ranch The Double H Ranch, co-founded by Charles R. Wood and Paul
Newman, provides specialized programs and year-round support for children and their families dealing with life-threatening illnesses. Their purpose is to enrich the lives of these children and their families by providing camp experiences that are memorable, exciting, fun, empowering, physically safe and medically sound. All programs are free of charge and capture the magic of the Adirondacks. For more information visit www.doublehranch.org. How you can give back: • Boogie Off Broadway at Saratoga Polo on Friday, June 3 from 7 to 11 pm hosted by the Partners of Double H Ranch. The dress code is any black and/or white attire. The event will feature live music by Groove Therapy and delicious food provided by Lily and the Rose Catering. Register online at www.doublehranch.org/partners. The cost to attend is $75 for partners members and $95 for the general public. The Partners group was formed as an extension of the Double H Ranch. Their mission is to raise awareness and increase funding for Ranch programs through memberships and local events. Partners group members receive discounts to Partners-spon-
sored events. • Second Annual Camp Challenge Ride on Saturday, September 10 at noon. Challenge yourself - Change the life of a child! The second annual Camp Challenge Ride will feature
15 mile, 30 mile and 62 mile rides. Cycle through the beautiful Adirondacks and enjoy a pre and post ride event to be held at the Double H Ranch through Team Hole in the Wall. All riders will create their own personal fundraising
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webpage, and will receive training tips and online tools to assist with raising funds and awareness for the Double H. Register online at www.doublehranch.org/team-hole-inwall.html