Sugar Plum Farm Hosts Inaugural Youth Camp

Students from the Albany Roots Academy attended the inaugural summer camp at Sugar Plum Farm last week. Founder Robin Malatino exposed the kids to animal care, entrepreneurship, and public speaking skills; the latter she says was integral to her late husband’s success. 

Robin and Tony Malatino purchased the land to Sugar Plum Farm off Union Ave in 2005. When Tony passed away in March last year, Robin created the Sugar Plum Farm Foundation in his honor. Tony immigrated to the United States in 1949 aboard the USS LaGuardia and attended the Roots Academy. In his professional life he would serve as a U.S. Navy officer before going onto a career in finance. 

Albany Roots Academy is a Title 1 school and most of its students, like Tony, are first-generation Americans. Robin says the foundation provides the children with opportunities beyond the classroom.

These kids come from “underserved communities, so I thought, what a perfect backdrop, our farm, to be a place for them to come and not only experience animal husbandry, but also to learn how to be an entrepreneur,” said Robin. 

Over the week each camper developed a business idea and pitched it to investors. The camp concluded with a trip to Saratoga Race Course where the kids explored the backstretch, met announcer Frank Mirahmadi, and visited the Winner’s Circle. 

“This is the first year, but I think it’ll be an annual trip for them,” said NYRA Community Affairs Manager, Robert Hines.