Skidmore Raises $30K for Local Nonprofits“25 Days of Charlton” campaign image provided.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Skidmore College students, faculty, staff, and alumni raised around $30,000 and collected nearly 5,000 items — food, toiletries, school supplies, and household products — for community organizations as part of its Skidmore Cares initiative.

For the third consecutive year, Skidmore College Trustee James Zankel ’92 matched proceeds from Skidmania ’74 — a Skidmore musical tradition offering unique spins on musical hits from 50 years ago. This year’s sold-out performances raised approximately $30,000, with half contributed by Zankel through The Zankel Music Fund.

This year’s concert paid tribute to music from the year 1974. One of the songs performed at the concert was “Scarlet Begonias” by the Grateful Dead, which contains the lyric “Strangers stopping strangers just to shake their hand, everybody is playing in the Heart of Gold band.” 

 “Those words resonate deeply with me and speak to the very ethos of this magnificent tradition,” Zankel said in a statement. “It is paramount that we be good neighbors to one another. Coming together in song, especially during the holiday season, allows our college to deliver on that promise with intention and joy.”

Beneficiaries of the donations include Franklin Community Center; Habitat for Humanity, Northern Saratoga, Warren and Washington Counties; LifeWorks Community Action; Mary’s Haven; Salvation Army; Saratoga Center for the Family; Saratoga Springs City School District PATHS program; Shelters of Saratoga; and Wellspring.