Proctors Collaborative Announces Sponsorship of Ambassador Program

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Proctors Collaborative Announces Sponsorship of Ambassador Program

Whiteman Osterman & Hanna LLP and BST & Co. CPAs, LLP Named Joint Sponsors in New $250,000 Over Five-Year Agreement

SCHENECTADY (July 9) – The Proctors Collaborative Ambassador program announced at a press conference this morning a five-year joint sponsorship with Whiteman Osterman & Hanna LLP and BST & Co. CPAs LLP.

The Ambassador programs are partnerships with a community organization that delivers trained ambassador staffers in each of the three cities of Proctors Collaborative venues- Schenectady City Mission of Schenectady at Proctors in Schenectady, Hope House at Capital Repertory Theatre in Albany and RISE Housing and Support Services at Universal Preservation Hall in Saratoga Springs. 

Over 15 years ago, Proctors Collaborative and City Mission, with the support of Metroplex and local downtown businesses, began a partnership to connect a revitalizing neighborhood to its most vulnerable residents. The goal was to help make sure that reinvestment in downtown Schenectady benefitted all its citizens. The role of an Ambassador is to welcome people and provide help in crossing the street, directions, parking and restaurant recommendations while making visitors feel welcome coming into the city. Since 2009, the program has continued a long track record of success and inspired replication in Albany and Saratoga.

“This program has done so much…for me, it keeps me sober…wanting to keep doing it for the next person in line who wants to throw on the red shirt…I have a wife, kids, a career- a life I never thought would be possible all because of you guys putting together a program like this and believing in us,” says Eddie Polanco, a representative of the Ambassadors who spoke this morning. 

Ambassadors receive wages and soft-skills job training, in support of their transition out of homelessness, poverty or substance abuse. They bring their own skills and on-the-ground knowledge of the local community, in support of a collaborative effort to make the neighborhood welcoming for all. The program has assisted hundreds of local residents on their journey out of poverty and other life challenges, and continues to demonstrate a way for businesses, service organizations and their consumers to create partnerships for mutual benefit.   

Whiteman Osterman & Hanna LLP, a law firm based in Albany, was founded in 1975 and has since become the largest, and one of the most well-respected law firms in the Capital Region. Together as a firm and individually, the attorneys and staff actively participate in a variety of community activities and sponsorships to fulfill their commitment to the community as a good corporate citizen. 

BST & Co. CPAs, LLP is a multi-disciplinary accounting and business advisory firm headquartered in Albany serving the needs of closely held companies, family-owned businesses, not-for-profit and governmental entities, and high-net worth individuals. Since 1947, BST has promoted financial stability and growth for businesses, organizations and individuals while continuing their commitment to actively serve the community in the Capital Region.

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Proctors Collaborative is an arts and community development organization operating multiple venues across New York’s Capital Region, serving more than 800,000 people. The Collaborative’s 2,000 annual events include touring Broadway shows, music, comedy, resident theatre productions, film screenings and a diverse portfolio of performing arts, education and community impact programming. Its affiliate organizations include Capital Repertory Theatre, Universal Preservation Hall, Schenectady-Saratoga Symphony Orchestra and Collaborative School of the Arts.