It was Ken Deedy’s vision to create a position that would serve three environmental organizations in the Thousand Islands region. From the earliest days of TILT and Save The River’s activities, Ken thought that sharing resources would provide useful staffing help to the organizations as well as offer a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for a young person interested in a career in environmental science.
Ken made his vision a reality when he made the initial gift that created the Kenneth Deedy Environmental Internship Fund which will fund an internship shared equally by TILT, Save The River, and the Minna Anthony Common Nature Center. A high school or college student will be hired to work with each of the three organizations through the summer.
“TILT’s conservation work is advanced significantly every year through the employment of summer land stewards,” said Jake Tibbles. “These stewards are high school and college students who will soon be making very important life and career decisions. The Kenneth Deedy Environmental Internship Fund will ensure this opportunity for additional young people.”
In early October, the Northern New York Community Foundation (NNYCF) announced that it has approved a $50,000 grant to support this effort. The NNYCF will give $25,000 in direct support of the Fund. An additional $25,000 has been given as a challenge matching grant to match all new gifts up to $25,000.
“To be able to partner with TILT and two other organizations that do so much to benefit our region makes the investment in this initiative especially meaningful,” said Rande Richardson, Executive Director of the NNYCF. “We also strive to honor the legacy of someone whose life embodied what this fund will serve to forever perpetuate. This new fund will create a collaboration of resources that will encourage, across the generations, an ongoing belief in the importance of thoughtful stewardship.”
TILT is directing all gifts it receives in Ken’s memory to the Internship Fund, which will be held by the NNYCF and will be administered by TILT.
