A little under a year ago, the combined staffs of Saratoga Living and Capital Region Living converged on Putnam Place in Saratoga Springs for the first annual “Gives Back” event, which raised thousands of dollars for 10 local nonprofits and charitable organizations and saw their 10 honorees get the star treatment they deserved onstage, in front of hundreds of guests.
With the region still feeling the widespread effects of the pandemic, local nonprofits and charitable organizations are hurting and need your generosity even more than they did last year. And while we’ll certainly be honoring top givers in Saratoga once again, we’ve expanded our horizons this year.
For the 2020 edition of our newly minted “Capital Region Gives Back” event, we’ll be honoring 10 more local miracle workers—this time, five from Saratoga and five from the rest of the Capital Region—on December 10 from 6pm-7:30pm ET. (Each group will appear on the respective cover of our upcoming holiday issues of Saratoga Living and Capital Region Living, out on November 30.) Because we wanted to keep our honored guests safe, socially distanced and comfortable, we’re launching a first-of-its-kind hybrid virtual/live event, which will take place across the Capital Region at venues, including Putnam Place and the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in Saratoga; 677 Prime in Albany; and the Palette Cafe in Schenectady, all the while streaming live, concurrently, on Zoom.
The evening’s broadcast will feature a ceremony honoring our 10 honorees; live check-ins from each venue; live and pre-recorded entertainment, including international indie-folk artist Annie Dressner and Saratoga “soul man” Garland Nelson, among others; swag bags, raffle items and silent auctions; and food from esteemed Capital Region restaurants like 30 Lake, Whole Harvest, Darling Doughnuts and more.
Most importantly, 50 percent of all ticket sales will go directly to one of the 10 nonprofits or charitable organizations of your choosing—and that total will be matched 100 percent by the magazines’ parent company, Empire Media Network. You can purchase tickets to the event here.
Now, without further ado, it is our distinct pleasure to introduce you to the 2020 “Capital Region Gives Back” honorees:
Denise Dubois (American Cancer Society of the Capital Region)
Rachel Hye Youn Rupright (Capital Roots)
Kristen Garzone (Every Mother Counts)
Dominick Purnomo (Feed Albany)
Patti Veitch (Gateway House of Peace)
Heather Straughter (Jake’s Help From Heaven)
Ramón Domínguez (New York Race Track Chaplaincy)
Martel Catalano (Beyond My Battle)
Lawrence Edelson (Opera Saratoga)
Allison Meyers (Saratoga Regional YMCA)
Click on the links above to learn more about our 10 distinguished guests.
