Courtesy SAIL
By Susan Elise Campbell
From its main campus in Queensbury, Southern Adirondack Independent Living is making programs and services accessible to residents of 17 counties across New York. SAIL’s main goal is to help the elderly and those with disabilities remain safely in their homes and avoid skilled nursing care or institutional placement. While this non-profit has built on that objective for 35 years, executive director Tyler Whitney said the needs of the community are ever-changing, and especially so with a growing senior population in the post-COVID world.
“We have come a very long way in letting people know about what we can do for people with disabilities or those looking for services for their families,” Whitney said. “Before COVID people would say to me, ‘You’re the best kept secret.’ But that was like a sword in my heart because we want people to come to us. We are here to help.”
Over recent years the team at SAIL has done much to broaden awareness and build their brand, hiring Cam Cardinale as director of community relations. Whitney said Cardinale’s role is to engage with stakeholders, both community members and partner agencies, to show how SAIL ties into different facets of the community, such as recreation, tourism, independent living, health insurance and more.
“People coming to our center don’t know the extent of what we do until they meet us,” said Cardinale.
