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Maxine Quigg Women in Business Fund Supports Nine
North Country Professionals
Published: October 13, 2026
at 02:30 p.m.
By: Press Release
from NNY Community Foundation
Maxine Quigg Women in Business Fund Supports Nine
North Country Professionals
Local Women Awarded Grant Funding for Entrepreneurial
Pursuits
Photo (by Kara Dry Photography): Maxine Quigg
Women in Business Fund 2026 grant recipients, from left: Suzanne C.
Renzi-Falge, Destiny Walker Myrick, Lacey Everard, Jennifer Girard, Christine
Darrow, Arika Colello McCargar, Sarah Shoemaker, Leela Wasilenko, Tammy
Price, and Kimberley Horrill, founder, Maxine Quigg Women in Business Fund
of the Northern New York Community Foundation. A reception was recently
held at The Strand in downtown Watertown to honor the newest grant
recipients.
WATERTOWN — A pair of
entrepreneurs, a public television host, two nonprofit executives, and
three health practitioners are among the fifth group of women to receive
grant support from the Maxine M. Quigg Women in Business Fund of the
Northern New York Community Foundation.
Nine women were
recently awarded funding totaling nearly $8,000 to support a wide range of
entrepreneurial and professional development pursuits during a reception
at The Strand in downtown Watertown. They are:
·
Christine Darrow, Antwerp, is the host and
executive producer of the WPBS-TV show “Christine the History Queen.” She
was awarded funding for public speaking and branding coaching.
·
Lacey Everard, Lyons Falls, is a licensed massage
therapist and the owner of Under Pressure Massage Therapy. She was awarded
funding to complete Myoskeletal Alignment
Techniques (MAT) training.
·
Jennifer Girard, Canton, is a licensed massage
therapist at JAG Massage Therapy. Grant funding will help her earn an
associate degree in massage therapy.
·
Arika Colello McCargar, Watertown, is
an owner and president of Colello Air Technologies. She was awarded funding
to attend an industry conference and complete a professional development
exam.
·
Destiny Walker Myrick, Watertown, is
the founder and owner of WildRoots Wellness &
Revival where she is a and certified practitioner
of sound and vibrational therapies. Grant funding will support her
certification in somatic healing.
·
Tammy Price, Carthage, is a holistic health
practitioner and owner of Triskele of Healing, Guidance & Light,
Watertown. Funding will help her complete digital marketing courses at
Jefferson Community College.
·
Suzanne C. Renzi-Falge, Watertown, is
the executive director of the Roswell P. Flower Memorial Library. Grant
support will help her attend the American Library Association Annual
Conference in New Orleans, La.
·
Sarah Shoemaker, Mannsville,
is the senior director of buildings and grounds for the Watertown Family
YMCA. Grant support will help her complete Facility Management Professional
(FMP) certification through the International Facility Management
Association.
·
Leela Wasilenko, Lorraine, is a barista at North
Country Grounds, Watertown. She was awarded funding to help her attend the
yearlong Jefferson Leadership Institute, a professional development program
of the Greater Watertown-North Country Chamber of Commerce.
Kimberley Horrill, Maxine’s
sister-in-law, established the fund at the Community Foundation in July
2021 with a goal to increase local mentorship, volunteerism, civic and
community engagement, and investment. Its mission is to perpetuate the life
and legacy of Maxine Quigg by supporting and empowering women entrepreneurs
in Jefferson, Lewis, and St. Lawrence counties to succeed in their pursuits
and realize their full potential.
“I am so
impressed by our applicants each year and this year was no exception. To
witness the sincerity and earnestness that the awardees have toward their
current and future endeavors is remarkable,” Ms. Horrill
said. “I see a bit of Maxine in all of you. Congratulations.”
Maxine was a
successful real estate broker and a community and business leader in
Jefferson County who passed away unexpectedly in April 2021. At the time of
her passing she was serving on the Community Foundation’s Board of
Directors.
“It is always a
pleasure and an honor to reward seasoned and aspiring businesswomen in the
North Country. Every year, I walk away inspired by each recipient’s
dedication and passion for what they do — it is people like these who make
Northern New York a better place to live,” Maxine’s daughter, Kennedy Quigg
said. “Congratulations to our 2026 award recipients; you embody the
qualities my Mom sought to embellish, and we are
excited to see you carry our mission forward in your life and business
endeavors.”
Through access to
grants for education, training, and entrepreneurship, the fund supports the
advancement, development, and betterment of women who are beginning or
growing a business in Northern New York. In doing so, women may be better
positioned and equipped to realize their full potential for themselves,
their families, and their community.
Since it began
awarding grant funding in 2022, twenty-five tri-county women have received
support totaling nearly $25,000 from the fund.
Five women serve
on the Maxine Quigg Women in Business Fund Committee, including: Maxine’s
sister-in-law, Kimberley Horrill; Maxine’s daughter, Kennedy
Quigg; and Maxine’s close friends, Joanne Lavarnway, Lara
Abreu, and KI LaClair. Committee members review funding
applications and make recommendations for grant awards to the Community
Foundation.
Applications for
2027 funding through the Maxine Quigg Women in Business Fund of the
Community Foundation will open in the spring with awards made in the
summer. Contact Emily Pfeil, Community Foundation philanthropy
associate, emily@nnycf.org, or 315-782-7110, to obtain an
application for this opportunity and learn more.
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.
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