Kingston, NY – The Office of Assemblymember Sarahana Shrestha has awarded operational grants to ten recipients in District 103. The office conducted an open submission process, through which more than thirty applications were received. School districts, municipalities, libraries, and nonprofits are eligible. The window for operational grants will reopen next year around April. The awardees for this year are as follows:

• Samadhi Center — $40,000
• Ulster County Immigrant Defense Network — $25,000
• Ulster County Canines, Saugerties — $10,000
• Unison Arts & Learning Center, New Paltz — $30,000
• Arm of the Sea Theater Company, Saugerties – $25,000
• Rosendale Theatre, Rosendale – $25,000
• Hudson River Watershed Alliance – $25,000
• Esopus Library, Town of Esopus – $30,000
• Red Hook Central School District, Red Hook – $15,000
• Village of Rhinebeck – $25,000

“Many in the district are constantly taking initiatives to alleviate challenges our communities experience every day,” said Assemblymember Shrestha, “Human beings are problem solvers and creative thinkers by nature but getting the financial resources we need to implement our ideas is always the most daunting and discouraging part of the process. So whether it’s helping to nurture the bonds between humans and their pets, or situating new immigrants with basic needs, or increasing accessibility with language and technology, or creating a recovery support system for those who need it, or inspiring wonder and responsibility of our universe through puppetry, cinema, art incubation, or a conference, our office is thrilled to be able to grant operational support to help get this work across some of the hurdles. We look forward to opening up the submission process again next year in April and be thoughtful about what else we can support in the district.”

Kingston-based Samadhi Center, which provides care to those suffering from homelessness, mental illness, and addiction, has been awarded $40,000. Said Patrick Hertica of the Samadhi team, “This funding is crucial to continue our work getting individuals into treatment, providing emergency housing, and being available to our Ulster County community when they need us.” Shrestha added, “In many cases, nonprofits like Samadhi are providing critical services that are missing in the public sector. Every single person who’s going through a rough patch in their life, who’s experiencing instability because of an illness, deserves to have someone looking out for them. We hope this funding enables the Samadhi Center to help our vulnerable neighbors get back on their feet.”

Ulster Immigrant Defense Network, which provides assistance to immigrants regardless of status, was awarded $25,000. “Our food pantry/outdoor market serves approximately 200 households, or 680 individuals, weekly,” said Stephanie Chrystal of UIDN.“Each year in June we begin to receive fresh produce from local farms and thus are able to offer a more abundant variety of healthy choices. The winter poses unique challenges as fresh food is less plentiful and the need for food assistance increases when work opportunities dwindle. These realities pose budgetary challenges.The impact of this funding will make it possible for UIDN to continue to meet these challenges and ensure food security for those we serve as well as to continue to provide farm fresh foods to help optimize health and wellbeing.” Shrestha added, “Most immigrants leave their country because of dire circumstances, and when they arrive in the United States, it’s through difficult and painful paths. Arriving in a new, big country can be a terrifying and lonely experience, where getting access to basics like shelter and food can seem complicated. District 103 is fortunate to have many residents who have dedicated their lives to providing assistance to immigrants, and our office knows there’s going to be an increasing need for such assistance.”

Ulster County Canines, a non-profit whose mission is to provide temporary shelter and finding adoptive homes for dogs in need, was awarded $10,000. U.C.C. also offers after-adoption retention support for each dog adopted by providing discounted private care services and a low-cost veterinary clinic post adoption. “Our residents, and our pet adoption and care services have made it clear to us that the impact of the affordability, wage, and housing crises are not limited to humans,” Assemblymember Shrestha said. "Ulster County Canines wants to thank the office of Assemblywoman Sarahana for awarding this grant to UCC,” said co-founder Adam Saunders. “Access to spay/neuter funding is instrumental in continuing our core mission of saving dogs at-risk of euthanasia in municipal shelters and placing them, fully vetted, in permanent homes."

Unison Arts, a multi-arts and learning center in New Paltz that organizes and hosts workshops, performances, exhibits, and other events throughout the year, was awarded $30,000.“Unison Arts is grateful to Assemblymember Sarahana Shrestha's for her leadership and community-center support in obtaining funding from the NYS Assembly for our programming”, said Executive Director Faheem Haider.With these funds, we will be able to support artists directly while expanding the means by which we engage our regional community.We are excited about our year ahead and look forward to working closely with the Assemblymember and her team to develop the sources of sustainable support that all arts organizations need.”

The Saugerties-based Arm of the Sea theater company, a non-profit operating for over 20 years that offers visually stunning mask and puppet performance with unique storytelling focused on the ecology of the Hudson River, was awarded $25,000. “Arm-of-the-Sea Theater creates mask & puppet theater as a vehicle to spark wonder, offer insight and enrich the public imagination. This funding will support a portion of our operating expenses during our 2023 & 2024 performance seasons”, said co-founder and Artistic Director Patrick Wadden, “The Theater tours throughout eastern New York State, and also presents shows at its new Tidewater Center in Saugerties. At this time of significant price increases, such support will help keep our fees affordable.”

The historic Rosendale Theatre, owned by the Rosendale Theatre Collective since 2010, was awarded $25,000. “We are so honored to have been awarded a grant from the New York State Assembly”, said Carrie Wykoff, Executive Director of the Collective. These funds will help us with operating costs as we recover from being closed during the pandemic. The funds will also allow us to keep our ticket prices low, making music, theater, and cinema available and attainable to the public. We are very grateful to the office of Sarahana Shrestha for nominating us for this funding.”

The Hudson River Watershed Alliance, which was awarded a grant of $25,000, “works across the region to unite and empower communities to protect our shared waters,” noted Executive Director Emily Vail. “Our Annual Watershed Conference on October 11 and October 24 will focus on diversity, equity, inclusion, and environmental justice strategies and water-related case studies that are moving this critical work forward in the Hudson Valley. This funding will enable us to make this program more accessible than ever, supporting learning and building stronger networks together. We can’t find solutions to the complex and intertwined problems of water pollution, climate change, and racism without working as a community."

The Esopus Library, which is celebrating its 101st year, has been awarded $30,000 that will go towards investments in technology and computer literacy. “The staff and Board of Trustees of the Town of Esopus Library are greatly appreciative of the very generous funding from Assemblymember Srestha's office,” said Shannon Powell of the Esopus Library team, “This funding will make a profound impact in promoting technology and computer literacy amongst members of all ages, furthering our goal of digital inclusivity. We strive to provide exemplary service to our community; this funding will assist by allowing us to expand our programming, technology and software offerings.” 

Red Hook Central School District has been awarded $15,000 to support a new English as a New Language (ENL) Family Outreach initiative, to connect ENL families to the school and help these students be successful through the use of books, games, instructional supplies and strategies grounded in numeracy, literacy, and social and emotional learning skills.

The Village of Rhinebeck has been awarded $25,000 to fund technology improvements for the town hall. “The Village of Rhinebeck is thrilled to have received this grant from Assemblymember Sarahana Shrestha. The funding could not have come at a better time”, said Rhinebeck Mayor Gary Bassett, “The Village has aging end-point hardware with software that will soon be at the end of its life. Taking this opportunity to replace the old hardware and software with new hardware and software will increase productivity, improve security, and decrease potential down time. “