30th anniversary at Rivershore brings perspective

Rivershore Executive Director

With 2010, we proudly celebrate our 30th anniversary at Rivershore. Since 1980, Rivershore has grown from a single location serving 14 people on Lower River Road in Youngstown to an agency serving more than 175 people with a dedicated staff of 150 working throughout Niagara County. Today based in Lewiston, Rivershore is recognized as a COMPASS agency by New York state, one of just seven statewide. This ranks Rivershore in the top 1 percent in New York state for quality in our field.

The hallmark of our organization is the Rivershore Quality Plan. Pioneered by Rivershore board member Len Wrona more than 15 years ago, this organizational approach to quality is at the root of everything we do, and our success.

The first critical element of our quality plan is our focus on the people we serve, and their meaningful inclusion in everything we do. Among many other things, this had led to the establishment of our Self-Advocacy Center, and an unprecedented four statewide recognition awards from the New York State Self-Advocacy Association.

This focus has also led Rivershore to develop a more inclusive and richer workforce, one that includes people who live with developmental disabilities. Perhaps most importantly, this focus has led to the inclusion of people living with developmental disabilities as members of the Rivershore board of directors.

The other critical element of our quality plan is the valuing, respect, and support of our extraordinary staff. The average tenure of our staff exceeds five years. This level of commitment and dedication is unmatched in our field, where average tenure is less than two years. It is our outstanding staff that provides the exemplary service Rivershore is known for. They are Rivershore, and, on behalf of all of us, I thank them for their 30 years of service.

There are so many people over the past 30 years that have made Rivershore what it is today. We thank them, and we honor them.  As a result of their countless contributions, we find ourselves on the cusp of a bold and exciting new future. On behalf of our foundation board, the Rivershore board of directors, our dedicated staff, and the people we support and serve, I thank you for joining us as we celebrate our 30th anniversary.