A Year of Hard Choices

This time last year...

2010-01-02T21:01:00.004-05:00

I had sent a application package to a newspaper in Texas. Shortly after that I got an email saying they were interested in my work and would like to talk with me a little more just via email. They weren't quite ready for a visit or anything of that sort. I think they were thinking they were going to hire in a few months after the posted job. Well in June I went to go visit with them and have an interview. I think it went well but I also think they were still not ready to hire anyone. As the year continued we kept in touch I was still available but they still weren't ready to hire. Or so they told me. Well it has been a full year and about a week ago I got a job (in my field). I had been doing part time work at a retail store close to my house so I would be making some use of my time. Well I didn't get that job in Texas. I got a part time job here in a suburb of Chicago at a suburb newspaper. I will be doing web site administration and quality control, mutlimedia, the occasional photo assignment and also doing page layout for the print side of the newspaper. I start on Thursday and am very excited. I have been very lucky to have family and friends for support through the entire last year during my unemployment. As the year grew to a close I was really thinking I was going to start 2010 the same way I did 2009, jobless with hundreds of applications filled out and still nothing. But I am happy that I stayed with it and persued what I wanted to do for a living. I'm glad to have a happy ending to begin the new year with.

Sarah
graduate student/photographer
Employed!!!

A Year to Put in the Past

2009-12-28T16:58:00.003-05:00

Earlier this year Jonathan Brown interviewed me for the series "A Year of Hard Choices". It was an entire year of hard choices as I rely, almost solely, on real estate sales to support myself. The real estate market continues to improve, but it's still depressed in the vacation home market in which I specialize.

During the third quarter I finally had a few sales. Very tight expense control allowed me to survive on savings for the first 9 months of the year. I did more appraisals (or what we call Broker's Price Opinions) of homes in pre-foreclosure status. Doing this sort of work is mind numbingly dull, but I did more appraisals this year than any other previous year. They provided some cash flow.

So...my year of hard choices was constant reevaluation of my chosen profession and the location in which I work. It was further complicated by the fact that some of my volunteer work may have cost me some listings. I stepped up to the position of President of the Johnsburg Emergency Squad. The squad had encountered some internal turmoil and when the going got tough, several leaders "got going" and just outright quit. As the President, I led the squad through a period of rebuilding.

As a trained public speaker and spokesman I'm trained in working with the media. I did numerous interviews to maintain the image and reputation of this critical community service. My name was featured prominently addressing some of the squad's issues. During this rebuilding I watched numerous homes get listed by my competition. I'm confident that as a reward for my selfless volunteer work, a number of local residents punished me by not even giving me a chance to make a listing presentation when they were ready to list their homes for sale. The saying that "no good deed goes unpunished" never felt more true.

I'm finishing 2009 in the black. I covered all of my expenses and never made a late payment. I ate home more this year than in a very long time. I'm someone who enjoys dining out and socializing. I'm fortunate that several friends helped out generously picking up the check once in a while. I'm more fortunate than many, but on the other hand I made absolutely no progress toward retirement. I'll finish the year with about as much money in the bank as when I began. I've taken no pay. I merely repayed the money that I loaned my business.

I'll celebrate New Year's eve. I'll celebrate that the year is over, but my year of hard choices will continue into 2010. I'm guardedly (very guardedly) optimistic that 2010 will be better. Somehow I will make the choices to make it better.

Have an opinion about NPR? Tell it to the boss

2009-08-20T15:19:00.004-04:00

Monday at noon, NPR president Vivian Schiller is going to join us in the Cantwell Room in the Saranac Lake Free Library.

The event is free and open to the public, on a first-come first-served basis. It's a great opportunity to meet and talk to one of the most influential media voices in the business.

Schiller also created the New York Times on-line news service, which has become an industry standard.

We'll be airing the hour-long discussion live on NCPR, but we won't be taking phone calls.

So if you want to chime in and take part, plan to join us in Saranac Lake.

If you can't make it, but have particular questions for Schiller (or for Ellen Rocco or myself) you can post them here in the comment section and I'll ask them Monday.

Hope to see you there...

A few thoughts

2009-08-10T15:50:00.002-04:00

Now that I have been in the Chicago area for close to two months I have some thoughts to share.

1. There isn't really a way to plan. A friend of mine here just got a job about two hours away from the place where he signed a year lease less than a month ago. Now the three other people he lives with have to find another roommate that hopefully they can get along with. But at times like this I feel like you can't say no to a job because of location. Especially one that is exactly what he wants to do. So it is frustrating to try to plan ahead at all. That is why I came here with only two suitcases and my camera equipment.

2. I got an email for an interview saying they are interviewing about 7 people and there are these dates available. And I wondered if there is any strategy in picking a date. My thinking was do I wait and pick the last one so I am the freshest candidate in their mind. I realize that might be a little crazy to think about but that is the point at which I am at right now.

Just a few thoughts that are occupying my mind these days.

Sarah
photographer/recent graduate

The Shape of This Recovery

2009-08-04T14:55:00.003-04:00

I have been reading some interesting pieces on the outlook for economic recovery. The more enlightened pieces, those taking into account how it was our current downturn became a "bubble", indicate that the economy is not likely to return to the way it was; nor would we want it to.

One thing to realize about the difficulties we have seen in the past year is that the economic euphoria we experienced, and came to understand as the norm, was an illusion. As the economy heated in the early 2000's, much of people's economic gain was based on home-value. It became an ATM, of sorts, driving cash consumption in the economy through the widespread availability of financing.

The universe of information available on the state of finances, corporate, personal, and public, indicate that incomes actually rose very little. People borrowed on their homes, purchased homes they couldn't afford, or speculated in real estate markets (assuming an eternal price appreciation). Even those that did not get involved in real estate likely exploited the credit bubble, through credit cards - how many of us have an outstanding balance? All of this credit resulted in heavy consumption, the principle driver of our economy. But it was not based on real income, so it was bound to find a cieling. At that point, the cashflow in the economy slowed significantly.

There are two parts to our dilemma here: 1. Consumption was based on the consumption of either previous savings (ie home equity) or future cashflow (ie credit cards). 2. Investment was principally in speculative markets, not in productive assets, not in projects that produce economic value.

These two facets resulted in a diminished ability within our economy, on a national basis, to be economically productive.

I would propose that economic growth and well-being is derived from investment in productive assets. Assets that, through their use, create real cashflow and income. Therefore, economically speaking, we will not see economic recovery until people begin to value investment in productive assets.

This is the reason that the economy isn't going to just recover into the state it was three or five years ago. That economy was not based on feasible economic practice - it was a shell game, a hope, a delusion.

An economic recovery that has long run potential will likely look like something completely different. Take out a black magic marker and mark a big X over all of the economic charts and expectations we have, and start fresh.

Don't think so much about why there are no jobs available, or why they will only pay you x amount. Think about how you can create value - think about the value you add to that business. Your creativity, not in the artistic sense, but in the economic activity sense is what will create the economic recovery that we all expect will come from someone else.

What are the things that we as a community can do to generate economic activity?

What are projects that we as a community can engage to make our economic future more stable and secure?

What do we need in the community for there to be economic well-being?

How can we develop these resources together?

Those are a few of the questions that I think will drive our economy locally - the same kind of thinking will be required nationally, but the people must start somewhere.

emotions and economics

2009-08-01T14:07:00.004-04:00

People were used to having a measure of control over their incomes or investments. They feel betrayed.

For farmers, it's nothing new. Weather's always been a a financial wild-card. Drought that keeps crops from growing, rain that keeps crops from being harvested, are constants.

This year, though, dairy prices are at their lowest in thirty years. We no longer have dairy cows, but milk prices affect us. As dairy farmers sell their herds for slaughter, our grass-fed organic beef loses its value in a glut of meat. The Amish farmer who puts his milk in our bulk tank can't pay us for the electric to cool it. His horse's hooves clip-clopping around the driveway have been part of our lives. The next door neighbor told my son yesterday that he's selling his cows, and won't need him anymore. A man who rented our barn had an auction last week. He spoke about the decision with his pain sharp, and his tears glistening.

There's sun this evening- sun the bronze of turmpets, against lingering grey skies. We're moving cows. The animals are beautiful, pelts glowing with health and sun. The sheep are little cumulus clouds of white in a far pasture. We haven't been able to make enough hay to keep most of the animals through the winter. Each of them has a history, a geneology, but economics reduces them to commodities. We'll have to sell them cheaply, at a loss, then pay capital gain taxes on the money we supposedly made.

Rocky, a Belgian work horse, rumbles by, radiant and backlit. He weighs a ton, and the earth shakes as he passes. In the winter, he races at us, the, spraying snow as he breaks. How do we choose between hay for him, or a pregnant heifer?

I finally got my bachelor's degree last December. I make no more money than I did before, but, in middle age, it's a hedge against unemployment. I'd paid the last few years taxes with student loans. Now, I'm trying to pay them off, and FSA payments and taxes go unpaid.

I thought having a bachelor's degree would mean middle-class perks. I signed the kids up for piano lessons, which they loved. I thought I'd get braces for the girl that needs them so, on the cusp of adolescence. I bought a used car, that gives me wonderful automotive anonymity. No more rustbucket noise- just innocuous invisibility. We'll live without those trimmings. Sneakers for school, a restaurant meal, entering a store- I try to regard it as a Zen exercise in shedding excess. It feels, however, like deprivation.

I'm aware of my luck in having choices to make. The people on my caseload, just out of jail, whose only dream is priavcy or peace, would love to take my place. The mothers in Darfur whose children don't live long enough to have crooked teeth, or families in Sudan with no freezer full of lean beef or peanut butter for the winter humble me.

Is the degree of acceptance a coping mechanism that makes sense? Is it a function of my class, bred into me- the forelock- tugging equivalent of false consciousness? Is acceptance a reasonable reaction to something I can't change, without savings accounts, pensions, fall-back finances?

Value-added beef- humanely raised, healthy and local. Kids- witty, and concretely compent, but cultrually feral. Farm, failing despite best intentions. Where do I put the emphasis- how to choose?

The herd thunders by, crosses the road- steers, bull, calves, horses. Angus, Hereford, Highlanders, Charalois, Limousin. The landscape is drenched in a rainbow as the skies open. The kids belt out old country songs, barefoot in hand-me-downs, moving the cows. My love for it all pierces me. The pavement is rough and warm. The cows have passed, and I move aside for a car to pass.

My First (and Last) Job Fair

2009-07-03T13:52:00.002-04:00

I have left the North Country for the suburbs of Chicago in hopes of better job prospects. So after a couple of weeks being here and a few contacts but nothing solid I went to a job fair. I felt very much out of my element. The majority of people there were business men that I heard saying they were with their companies for 13 years and then personnel was cut by 50% and they were let go and other stories to that effect. I realize that as a photographer with graphic design abilities that there probably wouldn't be many recruiters there for me but I went in hopes of something. But I got nothing. I know that the government has photographer and graphic design jobs so I went to a couple of the government agency booths and all they told me was to go to this website that I have already been checking frequently. And most of the representives were that way, they gave you a website to check and see if they had a job for you, a lot of them didn't even take resumes. I could have stayed home and gotten all this information from the web which is what I have been doing.

Sarah
photographer/recent graduate

Leaving Town

2009-06-15T17:01:00.003-04:00

Well I made the big move, sorta. I left my parent's house to move into my aunt's house in a suburb of Chicago. I did this in hopes of being here there would be more opportunities to find a job and a social life that isn't reliant on my parents. Since I was a recent transplant to the area I didn't know anyone so there wasn't much else for me to do. Here in Chicago I have family and friends and a few leads on jobs. But I am still hoping to find that newspaper photographer job somewhere.

It was a little weird on my drive here, thinking that hopefully this was the last time I would be living with my parents and so on. A few of my friends are saying congratulations on the big move but I have yet to see it as such since I feel like I am doing the same thing I was in Potsdam (searching for a job, everywhere) but I know a few more people. I guess what I am trying to say that I feel like this is a huge transition in my life but because that job that I really want isn't near it doesn't feel right yet.

a whirling dervish, new ideas, and tourists at the Blackbird Cafe

2009-06-10T11:07:00.004-04:00

Alright! I'm back up and running! I've been delinquent in blogging for awhile because both our general manager and our head cook decided to leave our cafe this past spring! Both individuals are moving on to bigger and better things, and we wish them the best of luck. They were both fantastic employees and will be missed greatly.

Consequently, I, as the owner, have been a whirling dervish trying to hold everything together in the mean time. Even as scary as the whole prospect seemed at the onset, things are working out okay! I've found an interim cook for the summer (still looking for a head cook for fall though), and I've managed to delegate enough other responsibilities that I'm not running ragged.

Interesting tid bits to report on:

1. Summer is our s-l-o-w season and we've definitely seen an impact in sales (as was expected). One of the results is a change in our labor force. At the peak we had 17 employees on the books, but for summer there are only enough hours for 9 employees.

Another result is the need to cook up new ideas to draw people in. The result: A new summer dinner menu, radio advertisements (rare for us) and promotionals (never tried them before).

2. I have found a local pork producer!! So we've added pork chops and local sausage to our new dinner menu. (I am very excited about this.)

3. I've noticed an unusually high number of people filling out applications for employment.

4. The tourists are coming! In the summer we often get tourists stopping in, usually on their way to somewhere else, and I'm already noticing their presence.

'Til next time.

the unwinding, whirled dervish,

Katrina Hebb

I hope you have time to apply

2009-06-08T12:17:00.002-04:00

I have recently gotten the "I hope you have time to apply." email from two different employers only to get more rejection. When I get that first email I am excited, thinking "Great, these people remember me and want me to apply for x, y and z." I don't think I am going to be thinking that anymore. I am just going to apply and forget about it until I get the rejection notice a month later. Or maybe that one time I get the job, because it only takes one.

Sarah
photographer/recent graduate

Retailing in the North Country

2009-05-21T11:41:00.005-04:00

In my role as President of the Saranac Lake Community Store interim board of directors, I was down in Albany yesterday, being interviewed by the host of WAMC's Roundtable program, Joe Donahue. We had some time afterwards to chat a bit, and Joe talked about where he lives, which is about 25 miles away from Saratoga. His town has roughly the same number of residents as Saranac Lake: 5,000 or so. What was interesting, as we compared the two communities, is that in his town some 60% of the shops downtown have closed in recent months. While Saranac Lake has a few empty store fronts, we haven't experienced huge closures in recent months. Yes, there have been a few, but no where near 60%. I'm wondering if this isn't yet another indication that because the economy in the North Country has always been tough, everyone is used to scrambling and may see the current downturn simply as just another "blimp" on our economic horizon.

Out of the blue - yet again

2009-05-13T01:48:00.002-04:00

Well needless to say I didn't get the last internship that I went on an interview for. The one the guy emailed me out of the blue telling me he would be in town and all. Well after a brief courtship (i.e. talking on the phone, exchanging emails, and sending a portfolio) with another newspaper and yet another rejection ("I was always a strong candidate.") I got another email out of the blue. This time from someone telling me that the deadline for their fall internship is on Friday and they hope that I have time to apply. Well of course I have time, I have nothing but time. There for a while I was having doubts about my work and that no one was noticing it when I would send in my portfolio. Well these last few encounters have left me feeling like an eternal bridesmaid and never a bride.

Sarah
photographer/recent graduate

Arts & Future of Adks

2009-05-06T09:34:00.001-04:00

Local leaders in government, economics/tourism, and the environment, which includes environmental education have forgotten who put the Adirondacks in the public mindset in the first place; it was artists and intellectuals – people in the forefront of their disciplines that have ranged from Emerson and Thoreau in the 19^th Century to Einstein and Freud in the 20^th; The Hudson River School artists in the 19^th to sculptor David Smith and Georgia O’Keefe in the 20^th; writers like James Fennimore Cooper to Russell Banks, and such 20^th century leaders of music as Charles Ives and Bartok. They came here for inspiration, relaxation, fellowship and to heal.

How many have ever gone to David Smith’s farm in Bolton Landing and seen his brightly polished steel sculptures standing out in a field. They come alive. Our Museums are only now embracing Rockwell Kent who died 40 years ago. Conferences on greening our economy see the arts as decoration at best, decoration lite at that. Artists want time, light, space and an opportunity to network. One of our greatest assets is our light, we are blessed with a variation on a Mediterranean Light – a light influenced by our abundance of water, though here it is a very moody light, ever changing, which makes it stimulating. Artists are a green industry. Their products don’t pollute. Nor does the process of making them.

You want to grow the economy, attract young families and get media attention; recruit artists in all disciplines to live here. Raid Berlin. Raid New York. Raid Russia. Raid centers of the arts, while at the same time nurturing the talent we have. Create artist-in-residence opportunities for writers, poets, sculptors, playwrights, composers, dancers, video and digital artists and performance artists at the Wild Center, Adirondack Museum, DEC, ORDA, Paul Smiths College, Adk Lodge, Adk Medical Center, Trudeau Labs and other obvious and not so obvious places. Confront artists with the pleasant and unpleasant sides of the Adirondacks, economically and environmentally. Give them platforms to share the results. The results will not always be pretty, but they will be stimulating, challenging and exciting, and educate critical thinking as to just how important and interesting the Adirondack are. We should think of the whole Adirondack region as one big laboratory for ideas and inspiration; that’s how the 18^th and 19^th century artists saw and experienced our region. Do that and we’ll reverse the youth drain and economic slide wherein we are trapped.

Creative Class and Culture

2009-04-27T20:01:00.003-04:00

I think the idea of attracting a creative class, that creates their own employment, has merit. I think the Canton-Potsdam area already has much of the requisite ingredients in place. So do some of the Adirondack communities. I'm not sure how many folks of that description it would take to effect the local economy. Would they be full-time residents, or would they leave the area for key services and culture?

One of the the problems is "Bubba blight"- and I mean no disrespect, my farm would be one of the first on the list of needing work. But, unless I'm wrong, these folks would be disgusted, or at least turned off, by the redneck homes and trailers. We're not just clinging to our guns, we've also got two refrigerators, 3 just-in-case cars, old farm equipment, and wood piles. How do you get that to change? Zoning laws? Local ordinances?

It's hard to put aesthetics high on the list when time and money don't allow for that luxury- or when that's not a value you have. The poor are often not yearning for bucolic porches and architectural pleasures- one of the favorite quotes is: "Too rich for my blood." They fix your roof and deliver your wood. Front yards to the contrary, they consume little- no jet flights, no vacations, no new cars or new clothes. Venison stew is a staple. They conserve because they can't afford their electric bill. They know which dumpster at which supermarket is filled at a certain time. But.. they are an eyesore.

Could a creative turtle-type (job on their back, person inside) see beyond what appears to be a blight on a pristine landscape? There are so many stereotypes about nature being bucolic and stately. How can good people, with economic jumper cables under their arms, live cheek by jowl with Appalachian third-world types? Or am I overly sensitive to this issue?

Out of the blue

2009-04-27T09:30:00.003-04:00

At the end of January or early February I went on my first real interview for a photojournalism job. Obviously I didn't get the job. I probably took it a little too personal especially when the guy didn't get back to me, I just never heard from him. Well last week I heard from him. He emailed me out of the blue saying he would be in town interviewing and asked if I would like to come down if I was still looking for a job. I said I was still looking and that I would come and interview, again. There was another guy there with him that I hadn't met before and who hadn't seen my work so that was fine. It felt a little more comfortable than the last time but I felt the last time went well and nothing came of it. But to me the oddest thing that has happened in both interviews and subsequent emails is that the guy has told me to get in touch with another organization for a possible job or internship. Keep in mind this place has not advertised for a job or internship and he has told me that he doesn't know anyone there, he just wants me to contact them cold. I don't have too much of a problem of contacting someone cold but for him to tell me this during BOTH interviews just perplexes me. Maybe by telling me to do that it makes him feel a little better not to select me. But really I have no clue, I should know by the end of the week if it works out with him or I should contact the other organization.

Sarah
photographer/recent graduate

Chronic? Yes..sort of...

2009-04-21T14:15:00.005-04:00

We were talking about this in the newsroom yesterday. It came up in our "A Year of Hard Choices" opening interview with economist Greg Gardner. He had said New York might lag behind the rest of the country in recovering from this economic crisis, so I asked about this chronic recession idea. Yes, sort of. Listen:

I also asked him if there were a model for job creation anywhere that could be plugged into the North Country. He had said no, begging my followup, "Do we just live with it?" Not exactly. Listen:

What about this idea of the "creative class?" Could putting economic development resources into quality of life improvements, instead of -- what, a new manufacturer? an ethanol plant? a super-conducting super-collider? -- change the flat-to-downward trend in the North Country?

Chronic Recession

2009-04-21T11:53:00.002-04:00

As I have been working with this blog and talking to people of the North Country about the recession there have been several comments that people here aren't feeling the effects so much because there is a chronic recession here in the North Country. I think it would be interesting to hear from people who think this is true and those who don't think it is true.

Ebb and Flow

2009-04-08T21:12:00.002-04:00

For the second time this year I have had two real possibilities for a job or internship at the same time. This last time was especially frustrating.

Scenario One:
An internship for an NGO that would take place in a different country. The deal breaker is that I would have to pay my way. After looking closer at my school loans I just couldn't swing it.

Scenario Two:
An internship at a daily newspaper but that position was "eliminated," in the newspaper industry I can only imagine why.

The frustration continues.

Sarah
photographer/recent graduate

Seeking Arts Stimulus Money

2009-04-03T13:42:00.002-04:00

In the stimulus package $50 million was allocated for the arts, money put back in after our own Senator Schumer initially voted against it (Gillibrand in favor). It was put in because many people across the nation sent lots of letters, emails, faxes and phone calls to Congress. Thus far applying for those funds has been anything but easy. First, if you had not applied to the National Endowment for the Arts in the past four years you were not allowed to apply to them for stimulus funds. Why, to make the NEA's job easier in vetting who is worthy. Thanks for your mail, but sorry - try your local arts agency (assuming it still exists).

Let's say you have applied in the past but you need to update your data. First make sure you have a DUNS number. That takes 2 days. Then there is the scary part, registering with the Central Contractor Registration (CCR) or modifying your data. The amount of data is vast, repetitive and the instructions are filled with jargon, bad English and red herrings. Also you learn later it must be entered and saved in 3-minute bursts. You find yourself filling out forms not needed and missing those that are. Try calling the help desk. An hour wait is fast. Not being able to reach a person by phone for 2 days not unusual, and often from another agency as the regular people are too swamped. Good news is when you get through you get an ID number, told you will be put on a fast track and that you will be called back. They never do. Along the way you have to create a new pass code and remember you are required to change it once every 4 months.

After a week or two of wasted hours and days on hold, frustration and curses, you get your CCR ID. Then it is on to step three, Grants.gov. You need your DUNS and CCR number to enter, where you get to register all over again, all this before even seeing an application form. Grant.gov can take a week, doesn't recognize certain Word documents or server platforms, and so on. The whole process is demeaning, painful, confusing, poorly organized and seems designed to discourage people from applying.

To its credit the NEA did extend some deadlines a week, but event that wasn't enough (nor is their site as easily navigated as they like to think it is). Their advice, complain to your Congressperson.

In the Running

2009-04-02T23:32:00.003-04:00

To put it bluntly I had a mini break down today. I don't use that term lightly, I know there are people out there in worse positions than mine and when I think about that I feel even worse for feeling depressed like I am. I think it had been brewing for a few days now after getting a clearer look at my student loans and because of that having to say no to an internship opportunity. I read the last few posts by the bloggers and they have some encouraging news but in the end they say it will take a while. Well that is hard for me to hear, as I am sure it is for other people as well. I am not a patient person to begin with. I have been in contact with someone for a job since the beginning of January. They just wanted to keep the application process open for a while. They said they liked my work and to check back. So I have been. Last time I did the guy told me I was still in the running. Still in the running? It has been over three months how long is this marathon that I am running? That is what I want to know. Hopefully this funk with me won't last long as I tear up a bit writing this, hopefully after this weekend and an opening day softball game I can hit the ground running again.

Sarah
photographer/recent graduate

Jeff Yost keynotes North Country Symposium on rural community building

2009-04-02T12:19:00.003-04:00

This morning, I talked with Jeff Yost during the 8 O'clock Hour -- he's head of the Nebraska Community Foundation, which is a sort of umbrella organization for lots of small community organizations/foundations.
He's another person with good ideas about how rural communities -- and most he works with are under 1,000 people --, can actually make progress toward long term sustainability. (He's just been in Washington, DC, sharing his ideas with Congress.) In his keynote speech at the North Country Symposium at St. Lawrence U. this morning, he talked about a strategy called HomeTown Competitiveness, subtitled A Come-Back/Give-Back Approach to Rural Community Building. He's working in an area that has fewer people, spread over greater distances, than even here in this region, and he's reporting out some pretty impressive stories. The four strategic areas? Leadership development, youth development, local charitable assets, and entrepreneurial development.
Last week, Greg Gardner said there is no silver bullet to solve this region's economic challenges. Yost used the same words. They also agreed that economic growth has to be "homegrown," that loss of young people is perhaps the greatest challenge of all to rural areas (and solving it offers the greatest opportunity), and that this'll take a while.
But as I said -- Yost has encouraging news.

Giving in Challenging Times

2009-04-01T12:20:00.001-04:00

The hard choices began last September and really hit home in October as the stock market crashed. The choices involved organizational sustainability and personal leadership through a period of intense uncertainty. I am the director of a small community foundation growing philanthropy to serve the Adirondacks. We work with individuals and families who are deeply committed to the health and vitality of Adirondack communities and nonprofit organizations. Donors to our foundation, the Adirondack Community Trust (ACT), support hundreds of nonprofit organizations that provide services to our neighbors and preserve our special way of life.

Throughout the end of 2008 and into 2009, I began to talk with donors and nonprofits about how they were “weathering the storm” and evaluate gift and grant trends as ACT planned for an uncertain future. What a relief it was when the numbers revealed that donors are indeed continuing to give. Donors through ACT enhanced their commitments to the causes they care most about. We were blown away. Indeed, in the face of deep economic challenges, Adirondack residents are living up to their reputation for generosity.

It was a different story for many nonprofits that face daunting challenges; they are asked to do much more with much less. Many I spoke with were fighting the urge to focus on negative scenarios and simply hunker down; some were contemplating closing down. It will be interesting to see how well NCPR does with its spring membership drive; they are off to a great start.

2010 will not be easy for anyone. Like every nonprofit organization, ACT will have fewer resources available to cover its operating budget and to serve its communities. However, this situation presents us with an opportunity to envision ACT stronger and healthier and to implement strategies to achieve this vision. We are moving ahead by assessing our performance during this downturn—and by developing new ways to achieve our mission given the new ‘economic reality’ and its unique challenges and opportunities.

In future posts, I will talk about some key benchmarks and strategies ACT is considering to “weather the storm” in 2009.

Eggs and the word on the "farmer's street"

2009-04-01T08:23:00.003-04:00

We like to use local products at our cafe, and recently our "egg lady" hasn't been able to deliver what we needed for eggs.

So off-handedly I mentioned to David Summerstein, when he came to interview us for this series, that the cafe is looking for a new egg distributor. I didn't think that he would include this in the clip that went onto the radio, but sure enough, he did.
Not even 2 minutes after the clip had finished airing, someone called about selling eggs. I was surprised and excited. We found a new "egg lady"!
And wouldn't you know, I've gotten 3 more calls in the last 4 days from people who have eggs to sell.
It's great, having local eggs again. They're fresher and we're putting money back into our economy.

But here's what I'm wondering: Does local food actually add to our allure? Do people specifically come out to our restaurant because we use local ingredients?

Believe it or not, I have been under the impression that the answer is no. It's rare that we hear feedback about local food from our customers.

Our employee, Kathy Rice, disagrees with me however. She and her husband grow and sell veggies at farmer's market through their business, Sweetcore Farm. This past summer they were worried about their business making enough money as a result of rising fuel costs.
However, to their surprise, they made more money than they ever have because volume was up significantly.
She says that this is a similar situation for other farmers who sell at Canton's market.

According to Kathy, the "locavore" food movement is really picking up in Canton.

And farmers are noticing a difference.

Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe people in the North Country are intentionally choosing to spend their food dollars at home.

If it's true, that's great news for farmers!!

Playing the Game

2009-03-30T23:13:00.002-04:00

Well I found an internship shooting for an NGO for the summer that I applied for on Friday, the deadline was Saturday and the guy got back to me on Monday. So it seems like he may be interested but I feel like I am playing a game. The game being how much am I going to tell them about what I am willing to do before they even interview me. It is an NGO where I would be overseas and I would have to pay my entire way so they want to know if I am ok with that. Well quite frankly I don't know, it depends on where I have to go, when I would be going, how long I would be going. But these are things I would find out AFTER the interview and he is asking these questions of me BEFORE the interview to see if he even wants to interview me. I have had this happen to me before where it seems like the process of the interview is going backwards. I wish we could just put all our cards on the table but I have a fear of that because they are the ones holding the trump card.

Sarah
photographer/recent graduate

Glens Falls has most unemployment of any NY metro area

2009-03-27T07:57:00.002-04:00

This from the Glens Falls Post Star:

Yet again, the Glens Falls metropolitan statistical area has posted the highest unemployment rate in the state at 10 percent, according to data released Thursday by New York's Department of Labor.

The figure, up from 9.3 percent last month, translates to about 6,700 jobless people and marks a 15-year high for the area, which includes Warren and Washington counties.