Ticonderoga, NY, August 4, 2023 – At the Sylvamo Ticonderoga Mill Advisory Council Meeting on Monday, July 31, 2023, Sylvamo’s Ticonderoga mill presented the Ticonderoga Revitalization Alliance (Ti-Alliance) with a donation of $50,000 to help develop a new 50-child childcare center in Ticonderoga. The facility will be located in the former St. Mary’s School building and is expected to open in January 2024.
In making the presentation, Mill Manager Tim Stocker noted, “Childcare availability is a challenging issue for our employees and is a significant factor in recruiting and retaining people. This is a critical need for the region, and we are excited to play a role in making childcare a reality for the Ticonderoga area.”
Neki Cantron, Sylvamo Global Program Manager for Community Engagement, added, “This gift is indicative of Sylvamo’s commitment to the sustainability of the communities where our employees live and work.”
Ti-Alliance has coordinated the Ticonderoga Community Childcare Committee over the past year to develop a plan for a childcare center to serve our community. Phil Graf, a business unit manager at the mill with childcare-age children, represents Sylvamo on the committee that has explored multiple sites and developed the business plan. Donna Wadsworth, Mill Communication Manager, facilitated the partnership with Ti-Alliance and Sylvamo and noted, “This has truly been a team effort, and we are happy to be part of this important step forward in our community. We encourage the business community and others to join us and become involved.”
Ticonderoga Supervisor Mark Wright said, “Childcare is a fundamental economic pillar that has hindered our community for a long time. With the Downtown Revitalization Initiative and investments going on throughout the town now and in the coming years, we must solve our childcare challenge so that young families can live and work here. We applaud Sylvamo for taking a leadership position in bringing childcare to our community and making this flagship donation, and we encourage other employers to support childcare for our area.”
Next steps for the committee will include securing an operator for the center, staffing, and the scheduling of the construction on the building this fall. Ti-Alliance will be reaching out to those interested in working in the center to help facilitate certifications and employment applications. Pre-registration for families will begin in mid-October. Ti-Alliance is continuing to fundraise for the project that will cost approximately $1 million for construction and first year operating expenses.
In accepting the donation from Sylvamo, Ti-Alliance Executive Director Donna Wotton thanked Stocker and the entire Sylvamo organization for their support. “Sylvamo has been with us since day one, and this donation to the Childcare Project will help us leverage support from other employers as well as private funders. We are confident that we will get to the finish line and be able to offer stable and skilled childcare to the families of Ticonderoga and the surrounding area in the very near future. We are extremely grateful to Sylvamo for helping to make it happen.”
For more information on the Ticonderoga Childcare project Donna Wotton at donna@ticonderoga-alliance.org or 415-385-4544.
About Sylvamo
Sylvamo Corporation (NYSE: SLVM) is the world's paper company with mills in Europe, Latin America and North America. Our vision is to be the employer, supplier and investment of choice. We transform renewable resources into papers that people depend on for education, communication and entertainment. Headquartered in Memphis, Tennessee, we employ more than 6,500 colleagues. Net sales for 2022 were $3.6 billion. For more information, please visit Sylvamo.com.