Albany Nonprofits and Charities

Grassroot Givers is a dedicated and community driven group that helps transform lives for the better and ensures lasting impact for people. Among other things, it provides tailored support to assist children, individuals and families, promoting literacy and providing necessary goods to the community.

Living Resources is a non profit with heart! They empower people with disabilities to live their most self actualized lives every day!

My brother and I have been taking care of our developmentally disabled younger brother for more than 40 years. He recently became quite ill, is no longer able to eat or drink other than have sips with medicine, gets his nutrition from a catheter in his arm and has other major health issues. We have become his full time caregivers at home. When I saw an advertisement on TV promoting a Medicaid program that provides services by a paid personal care aide who can be a family member, I started researching companies who can help set up this type of arrangement. I am so happy that I found Consumer Directed Choices. They are a not-for-profit organization and truly cared about assisting me to get my brother the help he needs and keep him comfortable living at home with us. It was obvious from my first telephone conversation with Myakye Aung, their Outreach Associate that Consumer Directed Choices wanted to help, and that the client and family are of utmost importance to them. They listen, follow up, and are patient - something you don't find too often in a money driven world. I highly recommend Consumer Directed Choices to anyone who is looking for assistance with setting up a Consumer Directed Personal Assistance Program (CDPAP) for a disabled relative. They are professional, honest, and exceeded my expectations.

As a long-time volunteer and board member with Family Promise of the Capital Region (FPCR), I have witnessed firsthand the transformative care and compassion with which the staff addresses the needs of families who are experiencing or at risk for homelessness. They, together with hundreds of volunteers, serve families on a first come, first served basis, providing direct assistance and wrap-around services tailored to each family’s needs. There is no charge for the shelter services provided, and unlike many similar programs, once guest families secure housing, FPCR continues to offer ongoing counseling and support for a minimum of a year – and often longer – to ensure they achieve life-long stability. The staff also goes to great lengths to prevent families from becoming homeless, providing emergency funding, food, household supplies, and transportation assistance, as well as advocacy, counseling, and referrals to community resources.

My application was declined after several emails where I explained the medical records of my cats (and pointed out that I have spent thousands of dollars to provide them with medical care well beyond vaccines and wellness visits). The woman I dealt with was insulting and made assumptions about said records and really was just looking for a reason to deny my application. I subsequently spoke to a woman in my exercise class who had a similar experience with this organization. Someone should really investigate whether or not cats are being adopted out in line with the organization's mission statement. The general public has a right to know before they donate to this organization.

It’s taken me about a year and a half to process our experience at Castle Island Montessori. Our son attended for less than a month and we made a mutual decision to pull him from the school as they lacked the staffing and resources to help him grow. We were struggling with some additional needs primarily speech delay and difficulty adjusting to the classroom milieu. On multiple occasions we were told he wouldn’t be able to attend the day due to teacher absence and his day was shortened even though we were paying for full day in addition to both morning and after care. We accepted and adjusted trying to believe in their method. They never bothered to contact his previous childcare provider or speech therapist that could have provided insight in working with our son. What was particularly heartbreaking was that our son, with his limited speech, would cry in the morning, “I can’t do it!” The reimbursement we received was a pittance in comparison to what was provided. They had not one good thing to say about our 4 yr old child. He simply did not fit in to their model. This turned out to be a blessing in disguise. After this we were able to find a public education supported program and he has simply flourished. Not once has he been described the way the staff as Castle Island did. Quite the contrary actually. He is now a happy kindergarten student who loves school, talks a mile a minute, is starting to read, and is surrounded by teachers with the right experience, patience, and dedication. He knows he is wanted. Don’t underestimate public education. We should not have.

I agree with some of the other comments. This center does good things for those they like. All others are left to fend for themselves. Confidentiality is not enforced, the staff especially the housing manager has interpersonal relationships with the clients and will tell them staff and other clients business. The staff have too many relationships with each other. The guy taking over has a relationship with the housing manager. You can’t put a grievance in within the person you’re putting in on come ask you. And the secretary upstairs never puts the grievance in. Not that it matters they don’t care unless you fall in line. The good ones who care always leave as a client. I see it. You won’t get more clients in if you keep pushing us away. And treating us like children.

It’s difficult to put into words how beneficial joining the sangha of Blazing Wisdom Institute has been to me and my family, but will attempt to explain what BWI and Tibetan Buddhism has gifted me over the past three years. <br><br>BWI places a strong emphasis on teaching mindfulness and daily meditation practices. These techniques have helped me cultivate more inner peace, reduced my stress, and have made me a better husband and father. Our guru, through the example of his compassionate activities and teachings has shown me how to develop a deeper understanding of my thoughts and emotions that I don’t believe would have ever been possible without him. <br><br>Tulku Sherdor is a kind and loving family man who leads us along the path of life with his boundless love and peerless wisdom. The teachings of Tulku Sherdor encourage compassion and altruism towards all living beings, from the smallest insect to the trouble makers in our lives. For me, practicing compassion in this way has lead to improved relationships and a more caring harmonious life.<br><br>Blazing wisdom has taught me that Tibetan Buddhism, if we are courageous enough to listen, offers us path to true enlightenment and spiritual awakening. For my entire life I always had this strange and subtle unhappiness that made me feel unfulfilled and I could never seem to shake it off. Now, through the study of these profound philosophical concepts and meditation practices I’ve gained some insight and wisdom into the nature of that subtle suffering, and more importantly, how to free myself from it. It’s not easy, but I can assure you, it’s worth it. <br><br>Tulku Sherdor taught me that through self-reflection and being honest with where I am on this path, real profound inner transformation is possible. I learned that by examining my beliefs and behaviors I could work towards personal growth and a more meaningful life. BWI has been my constant support throughout this journey. <br><br>When students are appropriate and committed, Lung and Wang (transmission and empowerment) for special teachings are offered. These teachings bestow blessings and open the way for spiritual progress. These transmissions are not only for our benefit but they also help <br>preserve our Longchen Nyingtig traditions. Tulku Sherdor teaches that we all must play an essential role in safeguarding and preserving our unique lineage and spiritual heritage. <br><br>I implore those interested, to approach Tulku Sherdor with an open heart and mind and allow him to open the door to the path of true happiness. His guidance has relieved an incredible amount of suffering for me and so many others.

I reached out to the council in desperation after hearing from GamAnon that they had free services for loved ones. They told me that the recommendation was to forget my partner who is not in active recovery. This goes against the science, as there have been numerous studies how family intervention may be needed. They didn't want to pay for the free counseling to family members (because he's still sick) instead of helping with the situation, they ignored me, and treated me, like I am crazy. Absolutely heartbreaking money-making, constantly fundraising for itself, fake operation. Discrimination at its finest against the very people it claims to care about most.

unscrupulous business. they let people adopt dogs for a fee, take the dogs back and readopt the dogs for another fee. over and over. there is no need to do this if you are good at assessing potential owners. do not recommend them.

I enjoy being able to visit this small carve-out of land in an urban setting. Friends of Tivoli Lake Preserve and Farm allows me to compost the food scraps that I and my neighbors collect to keep out of landfill. Well organized small scale composting operation. Peaceful.

I learned the hard way about what goes on behind the scenes with horses and the way they are used and abused.I knew two different people who adopted and kept racehorses to save them from a terrible fate. I wasn't aware of all the horror stories about horse racing.because of you all ,I have learned. Not such a pleasant lesson but a necessary one.

Just an abomination of a business.<br><br>1 nobody here is a REAL doctor - they are ALL in training.<br>2 if you require ANY care with 1 individual, avoid this place, your Dr will be gone inside of 6-8 months<br>3 customer service is beyond repair at this facility, no supervisors<br>4 no staff of ANY kind, be prepared to wait for 90 min AFTER your appointment time<br>5 be prepared to have to explain your entire medical history EACH time you are here, as nobody will remember you and the doctor seeing you will be a newbie from college<br><br>Basically, if you care at all about your health, avoid this "institution," at all costs.

The Oley Foundation was there when I first went on TPN 35 years ago. I felt all alone until finding Oley. They helped me navigate insurance coverage and now they do very informative webinars, mini conferences, and annual conferences. They were held in person prior to COVID and I’m sure will be available again soon. They have very good info that is free on their great website. There is a group of Oley Ambassadors available to reach out. Just reading their website and newsletter will inspire newbies facing this life sustaining nutrition and help them with travel, and being your own best advocate, empowering you with information and encouragement.

At the time, I was working as an equipt Tech & purchasing agent out of Respiratory Therapy, at St. Peter's Hospital under my boss Mike Shannon. Mike kept gaining more, usually small depts., to manage and I, nearly always, inherited the equipt. repair/ purchasing duties. I was known as the guy who knew what was going on and how to find what ever you might need in the hospital. One day Mike, told me to join on a trip to St. Margaret's, a few miles away. I found out on the way that Mike volunteered there as best he could. It was his organizing skills that helped the most. I had been a certified floor tech in R.T. and had seen EVERYTHING from premies to people 103 die in ways that most people couldn't imagine. I thought that I was immune, but I doubt that I could have lasted more than 3 days in that place. Those people are heroes.

My daughter was here in 2013. They admitted and were founded by the justice center, of dragging her to the ground by her hair and repeatedly kicking her in the head. On another incident they admitted to tripping her. There were other incidents but they did not admit them. I wouldn't allow my worst enemy to be a resident there. I only gave them 1 star because I had to.

I was a teacher there and I knew the ins of the daycare. The director hid a lot of stuff! None of the teachers have a degree... and if you did they only paid you very little. The director was very racist and didn’t demand teaching for the older children. This was one of the reasons I quit

Peppertree saved our dog JACK from Georgia and he lived an excellent life as a therapy dog and great family member. Peppertree's approach of having dogs placed in foster families makes it easier to place dogs in the best setting for success.

When my grandson was diagnosed with Apraxia of Speech I searched many of the early intervention schools and chose Early Childhood Education and thank God I did. Their teachers and specialists are top notch and I could go on for hours how great everyone there is. I became involved with different things with the school and eventually became a board member.

Our family is incredibly thankful to have this daycare facility for our children. My husband and I both work full time and finding excellent caregivers that could help us raise our children was important to us. There are several aspects of this daycare that make it fun and educational for children and convenient for parents (and I will list them), but after having our three children go through MFCK starting from infancy we have found that the best things about this daycare are the way they run the facility to put the best interest of the children first and their impressive ability to hire teachers that genuinely love our children and are excellent role models for them. The building has a warm welcoming environment and our children look forward to their days there. The things that we love about this daycare include (1) higher than normal adult to child ratio in infant room because of the volunteer program they have for a specially selected “grandma” to come in and help hold and rock babies during the day, (2) three beautifully designed playground areas for children of different ages, (3) program for preschoolers to periodically interact with children in a nearby special needs school, (4) program for preschoolers to periodically visit nearby nursing home and do activities with the seniors, (5) flexible pick up and drop off hours, (6) nutritionist designed menu for children with food provided so no need to pack lunches, (7) extremely rare to close on snow days due to association with hospital, (8) excellent special event planning for children, (9) the way they move all the children up to the next room together every year so they stay with a familiar group of friends. This isn’t the easiest daycare to get in to, but the peace of mind you will have knowing that your children are in a safe, secure, loving, and fun environment is worth the extra effort to get in. The cost of the child care is also very reasonable, especially considering the dedication of the teachers, inclusion of meals and snacks, cleanliness of the facilities, and quality of the educational programming.

Working with the Community Foundation is great for local nonprofit organizations! Their staff is dedicated to supporting the community and provide as much support as they can. They are community leaders and experts and support organizations get the resources they need to accomplish their mission and expand their capacity.

ALFRED BRACY UNITED STATES ARMY & UNITED STATES POSTAL SERVICE GOVERNMENT FEDERAL WILL BE VOLUNTEERING ON THANKS GIVING DAY. I RATE THIS ORGANIZATION A 5 STAR.

The JC Club is an oasis for children and families in a tough section of the city. This is a place of love, acceptance and caring for all children. Any child can come to the JC Club to receive a hot meal, help with homework and all kinds of other nurturing. Did I say love? And what about fun? Endless caring and patient attention is doled out daily at the JC Club. I am so thankful to God that there is a place like the JC Club for inner city children in need!

I've found that it's very difficult to find information about places like this accredited by OASAS, which is a criminally negligent organization, probably because reviews are actively deleted for PR reasons. OASAS has been claiming to address problems for decades but they keep doing the same things over and over again as if they really have no intention to fix things. <br> <br>http://notpowerless.com/hope-house-rape-in-albany-new-york/

It's unbelievable that the Schuyler Center is at the forefront of forcing fluoridation on citizens who have voted against fluoridation, resisted fluoridation and just never wanted it. Using unsubstantiated information Schuyler employees got legislation passed in the NYS legislature without input from the citizens. They were following the best interest of special interest groups and not the people who had to drink the stuff. <br><br>Fluoride is not a nutrient or essential for healthy teeth. It's a drug with side effects. It's immoral and dishonest to force fluoride into people who don't want it and tell them it's absolutely safe for every person and every body part. Fluoride has some serious side effects See http://www.FluorideAction.Net<br><br>It's equally immoral that Schuyler encourage Medicaid dollars be used for fluoridation schemes when so many Community Based Organizations are doing such good and are begging for more money. It's disgraceful!