Dr. D. Susan Badenhausen Legacy Fund Supports Projects at 11 St. Lawrence County Organizations
Apr 15, 2025 11:13AM ● By Nicole Petrus
WATERTOWN — Eleven St. Lawrence County nonprofit organizations will share $52,287 in grant funding from the Dr. D. Susan Badenhausen Legacy Fund of the Northern New York Community Foundation to strengthen the quality of life for all residents across the county.
The Dr. D. Susan Badenhausen Legacy Fund was established through a bequest from Dr. Badenhausen, a St. Lawrence County resident and retired physician who passed away in 2018 at age 83. Dr. Badenhausen believed in the strength of community and was a passionate advocate for the people and places in the region she loved and called home. This charitable fund forever continues her legacy of caring for others while thoughtfully perpetuating her interests and passions in responsible ways with a geographic-specific focus on improving the quality of life in St. Lawrence County.
“Dr. Badenhausen believed deeply in the power of community and the importance of giving back to strengthen the quality of life of her neighbors,” said Kraig Everard, Community Foundation director of philanthropy. “This year’s grant awards carry forward her extraordinary legacy by supporting projects that reflect her values and create a lasting, positive impact.”
Grant funding is awarded annually to qualified nonprofit organizations whose missions and efforts align with the Dr. D. Susan Badenhausen Legacy Fund objectives, which include the general health and well-being of residents, arts and culture programs, education initiatives, and conservation and wildlife preservation programs. The Community Foundation’s board of directors recently approved the following grant awards: Frederic Remington Art Museum, Ogdensburg — $10,500 to help revitalize the museum’s education program and support key elements of several priority initiatives such as stipends for its artist-in-residence program, guest lecturers, and art teachers.
Town of Bombay — $10,000 to support the Bombay Recreation Program and improve organization, educational resources, and engagement as efforts to develop a youth program and library continue. Grantfunding will support adding Wi-Fi to the existing community center space, purchase bookshelves and crafting and educational supplies.
Canton College Foundation — $7,500 to support the SUNY Canton nursing program with the purchase of a programable pediatric manikin that can simulate numerous medical events to provide a different clinical experience each time students use the manikin.
The North Country Prenatal/Perinatal Council (NCPPC), Watertown — $5,000 to help expand its Dolly Parton Imagination Library program in St. Lawrence County, a book gifting program that mails high-quality books to children from birth to age five, free to the recipient no matter their family’s income. Grant support will cover annual costs for each child’s enrollment, allowing NCPPC to reach children in Potsdam, Canton, and Massena, and promote parent-child bonding and brain development through regular reading.
Massena Memorial Hospital Foundation — $5,000 to support its fundraising campaign to update Massena Memorial Hospital’s emergency department to include improvements to the behavioral health room, staff areas, patient treatment rooms, a private family consultation area, and security. This project will directly benefit the community by improving emergency care for a diverse patient base, including disadvantaged and vulnerable populations.
Norwood Village Green Concert Series — $5,000 to support a pair of upcoming concerts and component educational programming that aim to foster enjoyment and understanding of culture across diverse age groups and create a meaningful cultural experience for the community.
Hammond Historical Museum — $2,200 to help the museum continue its annual Scottish festival held in July that features performances, demonstrations, food, and crafts. Grant funding will help support the purchase of a tent to better engage festival attendees with Scottish culture in an interactive and educational way.
Police Activities League of Massena — $2,087 to help enhance safety for program participants with the purchase of an Automated External Defibrillator (AED), staff training, and associated equipment.
Norfolk Raymondville Food Pantry — $2,000 to purchase food from the Food Bank of Central New York and help to maintain operations through 2025.
St. Lawrence County Arts Council (SLC Arts), Canton — $2,000 to support “Art in the Open: St. Lawrence Plein Air Festival,” which offers workshops for adults and youth and culminates in an exhibition of artwork created during the event in the late spring, and the North Country Art Teachers Association (NCATA) Scholars program, which offers St. Lawrence County high school students the opportunity to participate in workshops with professional artists that culminates in an exhibition of their work. Funding for each initiative will support marketing, instructor fees, materials, food, and awards.Brasher Falls Central School District — $1,000 to support robotics club projects and events for high school and middle school student teams. Grant funding will enable students to participate in the First Tech Challenge Robotics League, where they design and build robots, learn problem-solving through the engineering design process, and explore global engineering skills.
Since the Dr. D. Susan Badenhausen Legacy Fund began grantmaking efforts in 2020, it has awarded nearly $394,000 in grant funding to support 38 projects at more than two-dozen St. Lawrence County organizations, enhancing the general health and well-being of residents, arts and culture programs, education initiatives, and conservation and wildlife preservation programs.
Applications for 2025 funding from the Dr. D. Susan Badenhausen Legacy Fund will be made available August 1, 2025, with up to $50,000 available. Qualified organizations whose missions and efforts align with the fund’s charitable purposes may apply for support.
Contact Emily Pfeil, Community Foundation philanthropy associate, [email protected], or 315-782-7110, to learn more about this opportunity. Applications for 2025 grant funding will be made available through the Community Foundation’s online grant portal at bit.ly/grant-portal.
About Dr. D. Susan Badenhausen
Dr. D. Susan Badenhausen made the North Country her home in 1975 following years of medical education and work as a researcher and physician. She quickly grew to cherish the region’s people as friends, serving all to whom she provided medical care with dignity and respect. “Dr. Susan,” as she was known to her many patients and friends, grew up on Staten Island, New York, and graduated from Connecticut College, New London, in 1957. In 1971, she earned a Doctor of Medicine from the Boston University School of Medicine, after several years working as a research professional at Columbia University. Shortly after she settled in St. Lawrence County, Dr. Badenhausen established a medical practice with her partner, Joann M. Spatafora. Dr. Badenhausen’s contributions to health care in St. Lawrence County are extensive: She was the physician director for the Potsdam Nursing Home; a physician for Sunmount Residential Center in Massena; school physician for Parishville-Hopkinton Central School; a public health officer for the towns of Brasher, Stockholm, Hopkinton, and Lawrence; served on the St. Lawrence County Board of Health; and a longtime member of the Canton-Potsdam Hospital medical staff.
She maintained a keen interest in the health and well-being of her community, advocating for access to culture and education. Dr. Badenhausen remained one of the few physicians anywhere who still made house calls, even in the middle of a North Country winter. Her black leather medical bag was always packed and ready in her Brasher Falls home.
About the Northern New York Community Foundation
Since 1929, the Northern New York Community Foundation has invested in improving and enriching the quality of life for all in communities across Jefferson, Lewis, and St. Lawrence counties. Through partnerships with businesses and organizations, charitable foundations, and generous families and individual donors, the Community Foundation awards grants and scholarships from an endowment and collection of funds that benefit the region. Its commitment to donors helps individuals achieve their charitable objectives now and for generations to come by preserving and honoring legacies of community philanthropy while inspiring others.
The Community Foundation is a resource for local charitable organizations, donors, professional advisors and nonprofit organizations. It also works to bring people together at its permanent home in the Northern New York Philanthropy Center to discuss challenges our communities face and find creative solutions that strengthen the region and make it a great place to live, work, and play.
