State Sen. John Mannion honors Nancy Fox upon her retirement

FULTON – New York State Senator John Mannion honored Nancy Fox Feb. 23 for her 12 years of dedication to the arts and the founding and directing of the CNY Community Arts Center.

“As a native central New Yorker,” Mannion began, “it’s places like this that truly make where we live a special place. We’ve got to make sure that we support places like this. We’re not always going to have, from what I hear, Nancy Fox to be able to make sure that the lights are always on and the door is always open and people are always engaged and promotions always happen. So, it’s great to hear that you are going to step away and take your time. You deserve every acknowledgment possible, but also that your legacy will live on, and you’ve got good people stepping in place and making sure that the community gets to enjoy this great place.

“It’s wonderful just to be here today to celebrate the achievements of a remarkable individual. Nancy Fox, as you all know, has dedicated her life to the arts, and her contributions to the central New York community have been nothing short of exceptional. She’s a leader in every sense of the word. It’s her passion and her commitment to the arts that have been unwavering and have made sure that they thrive here in Fulton, New York. She’s worked tirelessly to establish the CNY Community Arts Center back in 2011, and in doing so, she put Oswego County on the map as a central hub for the arts. And through her efforts, the arts became a common thread uniting people of all ages, abilities, and backgrounds. Her impact on the arts in our region has been immeasurable. It was her vision and her dedication that turned a simple idea into a thriving community stronghold for now over 12 years. She’s been a fierce advocate for the power of art, – she just brought it up to me a second ago – pursuing advancement and fighting for continuance, improvement of the arts in general and this facility. Thank you to Nancy for your hard work. Thank you too, also on behalf of all these educators, the artists, the actors that have come through these doors and been blessed by Nancy’s presence, leadership, and vision. They have been able to expose their talents only because a place like this and a person like Nancy are here to make sure that that happens. Her efforts in developing a central location have paved the way for united programming and expanded opportunities for these artists and beyond. So, it is with great pleasure that I recognize Nancy Fox for her outstanding contributions to the arts. She may be approaching retirement, but her impact on this community will never be retired. And we wish her all the best in her well-deserved time away from this location, which I don’t think is going to be a permanent one. And those that know Nancy surely believe that. So, thank you to Nancy for your vision, your dedication, your many successes. You have truly left a lifetime of a legacy to those that will follow you.”