After reviewing over 20 applications from local non-profits, Saratoga Springboard is excited to announce that they have selected the Saratoga Springs Preservation Foundation as their 2011/12 partner organization.  The focus of this partnership is to aid in the Spencer Trask Memorial & Spirit of Life Restoration Campaign, an initiative of the Foundation in collaboration with the City of Saratoga Springs.  The partnership with the Preservation Foundation is Saratoga Springboard’s third collaboration with a local non-profit organization.  Last year, Saratoga Springboard worked with Franklin Community Center to increase awareness and leverage support for the Center’s free after-school program, Project Lift. The collaboration was successful in increasing visibility and raising over $20,000 for the program.

Saratoga Springboard was drawn to the Preservation Foundation’s project because the Spencer Trask Memorial serves as a constant reminder of our civic responsibility to preserve our resources, to give back to the community, and to have pride in creative partnerships – all components that Saratoga Springboard strives to achieve with each of their non-profit partnerships. 

In 1913, Katrina Trask, philanthropist and Saratoga resident, along with George Foster Peabody, commissioned the Spencer Trask Memorial to honor her husband and his efforts to protect and preserve Saratoga’s natural resources while further beautifying Congress Park.  Inscribed on the Spirit of Life statue is the quote, “His one object in life was to do right and to serve his fellow men”, a simple, powerful and enduring sentiment that is directly aligned with the mission of Saratoga Springboard.  The group hopes that this project with the Preservation Foundation will invoke a call to action for members of our community to come together and honor our responsibility to give back and preserve all that makes Saratoga such a wonderful and unique place.

The Spencer Trask Memorial, a designated National Historic Landmark, is comprised of a stone surround, large bronze sculpture, reflecting pool and adjacent landscaping. The memorial is now in various stages of disrepair and requires restoration by experts with deliberate speed.  As this memorial is of both local and national importance, the restoration efforts of this historically significant memorial are being led by the Saratoga Springs Preservation Foundation.  The members of Saratoga Springboard are honored to stand alongside the Foundation and the City of Saratoga Springs as they embark on this restoration effort.