LaBella in the Community (LINC) – Summer 2025 Roundup
LaBella in the Community (LINC) is our employee-led, grassroots, committee-based service program that organizes volunteer opportunities to build and advance community partnerships. LINC was very busy this summer, and we’d like to take a moment to highlight some of the activities the group planned and coordinated throughout the local communities where we live and work.
More details about the organizations that LINC partnered with can be found by clicking the links below. To learn more about what LINC has been up to, keep scrolling!
Capital Region CANstruction
Organization: Capital Region CANstruction
Event Date: May 5–May 19, 2025
Event Location: Albany, NY
Event Description: This year’s Capital Region CANstruction theme was “Lights, CANmera, Action!”—inviting teams to model their structures after popular movies, television shows, or movie theaters. Employees from LaBella’s New York offices in Latham, Glens Falls, and Poughkeepsie dedicated 10 hours to building Stitch, from Lilo & Stitch, entirely out of food items in support of the Capital Region CANstruction Competition. Our team used tuna fish, sweet corn, strawberry JELL-O, black beans, chickpeas, and a host of canned vegetables to build a seven-foot-tall Stitch, resulting in a donation of 4,172 food items to The Food Pantries for the Capital District.
CANstruction is a not-for-profit organization that addresses hunger globally. Capital Region CANstruction is an annual exhibit and design competition that brings AEC professionals together to create colossal structures built entirely out of canned goods. The structures raise awareness of food insecurity in the Capital Region while also showcasing the participants’ talent.
Check out more photos here
Knit Every Day in June
Organization: Blood Cancer United (formerly Leukemia & Lymphoma Society)
Event Date: June 2025
Event Location: Ballston Spa, NY
Event Description: Amanda Hens from LaBella’s Ballston Spa office participated in Knit Every Day in June, a month-long fundraiser to raise life-saving funds and awareness for individuals living with blood cancer. Through her efforts, Amanda raised $352 in support of Blood Cancer United, an organization dedicated to helping those with blood cancer live longer, better lives.
By picking up her needles every day, Amanda not only contributed financially but also helped draw attention to leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease, and myeloma. The campaign supports research, patient services, and advocacy efforts, advancing the fight for better treatments and care.
2025 Buffalo Bowl
Organization: Special Olympics New York
Event Date: June 7, 2025
Event Location: Orchard Park, NY
Event Description: The Buffalo Bowl is an annual 6-on-6 flag football tournament held at Highmark Stadium, benefitting Special Olympics New York—an organization dedicated to creating inclusive opportunities for people with intellectual disabilities to compete and experience the joy of sports. This year, more than 70 teams from across New York State competed in seven divisions, with a fundraising goal of $250,000 to support Special Olympics New York athletes.
LaBella proudly sponsored two teams, each representing a different division:
Team: Past Our Primetime
Division: Amateur
Roster: LaBellans: Tony Sanganetti (Team Captain), Anthony DiLorenzo, Tybarius Harter, Deshawn Henry, Brian Ringenwald, and Ryan Yuhas; Non-LaBellans: James Butkevitch, Mackenzie Keehfus, Josh Lawrence, Fletcher Macomb, Karl Miller, and Ron Sanganetti
Team: Rocket Sports – LaBella
Division: Intermediate
Roster: LaBellans: Gabe Antenucci (Team Captain), Kevin Rademacher, and Wil Pieters; Non-LaBellans: Enzo Amati, Nathan Antenucci, Bobby Cameron, Armando Costabile, Henry Kregal, Ryan McDermott, and Andrew Quinn
ROC 65 Roses Golf Tournament
Organization: Cystic Fibrosis Foundation
Event Date: June 12, 2025
Event Location: Victor, NY
Event Description: In mid-June, LaBella hit the greens at Ravenwood Golf Club for the ROC 65 Roses Golf Tournament, hosted by the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation’s WNY-Rochester Chapter. This fun and friendly event brought together corporate and community supporters to “swing a club for a cure,” raising funds and awareness for cystic fibrosis.
Proceeds from the tournament support the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation’s mission to cure cystic fibrosis and help those living with the disease lead long, fulfilling lives. The organization advances this mission by funding research and drug development, partnering with the cystic fibrosis community, and promoting high-quality, specialized care.
Putt for a Purpose
Organization: IIDA Rochester City Center and Foodlink
Event Date: June 18, 2025
Event Location: Rochester, NY
Event Description: LaBella joined fellow firms—Sedgwick Business Interiors, SWBR, and Vargas Associates—for Putt for a Purpose, a mini-golf and networking event hosted by IIDA Rochester City Center.
Held at Sedgwick’s showroom, members of the local design community gathered for an evening of fun, friendly competition and charitable giving in support of Foodlink. The celebration featured summer food favorites, an ice cream truck, mini-golf, and other games—all in the spirit of community driven by a worthy cause.
Foodlink is a nonprofit working to end hunger in Rochester and the surrounding region. Participating teams collected non-perishable food items in the weeks leading up to the event. LaBella contributed 260 items, helping bring the total across all firms to 1,200 donated items.
Books and Bunnies
Organization: Hop on Home Rabbit Sanctuary
Event Date: June 21, 2025
Event Location: Ballston Spa, NY
Event Description: LaBella volunteered at Books with Bunnies, a heartwarming event hosted by Hop on Home Rabbit Sanctuary, a volunteer-run, not-for-profit organization focused on rabbit adoption, care, and education.
The event featured storytelling and opportunities for children to see and interact with bunnies. LaBella helped with setup, caring for the rabbits, reading to the children, and leading craft activities—contributing to a memorable experience for all involved.
United Way Day of Action
Organization: United Way of the Dutchess-Orange Region and Newburgh Armory Unity Center
Event Date: June 26, 2025
Event Location: Newburgh, NY
Event Description: The United Way’s Day of Action is an annual global volunteer event that offers individuals the opportunity to unite and make a positive impact in their communities. This year, Alex Vaquero Flores from LaBella’s Poughkeepsie office participated in the Day of Action at the Newburgh Armory Unity Center.
Alex and fellow volunteers worked in the community garden, clearing weeds and vines from fencing and tending to interior garden spaces. The group filled multiple wheelbarrows with weeds and helped maintain the garden for local use.
The Newburgh Armory Unity Center is an organization and facility that offers programming for academic enrichment, civic engagement, and athletic and wellness opportunities. The facility also serves as a not-for-profit incubator, hosting local organizations and volunteer groups.
Summer Show – “Coming of Age”
Organization: One Voice Chorus
Event Date: June 28, 2025
Event Location: Charlotte, NC
Event Description: One Voice Chorus is a non-auditioned community chorus in Charlotte, NC, welcoming LGBTQ+ members and allies. The organization presents three to four concerts each year, ranging from holiday and traditional selections to pop choral music.
The summer show, themed “Coming of Age,” explored the queer coming-of-age experience through pop choral selections from artists such as Stevie Nicks, Lady Gaga, Cher, and Billie Eilish.
Donations from the event support props, wardrobe, stage design, and scholarships, helping ensure choir participation is accessible to all while sustaining One Voice Chorus’ ongoing community outreach and performances.
Edgewater Beach Cleanup
Organization: Drink Local Drink Tap
Event Date: July 1, 2025
Event Location: Cleveland, OH
Event Description: Drink Local Drink Tap is an international non-profit organization committed to promoting clean water for all. Their mission is to advance global water equity through education, advocacy, and community-centered water, sanitation, and hygiene projects.
Since 2018, LaBella has partnered with Drink Local Drink Tap in an annual beach cleanup along the shores of Lake Erie. Each summer, employees from our Cleveland office volunteer to collect and remove trash from Edgewater Beach.
The efforts of this year’s volunteers—Deana Sritalapat, Matt Metyk, Ben Barry, Darshan Kandu, Carl Frey, Todd Slaboden, Ed Odziemski, Ron Garsteck, Tareq Masri, and Tuvia Millstein—helped protect the health of Lake Erie and the surrounding watershed.
e-Scrap for Camp
Organization: Sunnking Sustainable Solutions and Camp Good Days
Event Date: July 24–August 8, 2025
Event Location: Buffalo, NY
Event Description: Sunnking created e-Scrap for Camp to support Camp Good Days, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to improving the quality of life for children, adults, and families whose lives are impacted by cancer and other life challenges. Funds raised through recycling local business electronics are donated to support programs and services offered by Camp Good Days.
This annual event’s combined efforts make a huge difference, not only to those affected by the disease but also by ensuring safe and responsible recycling of unwanted devices. Since its establishment in 2010, e-Scrap for Camp has collected and recycled over 6.5 million pounds of electronics, resulting in over $150,000 donated to Camp Good Days on behalf of Sunnking.
Read Every Day in August
Organization: American Cancer Society
Event Date: August 2025
Event Location: Ballston Spa, NY
Event Description: Following a month of knitting for charity in June, Amanda Hens from LaBella’s Ballston Spa office swapped yarn for pages and joined Read Every Day in August.
In this month-long challenge, participants pledge to read every day of the month and raise funds for the American Cancer Society, a nonprofit organization leading the fight against cancer through research, advocacy, and patient support, with a vision of ending cancer for everyone.
17th Annual Building on Love Golf Tournament
Organization: Building on Love
Event Date: August 8, 2025
Event Location: Mechanicville, NY
Event Description: Elliery Carter, Branson Fields, Aaron Yecies, and Garth Barrett hit the course at the Fairways of Halfmoon Golf Course for Building on Love’s 17th annual golf tournament, the nonprofit’s flagship fundraiser.
Proceeds provide temporary financial assistance to Capital Region families caring for a child with a life-threatening diagnosis, covering non-medical expenses such as mortgage or rent, auto payments, insurance, utilities, and other essential living expenses. This support allows families to focus on what matters most—the health and well-being of their loved one.
Dale ‘AH’ Russell Memorial Open
Organization: California Brew Haus, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, and Ronald McDonald House Charities
Event Date: August 9, 2025
Event Location: Rochester, NY
Event Description: Hosted by California Brew Haus, this memorial golf event raised donations for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and Ronald McDonald House Charities in honor of Dale Russell. Christopher Russell from LaBella’s Rochester office participated in the tribute, celebrating his late father and their lifelong shared love of golf.
“At a young age (12) my father introduced me into the world of golf. Being the youngest of the three boys, by the time I was old enough to play on his softball team, he had to retire. Too many injuries, and being over 50, his body just didn’t recover the same. So, golf became our thing. My dad and I played golf together for almost 20 years and they were, some of the best moments of my life—sharing a few hours just talking and doing something we both loved was priceless. Although he is no longer sitting next to me in the cart, I know with every swing, chip, and putt, he is right there, guiding my hands to my next great round.” – Christopher Russell
Food Sorting at the Rochester Public Market
Organization: Flower City Pickers
Event Date: August 9, 2025
Event Location: Rochester, NY
Event Description: LaBella employees—Olivia Cross, Rachel Mikolajczyk, Dylan Duffy, Jessica Kelly, and Catherine Thompson—along with several family members and friends, joined Flower City Pickers at the City of Rochester Public Market to collect surplus produce from vendors, reclaiming food that might otherwise be discarded and sent to landfills.
Together, volunteers helped recover 1,762 pounds of edible food, which was redistributed to local hunger relief agencies across Rochester, and diverted an additional 400 pounds of food to composting.
Flower City Pickers promotes waste prevention and civic engagement through partnerships with local farms and hunger relief agencies and, since its founding, has recovered and redistributed one million pounds of food.
A Day at the 1863 Club
Organization: Building on Love
Event Date: August 17, 2025
Event Location: Ballston Spa, NY
Event Description: Continuing LaBella’s support of Building on Love, Kelsey Carr and Norabelle Greenberger attended the organization’s 4th annual A Day at the 1863 Club fundraiser.
Presented in partnership with Living Resources and supported by Natalie Sillery, owner of Saratoga Trunk, the special event brought the community together for a fashion show, great food, and world-class racing—all in celebration of a meaningful cause.
Proceeds from the event play a vital role in Building on Love’s ability to provide emergency financial assistance to families caring for a child with a life-threatening diagnosis, such as cancer or premature birth.
15th Annual Doug Phelps Breast Cancer Golf Scramble
Organization: Breast Cancer Coalition of Rochester
Event Date: August 25, 2025
Event Location: Salmon Creek, NY
Event Description: More than 100 golfers, including Lance DeFay, Steve Elliott, Ed Rohr, and Steve Paiement representing LaBella, hit the links at the 15th Annual Doug Phelps Breast Cancer Golf Scramble at the Salmon Creek Country Club.
The annual community-run event benefits the Breast Cancer Coalition of Rochester, raising funds to provide resources and programs for individuals affected by breast or gynecologic cancers. Participants enjoyed a breakfast buffet, raffle, and a day on the course while supporting the Coalition’s mission.
