Rensselaer County to provide a SAFE & FREE ride home on New Year's Eve

With Christmas now in the rear view mirror, New Year's Eve is rapidly approaching. Many of you will venture out for a night on the town or to a house party with family and friends. After the clock strikes 12 and the celebrations begin to wind down, how will you be getting home?

County Executive Kathy Jimino has announced that Rensselaer County, through its STOP-DWI program, will once again be providing its "SAFE RIDE" program to help prevent the tragedies that can occur when an individual chooses to drive drunk.

The “SAFE RIDE” program will help provide partygoers free and safe transportation home. Under the Safe Ride program, the County will partner with Netters Fund to provide partygoers free transportation within Rensselaer County from bars and restaurants to their homes only, on a first call first served basis. Netters Fund will once again partner with the County by supplementing the operation with free transportation by local cab companies from participating bars and restaurants. For a list of Netters Fund bars and restaurants please visit www.netters.us

As part of the joint operation the County will use 2 county owned vehicles that will be in operation from 11 p.m. New Years Eve until 2 a.m. New Years Day. The vehicles will be driven and dispatched by volunteers from various county agencies and the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) and staffed with Sheriffs Deputies. Those interested in receiving a free, safe ride home through the joint program are urged to call 518-266-7683 during those hours of operation.

Lets start the New Year off on the right foot please be safe and smart in your celebrations.

NEW YEARS EVE ONLY

11:00 PM - 2:00 AM

CALL 518-266-7683

You Made Us Proud Lansingburgh!

 It's been a busy, but very rewarding and moving week for the Lansingburgh community. It's a magical time of year and there is no shortage of good will, heart warming stories. We had our own moments in Lansingburgh over this past week that brought a smile to many a young persons face and a moment of community spirit and solidarity as our nation faced evil once again.

Earlier in the week we hosted a holiday pizza party at the Whitney Young Health Services Troy facility for approximately 70 children, their families, and one very special guest. The special guest was none other than Santa Claus himself. Santa was there to take photos and chat with the kids and to also distribute toys. Excitement and smiles filled the room as Santa announced each of their names and they came running up to sit on his lap and receive there holiday gift. This was the 5th consecutive year that Santa has made this journey to spread the Christmas cheer. The kids of Whitney Young benefited from the overwhelming generosity of the Lansingburgh community. This years holiday toy drive collected a bounty of toys that valued over $2,300!


Additionally, nearly 200 toys were also gifted to youth at the Lansingburgh Boys and Girls Club, who hosted a similar pizza party on Friday to distribute the toys. Cathy Conroy of the LBGC also mentioned to me that the Club has begun to receive phone calls from people throughout the community seeking their assistance to provide a special Christmas for their children.


All the hard work and generous donations from the Lansingburgh an greater Troy community has made this years toy drive the most successful to date, benefiting more local children than ever before.

Yesterday evening the Lansingburgh community came out to support a more somber cause. A candlelight vigil was held at the September 11th Memorial to mark the one week anniversary of the tragic school shooting in Newtown, CT. Over 40 members of the community came and joined Father John Kelly of Trinity Church for a moment of reflection, prayer, and remembrance. People lit candles in the blustery cold winter night and released a single white balloon for each victim of the shooting as their names were read. The vigil also provided people an opportunity to donate to the relief fund for Sandy Hook.

The Lansingburgh/ Troy community always steps up to the plate and delivers when it comes to supporting its community and those in need. Time and time again you are there and your efforts are appreciated more than you realize. Look at the smiles and excitement in the kids faces in the photos above, that's what it's all about. That's what makes all our hard work worth while. Three cheers to you Lansingburgh you've made us all proud again!

Merry Christmas!

TROY COMMUNITY MEMBERS PLAN A CANDLELIGHT VIGIL FOR SANDY HOOK VICTIMS

The events that transpired last Friday in Connecticut has touched every person in some way. This, unfortunately like similar tragedies before it, are unthinkable horrible events that leave us searching for answers. Our nation is morning these young souls and their community which has been brought to its knees. To lend our support a candlelight vigil has been planned for Friday, December 21 at 6pm for community members to gather for a moment of silent remembrance and prayer for the 20 children and 6 adults who lost their lives a week ago Friday during the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, CT.

The vigil is being sponsored by the Troy September 11th Memorial Coordinating Committee and will be held at the 9/11 Memorial Park located at the corner of 112th Street and 1st Avenue in Lansingburgh. The vigil will be held rain, snow, or shine.

Community members are encouraged to attend, light a candle of remembrance, and participate in a moment of prayer offered by Father John Kelly of Trinity Church of Lansingburgh.

The events that transpired in Newtown shook the foundation of our society just as the events of 9/11 did. Young and innocent lives were taken prematurely and we want to join with so many others in remembering them and supporting their families and community in their time of sorrow.

Donations for the families will be also be accepted at the vigil, and can be dropped off at a designated table. Checks can be made out to: Sandy Hook School Support Fund, c/o Newtown Savings Bank, 39 Main St., Newtown, CT 06470. Checks will be processed through the United Way of Western Connecticut.

Please make every effort to join with us, as we do our part in helping this grief stricken community heal.

Community to host fundraiser for Lansingburgh Toy Drive

Forty-One Sports Bar and Grille along with the North Lansingburgh Neighborhood Watch will be hosting a fundraiser to benefit the group’sFifth Annual Troy Drive on Friday December 7, 2012 from 7:00 pm to 8:30pm at the restaurant located at 41-112thStreet in Troy.

Organizers are asking patrons to bring an unwrapped toy for children up to the age of 12. For their donation patrons will enjoy a buffet of complimentary appetizers provided by Forty-One Bar and Grille. Additionally, there will be several prizes raffles and a 50/50 with proceeds benefiting the toy drive.

We are finding that requests for donated toys from local community centers are increasing each year during the Holiday Season. Events such as these help us in meetingthis demand. A lot of work and coordination goes into an event like this, we are grateful of the time and resources the community continues to invest. It all pays off when you see the excitement in the kid’s eyes and the smiles on their faces when Santa calls their name.

The collected toys will be gifted to local children throughWhitney Young Health Service’s Troy facility and the Lansingburgh Boys and Girls Club.

Community members are reminded that if you are unable to attend the fundraiser on Friday, that they can still make their donation at any of the toy drop box locations untilMonday, December 10 or by attending the neighborhood watch’s December monthly meeting on Tuesday,December 11 at 7:00pm at the Lansingburgh Boys and Girls Club.

Again, the toy drop box collection points are:

• Forty-One Sports Bar and Grille, Lansingburgh
• Francesca’s, Troy
• O’Brien’s Public House, Troy
• Troy City Hall
• Italian Community Center, Troy
• Eye Health Center, Troy
• Cooley Motors, Rensselaer
• First Niagara Bank, Watervliet

5th Annual Toy Drive in the 'Burgh

The North Lansingburgh Neighborhood Watch announced the details of their fifth annual Holiday Toy Drive to benefit the neighborhood children.

For the fifth consecutive year the group is collecting new, unwrapped toys for children up to 12 years of age. The toys will be wrapped and distributed to children through Whitney Young Health Services of Troy and the Lansingburgh Boys and Girls Club.
Each year our ‘little’ toy drive is growing as more and more members of our community wish to help out. There is a definite need for programs such as ours that make the holiday season a special one for the youth of our community.

Over the past five years the group has collected and donated more than $3,700 in toys to about 400 children since its inception. The toy drive will run through December 11, when the group will collect the donated toys during their monthly neighborhood meeting. The December meeting will be a holiday celebration and will be held from 7 to 8:30pm at the Lansingburgh Boys and Girls Club
.
A new feature this year is the addition of toy drop boxes located throughout the area at local businesses. If community members are unable to attend the December neighborhood meeting they are encouraged to drop their donation off at one of the following collection points prior to December 7th:



• Forty-One Sports Bar and Grille, Lansingburgh

• Francesca’s, Troy

• Troy City Hall

• Italian Community Center, Troy

• Eye Health Center, Troy

• O'Brien's Public House, Troy

• Cooley Motors, Rensselaer

• First Niagara Bank, Watervliet


The collected gifts will then be wrapped and distributed to the children and their families by Santa Claus at Whitney Young’s Troy facility the following week during a NLNW sponsored holiday party.

A lot of work and coordination goes into an event like this, we are grateful of the time and resources the community continues to invest. It all pays off when you see the excitement in the kid’s eyes and the smiles on their faces when Santa calls their name.

For more information or if you would like to contribute, you are encouraged to contact me at jgordon003@nycap.rr.com