What should we do with an extra day? That’s a question that first entered my brain in 2000.

I was with the North Central Massachusetts Chamber of Commerce at that time. I had been there for five years. I had seen how much good a strong vibrant well led chamber of commerce could do for its community, its members and the local economy.

But on February 29, 2000, I sat there and wondered how the Chamber might mobilize the community to use this extra day to do something….but what?

Fast forward to 2015, I’m at the Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce, and I saw an opportunity to discuss this idea. 

That fall, we convened a meeting with a bunch of local leaders. People from the nonprofit sector, the for-profit sector and some local philanthropists.

We reminded them that 2016 was a Leap Year. We suggested we find a way to use this extra day for something good. I kept calling it the “extra day initiative.” 

There was interest. People liked the concept. That’s why they showed up. But what should we do or what could we ask our members and people in the community to do with their extra day. 

Bo Goliber, from Fingerpaint, at some point in the discussion, shouted out “Leap of Kindness Day.” 

Everyone said brilliant.

As the representative from GLOBALFOUNDRIES suggested, we then had to figure out how an individual by themselves or a company with 3,000 employees could both participate. 

How might we scale this idea of a Leap of Kindness Day? 

That led us to contact larger local nonprofits to see what we could do to help them. They told us. We need food, clothing, personal care items, money, etc. Setting up a collection drive was reasonably simple for our larger members and they organized drives to meet these local needs. 

Others came to us with their own ideas. Espey Manufacturing wanted to thank our US Navy Sailors with Stewart’s gift cards. The Hampton Inn and Suites, in Saratoga Springs, made breakfast for the Lake Avenue Fire Station. Polyset brought breakfast and lunch to first responders in Clifton Park. The Ballston Spa BPA collected non-skid socks for a local nursing home. 

As we started sharing #leapofkindnessday with our members and our community, other chambers of commerce took notice.

In 2016, we had 52 chambers of commerce in 30 states that asked us if they could share our Leap of Kindness Day idea with their members and communities. We said yes.

Its 2020 now. Four years later. This is another Leap Year. And so we’re again leading the effort to promote Leap of Kindness Day in Saratoga County and beyond. 

New acts of kindness have been announced. 

Customers at Curtis Lumber, for instance, have already bought more than 500 2x4s that Curtis Lumber will be donating to Habitat for Humanity on February 29. 

The Clifton Park Halfmoon Library is collecting funds from patrons for CAPTAIN Community Health Services. T-Shirt Graphics is selling hoodies for just $8 online. All purchases will be donated to the Racetrack Chaplaincy who will give these to backstretch workers.Two website development firms offered to help Kelly’s Angels with a special request. There are collection drives for food, clothes and personal care items already underway. 

This year, we already have more than 160 chambers of commerce in 41 states, Canada and Ireland joining us in celebrating Leap of Kindness Day.

Now, you don’t have to organize a collection drive to participate. Every individual can do something kind for someone else. Make a donation on February 29 to your favorite local charity. Send a thank you note to someone that changed your life. 

February 29 this year is a Saturday. Take your family or friends out for breakfast, lunch, or dinner and TIP big. 

Here in Saratoga, we had the chance to invent Leap of Kindness Day. And the impact is humbling to say the least as more people every day share what they plan to do not just in Saratoga County but across the world. So we ask, what will YOU do with your extra day on February 29, 2020? 

For more information on how you can get involved and make a difference, visit: www.saratoga.org/foundation/leap-of-kindness-day-2020.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Psychologist Vanessa Laird has joined the behavioral health team at Saratoga Community Health Center.

 Laird is fellowship trained in psychology. She comes to Saratoga Hospital from Albany Med, where she was a clinical psychologist and assistant professor.

“Dr. Laird shares our fundamental commitment to supporting and empowering our patients to achieve their health and wellness goals,” said Dr. Renee Rodriguez-Goodemote, medical director, Saratoga Community Health Center, in a statement. 

Laird has a master’s degree in educational psychology and a doctorate in counseling psychology, both from Texas A&M University. She completed a post-doctoral fellowship in clinical psychology at Albany Med and an internship at the Albany Psychology Internship Consortium. In addition to Albany Med, the consortium includes Capital District Psychiatric Center and the Stratton VA Medical Center in Albany.

Saratoga Community Health Center is located at 24 Hamilton St., Saratoga Springs.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — In advance of the Feb. 29 opening of Universal Preservation Hall (UPH), Proctors Collaborative announced the appointment of Dorothy “Teddy” Foster and Mary Beth McGarrahan to two of the facility’s primary leadership roles. 

Foster will assume the role of director at UPH. She will oversee the coordination of all aspects of the organization, including rentals, daily operations, fundraising and performances. Foster will work with all departments of Proctors Collaborative to reach the goal of making UPH the centerpiece of downtown Saratoga Springs. 

 Mary Beth McGarrahan, whose long affiliation with UPH includes dedicated support of the organization’s pre-restoration program and capital campaign, has been appointed the building’s operations manager. Mary Beth will be responsible for audience services and volunteer management, technical, systems and maintenance matters as well as event management. 

UPH will reopen on Sat., Feb. 29 with a performance by Rosanne Cash.

QUEENSBURY — The Saratoga County Prosperity Partnership partnered with SUNY Adirondack, the Adirondack Regional Chamber of Commerce and the NYS Small Business Development Center for a talk from Jan King, owner of King Brothers Dairy and Business of the Year winner at the 2020 New York State Agricultural Society Annual Meeting & Forum, and John Bolster of Reduced-Fat Design. They shared their insights into the re-birth of a family-owned business and how their client/designer partnership used customer insight to craft a brand promise to provide farm fresh quality dairy to the community through home delivery, restaurants, grocery stores and farm-based retail in Schuylerville.

MALTA — A former call center for State Farm insurance will be auctioned March 23-25 on the Ten-X Commercial website. The two-story, 124,171 square-foot building at 101 State Farm Place in Malta has been sitting empty for about two years in Saratoga County. The property is located off Exit 12 of the Interstate 87 Northway near the Hyatt Place Hotel. The building is located on 25 acres, has nearly 500 parking spaces and is fully ADA compliant. The starting bid is $600,000.

BALLSTON SPA — Lisa M. Licata with Sterling Homes, Inc. has been awarded the prestigious Certified Real Estate Brokerage Manager (CRB) designation, the premier brokerage management credential in the industry. Licata joins an elite group of real estate professionals from around the world who have earned this designation. There are 48 individuals in New York state with it and Licata is the third in the Capital District area. She is also a part of the Broker/Owner/Manager Council of GCAR, Greater Capital Association of REALTORS.

Licata was hired as the Director of Sales & Marketing for Sterling Homes, Inc. in February of 2019.  She adds the CRB designation to her title, in addition to her Certified Buyer Representative and Seller Representative Specialist designations. Licata continues to further her education in an ongoing effort to train and educate her team.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — In an email sent to Skidmore College students and faculty on Feb. 18, President Philip Glotzbach announced that the start of construction on the new Athletics Facilities will be paused. The email cited comments made from community members concerning environmental and financial sustainability, as well as the future of the campus’ Greenberg Child Care Center (GCCC), as responsible for the update. 

The email, however, comes as a bit of a shock as the President had recently sent a six page memo describing the decision and why the concerns, while justified, did not outweigh the need for the new facility. 

The Athletics Facilities project, as it is referred to by the President and his office, comes from the 2007 Campus Plan, and, according to the memo, planning for it has been underway since 2010. The Athletics Council was notified last spring of new proposals, and approved plans were described at Community Meetings on October 29, 2019 and at an Open Forum on November 25, 2019 

However, the President also acknowledges that there could have been more done last spring to “inform and involve” the IPPC. 

In the initial memo, the President writes that “Over the coming years, we will encounter increasingly fierce competition for the students we need to enroll to maintain our financial sustainability.” He claims that this project will increase the college’s appeal to “a broad range of potential applicants.” 

Continuing comments were discussed at an IPPC meeting on Fri., Feb. 14, after which it was decided to pause construction in order to further address and consider concerns.

In the most recent email, Glotzbach urges students and concerned community members to attend an Open Forum that will take place at 3:30 p.m. on Thurs., March 5 in Gannett Auditorium. There will also be community meetings at both 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. on Tues., March 3 on the second floor of the Murray-Aikins Dining Hall.

Skidmore’s Student Affairs has also scheduled their own opportunities for students to either learn more about the facility or raise their complaints. These, however, will be announced at another time.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Saratoga Hospital has appointed three new board members effective Jan. 1: David J. Collins of D.A. Collins Construction Company, Kari Cushing of Franklin Community Center and Elizabeth Wood of Shenendehowa Central School District.

Collins, of Greenfield, is president and CEO of D.A. Collins Construction Company. An industry leader, he chairs the board of trustees of Rebuild New York Now and serves on the boards of Associated General Contractors, Empire State Highway Contractors Association and the Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce. He is a member of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation board and the advisory board of Leadership Saratoga.

Cushing, of Ballston Spa, is executive director of Franklin Community Center. During her tenure, the center has added and expanded programs and tripled the number of people served. A graduate of Leadership Saratoga, Cushing has been named a Woman of Influence by Saratoga Today and been recognized for her community service by the Saratoga Springs Rotary Education Foundation. She serves on the supervisory committee of Saratoga’s Community Federal Credit Union.

Wood, of Ballston Spa, is deputy superintendent of Shenendehowa Central School District. She has more than two decades of experience as an educator and administrator. Wood holds leadership roles in the New York State Association of Women in Administration and served on the board of the Chamber of Southern Saratoga County. She is the 2019 recipient of the Excellence in District Administrative Leadership Award from Capital Area School Development Association. She has a doctorate in education leadership from Sage Graduate College.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Interactive Media Consulting, LLC, (IMC) a Saratoga Springs based consulting company, is pleased to announce the addition of Jenna Saccocio as Graphic Designer. Jenna joins IMC with experience in digital design and marketing as well as extensive print design. She is proficient in the Adobe Creative Suite. She has her B.S. in Computer Art from SUNY Oneonta.

“Jenna brings a sophisticated design level to all our web and print projects, challenging the status quo, and providing both digital and print design pieces that have exceeded clients’ expectations,” said Beth Moeller, Owner of Interactive Media Consulting, LLC. Jenna Saccocio, added “I’m looking forward to designing with IMC and hope to bring a fresh and modern approach to their current and upcoming projects.”

Since 1996, Interactive Media Consulting, LLC, has provided digital marketing, print design, and branding services to organizations, both large and small, throughout the Northeastern United States. For more information about IMC’s expanded services and capabilities, visit their website at http://www.imediaconsult.com. You can reach Jenna at jenna@imediaconsult.com or Beth at beth@imediaconsult.com.

CAPITAL REGION — Fenimore Asset Management, an independent, Capital Region-based investment advisory firm and manager of the FAM Funds family of mutual funds, announces that nationally recognized investment industry leader, author, and consultant Fran Skinner has joined its Board of Directors.

Skinner is a partner and co-founder of AUM Partners, LLC, an Illinois-based leadership and talent development firm. She has more than 30 years of experience in leadership and consulting positions in the investment industry with Mellon Bank, Allstate Investments, Focus Consulting, and Diamond Hill Capital. She is co-author of the book, High Performing Investment Teams, and frequently serves as a keynote speaker and workshop presenter for some of the world’s leading businesses and organizations, including Barron’s and Morgan Stanley.

For more about Fenimore Asset Management  visit www.famfunds.com.