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Family Promise of WNY to collaborate with Roswell Park in creating a home-like environment for families experiencing homelessness

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Fri, Feb 17th 2017 06:45 pm

The "Painting for Promise" event will bring Roswell Park Cancer Institute's executive management team into the Family Promise of WNY shelter to paint and perform repairs to build a welcoming environment for families.

Family Promise of WNY is a community organization that provides temporary shelter and support to families experiencing homelessness in Western New York. It will host the "Painting for Promise" event from 9 a.m. until noon on Saturday, Feb. 29. Participants will paint and repair the new Family Resource Center at 75 Hickory St., Buffalo, on the campus of Ss. Columba-Brigid Roman Catholic Church.

Family Promise of WNY is one of 200 affiliates of Family Promise, a nationwide organization founded in 1986 with a mandate to serve families experiencing homelessness. FPWNY accomplishes this with the help of more than 500 volunteers annually through a network of host congregations that house families for one week at a time. Families visit the Family Resource Center each weekday to receive case management services, as they work toward finding permanent housing.

Roswell Park Cancer Institute will send its environmental services and facilities teams into the Family Promise of WNY Day Center for the week leading up to the event. The week will culminate on Saturday, when the Roswell Park executive management team will paint the Family Resource Center, which is where families spend time searching for employment and housing opportunities, caring for children, sharing meals and working with case management.

 "We are thankful to Roswell Park Cancer Institute for generously lending their services to a fellow local nonprofit," said Kathryn Steffan, executive director at Family Promise of WNY. "With a focus on families experiencing homelessness, many for the first time, we try to design every aspect of our program to minimize the trauma for those involved. Creating a safe and home-like space for families will make their time with us more comfortable and calming. Our goal is to end family homelessness in Western New York, and we look forward to engaging Roswell Park Cancer Institute on Saturday to involve them in that work."

Organizers said Roswell Park is living up to its values of commitment, compassion and respect in its support of Family Promise of WNY.

To learn more about the organizations, visit www.FPWNY.org and https://www.roswellpark.org/, or follow on Facebook at Family Promise of WNY and Roswell Park Cancer Institute.

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