Celebrates its 20th anniversary this year

In 1994, Joel Edwards, Mary Therriault, and Vic Ross sat down in a church basement in Altamont, and came up with a plan for volunteers to help their neighbors. Twenty years later, that plan is still in place and has since helped thousands of area residents.

Neighbors helping neighbors was the original idea and we’re proud to say that is still the guiding principle behind everything we do. Our volunteers and clients form the heart of this organization and this year we want to celebrate both.

To that end, several events and initiatives have been planned for 2014 that include enhanced versions of the Golf Outing and Gala, a special commemorative giveaway, an annual appeal, special Pay-It-Forward volunteer effort in the spring and summer, and a drawing involving many Guilderland and Bethlehem area restaurants. 

The recognition will kick off this month with the annual appeal campaign, “Twenty Thousand for Twenty Years.”  The goal is to reach $20,000 through donations from individuals and businesses.

The organization currently provides services that enable individuals of all ages to maintain their independence, dignity, and quality of life within their homes and communities. We offer non-medical assistance to local residents who might otherwise be hospitalized or institutionalized, and help home caregivers manage the physical, emotional, and financial toll that continuous caregiving can take.

Community Caregivers serves residents of mainly the Hilltowns, Bethlehem, Guilderland, Altamont, and Voorheesville area of Albany County, but, in 2012, we also started providing services in the city of Albany.

For more information, please contact me by e-mail at kathy@communitycaregivers.org or by phone at 456-2898.

Editor’s note: Kathy Burbank is the executive director of Community Caregivers.