NYSEG Supports Arts and Culture Nonprofits Across New York

BINGHAMTON, N.Y. — November 3, 2021 — New York State Electric & Gas (NYSEG) and Rochester Gas and Electric (RG&E) recently donated a total of $19,500 to arts and culture organizations across New York state. The donations are part of the companies’ Corporate Donation Program to support and care for the communities that they serve.

“It’s important to us at NYSEG to be good community partners,” said Dave Gridley, Director of Government & Community Relations at NYSEG and RG&E. “Arts and culture organizations are often the heart of a thriving community—and they rely on support from their neighbors to continue their programs and events. We’re proud to support these local organizations as one of the many ways that we care for the communities that we serve.”

In total, NYSEG and RG&E provided gifts and sponsorships to 13 arts and culture organizations across their service areas.

Capital Region

NYSEG donated a total of $1,500 to nonprofits in its Mechanicville division, which includes Columbia, Rensselaer, Saratoga and Washington counties.

“The funds that the Art School of Columbia County received from NYSEG were greatly appreciated and went directly into art programming needs for serving the greater community,” said Nancy Maurice Rogers, Art School of Columbia County director. “Through this funding, the Art School was able to provide outreach to both children and adults through art education initiatives.”

NYSEG’s donation supports programming for the organization’s Outreach Program for bringing art instruction to children and families through structured programming in schools and libraries. It was curtailed during COVID, but they are gearing up to go forward with it as soon as possible. The Art School of Columbia County’s mission is to nurture learning, creativity and community through the visual arts. Their approach to teaching art comes from diverse educational and theoretical approaches, and faculty have honed their approach to teaching art through their own studio practice. They serve around 1,800 area residents each year with free or affordable art programming out in the community.

Finger Lakes

NYSEG donated a total of $2,500 to nonprofits in its Ithaca division, which includes Cayuga, Chemung, Cortland, Schuyler, Seneca, Tioga and Tompkins counties.

“Theatres like ours had been completely shut down for over a year-and-a-half,” said Doug Levine, State Theatre of Ithaca, Inc., executive director. “NYSEG’s support has allowed us to continue to offer diverse, affordable entertainment for the entire Ithaca/Tompkins region, and beyond. These funds help offset the production costs associated with producing these events making them more affordable to our community. We are truly grateful for this support, especially during these extremely challenging times.”

NYSEG’s donations will support the organizations in the following ways:

• Hangar Theatre: The donation will support programming at the Hangar Theatre, which creates and presents performances of exceptional quality in New York’s Finger Lakes region while training the next generation of theatre artists. They inspire the community with work and classes that enrich, entertain, and enlighten. They believe in the power of theatre to transform lives.
• State Theatre of Ithaca: The donation will support band sponsorship of the Boogie for The State event. The Boogie Shakedown is a beloved backyard party organized and attended by local musicians and their friends and families. State Theatre of Ithaca is a historic, 1600-seat theatre located at Ithaca in Tompkins County, New York that hosts various events from bands, to plays, to comedy acts, to silent films, and more. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1996.

Southern Tier

NYSEG donated a total of $2,500 to nonprofits in its Binghamton division, which includes Broome, Chenango and Tioga counties.

“This year’s generous support from NYSEG will be utilized to help Tri-Cities Opera produce the brand-new children’s opera Stone Soup and facilitate its delivery to regional schools and community performance spaces through our educational program, Opera-Go-Round,” said Karin Phillips, Tri-Cities Opera box office manager & educational program director.

NYSEG’s donations will support the organizations in the following ways:

• Binghamton Philharmonic Orchestra (BPO): The donation supported Concerts in Every Corner Summer 2021 Concert Series. In line with its mission of “Building Community Through the Power of Live Music” and increased efforts of promoting equity, diversity and inclusion, the BPO again brought soloist musicians into underserved neighborhoods in Binghamton.
• Tri-Cities Opera Company: The donation will support the educational outreach program, Opera-Go-Round. Opera-Go-Round delivers high quality performance art to regional schools, libraries and other gathering places for children as well as local agencies catering to developmentally challenged adults and members of the community impacted by memory loss. The program delivers life lessons with character-building morals through magical stories brought to vibrant life by exceptional singers. Opera-Go-Round is structured to be integrated into the classroom curricula in accordance with New York Arts Standards 7, 8 and 9, enhancing the overall learning experience in a number of ways, from introducing children to the literature that the operas are based on, to understanding and evaluating how musical arts convey meaning. The purpose of Opera-Go-Round is to share Tri-Cities Opera’s unique art form with as many schools and members of the community as possible.
  

Additionally, in the Southern Tier, NYSEG donated a total of $1,500 to nonprofits 171 Cedar Arts Center, a not-for-profit multi-arts community center. The funds will support the organizations’ various art programs, which include music, dance, visual arts, ceramics, culinary arts and language classes. In addition to educational programs, 171 Cedar Arts Center has dance and music performances and fine art and craft exhibitions.

Hudson Valley

NYSEG donated a total of $1,500 to nonprofits in its Brewster division, which includes Dutchess, Putnam and Westchester counties.

“The generous grant from NYSEG helped us add to our America Through Song lawn concerts this past summer,” said Nicholas Simonelli, president of Putnam Chorale, Ltd. “It was such a relief to be performing again and the outdoor venues were refreshing and relaxing. We can’t do it without corporate support.”

NYSEG’s donation supported the organization’s 2021 Summer Lawn Concert Series entitled, “America in Song.” The two-fold mission of the Chorale is to provide amateur and aspiring professional singers an opportunity to enrich their lives through choral singing and to provide the community with compelling performance experiences unrivaled outside of major city venues. Putnam Chorale is the sole community chorus in Putnam County.

In addition to NYSEG and RG&E’s donations to local arts and culture nonprofits, the companies’ 2021 Corporate Donation Program also supported more than 20 health and welfare organizations and 14 local food banks and pantries earlier this year. The companies also plan to support local nonprofits focused on education and young people later this year. These donations will impact every division within the NYSEG and RG&E service area.

NYSEG and RG&E’s support is enhanced by additional giving through the Avangrid Foundation, the charitable giving arm of the AVANGRID family of companies. Since 2002, the Foundation and its predecessors have invested more than $28 million in partnerships to help meet a number of community needs. In New York, the Avangrid Foundation has made more than $5.5 million in grants to nonprofit organizations, educational institutions and qualified programs during the last five years.

NYSEG and RG&E are subsidiaries of AVANGRID, Inc.

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