Author: Saratoga TODAY

SARATOGA SPRINGS ­— Pitney Meadows Community Farm welcomes its new Executive Director, Lynn Trizna, who began shortly after Labor Day. 

An experienced farm manager well -versed in organic and sustainable farm practices, Lynn has a passion for preserving farmland, strengthening local farms, and inspiring communities to grow their own food. Photo provided.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Dr. Sidharth Jogani has joined Saratoga Hospital Medical Group – Pulmonology and Sleep Medicine. He specializes in treating breathing-related conditions and providing inpatient critical care.

Demand for pulmonologists, or lung doctors, has long been on the rise due, in part, to a growing senior population. The need has become even greater during the pandemic because COVID-19 is a serious lung disease.

Jogani comes to Saratoga Hospital from Northwest Medical Center in Bentonville, Arkansas. After earning a medical degree from Rural Medical College of Pravara Medical Trust in India, he completed an internship and residency at SUNY Upstate Medical University in Syracuse and a fellowship at Albany Medical Center. Jogani is board certified in internal medicine with subspecialty certifications in critical care medicine and pulmonary disease.

 He sees patients at 19 West Avenue in Saratoga Springs and at Saratoga Medical Park at Malta. For an appointment, call 518-693-4635. To learn more, go to www.saratogahospital.org.

Glens Falls — Seeley Office Systems hired Ashtin Givens as a Business Development Specialist.

Givens brings with her nearly six years of experience in business development and client management. She has worked in many different industries and has helped support organizations both big and small. Givens holds a B.S. in Human Development & Family Relations from SUNY Plattsburgh. During that time, Givens was heavily involved in community involvement and engagement.

In her roles prior to joining Seeley Office Systems, Givens was responsible for cultivating new business relationships in the greater Capital Region. Her focus on brand awareness and her ability to create meaningful partnerships have contributed to her successes throughout her career. For more information go to: www.seeleyoffice.com.

ALBANY — The Bernard & Millie Duker Children’s Hospital at Albany Med received a donation of approximately $30,000 from Dunkin’ via a recent Iced Coffee Day campaign. 

During the one-day event on August 26, Dunkin’ franchisees donated $1 from every cup of Iced Coffee sold at participating Dunkin’ restaurants to the children’s hospital. Since its inception in 2012, Iced Coffee Day has now generated more than $275,000 for the Bernard & Millie Duker Children’s Hospital at Albany Med. 

The Bernard & Millie Duker Children’s Hospital at Albany Med is a 125-bed facility devoted exclusively to the medical needs of infants, children and adolescents and is the referral center for all seriously ill and injured children from 25 counties in upstate New York and western New England.  It is staffed by 140 physicians trained in 40 subspecialties and more than 400 pediatric nurses, therapists, social workers and child life specialists.

SARATOGA SPRINGS – The Academy for Lifelong Learning is the recipient of a $3,500 grant from the Stewart’s/Dake Family. The funds will be used to convert in-person educational classes and social activities to virtual offerings through Zoom.

“In March, we were forced to cancel our spring term eliminating 32 classes for retired seniors in our community. We took a hit financially and fundraising came to a halt,” Executive Director, Jeff Shinaman, said in a statement. “Thankfully, this grant is allowing us to purchase Zoom licenses and training for our volunteer study group leaders as we continue to inform and educate our 500 members.”

Twenty classes, most by Zoom, are currently offered during the Academy’s fall semester and continue through early November. A first-ever winter term is also being planned to start Jan. 11 with registration in November. A spring term will begin in early April. Annual membership through June 30, 2021 is $65. Eight-week classes are offered at $50 and four-week classes are $25.

Founded in 1992, the Academy is a nonprofit, membership organization whose members share a love of learning. For more information, contact the Academy office at 518-587-2100 ext. 2390 or go to www.esc.edu/all.

The Empire State Development announced last week that Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) recipients are now eligible to receive low-interest loans from the New York Forward Loan Fund (NYFLF). 

This conditional change will provide the Fund’s network of lenders and financial institutions with greater flexibility and enable them to provide more small businesses with working capital to cover expenses associated with reopening. 

“The coronavirus pandemic was an unprecedented challenge to the state’s business community, of which 98% are small businesses,” ESD Acting Commissioner, and President and CEO-delegate Eric Gertler said in a statement. “Providing assistance and opportunity – particularly to our state’s minority- and women-owned businesses – to help them reopen is essential toward revitalizing our economy and building New York back better.” 

When the NYFLF launched in May, the goal was to help small businesses that did not receive PPP funding with flexible working capital to reopen and adapt to post-COVID needs. Companies with 20 employees or less make up 90% of New York’s business community, and it was critical to provide a funding lifeline to those businesses shut out of federal assistance.   

However, some NYFLF applicants who needed assistance were deemed ineligible because they had already received PPP funds. 

NYFLF Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) have begun contacting previously ineligible applicants to determine if they are still interested in funding and begin the underwriting process. This is limited to small businesses who received $50,000 or less in PPP assistance. The fund is prepared to process the new applications from this change while also working with existing applicants. Small business who did not receive any federal assistance are still eligible and encouraged to apply. Additionally, the program goal of providing at least 60% of loans to Minority- and Women-Owned Business Enterprises (MWBEs) remains, and that goal will not change due to the newly expanded eligibility. 

Eligible small businesses and small residential landlords can apply for a 60-month, no-fee loan with a 3% fixed interest rate; while eligible non-profits can apply for a 60-month, no-fee loan at 2% fixed interest. The maximum loan amount is $100,000. Loan funds can be used for working capital including payroll, operating and emergency maintenance, property taxes, utilities and costs associated with refitting physical space to follow social distancing guidelines. More information is available online at nyloanfund.com. 

For more information on Regional Councils and Empire State Development, go to: www.regionalcouncils.ny.gov and www.esd.ny.gov.