This part of our Guide to Giving and Volunteering in
Greater Keene is divided into four sections:
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Arts and Culture includes theaters, music performance and arts organizations in the area
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Sports Organizations includes many Olympic related sports organizations in
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Social Services includes important nearby resources like North Country Life Flight and Literacy Volunteers
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Schools includes
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History and Museums includes place like the
Arts and Culture
The Lake Placid Institute
www.lakeplacidinstitute.org
Working to enhance the cultural life of the Adirondack region by shaping an environment that fosters creativity; by sharing the talents of world-class artists with the community.
Lake Placid Center for the
Arts
www.lakeplacidarts.org
This very active group has a fine performance facility in Lake Placid. See their schedule of music, theater, films, dance and gallery showings on their website. They are at the center of many arts events in Lake Placid.
Lake Placid Sinfonietta
www.lakeplacidsinfonietta.org
Performances are during July and August. Sunday nights (tickets needed) at the Lake Placid Center for the Arts and Wednesday early evenings (free) at the park on Mirror Lake in the center of town.
Meadowmount School of Music
http://www.meadowmount.com/
A famous, and soon to be a year-round, school for young people heading to professional careers as string or piano musicians. Based in Lewis for 62+ years, they frequently perform in Keene in the summer.
Pendragon Theater
www.pendragontheatre.org/
A year-round resident theater group with its own performance space in Saranac Lake. Their schedule is on the website. You can audition or volunteer or donate funds or just go see a play.
Depot Theater
www.depottheatre.org
This summer theater presents professional productions in a unique setting, the old train station in Westport.
Seagle Music Colony
http://www.seaglecolony.com/
Around for 80 years, the colony offers opportunities to gifted and talented singers to enhance their abilities through a summer program, and to perform for the public. Based in Schroon Lake, quite a few people from Keene go to the Vespers performances each Sunday during the summer.
Jay Entertainment and Music Society (JEMS) www.jemsgroup.com
The Jay Entertainment and Music Society (JEMS) is a 501 (c) (3) not for profit group that has for the last 17 years produced a free summer concert series on the Village Green in Jay. They also present several theatrical productions and children’s programs each year. In addition they sponsor the annual Carlos Straight Memorial Scholarship, which is given to a local high school student intent on pursuing an education in the performing arts.
Arts Council
for the Northern Adirondacks
www.artsnorth.org
This group promotes the arts in various ways around the region, including publishing a very comprehensive arts directory.
Wells Memorial Library in
Upper Jay
www.wellsmemoriallibrary.oafproductions.net
This is the wonderful library located by the riverside in Upper Jay
Sports
The Olympic Region
Development Authority - ORDA
www.orda.org
This organization runs all the Olympic venues and uses large numbers of volunteers to host major events at these facilities in addition to helping with daily operations. A schedule and volunteering details are on their website.
The US Olympic Training
Center at Lake Placid
www.usoc.org/12181_19094.htm
96 rooms and a large gym complex support training US Olympians. Sports most frequently training in Lake Placid include biathlon, bobsled, figure skating, ice hockey, luge, skiing and speed skating. In addition, boxing, canoe and kayak, judo, rowing, synchronized swimming, taekwondo, team handball, water polo and wrestling also train at the site.
USA Luge
www.usaluge.org
The United States Luge Association (USLA)/USA Luge is an Olympic class member organization of the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) and is the National Governing Body (NGB) for the sport of luge in the United States.
New York Ski Education Foundation
www.nysef.org
Based at Whiteface, NYSEF provides opportunities for athletes of all ages to reach their potential in snow sports - alpine skiing, freestyle skiing, snowboarding, ski jumping, cross country, nordic combined and biathlon - through professional guidance and financial support. KCS students are often involved in programs at NYSEF.
IronmanUSA
www.ironmanusa.com
This is the site for IronmanUSA including the competition held in Lake Placid each July. They need lots of volunteers to pull off this event which covers a large area. A group from Keene organizes to help on parts of the course that run through Keene.
Lake Placid Horse Shows
www.lakeplacidhorseshow.com
Get details on the Lake Placid Horse shows on this site. They have been holding these horse shows for 36 years!
Social Services
North Country
Life Flight
www.northcountrylifeflight.org
Started in 1989, North Country Life Flight is a volunteer air medical evacuation program with highly skilled medical professionals to care for our region's critically ill and seriously injured.
Retired & Senior
Volunteer Program of Essex County
bluemoo.net/~rsvp
To engage men and women age 55 and better in meaningful volunteer service that strengthens the well-being of both self and community; serves as a bridge between those who need and those who give.
Literacy Volunteers of
Essex/Franklin Counties, NY
www.literacyef.com
Looking for students, volunteers and Board Members in the Keene area.
Schools
National Sports Academy at
Lake Placid
www.nationalsportsacademy.com
A coeducational college preparatory school for 75 students in grades eight through twelve, NSA provides academic and athletic programs that meet the needs of individual student-athletes as they prepare for winter competitions. Est. 1977
North Country School
www.nct.org/school/
Founded in 1938, as a co-ed boarding school for children in grades four to nine, the school has extensive facilities are for visual, performing, and musical arts in addition to a barn and organic gardens. It also operates Camp Treetops (est. 1921) for ages 8 - 14 during the summer.
Northwood School
www.northwoodschool.com
Founded in 1905, Northwood School is an independent coeducational boarding and day school for 160 students in grades 9-12/PG.
Holy Name School
http://www.kvvi.net/~holyname/
This is the Catholic elementary school in AuSable Forks established in 1913.
History and Museums
Adirondack Architectural
Heritage
www.aarch.org
Operates numerous tours of historic sites in the Adirondacks and is the organization behind the restoration of Santanoni. This organization has many supporters in greater Keene.
The Adirondack Museum at
Blue Mountain Lake
www.adkmuseum.org
The major museum about the Adirondacks, its people and development. Open Memorial Day to mid-October. This place gets well-deserved rave reviews and has deep connections to the greater Keene community.
The Natural History Museum
of the Adirondacks
www.adknature.org
Recently opened in Tupper Lake, this museum covers the natural history of the region with excellent displays.
Adirondack History Center Museum
www.adkhistorycenter.org
Located in Elizabethtown and operated by the Essex County Historical Society, this museum covers the history of every town in the county, their development and major events. It also has an excellent web site.
Historic Saranac Lake
www.historicsaranaclake.org
Historic Saranac Lake, was formed to seek National Register of Historic Places listing for buildings in and around Saranac Lake, New York, and works to encourage historic preservation in the community through education and research.
Adirondack Scenic Railroad
www.adirondackrr.com/
Started and supported by train buffs, Adirondack High Peaks Wilderness Train adventure is a 20 mile round trip from Lake Placid Station to Saranac Lake Union Depot.
The Olympic Region and the Adirondack Park
provide many opportunities for making a contribution or getting involved in
an important organization
