Crazy Socks highlights colorful partnership with NYCM

Edmeston, New York, March 23, 2021 … World Down Syndrome Day at Pathfinder Village featured an extra splash of color this year through a special donation by the employees of NYCM Insurance, Edmeston-- colorful pairs of polka-dotted socks. It has become a tradition for Pathfinder and NYCM to team up in celebration of this global event that focuses on the contributions of individuals with Trisomy 21 to our communities.

The sock donation was part of a larger project through which employees purchased 739 pairs as a fund-raiser; $2,097 will benefit the human services non-profit. In addition to the crazy sock gift, NYCM has initiated a Pen Pals project among its remote workers and Village residents to promote “staying connected” during the pandemic recovery.

Both organizations turned to social media with sock photos and inclusion messages for WDSD in support of the greater global disabilities community. Festive socks in bright colors and patterns have become a customary celebration of 3-21, which represents the triplication of the 21st chromosome in the human genotype, the cause of 95 percent of instances of Down syndrome.

“Under Dan Robinson’s leadership, the NYCM-Pathfinder relationship has taken off,” said Pathfinder Village President and Chief Executive Officer Paul C. Landers. “Not only has NYCM supported various Pathfinder events and capital projects, today NYCM is part of the day-to-day life at Pathfinder. The purchase of crazy socks for all the residents this year was an initiative embraced by the entire NYCM family.”

"Pathfinder is an important part of our community and we feel fortunate to be involved in such a worthwhile cause,” said Dan Robinson, NYCM’s President/Chief Executive Officer. “The crazy sock day and honoring WDSD was a great success and we hope it put a smile on every resident’s face."

In past years, NYCM has teamed up with Pathfinder resident volunteers on WDSD to conduct charity games of “21” as an employee fund-raiser to benefit the Village’s enrichment and sports funds. NYCM employees are regulars at the Pathfinder Bakery and Produce Market, have assisted with decorations for Pathfinder’s annual formal dance and Halloween events, sponsored vintage car Cruise-Ins, and have taken part in community blood donation drives to help meet local demands.

Company officers, first former Treasurer and Chief Financial Officer Albert Pylinski, and now Michael Perrino, the current Treasurer, CFO and Chief Risk Officer, have shared their business expertise with Pathfinder by serving a total of two decades as Trustees on the Pathfinder Village Foundation’s Board.

“The NYCM-Pathfinder story actually dates to the Village’s predecessor, the Otsego School, which opened in 1922,” said Mr. Landers.  When the school operated in the hamlet of Edmeston, many NYCM employees who lived in the area interacted with the students on a regular basis. In 1980, the school relocated to its current location and became Pathfinder Village, an expanded model of education and care for the Down syndrome community. The model became an international success quickly attracting students, residents, and professionals from over 20 US states and 23 countries.”

Pathfinder Village is an internationally respected open-access community and services provider in upstate New York and was founded in 1980 to provide people living with Down syndrome and other disabilities an independent and fulfilling lifestyle. As it works to provide quality supports for individuals with intellectual disabilities, the Village also offers highly successful educational, day services, pre-vocational, and outreach programs. To learn more, visit our website, or visit our fan page on the popular social networking site, Facebook.