Showing posts with label Syracuse. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Syracuse. Show all posts

Monday, June 23, 2014

TLC Graduates Five Groups from Leadership Training Program

June 23, 2014 – On Saturday, June 14, leaders from five local grassroots and nonprofit organizations celebrated their completion of The Leadership Classroom (TLC). TLC is an eight-month leadership training initiative offered by the Central New York Community Foundation. Participants are community and nonprofit representatives who want to learn advanced leadership skills alongside other neighborhood leaders in an interactive setting. After participating in monthly training sessions, each group receives a $3,500 grant to implement a community project that is proposed and planned during their training.
One of this year’s graduates, The Bhutanese Community in Syracuse Inc. (BCS), is an active cultural organization on the Northside of Syracuse. BCS offers cultural, family and youth development activities for resettled Bhutanese refugees.

Participants from BCS were among the youngest leaders to participate in TLC. They entered the program seeking ways to help other refugees engage as citizens within the greater Syracuse community. BCS team leader, Praja Shapkota, says it is important for refugees and new settlers to not be limited by culture or language.

“Most of our youth were brought up in refugee camps and what they have known is nothing much outside of Nepal,” said Praja. “Without exposure, the mind doesn’t open up that easily so they need to go out and meet with people to understand how others feel and then understand how to work within the community.”

To do this, BCS will use their TLC grant to pilot an English-as-Second-Language (ESL) Citizenship class to better prepare Bhutanese refugees for their citizenship test.

The Butternut Community Police Center enables young people to realize their full potential as productive, responsible, and caring citizens. They will use their grant to refurbish a trailer that will house and transport camping equipment for youth who attend the Center.

The Somali-Bantu Community Association of Onondaga County provides assistance, training and advocacy for resettled refugees. They will use their grant to design an inter-community soccer tournament to foster healthy engagement for the various cultural communities in and around Pioneer Homes.

T.E.A.M R.O.C.K is a Syracuse-based inner-city mentoring program for young girls. T.E.A.M R.O.C.K will use their grant funds to take young girls on a camping adventure which includes team building transformative activities and restricts social media use.

Reading 4 ME is a new group working to cultivate a culture and appreciation for reading in youth. Reading 4 ME will host a literary arts competition targeting youth on the South and Southwest sides of Syracuse.
“The Community Foundation is proud to collaborate with and support these inspiring community leaders who are working every day to improve their neighborhoods and our community,” said Olive Sephuma, Director of Community Grantmaking at the Community Foundation. “We congratulate them on their graduation and welcome them to our growing network of TLC alumni.”

The Leadership Classroom is an initiative of the Central New York Community Foundation. Established in 1927, the Central New York Community Foundation encourages local philanthropy by supporting the growth of permanent charitable endowments for the betterment of the region.  The Community Foundation is the largest charitable foundation in the region with assets of more than $172 million. It awarded $9.5 million in grants last year to nonprofit organizations and since its inception has invested nearly $130 million in the community. The Community Foundation serves as the steward of charitable legacies for individuals, families and businesses through the administration of nearly 650 funds. The organization also serves as a civic leader, convener and sponsor of special initiatives designed to strengthen local nonprofits and address the region’s most pressing challenges. For more information, visit www.cnycf.org.

Thursday, March 20, 2014

Syracuse Parks Conservancy Seeking Small Grant Applicants

Syracuse, NY – As Central New York enjoys more hours of sunshine and hopes for warmer weather, the Syracuse Parks Conservancy (SPC) is gearing up on this First Day of Spring by seeking applicants for its Neighborhood Greening Grants Program. The program will award a series of $750 mini-grants to help organizations improve their communities through park and recreation center beautification projects.

Syracuse Parks Conservancy believes that well-kept community spaces contribute to the life and vitality of neighborhoods. By taking care of our neighborhood environment, we create places where residents can gather and interact, thus strengthening the neighborhood’s social fabric and improving its quality of life. SPC Vice President George Matthews said, “Increased citizen involvement with Parks programs is a primary purpose of this project.”

Applicants may be neighborhood associations, schools, park associations, faith-based organizations and other community groups in the city of Syracuse that hold a 501(c)(3) status. Non-qualifying organizations may seek a qualifying fiscal agent. Eligible proposals for projects are not permitted to have taken place already or currently have an open Neighborhood Greening Grant. 

Projects should be on vacant lots or property owned by the Syracuse Department of Parks, allow community member involvement and leadership, and occur where there is a need for financial assistance for the project proposed. Sample projects may include a community garden, rain garden, park beautification or the development of a trail.
Applications will be subject to a review process. All grants are awarded on a rolling basis in amounts not to exceed $750 per grant. Applicants can visit www.syracuseparksconservancy.com/neighborhood-greening-grants/ to view application guidelines and to download an application.
This program is funded by the Central New York Community Foundation.

Tuesday, February 11, 2014

Literacy Volunteers of Greater Syracuse changes its name to LiteracyCNY






Literacy Volunteers of Greater Syracuse is changing its name to LiteracyCNY to better reflect its mission as a provider of adult education and to raise awareness of adult illiteracy in Central New York.
The organization was founded in 1962 by Syracuse resident Ruth Colvin. Colvin pioneered many of the instructional methods used to teach adults how to read. Colvin, now 97, supports the new name as a symbol of an organization adapting to change. "We're on our way onward and upward,'' she said Thursday at a meeting of the editorial board of Syracuse Media Group.
Part of the new name is the tagline, "transforming lives, strengthening communities.'' Adults who learn to be proficient at reading are better able to compete for jobs, help their children succeed at school, navigate the legal and health care systems and participate in civic life, said Marsha Tait, executive director.
LiteracyCNY has a staff of three and 150 to 175 active volunteers, Tait said. It shares space with the Syracuse Educational Opportunity Center, 100 New St. LiteracyCNY conducts reading classes and one-on-one tutoring for a 50-50 mix of native English speakers and non-English language learners who come mainly from the refugee community. The agency serves about 500 students and has a waiting list.
Many more people are in need of its services, Tait said. LiteracyCNY and its partners in adult education estimate there are 60,000 adults in Onondaga County who are in need of literacy skills.
The name change and repositioning of the agency was funded by a grant from the Central New York Community Foundation and facilitated by Eric Mower + Associates marketing agency. For more information and to volunteer, go towww.LiteracyCNY.org.

Tuesday, February 4, 2014

Syracuse Worksite Wellness Conference

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Erika Cieply Adigun
Corporate Wellness Coordinator
YMCA of Greater Syracuse
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Thursday, December 5, 2013

Google Alert - Syracuse New York Nonprofit

Giving Tuesday promotes central New York's non-profits

Credit Central New York Community Foundation
Giving Tuesday is taking hold in central New York.
With Black Friday and Cyber Monday focus on spending for holiday gifts, a burgeoning movement is hoping to create that same kind of fervor when it comes to making charitable donations. Tomorrow has been dubbed Giving Tuesday in the world of non-profits.
Matt Seubert, Development Director of Enable and Transitional Living Services in Syracuse had never heard of Giving Tuesday when it started last year.
"Last year I was sitting at my desk on the Tuesday following Thanksgiving, and we got an online gift for Giving Tuesday," Seubert said. "And I thought, I have no idea what that is.”
After a little research, he learned it was a national movement started in 2012 to create a national day of giving, following the heavily advertised shopping days of Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Syracuse wasn’t heavily involved last year, but this year the Central New York Community Foundation is promoting the idea, according to the organization's president, Peter Dunn.
"We thought it would be interesting to help non-profits also think about mobilizing their constituencies through social media, through Twitter and Facebook," Dunn said. "So we created a $5,000 grant as an incentive for the non-profit who gets the most votes through those forms of communication.”
Dunn says votes are counted by the number of tweets or CNY Foundation Facebook mentions using #GivingTuesdayCNY.
"We thought it would be interesting to bring it to Syracuse to help non profits think about how to use social media this time of year, when a lot of giving happens anyway in anticipation of the year end, in order to qualify for tax deductions and whatnot," Dunn said. "Using social media is another way to mobilize support.”
As for Enable, Seubert says they are taking to social media in a way they haven’t before, using clients and employees to tell stories about the work they do, as they try to get enough votes to win that $5,000 prize.
Central New Yorkers can vote for their favorite charities starting at midnight tonight through midnight tomorrow.

Thursday, October 24, 2013

Syracuse New York Nonprofit

NY Comptroller DiNapoli to talk about volume of tax-exempt properties in Syracuse tomorrow



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Syracuse, N.Y. — New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli will release a new report on property tax exemptions Wednesday morning in Syracuse.
DiNapoli said he will appear with Mayor Stephanie Miner at 10:30 a.m. at City Hall.
About 51 percent of the property in Syracuse is tax exempt. Miner has tried to negotiate with the big non-profit hospitals and schools to make some payments instead of taxes to help the city pay for the cost of public safety, roads and other services.
Syracuse University agreed to pay $500,000 a year for five years and Crouse Hospital agreed to pay $50,000 a year for four years. Others have resisted.
Syracuse.com readers identified property tax exemptions as a concern in a recent survey of ways the city could raise more revenue.
Miner is running for re-election Nov. 5 against the Green Party's Kevin Bott and Conservative Party candidate Ian Hunter. DiNapoli has endorsed her.
Contact Michelle Breidenbach at (315) 470-3186, mbreidenbach@syracuse.comor follow on Twitter @mbreidenbach.

You're invited to WCNY's Grand Opening!

WCNY Grand Opening

Thursday, October 10, 2013

Community Foundation pledges $1 million to support Say Yes Syracuse


by Eric Reinhardt
Date: 10/8/2013 at 13:53:9



SYRACUSE — The Central New York Community Foundation (CNYCF) today announced its board of directors voted to renew its $1 million commitment to the Syracuse chapter of Say Yes to Education, called Say Yes Syracuse.
The gift continues the Community Foundation’s annual support of the Say Yes tuition promise, the nonprofit said in a news release.
The Community Foundation made its first $1 million pledge in 2009, and the pledges conclude in 2014, according to the CNYCF.
The pledge represents the largest investment the organization has ever made to a communitywide initiative, the Community Foundation said.
The financial commitment provides $200,000 per year to pay for Say Yes scholarships while the organization builds an endowment to fund the scholarships permanently.
The CNYCF board “quickly” recognized the potential of Say Yes to “galvanize” the community around education reform and economic development, Peter Dunn, president & CEO of the Community Foundation, said in the news release.
“The tuition promise is at the core of the Say Yes model, an incentive for students to persevere toward graduation and reinforce the message that college is a realistic and affordable option. We felt it was a priority to make that promise a reality for the first graduating class and those that followed,” Dunn said.
In 2011, SRC, Inc. committed $5 million in matching dollars to launch an endowment campaign. To date, Say Yes Syracuse has raised 70 percent of the funds required to complete the match, CNYCF said.
The ultimate goal is to build a $20 million endowment that the Community Foundation will manage to provide a “perpetual” source of scholarship dollars, according to the organization.
In addition to overseeing the investment of the Say Yes endowment funds, the Community Foundation works closely with Say Yes to administer the scholarship program and distribute “last-dollar aid” to colleges on behalf of the scholarship recipients, CNYCF said.
The Say Yes Scholarship Endowment campaign has attracted significant funding from a number of foundation, corporate, and individual donors, the Community Foundation said.
The donors include the Allyn Foundation, a private family foundation based in Skaneateles Falls; the DeWitt–based Dorothy and Marshall M. Reisman Foundation; and Clay–based Raymour & Flanigan Furniture, which have each committed $500,000 toward the endowment, CNYCF said.
Neil Goldberg, president of Raymour & Flanigan, co-chairs the campaign with Allen Naples, regional president of M&T Bank.
M&T was an early donor to the effort with a gift of $100,000, according to CNYCF.
Say Yes Syracuse is a collaboration that brings together the Syracuse City School District, Syracuse University, the Syracuse Teachers Association, the Syracuse Association of Administrators and Supervisors, the city of Syracuse, Onondaga County, and the Washington, D.C.–based American Institutes for Research, which describes itself as “one of the world's largest behavioral and social-science research organizations” on its website.
The collaboration also involves a diverse group of Syracuse–area corporate, nonprofit, and philanthropic organizations, and a number of public and private higher-education partners, according to the Community Foundation.
Established in 1927, the Central New York Community Foundation is the largest charitable foundation in the region with assets of more than $143 million, the organization said.
It awarded $8.3 million in grants last year to nonprofit organizations and since its inception has invested more than $120 million in the community, according to its website.

Contact Reinhardt at ereinhardt@cnybj.com


Thursday, September 12, 2013

Syracuse New York Nonprofit


Schumer: More than 170,000 Central New Yorkers may be eligible for federal student loan relief

U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer Visits Syracuse Media Group
U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., said today that most public sector and nonprofit workers are unaware they are eligible to have their federal student loan payments reduced and eventually forgiven after 10 years of payments .Schumer is shown at an editorial board meeting of syracuse.com and The Post-Standard Monday, July 22, 2013. Dennis Nett | dnett@syracuse.com
Mark Weiner | mweiner@syracuse.comBy Mark Weiner | mweiner@syracuse.com 
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on September 11, 2013 at 2:12 PM, updated September 11, 2013 at 5:46 PM
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WASHINGTON - More than 170,000 public sector and nonprofit employees in Central New York could be missing out on a chance to reduce payments on their federal student loans, U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer said today.
Some teachers, firefighters, police officers and other public and nonprofit workers could also qualify to have the balance of those student loans forgiven after 10 years, Schumer said.
Schumer, D-N.Y., launched an effort today to try to draw attention to the obscure federal program that helps with student loans, noting that only 40,000 people nationwide have enrolled with the U.S. Department of Education.
"The amazing thing is that it's a very good program, but very few people know about it," Schumer told reporters.
He said the low enrollment in the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program is surprising, given how often he hears from constituents about the high cost of a college education and student loan debt.
"We know how hard it is to pay for college," Schumer said. "We know that student loan debt is more than $1 trillion. Everywhere I go in New York this is one of the No. 1 issues people bring up with me."
Under the program established by the College Cost Reduction and Access Act of 2007, any employee of a nonprofit or federal, state or local government is eligible to have their federal student loan payments reduced to no more than 15 percent of their discretionary income.
After 10 years of payments, the balances on those student loans are eligible to be forgiven, Schumer said.
The program applies to new loans since October 2007, but those who are still making payments on existing loans prior to that date are eligible to have those loans forgiven after 10 years of payments.
Schumer said the idea is to encourage more people to become interested in public service jobs, which are often lower paying at the entry level than private-sector positions.
"The call to service cannot and shall not be drowned out by loan collectors," Schumer said. "I think we can save a lot of people a lot of money."
A recent report from the U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Board found 33 million Americans, or about 25 percent of the nation's workforce, would be eligible to take part in the loan repayment program.
In Central New York, the number includes 67,233 public health employees, 13,773 public education employees and 90,764 government employees, according to Schumer's office.
Only federal Direct Loans - those originated by the U.S. Department of Education - would qualify for forgiveness under the program.
Schumer said money has already been set aside to pay for the program, and no new funding from taxpayers is required.
The senator said he asked the Department of Education and the Department of Labor to work together to raise awareness about the program, and make sure all new public employees are notified of the loan program when they are hired.
Schumer's office plans to post application forms for the program on the senator's website, along with other material explaining the program's requirements.
Contact Mark Weiner at mweiner@syracuse.com or 571-970-3751. Follow him on Twitter @MarkWeinerDC

Monday, August 5, 2013

Syracuse.com: Company News, The Gifford Foundation Has Awarded Grants to Nonprofit and Community Groups

Company news: The Gifford Foundation has awarded grants to nonprofit and community groups

syracuse.com | The Post-StandardBy syracuse.com | The Post-Standard 
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on July 31, 2013 at 10:58 AM, updated July 31, 2013 at 11:04 AM
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• The Gifford Foundation has announced the following grants to nonprofit and community groups:
Community grants: CancerConnects; Catholic Charities of Onondaga County; Clear Path for Veterans; The Everson Museum of Art; The Fayette Street Boys and Girls Club; The Food Bank of Central New York; Home Aides of Central New York; Red House Arts Center; Syracuse Poster Project; Syracuse Stage.
"What If..." mini grants: 338 Gifford Street; High Octane Youth Basketball; Northside Karate; The Reducing Teen Violence In our Neighborhood Initiative; T.E.A.M. Rock; Toomey Abbott Resident Association; The Westside Youth Advisory Council; Women Transcending Boundaries.
• VIP Development Associates, Inc. announced the purchase of CenterState CEO's 22,000 SF headquarters office building at 572 S Salina St., Syracuse.
• U.S. Small Business Administration has granted $95,000 to The Research Foundation for the State University of New York.
• Syracuse Opera announced that it has met its $69,786 goal to receive matching funds from a recent Onondaga County Challenge grant.
• WonderWorks, received their LEED© Silver certification from the United States Green Building Council this month, in their location at Destiny USA.
• Woodmen of the World has awarded Destiny USA with the environmental award.
• Bond Schoeneck & King has been named in the top 10 of the "Thirty Best Labor and Employment Law Firms" by bestattorneysonline.com.

Wednesday, July 10, 2013

Job Openings at Contact Community Services, Inc.


Contact Community Services, Inc.
announces the following job openings for the
Youth Development Department

Please submit letter of intent and resume
by Friday, July 19th, 2013 to:
Contact Community Services, Inc.
6311 Court St Rd. East Syracuse NY 13507
Full job descriptions are available on the website:

Program Coordinator(1)
This is a full-time, 12 month position
12/month starting salary:  $37,000
        Review Job description on website for education and previous experience requirements

Program Manager(4)
This is a full-time, 11 month position
11/month starting salary:  $29,333
Review Job description on website  for education and previous experience requirements

Youth Development Specialist(7)
This is a full-time, 10 month position
10/month starting salary:  $23,333
Review Job description on website for education and previous experience requirements

High School Graduate Initiative Specialist(4)
This is a full-time, 12 month position
12/month starting salary:  $29,000
Review Job description on website for education and previous experience requirements

Program Manager (1)
This is a part-time, Sept- June for 32 scheduled weeks
Evening and weekend hours are occasionally involved
School holidays and recess time off
(20 hours per week, hrs. vary between 1pm-6pm)$20 per hr
         Review Job description on website for education and previous experience requirements

Program Aides (17)
This is a part-time, 9 month position (15-20 hrs per week)
Hours vary between 12pm-6:30pm)
School holidays and recess time off
Evening and weekend hours are occasionally involved
$10 per hour.
       Review Job description on website for education and previous experience requirements

Thursday, May 9, 2013

ED Job Listing!

ED Job Listing


The Greater Syracuse Property Development Corporation (GSPDC) seeks applicants for the position of
Executive Director/Chief Financial Officer. This is a full-time position, managing a 501(c)(3) organization with
a large inventory of property in various conditions and in a wide range of market conditions.

For more info click on the link below then click BCCOAD Director Job.


https://drive.google.com/?authuser=0&pli=1#my-drive

CRAVE STATEWIDE ARTS FESTIVAL WILL DEMONSTRATE VALUE OF ARTS TO LOCAL ECONOMY


Sept. 20-21 conclave will bring multidisciplinary performances, screenings, exhibitions and "pop-up" events to Syracuse
Syracuse, NY (May 8, 2013) -- The city of Syracuse will play host to a statewide arts festival and conclave this fall-the result of a grant from the New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA) through the Regional Economic Development Council (REDC) round two competitive funding cycle.
 
Running Sept. 20-21, the program is titled "CRAVE," which stands for "Cultivating Resources in the Arts for Value in Our Economy."

CRAVE will feature multidisciplinary performances, screenings, exhibitions, and "pop-up" events throughout Downtown Syracuse and near the Syracuse University campus, including the world premiere of a multimedia "Happening" by Paul D. Miller, the composer and turntable artist who performs as D J Spooky. Artist-in-residence at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Miller will be joined by various local artists, many of whom are also performing that weekend along the Connective Corridor.

CRAVE is organized and presented by the Central New York Jazz Arts Foundation (CNY Jazz), in conjunction with the Connective Corridor, a program of Syracuse University's Office of Community Engagement and Economic Development, and with the Syracuse Convention and Visitors Bureau. For more information, call 315-479-JAZZ or visit the website.

"CNY Jazz is thrilled to partner with Syracuse University and the Syracuse Convention and Visitors Bureau to celebrate one of our region's greatest economic resources: the arts," says Larry Luttinger, founder and executive director of CNY Jazz.  

"CRAVE will not only reiterate the economic value of the arts, but also demonstrate how the arts revitalize communities; create new benchmarks for content relevancy; plan, create, and demonstrate innovative new performance models; and develop audience engagement strategies that turn fans into subscribers and subscribers into donors," says Luttinger. "CRAVE will establish Central New York as a national leader for events that immerse and engage audiences in the creative experience."

Luttinger expects CRAVE to target multiple audiences, including mobile and tablet users. ("The smartphone generation is just beginning to tap into the possibilities of interactive art," he says.) CRAVE will also serve as a platform for a statewide dialogue about how the arts and cultural activity can grow jobs, stimulate the economy, and sustain neighborhoods. "We are using CRAVE to help define Syracuse as a forward-looking and cosmopolitan city," says Luttinger.

Linda Hartsock, who directs the Connective Corridor in SU's Office of Community Engagement and Economic Development is pleased that Syracuse was selected for this venue. "The Corridor is the perfect linear stage for this multi-dimensional event, and we're thrilled that Syracuse will be the nexus for this creative energy," she says. "We look forward to seeing best practices in action from around the state and to learning how these models can advance community revitalization strategies."

SU's College of Arts and Sciences, home to the Janklow Arts Leadership Program, is one of several academic units playing an organizational role.

"CRAVE exemplifies our commitment to the public humanities by providing opportunities for interdisciplinary research and engagement," says Arts and Sciences Dean George M. Langford. "In particular, it will give our Janklow students hands-on training in strategic planning, entrepreneurial marketing, and cultural tourism."

CRAVE features three special guests who will participate in the festival and conclave:

Paul D. Miller (DJ Spooky), an experimental and electronic musician, conceptual artist, and writer who is artist in residence at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. His work as a media artist has been featured at the Whitney Biennial, Venice Biennial, and Miami/Art Basel; and his first collection of essays,Rhythm Science, was released by MIT Press. Download an image of DJ Spooky from DropBox.

Sam Read, director of advancement and communications at Theatre Bay Area in San Francisco and founder of the month-long Arts Crush festival in Seattle. Download a high-res image of Read from DropBox.

Surale Phillipspresident of Decision Support Partners, a national leader in collaborative community-based research supporting arts and cultural development. Phillips is also a consultant to the IDEAS Collaborative, a local consortium of foundations and government that studies and supports audience-engagement initiatives. At CRAVE, Phillips will conduct a comprehensive economic and social-impact survey whose metrics, as well as its audiovisual records, will be published after the event.

The creation process for CRAVE has already started, with an advance visit by Sam Read, director of advancement and communications at Theatre Bay Area in San Francisco and founder of the month-long Arts Crush festival in Seattle, who on April 27th guided close to 40 arts leaders from throughout Central New York who gathered for a "Local Creators Retreat" to explore new engagement models and strategies for the arts to be performed and demonstrated at the fall event.  

Attendees included representatives from Symphoria, the Syracuse Opera, Everson Museum of Art, Landmark Theatre, the YMCA Arts Branch, Society for New Music, Film in Syracuse, and Syracuse University.

Said Read at the conclusion of the retreat, "I am thrilled to be working with the creative community of Syracuse in the creation of this festival.  CRAVE represents the innovation and entrepreneurial spirit that is vital to moving the arts forward in our country. Investing in the creativity of our audiences and activating our communities as collaborators in the artistic experience are both essential to the sustainability of our cultural organizations."

CRAVE Festival and State Conclave Schedule

Friday, Sept. 20, 5-10 p.m.  CRAVE Festival: Events include Connective Corridor "Arts Bus" tours for conclave attendees and the public, plus arts activities in Armory Square and other locations along the Connective Corridor. (7-10 p.m.)

Saturday, Sept. 21, 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.  Creators' Conclave: A statewide meeting at The Warehouse (350 West Fayette St.), SU's downtown facility in Armory Square, for content providers, arts presenters, arts councils, concerned community and urban stakeholders, and college and university arts faculty and students. This session will be led by Sam Read, and will explore, demonstrate, and design cultural content as an integral part of New York's new economic strategy. Three $1,000 planning prizes will be awarded for peer-reviewed projects, which, in turn, may be further developed for production or for grant purposes by the winners.

Saturday, Sept. 21, 1 p.m. to 11 p.m.  CRAVE Festival: Free events and activities will take place throughout the day, including a "C-RAVE Symphony" flash mob; pop-up performances in restaurants; visual and performance street art; and various shows, concerts, and exhibits. "Arts Buses" will transport attendees along the Connective Corridor, allowing them to sample interactive and family-friendly content. Some activities will support existing productions. The festival concludes with a "Happening" concert at 8 p.m., led by DJ Spooky, joined by a variety of guest artists.

More information about CRAVE, including requests for conclave registration, lodging, parking, a detailed schedule, and artist bios is available at the website. Discount lodging at the new Courtyard by Marriott (300 West Fayette St.), adjacent to The Warehouse in Armory Square, is available until Aug. 9.