Bringing Water To A Community Half A World Away

 By Colette Linton

 SARATOGA SPRINGS— From history, to tourism and a city brand, the element of water is a facet of Saratoga Springs that permeates many aspects of life and business. However the funds to be raised on April 12 from the “Kids Helping Kids” 5K, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m., in this community will be directed to benefit another community halfway around the world.  

St. Clements Regional Catholic School of Saratoga Springs and the St. Clements Roman Catholic Church since January have raised $27,365.03, as of March 25, for their campaign “Springs For Life”, an initiative to build five wells in Tigray, Ethiopia.

The campaign started when "Water to Thrive" Program Ambassador Suzanne Barrick moved to Saratoga Springs two and a half years ago from Texas.

She brought her experiences with the faith based nonprofit, which donates 100 percent of the funds it receives to building wells in Africa to Saratoga.  

After seeing firsthand during a trip last year to Ethiopia the impact the wells her previous congregation funded, she decided to initiate a campaign at St. Clements Roman Catholic Church and the St. Clements Regional Catholic School.

During her trip, she wanted to experience a situation that many have a difficult time imagining: the daily four to six mile trek women and girls in Ethiopia walk for water. “It took me 15 minutes to stabilize the jerry can,” she said. The jerry can being the container weighing 30-45 lbs when filled with water and carried on one’s back. 

“That was one of the things I wanted to do,” she said. “We like to think about what it is like, but until you actually do it, to think about the physical burden of doing it. When I was walking, it was exhausting but that you were actually carrying the water that was making your family sick: that was very difficult.” 

"Springs For Life" has already received the coordinates of their first four wells to be built in Tigray, Ethiopia. Each well will not only to reach the wealth of the water table beneath the sun-drenched geography of developing countries in Africa, servicing about 250-500 people in a community, but it will cascade into improving other areas of life. to educate a team on how to maintain it as well as making available options for families.

“So what you find is when water projects are implemented, enrollment in schools go up, and the mothers the women can do other things, less commute, they water is healthier, and kids at school,” Barrick said. “And it’s a whole transformation of the quality of life that they have.”

The non-governmental organizations (NGOs) that dig the wells also educate the community on how to properly maintain the equipment and about a level of sanitation that was not possible before.

“Kids Helping Kids” will be the final event to wrap up the campaign.

President and Founder of "Water To Thrive", located in Texas, Dick Moeller, visited St. Clements March 22 on World Water Day. Since the nation-wide program’s inception, 450 projects have been carried out to support approximately 210,000 people in four countries in Africa. 

The average congregation raises between $5,000 and $10,000 to raise money for one or two projects, and that the amount of funds that St. Clements has aggregated is a great result, he said. “It has gone really well,” he said.

Local Fleet Feet Sports Opens Registration for Training

 By Colette Linton

 SARATOGA SPRINGS— For some people who never thought they could run before or needed an extra push to get out the have found that facing the challenge with a team and skilled coaching staff, they can go much further than they had ever thought they could.

 Six years after the Fleet Feet Sports Store of Albany, and at their Malta location as of November, started its “No Boundaries” walk/run 5K training program, dozens have crossed the finish line of their first event, and more to come.

Nancy Radigan was among that first group to do so. She and her husband, Kevin Radigan, have been with the program since its inception. Nancy was a swimmer in high school and college but didn’t think about getting into running until having watched her husband and son complete races together.

“I was just like ‘wow’ that’s so cool, and I wanted to do it, but I needed a lot of help,” Nancy said.

She admits it wasn’t easy to cover the distance at each practice, but the motivation and encouragement from the coaches and the running group, which is both diverse in age and running experience – if not complete beginners, kept her moving toward her goal and eventually finishing races with her husband and son.   

“For me, even though I've run these six years, it's still very hard for me,” she said. “It truly makes a difference, them (coaches and fellow runners) being there. The motivation and the encouragement is just… I cannot say enough.”

 “It brings tears to my eyes to look at people we've seen,” she added. “They've (Fleet Feet) had people who have not run a step and for them to finish a 5K,” she shakes her head recalling the experience that she said was inspiring. “And it doesn't matter what group they're in: at the race, everybody is at the finish line cheering.” 

No Boundaries is now one of four programs - Walk Fit, No Boundaries, No Boundaries II, Faster Farther 5K (3.1 miles)/10K (6.2 miles)/15K (9.3 miles) and Half (13 miles) & Full Marathon (26.2 miles), in which training lasts 10-12 weeks ahead of  area races.

 Lessons that focus on the basics of posture, reach, cadence, breathing and team support, Fleet Feet Sports Owner Charlie Woodruff said that during the first year of the No Boundaries program, 23 of 37 completed the program. However, since 2009, the number of individuals who start and finish the programs has been over 90 percent, exclusive of injuries.

“People come back, time after time after time,” Woodruff said.  “People pick up a program, they ramp up a program, and they do more than they ever dreamed they would be doing.” 

Woodruff said that when he had opened the stores in the area, one thing that he didn't anticipate, which has now become enormous, is the culture of the community that is created in the running programs. 

“I routinely hear at our wrap up meetings: ‘I went to a meeting, and I didn't know anybody. I went to a couple of workouts, and these people became my running buddies and now they're my friends.’ So the community part of this is unbelievable,” he said.

Individuals submit a medical waiver in order to participate in any of Fleet Feet Sport’s tiered programs for walkers, beginning runners, intermediate and advanced runners and a 12-week program cost $125, which includes educational clinics, training plan, entry fee into the designated goal race and continued education.

For dates and times of information sessions prior to registration about training options, can contact Fleet Feet Adirondack at 518-400-1213.

By Colette Linton

SARATOGA SPRINGS—The frigid weather failed to deter many folks from enjoying the sweet smells, sugar house tours and free syrup tastings that kicked off Maple Weekend and a sulking start to the spring season.

Each year there are just two weekends to satisfy a sweet tooth at a sugar house amongst the Maple trees with a plate of flapjacks in hand, and March 29 and 30 are the last two days when sugar houses are open to the public.

Several sugar houses in and neighboring Saratoga County said that while production has been noticeably slower this year because of the low temperatures, attendance for Maple Weekend was higher than it has ever been.

“There’s no shortage yet, and if we don’t make more before summer, then we will be lost,” said Mary Jeanne Packer, New York State Maple Producers Association executive director and marketing manager at Mapleland Farms. “It’s not like the sap isn’t running at all, it’s just running slower. We’re looking forward to another high-packed weekend this weekend.”

 Mapleland Farms is about 1,000 gallons behind for the mid-term season, but it’s not until the leaves of the trees start to sprout that brings the syrup harvest season to a “not-so-sweet” close.

 “I’ll start worrying once the leaves come out. When the leaves come out, the sap still flows but it becomes bitter,” she said. “We’ll hold out to the ‘bitter end’.”

Harvesting sap from the Maple trees could go well into May because of the snow that is still on the ground, Packer said.

Despite the slower than usual pace of sap flow in the trees, the product produced thus far is worth the work and wait.

“What we’ve made so far is fantastic,” Packer said. “It’s a light color. We’re making all Grade-A to medium now.”

This weekend will conclude Maple Weekend at many area sugar houses. However, some sugar houses have restaurants and stores that are open year round.

For more information on the sugar houses participating in Maple Weekend and the area sugar houses participating, visit mapleweekend.com.

Dry Brook Sugar House

432 Chambers Road

Salem, NY 12865

(518) 854-3955

Dry Brook Sugar House is serving pancake breakfasts from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. and host horse-drawn sleigh/wagon rides – weather permitting.

Mapleland Farms

647 Bunkerhill Road

Salem, NY

(518) 854-7669

Serving breakfast from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., and pen until 4 p.m. There will be tours of the sugar house, pancake breakfast and maple cotton candy.

Nightingale’s Maple Farm

4888 Jersey Hill Road

Amsterdam, NY 12010

(518) 882-9334

At Nightingale’s Maple Farm there will be sap collection demonstrations, syrup taste testing and hot apple and corn fritters. Open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

Rathbun’s Maple Sugar House

1208 Hatch Hill Road

Whitehall, NY 12887

(518) 642-1799

Rathbun’s Maple Sugar House will be serving breakfast from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. and hosting horse-drawn wagon rides (weather permitting). Rathbun’s open house will continue until Easter Sunday, but its restaurant is open year round. They’ll be boiling at their sugar house and will have free tastings this weekend.

Sugar Oak Farms

50 Atkins Road

Malta, NY 12020

(518) 288-8653

Participating 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, March 30, this will be Sugar Oak Farm’s first year in their new sugar house. They will be giving interactive tours of the sugaring operation, and there will be free maple coffee.

BALLSTON SPA – Family-owned dealership Mangino Buick GMC, Inc. has nearly completed renovations at its location on Saratoga Road in Ballston Spa, selling new Buicks, GMCs and certified preowned vehicles.

There is one task left in the way of completing renovations, however, and it’s a very large piece of family history – the Mangino family house.

The dealership was able to move into its new facility on February 17. During renovations, the dealership saw an uptick in sales since September 2013, having sold about 300 vehicles.

“Business has been good even though we were displaced out of our old store,” General Manager Ralph Mangino said. “And now that we are in here we have definitely seen a lot of activity, which is very positive.

Ralph Mangino, Sr.’s former home, which had most recently operated as the dealership’s office during renovations, now blocks the dealership from view of potential customers driving along the road.

Renovations began with General Motors Co.’s (GM) issuance of a restructuring plan that required GM dealers to conduct upgrades to meet brand specifications.

GM initially requested that Mangino Buick GMC move to another location entirely in order to satisfy its specifications for uniformity. However, instead of moving, Mangino Buick GMC negotiated for complete knock-down renovations that included demolishing the house and building a new facility. GM agreed.

“We were not interested in going backwards,” Mangino said. “We were looking to move forward and that's what the deal was.”

The house is scheduled to come down in a few weeks after having been on the lot for the 36 years that the Mangino Buick GMC, Inc. has been in operation.

“It was my father's house and everyone grew up at that house,” said Mangino. “So there is definitely an emotional attachment. It's just, when you see the new store you will understand immediately. It (the house) makes it difficult to see the new store from the road.”

In its place 30 new parking spots will be constructed, making the facility three times larger than the old store and increasing its visibility from the road. Then in spring, after the lot has been paved, the dealership will host its grand opening.

Mangino Chevrolet in Amsterdam carried out reconstruction and invested $2 million to build a new showroom at its location on Route 20 in 2012. Mangino declined to comment on the investments for renovations at its location in Ballston Spa.

With renovations almost finished, Mangino is satisfied with the outcome of the negotiation and the new facility. “Seeing the way it is, we are really glad we did stay.”

SARATOGA SPRINGS – Lake Avenue Elementary was one of 42 schools in the country selected to pilot Project Lead The Way’s (PLTW) LAUNCH curriculum, in which second-grade teacher Nancy Ferguson now writes ‘engineering’ as a subject on the chalkboard along with science, math, English and writing.

With only a handful of classrooms participating in the experimental format to enhance science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) understanding at the elementary level, Ferguson said the main complaint she receives is from parents who can't get child included in the program.

The curriculum is based on introducing formatted modules to the classroom that begin with a reading component, then progresses through tiered problem solving activities, and ending with a project or ‘build’ .

The modules, which take 10-12 hours to complete during the course of the semester, allow the classroom to apply lessons from multiple subjects into a problem-solving activity, Ferguson said and added that it’s a curriculum that she would like to see continue next year. "We don’t just talk about math in isolation," she said. "We apply it."

Six classrooms, one in each grade level, have been leading their students through such modules since November to stir interest in STEM learning as well as another way to reach current common core standards.

This is the opportunity where the "playing field is leveled" for students and teachers, as Instructional Technologist as Saratoga Springs School District Jim Nair said. In areas where students may struggle in one subject, they may have a strength in others that will aid them in completing a project with their partner. All the while, the role of the teacher is been changed into that of a facilitator.

 "It can be a little chaotic in the classroom, but the energy is directed at solving the problems," he said.

The topics for the modules this year include Structure and Function of Materials, Forces, Sound and Light, Flight, Energy and Robotics.

"We are asking students to branch out in new ways and allow themselves to learn from their mistakes with the teacher acting as mentor and facilitator," Nair said. "The ongoing goal of this exciting pilot is to allow students to listen, collaborate, investigate and engineer solutions to problems using math, science and technology."

Lake Avenue Elementary is the only school in the Northeast piloting the program. Through its participation, Nair aim to help shape what the program will look like as it rolls out at other schools in the future.

Nair said that the program has so far generated a lot positive feedback from teachers, students and parents in addition to comments for where the project could be improved in the future.

SARATOGA SPRINGS – Behind a large gray, unmarked door on Phila Street is a nearly two-year-old software and web design company MadGlory. Out of view of passerby, it is a fast-growing company that was a small offshoot of yet another tech startup. Today the company employs 20 individuals and is able to accept projects at discretion – typically ones that serve between 5 million – 20 million customers.  

Shipping projects with this extensive reach is a “sweet spot” for their company’s enthusiasm, teamwork and professionalism, said Brian Corrigan, MadGlory president. However, this year Corrigan; Clarke Foley, director of operations; and Seth Louey, creative director, created the “Level Up: Creative Tech Conference 2014” scheduled for October 8 and 9 and what is intended to be the spark that ignites the community of Saratoga Springs and its talent to set the ground work for attracting and retaining tech startups closer to home.

 After only having announced the conference a week ago, Corrigan said that word has already spread. They are speaking with “big brains” such as Google, Facebook, Twitter and Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment to be guests at the event.

 With a planned 200 ticket capacity and about eight to 12 keynote local and national speakers, the responses that MadGlory has received have only confirmed interest in the creative technology field. The type of experience the event is expected to encompass is to be a personable one, allowing for plenty of opportunities for people to connect, as well as give the chance for local businesses to represent themselves alongside some of the “big” invitees. 

 “What better way to inspire people than to show them a bunch of people who already did it (developed careers/companies in web technology); people they can work with to bring outside companies in,” Corrigan said. “We want to show them this area. The amount of engineering talent that bleeds out of this area every year is astounding. We sent former employees to Microsoft, Brightcove, Blizzard, Activision, Disney and SoundCloud. We've got people everywhere that have just left, and it's too bad because it's a really nice place to live.”

 The break-neck speed by which MadGlory has progressed since it was established July 11, 2012, and whose products have reached 55 million users in 145 countries for publishers such as Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, Riot Games and Atari was attributed to the aspect of teamwork balanced with individual drive to do successful work.

 At MadGlory, everyone is outdoing you all the time, but in a good way, Foley said. “It’s a friendly competition and a collective goal.”

 As MadGlory continues to keep its door revolving; filling a niche in the professional fields of software design, programming languages and web design, from their location in Saratoga Springs but shipping projects out to customers nationally and internationally, they are looking to help establish the reputation of having infrastructure to support tech startups in the Spa city.

 Establishing that kind reputation is the first step to addressing the disconnect between talent resources and job opportunities, Chris Wink said, editor of Technical.ly, a publication that covers early stage tech companies in Baltimore, an area which attracted two tech startups from New York within the last several months. “One thing you see is that across the country in all markets and regions is the interest in technology, its development and finding a regional distinction.”

Stephen Wilcox, head of interactive group at Fingerpaint and a Saratoga Convention and Tourism Bureau board member is helping MadGlory with the logistical aspect of the conference. He recalled an earlier discussion with Corrigan about the option of hosting “Level Up” in Troy, as opposed to Saratoga Springs, as a tech-centered community and event host. (See correction at end of story)

“There are other companies making those kinds of decisions, and it has a lot to do with the support of what is around as far as getting jobs,” Wilcox said. “There is a groundswell going on, and this conference is a big part of bringing national attention to Saratoga Springs as a tech destination.”

Robert Manasier, CEO of In Focus Brands, a company that has previously raised millions for tech startups in Saratoga Springs as well as started them, said: “There is a lot of talent here but not a lot of investment. Now, you have state government involved and it’s helping to create traction in the area. Most of our companies weren’t local in the beginning. It takes time to drive the conversation and the collaboration that’s needed.”

 Correction: Stephen Wilcox is aiding MadGlory with the logistical aspect of the conference, but his quote was in regards to MadGlory moving their company to Saratoga Springs, not the conference itself 'Level Up'.

Article before correction said that Robert Manasier was the director of Diamond Point Advisory  Group -this is incorrect. Diamond Group was sold and Manasier is now currently the CEO of In Focus Brands.

Word-Of-Mouth Spreads That Milton Wants Development, Contractors Respond

MILTON – The Town of Milton is in the fast lane of development as individuals looking to invest are responding to the town's plans to help expedite development projects. 

In the initial works for three commercial structures on 11 acres located at 2143 Doubleday Avenue near Route 50 and Northline Road will house a 50,000-square-foot supermarket as well as two other structures that are to host a fast food restaurant and a bank. 

Also, recently having brought the pen to the sketch board and in the approval process are also plans for a 20,000-square-foot-structure that will house either a retail and or office space.

Jeffery Pfeil; developer, builder and real estate broker of Pfeil & Company Principals, and his partner have owned the lot situated between Ballston Spa National Bank and Cumberland Farms in Milton for several years with the intention of developing it, but they were waiting for the right time.

“We’ve owned the lot for many years, but it’s been sitting there,” Pfeil said. “But Milton is growing now so there is opportunity. We are just starting the approval process now. If everything goes well, we may start this fall.” 

Vanguard-Fine, LLC., developer of the supermarket lot was attracted to the area for similar reasons: a growing and open community. “We've been watching the downtown area prosper,” Barry Feinman said, broker and managing director. “We are watching the permits grow, and were looking to add to the community.”

It was not long ago that Planning and Zoning Official Wayne Howe can recall when growth in Milton had stopped at times in 2012 and 2013. “It had stalled at times to a point in which consecutive planning board meetings would be canceled because there would be nothing on the agenda,” he said. 

At the planning board meeting on February 12, there were six. 

“It’s now steadily picking up,” Howe said. 

The first large commercial projects to hit the stage in Milton were the 700-room Winner’s Circle apartments at 100 Madison Drive, now 50 percent complete and steadily developing, and the Milton primary care facility that began building in fall 2013. 

Word is out that Milton is growing and ready to receive more developers.  Aided by the Town of Milton’s Comprehensive Plan, which encompasses the Town Center Plan’s for sidewalks and street scape on Geyser Rd., the town has been attracting attention as a new downtown in the area, and they want a piece of the anticipated business.

“We’re receiving a lot of calls,” Howe said. “It’s probably because of the economy, but also because Milton has a sound comprehensive plan in place with a great mix of commercial and residential goals since 2001. Our comprehensive plan is moving forward, and I’m very encouraged by what I’m seeing and the people are interested in buying, building, living and working in Milton.”

Town Supervisor Dan Lewza said that a part of bringing in developers is not bogging down the process of bringing businesses into the area by, for example, helping them to organize their plans for the planning board. 

“We are open for business, and we will do what we can to welcome and not hinder businesses looking to come into the area,” Lewza said. “When I first got into office, I said we first need to invest in ourselves for people to invest in us.”

Connecting Local Businesses With Creativity And Expertise Of Skidmore Students.

 Open Canvas Co-founders Ezra Levy (right) and Marcella Jewell (left) working on the website of their business venture. Photo by Morgan Gruer, Skidmore College Class of 2016.

By Colette Linton

SARATOGA SPRINGS – Two Skidmore College students, juniors Ezra Levy and Marcella Jewell, began working on an idea together last September to create a platform that both students of traditional creative fields and small businesses could approach to pair the skill sets of students with the needs of local companies.

Differing from the usual structure of an internship, the project-oriented approach invites both sides of the transaction to the digital easel, draw up a concise plan detailing the desired outcome, resulting with each party walking away with a piece of finished work in a short time frame.

"It's that kind of short burst experience where you make a lot of connections, get a lot of work done, and you have something to show for it," Levy, Open Canvas co-founder and a student of business and art administration, or "creative entrepreneurship", said. "It is hard for students to graduate with all the skill sets they have learned in the classroom and not having applied them."

The short-term projects allow students to accumulate multiple works to add to their portfolios during their time as college students as opposed to a semester-long internship whose parameters may not be as clearly defined as a project through Open Canvas.

Still in its beginning phases, but wholly operational and successful, Open Canvas had 40 students sign up during its first week of operation. It is currently fostering about 25 projects with numerous projects that have already been completed by students with area businesses.

Students join the Open Canvas community by uploading their profile to its website. On the other end, businesses, students, organizations and nonprofits seeking student participation and or creativity request a "college creative", an online profile outlining the intended project. Levy and Jewell follow up with the college creative form by further developing the project idea one-on-one with its originator. Then, behind the scenes, they undertake the matchmaking process, pairing students with a well-defined project proposal.

Eventually, Levy and Jewell plan for the project to operate without having to manually pair a company's project proposal with a student's application. Students would then be able to apply to projects through Open Canvas' Web application, allowing for Levy and Jewell to focus more of their efforts on developing the business with the intention of expanding their service to include students outside the traditional creative fields. As of now, the focus has been facilitating opportunities for students and filling a need for local businesses.

"What we see as being more beneficial to a student right now is working for the small businesses locally where you can actually make a difference and have something to show for it," Levy said. "I know for me personally, I've worked with a lot of small businesses and nonprofits. I could not have learned anything if I did not have that on-the-ground experience. In a small organization you really get a chance to talk to everyone, and do real things. And that sounds vague and ambiguous, but it should because there are all kinds of stuff to be done and all kinds of stuff that they can trust a student to do."

Political science and computer science student Jewell is the chief operating officer, and co-founder, managing the website design and Web applications for Open Canvas. She said that the project appeals to students on two levels: one being the experience they gain while working on a project in a professional setting; and, two, is that the short-term projects Open Canvas facilitates are more compatible with student schedules.

"One of the reasons this is so attractive to students is because of the short-term burst of experience or project work that is really compatible with their lifestyle," she said. "Because I can have a really busy couple of weeks and a few weeks where I'm not as busy, I want to fill that time with the project that I find."

"We really do believe that Open Canvas will foster relationships and business partnerships that go beyond that initial short-term project, but the connection needs to be made before you can do anything, and we are making that connection for students," she said.

Freshman Nick Konrad, currently undeclared in his studies, is considering committing to a business and studio art major with a concentration in graphic design. He brought with him high school experience making posters for plays and personal projects on his laptop, but after completing three projects through Open Canvas with Greenhouse Salads, Saratoga Shakespeare Company and Skidmore-Saratoga Consulting Partnership, he has gained real-world experience in a field he may pursue as a career without disrupting his class schedule. 

"My favorite part of doing Open Canvas projects is getting to work with actual people to create something that would benefit them," Konrad said. "My skills help the business and in turn the experience helps me develop my abilities."

"What's great about Open Canvas is that it makes the initial connection for you, but it's up to you to really go out there and make it work. You are responsible with contacting the business and are held accountable for your actions-in that way it’s very real world. Without Open Canvas I honestly wouldn't even know where to start looking for projects like this," he said.

Barbara Opitz, executive director of Saratoga Shakespeare Company, contacted Open Canvas with a project to create a poster and bookmarks for the nonprofit. It was a project that otherwise would have been costly for the company and required additional assistance from their major supporters. However, through Open Canvas, Opitz met with two Skidmore College students willing to work on the project for a chance to exercise their expertise.

The project was finished in about a week and a half, during which the students were able to relay design ideas directly to Opitz for comment. The relationship that Open Canvas provided both parties was one of flexibility and direct communication between participants without the added supervisory work on the part of businesses that is associated with internships.

"It was a really good connection," she said. "The students are very talented. They are also very knowledgeable in terms of the technology and how to do things and they were very quick about responding to me in terms of doing the work. And I felt that this was a unique way to provide an opportunity for the students and also to help us as a nonprofit because we have a very limited budget. And I will use them again in the future."

Explore for yourself at www.projectopencanvas.com.

Picture: Saratoga Sponsor-A-Scholar 2013 Graduation, provided by SSAS from their website at saratogasponsorascholar.org.

By Colette Linton

SARATOGA SPRINGS - In 2007, Jim LaVigne was describing a plan for an initiative that would prepare ten Saratoga High School sophomores, who were financially in need of assistance, each year by supplying additional support and direction to help them meet their goals and enter college. By the end of that meeting, LaVigne was one of the founding board members as well as volunteer executive director of Saratoga Sponsor-A-Scholar with 36 pledges of $10, 000 over five years to get the program running.

Seven years later, 54 students have been accepted into the SSAS program and 26 students have started a college career, an opportunity many nearly dismissed as an impossibility prior to the program.

 Unlike scholarships and grants, SSAS begins during a student’s sophomore year in high school and works to reinforce a base of academic achievement during the next three years by providing resources to its participants through the help of volunteer mentors, academic tutors, the program's board members and two of Saratoga High School’s guidance counselors.

 "It's a local cause," LaVigne said. "It's all Saratoga Springs kids. They come back, and they add to the fabric of the community. It is not a gift to these kids. We expect them to fulfill the terms of their contract, attend the homework sessions, use tutors go on school trips be responsible, do volunteer work and just be good citizens."

 If students are accepted into the program, they sign a contract to meet specific requirements during the term of the program. They are to meet with their mentor once a month, maintain their grades above 80 or attend tutoring, have a productive summer, behave in a manner consistent with the standards of SSAS, and attend mandatory weekly study skills programs. In return, SSAS dedicates $10,000 to "each scholar's enrichment" - $4,000 during their last three years of high school for supplies, study skill seminars, tutoring, PSAT and SAT training and entrance fees, seminars on the college application and scholarship process, college visits and attendance to cultural events; and $1,500 is dedicated to each scholar for each year they successfully complete in college.

 The nonprofit reaches out to the population of students each year that are financially in need and qualify for federally assisted/free school lunch program. Currently, 1, 200 students in the Saratoga Springs school district are eligible for federal lunch assistance, and those that are in high school may loose sight and motivation to continue academics after graduation without outside support.

 Within those 1,200 kids, there are those that are really bright, LaVigne said. "They have incentive, they have personality and everything that is needed to succeed, but they don’t have the same opportunities."

 The opportunities LaVigne referred to range from discussions with parents about he possibility of attending college to extracurricular activities that could be added to a college vitae, trips to college campuses to gather a sense of the atmosphere, and paying for the fees associated with applying to college and aptitude exams.

 A part of SSAS' goal is to make up for the opportunities students might otherwise miss due to a lack of finances and or resources.

 "What we promise those kids (SSAS participants) is that for the last three years of high school we give them the opportunities, and we give them the tools that the other kids have and we teach them about how to get into college," LaVigne said. "They just need that precipitating factor and Sponsor-A-Scholar is that. We tell them, we show them, we convince them that they are able to do this and that they can go. They can get out with a reasonable amount of debt and that they can have a much better life."

 High school junior and SSAS participant Davawn Hartz, whose interests are in acting and creative writing, said that without the SSAS program "I would definitely see myself as lost".

 "I'd still have the drive, but I'd be lost," he said. "It shows you where to direct your hard work."

 The program is a continuous element in the lives of SSAS students as well as coordination between the nonprofit and the school. This relationship is aided by high school counselors, Brandy Crary and Matt Nelson, who help ensure that students are maintaining their grades, that the students stay focused and they help chart the route to college.

Mentors in the program are additional supports serving as adult role models that help students identify college resources. They are also paired together to try and be a compliment to the students' skills and interests in addition to encouraging students to meet challenges and grow.

 "They don't take away the obstacles," Hartz said. "They get you through them."

 Mentors, like the board members, are volunteers that do many tasks that are unlimited in scope in order to strengthen the students' relationship with the community and broaden their prospects for higher education. One such relationship is between senior Becky Tibbatts and her mentor, Nedra Stimpfle. The two were paired together two and a half years ago, and they both remarked on the changes that have taken place regarding Tibbatts' outlook on college as an affordable, obtainable opportunity.

"It's hard to imaging my life without Sponsor-A-Scholar," Tibbatts said. "It has changed my life so much. I wouldn't say that I was naive, but I wouldn't put together what it took to get into college: how much tests cost. It is a lot less stressful."

 "She was very shy," Stimpfle said "What the program does is create more possibility in different areas for that (personal development) to happen. She is more confident."

 "Yes, definitely," Tibbatts said in response to Stimpfle's observation. "Back then, I was so scared."

The chance to have a relationship with another adult is important for the students because it is a common part of many experiences that take place in the community as well as in terms of guiding students to and trough opportunities, Stimpfle said. "And for many of these students, it's not in their picture at all."

SSAS is currently looking for mentors for next year as well as individuals interested in being future board members. The program will also host its annual event "Bowling For Scholars" in May. For more information, visit saratogasponsorascholar.org.

Boutique spreads wings to include expanded cross-generational selection, maintain exclusivity.

SARATOGA SPRINGS – The Bird of Paradise Boutique, nested in a renovated Victorian Mansion of the 1800s, quietly changed ownership in September 2013. Maintaining the classic charm and character, Connie Redgrave, the boutique’s owner, plans to reach for a cross-generational appeal in her first-floor showroom.

"If you love it the first time, you’re going to love it again" was not an assertion of the store owner, but of an older sibling to her sister entering the dramatic doors of Grant Plaza on Woodlawn Avenue. They came to look for a dress earlier that day. However, it is also a sentiment Redgrave and Denise Eliopulos, owner of Something Bleu Bridal, want customers to have toward the boutique and the products it has always offered.

The knot that tied Something Bleu and Bird of Paradise under one roof, after having been on Broadway and later in Grant Plaza, still remains as an interlaced network maintaining the overall character of the business. The relationship will continue to serve as a tool for receiving the generations of customers that flock to the boutique, pair them with that one-of-a-kind dress, and to refer customers between stores.

"We have always networked back and forth," Eliopulos said. "A perfect marriage, no pun intended."

Love At First Dress

Just as Something Bleu Bridal was the result of Eliopulos’ search for a bridal gown in 1994, Redgrave first became acquainted with the boutique five years ago when she herself was looking for a wedding gown.

The first acquaintance later became a part-time job and eventually led to Redgrave acquiring Bird of Paradise Boutique.

"I didn't know that this was going to come along, but it just seemed that every piece of the puzzle just fell into place absolutely beautifully," Redgrave said. "I just loved working in the ambiance and under the philosophy of how she approached her customer."

Redgrave, transitioning from a schoolteacher of 34 years to an entrepreneur, had assistance from the staff that is still employed between the two companies that not only support the other’s business efforts but refer parties between them.

"They are present for me daily because the learning curve has been huge," she said. "So, without her support and without her being right there as my consultant, this would've been much more challenging".

One Style, One Girl, One Prom

Kirsten Alonzo, a senior at Mechanicville High School, visited Bird of Paradise Boutique once more before heading home. It was a prom dress she was after: the one she had picked out and tried on earlier that day. Some occasions call for extra measures. It is prom season, after all, and that means the end of a transaction is likely marked by an entry in a log book recording the dress, its line and location of the prom.

The result is that the unique dress lines have been a draw for women as far as Vermont and areas around the county for the time that the boutique has been in business.

"They all want to be first to get ‘the’ dress because our philosophy is one style of dress per high school; so we don't duplicate. We keep track in a log. The girls are very anxious to get their dress first."

The added assurance that no one else would show up to Mechanicville with that exact prom dress helped close the deal, and it is the kind of deal for which many are willing to make the drive.

Both stores have a long history of girls coming in to pick out their prom dresses who later come back to look for a wedding gown.

"We want that exclusivity," Redgrave said. "We want a little bit unique, special dress, so that it's not seen everywhere, for everyone".

Tying The Knot

Exclusivity between customers and the boutique not only exists in this relationship, but also up the line to include both retailers and the lines from which they buy.

It remains the initiative of both boutiques to buy from lines that limit their sales to loyal retailers. By way of bottlenecking which dress lines become available in a particular area, retailers like Bird of Paradise Boutique and Something Bleu Bridal had to establish themselves as authorized representatives of the lines they carry.

"Which means not every store can go there and buy from them. We have good relationships with our companies; so, we have people (the companies that sell the dress lines) that know and respect us and what we're looking to sell," Eliopulos said. "It's important."

 The Reception

The grand reopening of Bird of Paradise Boutique will be held February 6 at Grant Plaza 5:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.

Australian designer, Lyn Morgan, whose line is exclusively available at Bird of Paradise Boutique, will be at the showcase of dresses. Catering services will be provided by The Lily and the Rose replete with hors d’oeuvres and champagne.

Those intending to attend are encouraged to RSVP by calling 518 - 886 – 8777.

A Growing Family

As early as next week, Something Bleu Bridal will expand to the first floor of the Grant Plaza on Woodlawn Avenue, but its main showroom will remain on the second floor. This expansion is planned to receive brides and their parties across the hall from Bird of Paradise Boutique.