NIAGARA FALLS, N.Y.--April 17, 2015--  T he Golisano Foundation and Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center held a ceremonial groundbreaking for the new Golisano Center for Community

Health. The innovative center, scheduled for completion in 2016, is supported by a $3.5 million gift from businessman and philanthropist Tom Golisano and will provide comprehensive integrated health care services to adults with special needs, including intellectual and developmental disabilities, and to their families.

 

(PHOTO CUTLINE) Participating in the ceremony were, from left, Memorial President & CEO Joseph A. Ruffolo, Golisano Foundation Director Ann M. Costello, George Augstell and Dr. Steven P. Perlman, Clinical Professor of Pediatric Dentistry at Boston University's Goldman School of Dental Medicine, the founder of Special Olympics Healthy Athletes Special Smiles, which provides free dental exams to Special Olympics athletes, and cofounder of the American Academy of Developmental Medicine and Dentistry.  Augstell, a participant in the Rivershore Inc. supportive employment program, will own and operate the new center's food concession.

 

 

ABOUT THE GOLISANO FOUNDATION

The Golisano Foundation is one of the largest private foundations in the United States devoted exclusively to supporting programs for people with intellectual disabilities. Founded in 1985 with an initial gift of $90,000 from B. Thomas Golisano, the founder and Chairman of Paychex, the Foundation now has more than $28 million in gross assets and has awarded more than $17 million in grants, about $1.2 million annually, to non-profit organizations in a multi-county region surrounding Rochester, New York that serve people with developmental disabilities.

The foundation is committed to opening doors, changing perceptions, and forging unprecedented partnerships to provide individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities with pathways to self-sufficiency, personal dignity, and the best possible expression of their abilities and talents throughout their lifetimes.

Through targeted initiatives, it is our vision that communities will encourage and commit to inclusion, acceptance and opportunity for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities; and provide services that empower individuals to make their way productively and creatively in their communities.

For more information see golisanofoundation.org 

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