 | | | GOVERNOR COMMITS TO ONE-TIME FUNDING INCREASE FOR SPECIAL ED SCHOOLS | | | | | | | In December, New York Governor Kathy Hochul vetoed a bill that would have provided parity in funding between public school districts and schools like Mary Cariola. Both the New York State Assembly and Senate had unanimously approved the legislation. If it had been signed into law, Cariola would have received a 7% increase in state funding just like public districts. Because the legislation was vetoed, Cariola will receive a 4% increase. | | | | | While the defeat of this legislation is disappointing, there is a bright spot in the future. The Governor’s Office has indicated a much larger increase for schools like Cariola may be on the horizon as she puts together her next fiscal budget. Cariola’s Leadership Team is in constant contact with legislators at every level of state government and is strongly urging a meaningful increase for our students. We will continue to monitor this situation and will advise how you can help advocate as we get closer to the Governor’s budgeting process. | | | |  | | | | | | DONOR SPOTLIGHT ON CORPORATE PARTNER - LECHASE CONSTRUCTION SERVICES | |  | “Many employees and customers seek out companies that aim to make a difference in their local communities by donating money, volunteer hours, and skills to nonprofits that improve the lives of individuals in the community. Rochester has a strong history of philanthropic giving that dates back at least to the early 20th century, and the tradition continues into the present with companies and employees volunteering their time in addition to…funds to local nonprofits and educational institutions.” – Rochester Business Journal, 2019 LeChase Construction Services, which has been serving the Rochester area for more than 75 years, exemplifies this philanthropic spirit and community-mindedness. We at Mary Cariola Center are delighted to have called them a “friend” for nearly 30 of those years. Now we proudly call them “Corporate Partner.” LeChase’s leaders have always been actively involved in supporting the needs of our community. As the firm has grown, they have never lost sight of how important the Rochester community is to them as a company and as individuals. William (Will) Mack, LeChase President, has served on our Board of Directors for nearly 10 years. He chaired the agency’s “We Will Shine” Capital Campaign, raising $5.5 million to build two residential homes and upgrade our schools. More recently, Will accepted an additional role on the Board of Directors for the newly established Mary Cariola Foundation. We are deeply appreciative to LeChase and to Will Mack for giving back so much to our community and to our agency. Thank you. | |  | | | | CARIOLA CONTINUES TO RESPOND TO COVID CHALLENGES | | | No one could have possibly predicted that nearly two years after COVID hit our shores that it would continue to have a grip on our nation, state, and community. With the new Omicron variant, the spread is faster than ever before. We have used the phrase “at this time” in all of our communications about the pandemic. It has become an ongoing statement as we provide vital information to our Mary Cariola families and staff. | | | | Mandates, guidelines, directives, and contact tracing issues are changing at a rapid pace; however, the Cariola team is working constantly to provide the most up-to-date information possible. We’ve established reliable contacts at the Monroe County Department of Health, the New York State Department of Health and the Governor’s office; and of course, we monitor all public information from the Center for Disease Control (CDC). Along with webinars and direct communication to our families, we will continue to post COVID information on our website and social media channels to keep everyone in the Cariola Community updated. Please remain diligent in mask wearing and social distancing as well as vaccinations and boosters to keep our students, residents, and staff healthy. | |  | | | | | | MARY CARIOLA CENTER ESTABLISHES NEW FOUNDATION | | We are excited to share that we have formed a separate foundation to better support the growth and advancement of Mary Cariola Center. This has been of interest for a number of years, so this is a very important step in securing the future of the Agency. It means there is now a separate entity with the primary purpose of raising and managing funds solely for Mary Cariola Center’s benefit. The current Foundation Board of Directors consists of six well-respected business and community members, with parent and long-time Cariola advocate Mark Siewert serving as the chair. This group will help ensure that the identity and purpose of both the Agency and its foundation are understood and respected within the community. Our Agency Advancement Team will be working closely with the Foundation Board to secure greater resources for the Agency’s capital and programmatic needs. We anticipate this will allow us to achieve more lofty goals in the future, which is very exciting. | | | | | Mary Cariola Foundation Board of Directors Mark Siewert, Chair Will Mack, Vice Chair and Treasurer Mary Whittier, Secretary Tim Fournier Tom Hildebrandt Renu Singh Gary Schwingel, ex-officio Karen Zandi, ex-officio | | | | | JOHN'S JOURNEY RAISES AWARENESS AND FUNDS FOR MARY CARIOLA | | It is a story about a family in crisis, the response from the Mary Cariola Center team, and a message of resilience and gratitude. John’s Journey has resonated with hundreds of Agency supporters who have responded with a gift to Mary Cariola’s annual appeal. If you haven’t yet read this emotional story, we encourage you to do so HERE and learn how teamwork, innovation and kindness rejuvenated the Pappert family. John’s Journey is one of the many stories at Mary Cariola that too often go untold, so we hope it inspires you to make a gift today in support of our creative programs and services along with the work of our highly skilled staff. On behalf of our 450 students, 44 residents and over 600 employees, thank you for your continued support of our work. | |  | | | | | | | | |  | | 1000 Elmwood Avenue, Rochester, NY 14620 | | | | | | | | | |
