Be the Change: September
By Leona Palmer
This month, HWFC’s Be the Change program is featuring and raising funds to support two local organizations: Capital Streets and Noteworthy Resources of Albany.
Capital Streets, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, is working “to reverse decades of car-centered development that gutted our cities' public spaces, and instead rebuild a more dynamic and walkable transportation system that makes life more enjoyable for everyone who lives in or visits the Capital District.” Positioning themselves as a community resource, their goal is to improve the region’s transportation network. Ideally, this means re-imagining the streets to be more pleasing, more usable, and more connected for anyone traveling by foot or wheel.
Their many projects include coalition-building, policy advocacy, and partnering with other organizations to improve infrastructure and bolster communities’ connectedness and equitable access.
Check out their various projects and success stories as well as their multiple annual events, including Cranksgiving and Gravel Pitt (a full weekend of camping and biking), on their website.
Noteworthy Resources of Albany, Inc. (NWR), is “dedicated to supporting people with mental health struggles in cultivating strong peer connections, securing essential therapy and resources, and fostering self-advocacy.” Since 2017, NWR has been working to connect individuals to local resources, therapy (through a free and confidential search), peer support through regular and variously themed meet-ups, youth education, suicide prevention, mental wellness coaching, neurodivergence awareness, and educational workshops. Focused on access, support, and skills, NWR is passionate about cultivating individual connections and community health for anyone with mental health concerns.
Beyond supporting individuals being able to meet their own needs directly, NWR has also taken the initiative to educate schools, workplaces, and local communities on better meeting the mental, social, and emotional needs of their constituents, “because everyone deserves access to healing and community”.
Events include: Men’s Mental Wellness Meet-up bimonthly (at HWFC!); monthly Dark Moon Grief Gathering, bimonthly Casual Moms Meet-up, a monthly Neurodivergent Housewife Meet-up, a monthly Get Lit bookclub, and this year their first annual ADHD Awareness Walk on October 12th. You can check all these out on their website!
For the month of September, remember to round up to the nearest dollar and donate to support our community!
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