Ellen L. Baker, Of Counsel here at McCabe and Mack LLP, has long given back to the Hudson Valley community, and has done so in a wide variety of ways. The estate planning, estate and trust administration, and elder law attorney has served as a member of the Board of Directors of the Dutchess Community College Foundations (Chair 2019-2021), member of the Poughkeepsie/Arlington Rotary Club (President 2013-2014), and is Lifetime Honorary Member of the Anderson Center for Autism/Anderson Center Services, 2009. In addition, she’s been a member of the Board of Directors of the Community Foundations of the Hudson Valley, Southlands Foundation (Secretary 2002-2006), Anderson Educational Foundation (Chair 2000-2008), and Children’s Fund of the Astor Home.
While all of these roles have come with unique experiences, we took some time to learn more about Ellen’s former volunteer roles with Community Foundations of the Hudson Valley. According to its website, the organization “works to strengthen our community by helping individuals, businesses and organizations establish and administer funds that support vital causes and charities. Partnering with our generous donors, we address current and emerging community needs through effective grantmaking to improve the quality of life for all. Additionally, we provide technical assistance to help nonprofits operate more effectively.”
Ellen served on the Board of Community Foundations of the Hudson Valley for several years, during which time she also chaired the Professional Advisor’s committee and participated as part of the audit and nominating committees. More on her work with this local nonprofit:
Q. Ellen, what inspired you to give your time and talent to this organization over the years?
A. I first became aware of the Foundations as an estate planning attorney. The Foundations provided a great opportunity to my clients who were charitably inclined. I am a big proponent of endowments – gifts that continue to give in perpetuity. The Foundations gives individuals the ability to place a sum in a fund, either during their life or at their death, and to either designate a field of interest or specific charities to be benefited each year. If an individual prefers, he/she can establish a donor advised fund and choose the charities that will receive funds each year. The Foundations provides a cost-effective way for individuals to create a legacy.
When I joined the Board I learned the extent to which the Foundations benefits our community. The Foundations provides support to the community through grants for school field trips, for teacher excellence, and to battle food insecurity. The Community Grant program provides direct support to area not-for-profit organizations. These are just a few ways in which the Foundations benefits our community. I was honored to be associated with the Foundations.
Q. In what ways has CFHVNY helped sustain the community through the recent global health crisis?
A. The Foundations always tries to respond to the needs of the Community and this past year has been no different. The Foundations has collaborated with regional governments and has participated in the Hudson Valley Funders Network to provide assistance to individuals and other not-for- profit organizations.
Q. Are there certain initiatives the organization has funded that have been especially important to you?
A. There is a fund at the Foundations that is very meaningful to me. A client of mine, a retired teacher, was devoted to his pets. He established the “Cleopatra Fund” to provide funding to not-for-profits in our area who provide care to animals. One of the grants made from the fund was a grant to the Green Chimneys School, a school for children with special needs. The school used the funds it received to establish a program that taught students to care for rescue dogs. The students learned the value of caring for an animal and the dogs when rehabilitated were made available for adoption. Faculty from Green Chimneys came to one of our board meetings and gave a presentation about the program. I was so moved to learn how both the children and the animals were benefiting. I know that my client would be so pleased to know that his legacy was making a difference.
The Partnership in Education grants had particular meaning to me as well. The Foundations makes grants to teachers who wished to devise innovative educational opportunities for their students. I would attend the event each year when the grants were awarded. The teachers I met and that work they were doing was inspiring.
Q. How has community service impacted you personally and professionally, and what lessons have you learned?
A. I have met wonderful people who give so much of their time as volunteers and have made good friends. I have learned that there are so many smart, giving, and hardworking people in our community who are trying to make a difference. I have learned that there are great needs in our community as well.
It is very rewarding to feel that the work you are doing is making a difference to your community. I have benefited professionally as a result of my volunteer work, but building one’s business should be a by-product of community service, not the reason for doing it.
Q. Any advice to a young professional who wants to make a difference through volunteerism?
A. You want to work with an organization doing work that is meaningful to you. Being a good board member requires an investment of time and it is easier and more personally fulfilling to volunteer with an organization when you care about its mission. Before you agree to join a Board read its mission statement and annual report and find out the organization’s expectations of its Board members. You need to make sure that you can meet the Board’s expectations. I decided early in my professional life that I wanted to volunteer with organizations that benefited young people and their education and that is what I did. As a result, I found my volunteer work very meaningful..
Learn more about Community Foundations of the Hudson Valley by visiting https://communityfoundationshv.org/Who-We-Are. And if you’d like to reach out to Ellen L. Baker, Of Counsel at McCabe and Mack LLP in Poughkeepsie, NY, start by visiting our website: https://mccm.com/ellen-l-baker/.