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(Niagara Falls, NY) Empower, a non-profit human services agency supporting people with intellectual and developmental disabilities in WNY, is announcing three upcoming fundraisers to be held in July and August of 2024.  “As a non-profit, we rely on the generosity of our surrounding community to ensure we can provide the highest possible quality of service at all times to our clients,” Empower CEO Diane Baehre said. “Each donation we receive is split evenly between our education, residential, and vocational departments and helps us purchase new equipment, plan additional events and experiences for our clients, and create better programming that improves the quality of life for the individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities in our care. Every dollar helps Empower continue to provide high quality care, and we are so grateful to many organizations and community members who regularly support our cause.”  Empower has the following fundraisers coming up for community members to support:  July 15th, 2024 - 4:00-8:00 PM - Empower will be hosting the Music Mania Monday 50/50 at the Town of Niagara Veterans Park at 7000 Lockport Rd - Niagara Falls, NY 14305. July 16th, 2024 - All Day - Empower will be participating in Give716, a day long fundraising program. Donors have the opportunity to have their donations matched and multiplied throughout the day! To participate,  use this link starting Monday July 15th at 7:16 PM and all-day Tuesday July 16th : https://bit.ly/empower_give716   August 1st, 2024 - 3:00-7:00 PM - Empower will be hosting a Chiavetta’s Chicken Barbecue Drive-thru at our Administration Building at 9812 Lockport Rd, Niagara Falls, NY 14304. Tickets are currently available for presale at https://bit.ly/empower_chiavettas . Tickets will also be available for purchase on location that day, tickets cost $15.00 and include ½ chicken and two sides (macaroni and potato salad).  Empower also has several year-round options for donations. Donations can be submitted through our website under the “donate” tab, Empower also operates two bottle and can redemption centers and a document shredding business - both of which are run by individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities participating in Empower vocational programs. These services are located at:  7500 Porter Rd - Niagara Falls, NY 14304 for document shredding and bottle and can redemption. A 24/7 drop-off bin and curbside service are also available at this location.  3571 Niagara Falls Blvd, Suite 12 - North Tonawanda, NY 14120. A 24/7 drop-off bin and curbside service are also available at this location.  For more information about these services, interested parties can call 716-545-0023.

(Niagara Falls, NY) - Paul Accardo, CEO and President of Crown Benefits Group, was awarded Empower’s Humanitarian Award for his commitment to the intellectually and developmentally disabled community. “Paul Accardo has been a friend to the I/DD community and to Empower for decades,” Empower CEO Diane Baehre said. “Paul has worked to save our agency substantial amounts of money by finding us better plans, and he also has donated thousands to our fundraisers throughout the years. He can always be counted on to lend a hand and contribute to our people when we need him, and he has created an incredible team at Crown Benefits Group who share the same values. His contributions have improved the lives of the people we support in countless ways - there is no one more deserving of our humanitarian award than Paul!” Each year, Empower awards a humanitarian award at their annual golf tournament to an individual(s) who have been a true friend to the intellectually and developmentally disabled community. To win this award, one must demonstrate an unwavering dedication to improving the quality of life of I/DD individuals, and they must also demonstrate good moral character. Last year’s recipients of the Empower Humanitarian Award were Bob O’Leary and Gary Kaczor of Parkview Health Services.

(Niagara Falls, NY) - Empower, a non-profit human services organization supporting individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities in Western New York, has hired Rebecca Rush as the new Director of Education. In this role, Rebecca will oversee all operations and curriculum at our integrated preschool in Niagara Falls, New York. “I am ecstatic to bring my experience and passion to Empower’s Children’s Academy, a place where I have already witnessed the dedication and enthusiasm of the staff and the vibrant spirit of the students,” Rush said. “Together, we will continue to advocate for and support our students with diverse learning needs, ensuring that they receive the highest quality education and care.” “We are thrilled to add a dynamic and experienced leader to our school,” Empower CEO Diane Baehre said. “Rebecca has a track record of working to improve student outcomes, enhancing student and teacher experiences, and effectively leading school operations. As Empower continues to grow and with new opportunities on the horizon, Rebecca is the right person to lead our school, help our students reach their full potential, and ensure we exceed our strategic goals.” Empower operates an integrated pre-school in Niagara Falls, NY that provides full special education services to children with intellectual and developmental disabilities, and also provides physical, occupational, and speech therapies. Rebecca Rush joined Empower in May of 2024. She is a native of Buffalo, NY and has dual master’s degree in childhood education and special education, as well as a degree in Education Administration. Rebecca has previously worked as special education teacher and coordinator in Brooklyn, New York and she most recently served as the Director of Special Education at the Buffalo Collegiate Charter School.

(Niagara Falls, NY) - Empower Children’s Academy special education teacher, Shaila Kokil, was recognized by the New York State Office for the Aging for her commitment to her community with their Exemplary Volunteer Service Award on Older New Yorkers’ Day 2024. “It is truly an honor to be recognized by New York State, and I am humbled to receive this award,” Kokil said. “I have spent my career and my adult life not only working to help my students reach their full potential, but also to create a better, stronger, and more vibrant community. It is a rewarding experience to be able to do my job and serve my community, and I cannot wait to see all the future has in store!” “We could not be more proud and excited for Shaila receiving this award, there is no one more deserving and dedicated to her students and her community,” Empower CEO Diane Baehre said. “Here at Empower, we pride ourselves on building a strong workforce in our houses, vocational department, and our school, and Shaila is an exceptional example of what it means to live our values every single day. I congratulate her on this award and am so proud to have her on our team.” Shaila has been an Employee of Empower for 20 years. In addition to working as a special education teacher in Empower’s Children’s Academy, Shaila is also the president of the Indian Senior Citizens Club of Western New York and served on the Executive Committee of the Hindu Cultural Center Society of Western New York from 2018 to 2022 where she planned educational and cultural programs, including art classes and sports tournaments. Shaila was also recognized as a Buffalo 60 Strong Ambassador.

A success story from one of our Special Education Teachers, Miss Shaila: Charlotte attends Empower's Children's Academy where she receives special education services - she also receives speech language, occupational, and physical therapy at our Academy. Since joining our Academy, Charlotte's parents have been excited about her progress both in the classroom and at home! Her parents are both very involved in her education and development and have also gotten Charlotte a service coordinator to provide help with additional services to support their daughter. The progress Charlotte has made in one year has been incredible to see! She has improved cognitively, socially, emotionally, and has improved her motor skills as well. Her happiness in the classroom has improved over the past year, and she has become much more exploratory and interactive in her programs. She enjoys exploring our playground and has recently begun to actually use the equipment - she now slides down the slide with help! She now enjoys playing ball and hula-hooping during gym class! In class she is exceptional at matching colors and shapes and has developed a strong interest in exploring the many books we have to offer. She now attends group activities for much longer periods than when she started, and now enjoys playing with her peers - a testament to her social growth. She transitions well between her activities and is excited to receive her services! Charlotte's classroom team is incredibly proud of all her progress this year and are excited to see her continue to improve and grow!

(Niagara Falls, NY) - Empower announced that it has doubled its enrollment in its Steps to Work Program that connects graduating high school students with career pathways. “We started offering Steps to Work as way to connect students transitioning out of high school with accessible pathways to employment. So far the program has been a massive success, and has expanded rapidly over the past six years we have operated it with ACCES-VR and our local school districts,” Empower CEO Diane Baehre said. “Through paid summer internships and pre-employment classes, Steps to Work has offered hundreds of students with disabilities the opportunity to learn valuable skills and grow professionally.” Empower started offering Steps to Work six years ago in partnership with ACCES-VR and local school districts to connect students with disabilities transitioning out of high school to career services. Steps to Work includes classes that provide pre-employment skills to the students followed by a paid summer internship in the participant's field of interest to introduce them to the world of work. Over the past six years, due to the overwhelming success of Steps to Work, Empower has gone from serving one school and six students to six schools and seventy-seven students. In the past year we doubled the enrollment from around 40 students to the current 77. “Our mission at Empower is to provide support services that allow each individual to live the life they choose and reach their full potential. Steps to Work embodies that mission and is helping set young adults up for success after finishing school,” Baehre said. “I could not be more excited to see the continued success of this program, and I am grateful for the incredible work of our team to ensure each student gets the most out of their experience.” If you are interested in learning more about the Steps to Work program, you can visit empower-wny.org, or call our job placement department at 716-299-0851.

(Niagara Falls, N.Y.) - Empower, a non-profit human services agency, added two new board members this week - Kory Schuler and Liz Zulawski. “Empower is excited to announce that our Board of Directors is growing with the addition of two prominent professionals from our region,” Empower Executive Director Diane Baehre said. “Kory and Liz have done incredible work throughout their careers in our community, they both understand the importance of the work Empower does to ensure individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities live the highest quality lives and we could not be more thrilled to add their insights and expertise to our organization.” "I am honored to be serving on the board of such an important organization. The work Empower Niagara does strengthens the community and as their name suggests empowers the people they serve," Niagara USA Chamber Executive Director Kory Schuler said. “I am honored to join the Empower Board of Directors. Creating opportunities that are equitable, diverse, and inclusive has been at the forefront of their work for decades, and I am excited and proud to be a part of such an important mission,” Leadership Niagara President and CEO Liz Zulawski said. Kory Schuler serves as the Executive Director of the Niagara USA Chamber of Commerce. Liz Zulawski serves as the President and CEO of Leadership Niagara. Both joined Empower’s Board of Directors in July of 2023. Empower was founded in 1954 and has served Western New York, specifically Niagara County, proudly for over 65 years ensuring that individuals living with intellectual and developmental disabilities, and their loved ones, have access to the highest quality support and services. Empower employs over 300 individuals and provides community programming, job and workforce development, and educational services. For more information please visit: www.empower-wny.org. ###

Last week legislators in Albany finished up this year's legislative session with critical issues left unresolved. Specifically, they failed to address the pending staffing crisis facing the non-profit human services agencies that support individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. At Empower, and in other non-profit human services agencies throughout the state, caregivers called direct support providers are used to provide critical care to intellectually and developmentally disabled individuals. These men and women are dedicated, compassionate, and critical care workers performing a crucially important job. They care for our brothers and sisters, our family and friends - their tireless work ensures some of the most vulnerable individuals in our communities have the opportunity to live life to the fullest. Unfortunately, this work has gone woefully under-funded by the state for countless years and we now face a looming staffing crisis as direct service providers leave this sector to attain a more livable wage. To address this pending crisis, we lobbied legislators and the Governor to include a 8.5% COLA (Cost of Living Adjustment) in the FY24 budget to provide needed salary increases to our workers - especially during a historic inflation crisis. However, providers were left short with only a 4% COLA in the enacted FY24 budget - this simply fails to meet the needs of our providers. To address this shortage, Senator Mannion and Assemblywoman Seawright, Chairs of their respective Senate and Assembly Committees on Disabilities/People with Disabilities, introduced a piece of legislation (S4127/A5268) which would provide a $4,000 increase to direct service providers, or an average hourly rate increase of $2.20. This legislation would be pivotal in securing staffing levels and attracting new individuals into the field. Yet, despite calls from agencies and direct supervisors - legislators in Albany let this legislation stay in committee, failing to ever bring it for a full vote in front of either body. Inaction puts vulnerable populations at risk of losing critical services. Families risk losing specialized care for their loved ones. And dedicated professionals will have to move or leave the profession they love. This care is critical - if our legislators in Albany continue to ignore our calls and kick this can down the road, our individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities relying on non-profit human services agencies will cease to have their needs met, will lose opportunities to grow and thrive, and will be at risk of suffering serious negative quality of life and health effects. This is no longer a problem that can be addressed next year, or next session, or after the next election. Legislators must get serious immediately or face the consequences of being responsible for critical care services being taken away from thousands of individuals.

(Youngstown, N.Y.) - Yesterday, Empower held its annual benefit golf tournament to raise funding for job training and day programming for residents of Western New York with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Additionally, Empower honored Bob O’Leary and Gary Kaczor both with the Empower Annual Golf Tournament Humanitarian Award in Memory of Neil and Mary Gruppo for their continued dedication to supporting Empower. “Our annual golf tournament represents a major fundraising event that allows us to provide top of the line job training and day programming opportunities,” Empower Executive Director Diane Baehre. “These programs allow individuals with developmental and intellectual disabilities to socialize, learn critical life and career skills, and earn a living. Each dollar raised is invested into ensuring the individuals we serve can live life to the fullest and reach their full potential.” Empower provides numerous job training and day programs, including Empties for Empower, Document Shredding, Grab N’ Go Cart at the Fashion Outlets, job placement in local businesses, job coaching, and day habilitation - more can be found by visiting: https://empower-wny.org/services/job-training-day-programs/ “In addition to our annual golf tournament, this year Empower was honored to award Bob O’Leary and Gary Kaczor of Parkview Health Services with our Humanitarian Award,” Empower Executive Director Diane Baehre said. “Bob and Gary, and the entire Parkview team, have shown incredible dedication to Empower’s mission and provided exceptionally generous support to the important programs we provide. I could not be more honored to present this distinguished award to our partners and friends Bob O’Leary and Gary Kaczor." Empower was founded in 1954 and has served Western New York, specifically Niagara County, proudly for over 65 years ensuring that individuals living with intellectual and developmental disabilities, and their loved ones, have access to the highest quality support and services. Empower employs over 300 individuals and provides community programming, job and workforce development, and educational services. For more information please visit: www.empower-wny.org. ###