Donation Marks Second Year of Foundation Support from Event Proceeds

Watkins Glen, NY (June 15, 2023) – Yesterday afternoon the Schuyler Health Foundation accepted a generous donation during a check presentation and volunteer reception held at the Watkins Glen Harbor Hotel. The check was presented by David Hart, President, and CEO of Hart Hotels, and was for 20,000 dollars. The reception was held in honor of community volunteers in recognition of their efforts for helping to make the event a success each year.

The 20,000-dollar donation represented a portion of the proceeds from the hotel’s popular “Fire and Ice” event in January, for which the Foundation was selected as the beneficiary.

“The Schuyler Health Foundation is honored to be the recipient of the proceeds for the 2023 Fire and Ice event. We appreciate the hotel choosing our non-profit and keeping the money in Schuyler County,” said Kim Sprague, Schuyler Health Foundation Director. “We are also thankful for the many community members that volunteered at this event as well as everyone that attended.”

This is the second year the Schuyler Health Foundation has been the recipient of the funds, which will be used for needs at Schuyler Hospital, a member of Cayuga Health.

“The foundation of our Fire and Ice event is community-based. Thousands of participants come over a period of three days, with the support of local businesses. The participation of the patrons and the sponsors generate all the funds so that we can give back to the community,” stated Hart.

“This is the second year that we have supported the Schuyler Health Foundation, and I know what an important entity the hospital and the foundation are to this community by delivering on its mission in The Southern Tier.”

Hart Hotels began with the opening of their first hotel in downtown Portland Maine in 2005. They started their Fire and Ice (Ice Bar) event in Portland, and it eventually became a tradition across multiple Hart Hotel locations. The idea behind the event at each location in the wintertime is to drive more hotel stays, but to also provide entertainment to each community and to give back to local charities. The ice sculptors are world-renowned, and the event is driven by hotel staff and many community volunteers.

The Harbor Hotel in Watkins Glen opened in the summer of 2008 and the first Ice Bar took place in 2011. That year they gave 3,000 dollars to the Southern Tier Chapter of the American Red Cross. The event takes place inside and outside the hotel and runs from Thursday – Saturday in January each year. In 2022, the Schuyler Health Foundation received 15,000 dollars. More than $250,000 dollars has been given to local charitable organizations since the inception of the Fire and Ice event.