Elevate Our Community By Sponsoring This FOCUS Forum!
Join us in making a difference by becoming a sponsor and helping to grow this program! Sponsorship opportunities are available for individuals, organizations, and businesses who are eager to make a positive impact!
Date: Friday, October 23, 2026 | Time: 12:00 – 1:00 p.m. (Doors Open at 11:45 a.m.)
Registration & Location: In-Person & Zoom. Registration: Free and Open to Everyone.
This FOCUS Forum will be held in-person at One Group, with the option of virtual participation via Zoom.
FOCUS Forums are always free and open to everyone, because we believe civic conversations shouldn’t come with a price tag! Forums like this are made possible by generous sponsors and community donors. If you’d like to be a part of that, a gift of $10 helps us keep the doors open! Make your optional $10 donation today!
Topic: The October FOCUS Forum is the first in a three-part fall series on Economic Instability in Onondaga County. Participants do not need to commit to all three. Join FOCUS for a hybrid public forum where local leaders will explore the structural and historical conditions that have shaped financial hardship in Onondaga County, and what the data tells us about where we stand today. This discussion is informed by local history, regional research, and the economic forces that have shaped our communities over time. Panelists will provide an overview of the historical arc that brought us to the current moment and a grounded look at what the data reveals about financial instability across our region, drawing on their professional roles and direct experience studying, documenting, and working within these systems. The conversation will highlight the institutions, policies, and decisions, both past and present, that have shaped economic life in Central New York, and the ways residents can begin to understand the full picture. The Forum will emphasize building shared knowledge, including understanding the historical roots of financial instability, examining what current conditions look like across Onondaga County, and creating a foundation for the conversations ahead. After presentations from our panel, the conversation moves to a moderated Q&A, giving attendees the opportunity to ask questions and discover ways to engage with local priorities and initiatives. This is a welcoming, respectful space for community members to learn, engage, and explore ways to be actively involved in shaping the civic life of Central New York.
Language Access: FOCUS Forums are presented in English. Zoom provides optional, automated live captions and translation features that participants may choose to enable. These tools are generated by Zoom and are not professionally interpreted.
How We Built This Conversation: The topic of “poverty” was requested by a community member. This forum was shaped and informed by data from the CNY Vitals Life Needs Assessment, which tracks the issues impacting Central New York most. Have a topic you’d like to see at a future FOCUS Forum? Suggest a topic or panelist here.
Agenda:
11:45 – Doors Open
12:00 – Welcome
12:05 – Panelist Presentations (#2 panelists, 12 minutes each)
12:30 – Moderated Q&A
12:55 – Closing Remarks
Panelists:
Frank M. Ridzi, PHD, Vice President of Community Investment, Central New York Community Foundation
Supporting Research: The research report below is from the CNY Community Foundation and examines why addressing financial hardship in our community requires looking beyond broad statistics. Using neighborhood-level data from across Syracuse, researchers Frank Ridzi and Jamison Crawford show that two blocks with the same poverty rate can have entirely different needs, and that real solutions have to match the reality on the ground. It’s a compelling case for the kind of holistic, community-centered thinking we’ll be exploring together this fall.
Robert J. Searing M.A, M.Phil., Curator of History, Onondaga Historical Association