The Hudson Champlain Region of the PCA is committed to supporting charitable organizations in our communities. We enjoy the communities in which we drive our beautiful cars, and want to recognize and acknowledge those issues with which some of our neighbors struggle.
At this year’s picnic we raised approximately $1,350 for Guiding Eyes for the Blind and $1,000 for the Regional Food Bank of Northeastern NY in funds and goods.
We choose the organizations based on the level of impact, in quality and quantity of services, on the lives of families and children in need. Given that, we lean toward organizations which serve communities in the counties that our Region encompasses (NY counties Albany, Clinton, Columbia, Essex, Franklin, Fulton, Greene, Montgomery, Rensselaer, Saratoga, Schenectady, Schoharie, Warren, Washington and MA, Berkshire County).
The Board reviews the Club’s charitable giving and fund raising at the beginning of each year and formulates a plan for which charities the Club will support that year. In recent years our giving began with donating funds that the Club earns for garage rentals at our Cups & Saucers DE. Because of our activities in the Watkins Glen community, a donation was made this year and last to Catholic Charities of Chemung County. Our annual Picnic raises cash and food donations. This year we raised approximately $1,350 for Guiding Eyes for the Blind and approximately $1,000 for the Regional Food Bank of Northeastern NY in funds and goods. Coats for Kids has been a popular program in the fall that we plan to bring back again this year. Next we hold a live auction at our annual dinner in November. This year we will be raising money for the Northeastern Association for the Blind at Albany. We also have a tradition of collecting Toys-for-Tots at the December holiday party. In 2014 holiday partiers contributed more presents than ever and we hope to continue to grow the number attending the party and donating to this worthy cause.
Finally, at the end of last year the Board voted to give a cash grant of $5,000 to the Automotive Program at Hudson Valley Community College. This large gift enabled the school to purchase a much needed wheel balancing machine for student learning and to grant a $500 scholarship to a worthy student. It is our hope to continue to make annual end of year grants to that or another worthy program as Club funds allow.
We are proud of the generosity and efforts of our membership, which are organized by the charity chairpersons who over the years have worked hard to identify the not-for-profit organizations, organize events, and arrange for the collection and distribution of donated funds and goods.