Author: Saratoga TODAY

SARATOGA SPRINGS —The Board of Directors of the Saratoga Rotary Club reviewed community requests from eight local organizations and made recommendations to the entire membership, which then voted to approve the following: 

Franklin Community Center requested and received $3,000 for their Project Lift Summer Camp; The Saratoga Springs Recreation Department requested and received $3,000 for their Camp Saradac program; Bikeatoga, Inc. requested funds for their Mobile Vehicle Repair program and were awarded $1,626 to be used to add a repair station on the backstretch of Saratoga Race Course; Gateway House of Peace found themselves with an unexpected need for items and requested and received $1,500;  the Saratoga Springs Art District received $1,000 to support the Friday Art Market for 2025; the Saratoga Children’s Literacy League received $1,000 to support their goal of creating 1,000 Early Literacy Bags for community children; The Saratoga Springs Preservation Foundation received $500 to support their mission to preserve and enhance architectural gems, and the Saratoga Sponsor-a-Scholar program received $350 for college education.   

Requests are received and reviewed each month.  For more information on how to apply, go to:  www.saratogaspringsrotary.org.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Saratoga Performing Arts Center announced that Christopher Shiley, SPAC’s former Senior Vice President of Artistic Planning, has been promoted to president. 

Shiley will oversee SPAC’s programming and day-to-day operations in alignment with the organization’s ambitious goals for the future.

Working collaboratively with Elizabeth Sobol, SPAC’s Chief Executive Officer and the Board of Directors, the president will play an essential role in supporting SPAC’s continued growth and the long-term sustainability of the organization.

“Chris has become an invaluable asset to SPAC and to our leadership team over the past seven years,” Sobol said in a statement. “Elevating his role to become SPAC’s President is an important step as we plan for the organization’s future and will allow me, for the first time in my tenure, to focus almost exclusively on strategic matters. In his new position, Chris will oversee SPAC’s programming and operations while I continue my work to guide SPAC’s long-term strategic vision, growth, and financial sustainability.” 

 Shiley joined SPAC in 2018 and is credited with helping to shape the creative vision and direction of SPAC’s programming, in collaboration with Elizabeth Sobol. Prior to joining SPAC, Shiley worked for the international concert-touring company, Classical Movements, where he served as the Festival Director of the Prague Summer Nights Young Artist Music Festival. As a professional musician, Shiley served multiple seasons as the Principal Trumpet of the Baltimore Chamber Orchestra and has a Master of Music from Temple University and a Bachelor of Music from The Peabody Institute of The Johns Hopkins University both in Music Performance.