Adirondack Community Foundation announces Kindling Award winners 

Awards celebrate everyday neighbors who bring us together 

 

LAKE PLACID — Adirondack Community Foundation (ACF) is pleased to announce the winners of the Kindling Awards, which celebrate the everyday neighbors who keep the spirit of community alive and well in our neck of the woods. Named after the essential ingredient that starts the warm fire we all gather around, in 2025, the inaugural Kindling Awards celebrated events that bring neighbors together in the winter months. This year, the focus shifted from events to people.

“We received more than 100 nominations for people — both long-time residents and newcomers — who show up for their neighbors in a variety of ways,” said Jennifer Russell, Vice President of Grants and Program for ACF. “It was inspiring to see how far simple acts of kindness go toward making the kind of welcoming communities we all want to live in.”

Each of the 30 awardees selected a local organization to receive a $1,000 grant in their honor. The full list awardees, listed alphabetically by town, appear below. Biographies of each awardee can be found at adkcommunityfoundation.org/kindling-awards.

Au Sable Forks
Robin Licari
Bonnie Rondeau

Champlain
Michael Lafontaine

Corinth
Connie Wood

Ellenburg Depot
Dorothy Williams Rodgers

Indian Lake
Abigail Eichler

Jay
Elyse Roller and Joan Schulein

Johnsburg
Denise Conti

Keeseville
LeeAnne Ruff
Adam Wilson

Lake George
Darcy Leigh

Lake Placid
Keela Grimmette
Melissa Orzechowski

Minerva
David McNally
Minerva SnowTravelers (David LaBar, President)

Mooers
Paula Ashline

New Russia
Marietta Brady

North Bangor
Jessica Martindale

North River
Anita Abrams

Owls Head
Marcie Ryan

Saranac Lake
Gail Brill
Johnna Macdougall
Ben Sitts
Tori and Jeremy Thurston

Schroon Lake
Carol Van Gorp

Star Lake
Lynne Backus

Tupper Lake
Bob Fletcher

Wells
Dan and Amber Margies

Westport
Josh Kingzack

Whallonsburg
Mary-Nell Bochman and Andy Buchanan