Business for Good donates $ 250,000 to Capital District Latinos
ALBANY – Capital District Latinos received good news on Wednesday regarding its efforts to renovate and rehabilitate its headquarters and community center on Central Avenue.
Business For Good, a Saratoga Springs-based nonprofit, donated $ 250,000 to the group’s fundraising campaign, presenting the nonprofit with a check. The donation comes just over three months after The Times Union flagged the center in need of repairs to the old church at 160 Central Ave. that he bought three years ago.
Business For Good CEO Jahkeen Hoke said the foundation is keen to support Capital District Latino’s mission to reach out to a population that is often underserved due to language or cultural barriers.
“We thought they matched our goals and our mission and we wanted to support them,” he said.
Dan Irizarry, president of Capital District Latinos, said the donation would go a long way to help the group carry out its mission.
“Capital District Latinos is grateful to Ed and Lisa Mitzen and the Business For Good team for this incredibly generous donation.” Hoke said his group would seek other grassroots organizations that serve similar populations but struggle to find outside support.
The move is the latest from the foundation that has focused on social change through business, specifically trying to tackle food insecurity, housing instability and educational inequalities.
The CDL sees the space in the old church as a space that could potentially host larger events such as conferences, forums, live theater, as well as smaller events. A commercial kitchen could provide space for health and nutrition programs or workforce training, as well as a pantry.
A recently commissioned report describes the extent of work needed before this becomes a reality, with an expected price over the next five years of up to $ 2.8 million. Most urgent is the need to replace the roof, which could cost up to $ 650,000.