Steve Thurston (File photo, 2021)
January 2021: Kim Cook stands in an unfinished dining room area of the Open Door Mission of Glens Falls. It was renovated and completed as part of the building's renovation later in the year, using a $1.5 million donation that completed much of the building.
The Open Door Mission in Glens Falls got an unexpected $500,000 boost recently from the Saratoga-based Business for Good Foundation. The philanthropic foundation created by Ed and Lisa Mitzen in 2020 has given away $5.4 million to 25 non-profits this year.
Kim Cook, executive director of the Open Door Mission, told FoothillsBusinessDaily.com that a chance meeting at a Saratoga road race led to Lisa Mitzen, a Hudson Falls native, coming up to see Open Door.
“I gave them a tour, and Lisa said they loved what we were doing and said she wanted to bring the rest of the team up,” Cook said. “So, a few days later the whole team came up and they loved it. They went outside, and I thought they had gone, but they came back in and they said, ‘We want to give you this grant.’
“And my jaw just about hit the floor. We had no idea this was coming.”
Lisa Mitzen said, “I was just completely blown away by their programming…and we decided we wanted to do something to help them. I think Kim was in a state of shock. She was a little teary-eyed and speechless. It was one of those moments. Nothing feels better than to help people in that way.”
Cook said the $500,000 will be used to complete the long-running renovation of the building at 226 Warren Street. The second floor, or “Life Path” floor, will have workforce development classrooms and a computer lab and offices. They will build a mental health center in the basement, and a medical clinic and complete the expansion of the men’s shelter to 52 beds, Cook said.
Cook said the Open Door received a $1.5 million grant in January, thanks to Glens Falls National Bank and the Federal Home Loan Bank. But with rising costs and supply chain issues, they were looking to cut what could be done.
“We’ve had our head down for a few years now, just trying to get this done. Having them come in and really believe in what we are doing means so much to us,” Cook said.
Lisa Mitzen said that the organization does not focus on one geographical area, that they just want to help and that she is “blessed” to be able to give.
“We happened to have a connection through a close friend of a friend, who said the Open Door helped him get clean and stay clean, and probably saved his life,” and that led Business for Good to Glens Falls.
Lisa had a long career in the mortgage industry, and her husband Ed recently sold a stake in Fingerpaint Marketing to a private equity group. The couple used the proceeds of the sale as seed money to start the foundation.
In addition to their gifts to non-profit organizations, they also purchased Hattie’s Chicken Shack and the Bread Basket in Saratoga. They gave each full-time employee a raise and free health insurance, and all profits will help fund more giving by the foundation. The foundation also purchased a food truck, which will give away ice cream in communities like Fort Edward, where kids might not see ice cream trucks very often.
Most recently, the Business for Good Foundation bought a former Stewart’s Shop property in Voorheesville, Ed Mitzen’s hometown, and hosted a community party to discuss what to do with the site. Business for Good also surprised AIM Services Inc. in Saratoga with a $50,000 gift.
[Read our coverage of the AIM donation here. See our coverage of the Open Door Mission, here.]