Delaware North this week announced a $500,000 commitment to support construction for the education center in the new Buffalo City Mission Community Center in downtown Buffalo, N.Y. The center will be named the Delaware North Opportunity Center.
“Delaware North is proud to support the Buffalo City Mission’s inspirational work for our neighbors with the greatest needs,” said Lou Jacobs, Co-Chief Executive Officer of Delaware North. “Buffalo is at its best when our community comes together for the betterment of all, which is certainly the case with the new City Mission facility. We hope that the Opportunity Center will provide meaningful experiences that enrich lives and make enduring impacts.”
Scheduled to open in 2020, the $15 million, 75,000-square-foot flagship community center will provide preventative services to decrease the percentage of homelessness year-over-year for those who are on the brink of homelessness in Buffalo. It will also deliver more complete care to individuals who already experience homelessness.
The Delaware North Opportunity Center will include notable features such as space for social service agencies, case management, mental health services, medical care, job training, basic family services, legal services, food, clothing and more.
“We are truly blessed and honored by this extraordinary gift,” said Stuart Harper, CEO and Executive Director of the Buffalo City Mission. “Our new education center will provide residents with new pathways for learning and career development opportunities. Delaware North’s generosity will help ensure that our residents have access to the resources that fuel their journey to new beginnings.”
The Buffalo City Missionis a nonprofit organization that provides preventative, emergency, and transitional housing programs to thousands of people who are homeless and impoverished every year.
PHOTO CAPTION: Delaware North Co-CEO Lou Jacobs (center) was joined by New York State Senator Tim Kennedy, Buffalo City Mission CEO and Executive Director Stuart Harper, Buffalo City Mission Board President Paul Kazmierczak, and Buffalo City Mission Associate Executive Director Aubrey Calhoun at the check presentation ceremony.