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Patrick P. Lee Foundation announces $450,000 commitment to Buffalo City Mission

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Thu, Jan 23rd 2020 02:25 pm

Donation will help fund Patrick P. Lee Foundation Welcome Center within One-Stop Community Center; scheduled to open this year, $15 million center will provide community & preventative services, emergency shelter, transitional housing and recuperative care for homeless

The Patrick P. Lee Foundation today announced a $450,000 financial commitment that will provide a gateway to stronger preventative services focused on mental health and education for the new Buffalo City Mission community center. The first floor will be called the Patrick P. Lee Foundation Welcome Center.

“We are grateful to the Patrick P. Lee Foundation for their generous commitment,” said Stuart Harper, CEO and executive director of the Buffalo City Mission. “Our new welcome center will provide residents with an immediate sense of community the moment they walk through our doors. It will also serve as an entry point to our new community center’s first floor preventative services that include case management, partner agency services, mental health services, and an in-house medical clinic and so much more.”

Since its inception in 2007, the Lee Foundation has focused on addressing critical needs of the community. Today, it concentrates its investments in the areas of education and mental health.

“The Patrick P. Lee Foundation is proud to support the Buffalo City Mission’s work to uplift every neighbor in our community,” Executive Director Jane Mogavero said. “This project is especially compelling to the Lee Foundation, because nearly 40% of our community’s homeless live with a mental health condition. The new welcome center will provide high-quality mental health care and comprehensive support services. Access to these programs can be transformational for the recipient and improve their quality of life.”

The announcement was part of a ceremonial press event held at the City Mission’s Cornerstone Manor at 150 E. North St.

Scheduled to open this year, the 75,000-square-foot flagship community center will provide preventative services on the front end to decrease the percentage of homelessness year-over-year for those who are on the brink of homelessness. It will also deliver more complete care to individuals who already experience homelessness. Notable features will include space for social service agencies, case management, mental health services, medical care, the first recuperative care unit in Buffalo, job training, education, food and clothing.

The current Buffalo City Mission, at 100 E. Tupper St., will continue to remain open throughout the construction process.

The building is part of the City Mission’s vision moving into the next century to provide services that help prevent and decrease homelessness in the community. Today, approximately $13.7 million of a target $15 million has been committed – through the City Mission’s “Next Century” capital campaign.

“Today’s gift from the Patrick P. Lee Foundation represents the very best of what it means to serve others,” said Aubrey Calhoun, associate executive director of the Buffalo City Mission. “Through their help, our new welcome center will serve as a place of inclusivity and comfort where they begin their journey to building a new life. Every member of this community has the power to help move this journey forward. With this in mind, the City Mission proudly launched our ‘Pick-a-Brick’ fundraising initiative this month that will help pave a pathway to a new life for our neighbors in need.”

“Pick-a-Brick” is a dynamic fundraising campaign that provides community individuals and organizations with an opportunity to make a lasting legacy gift to build a “Pathway to Hope” for the next century. Through the initiative, the City Mission has set a goal to raise over $1 million by the end of April. To pick a brick today, or to learn more, visit www.pickabrick.org.

The “Next Century” capital campaign now is $1.3 million from its goal. To learn more about the campaign or how to donate, visit www.nextcenturycampaign.org.

About Buffalo City Mission

The Buffalo City Mission, founded in 1917, is a nonprofit organization providing preventative, emergency and transitional housing programs to thousands of people who are homeless and impoverished every year. This includes a women and children’s shelter (Cornerstone Manor), the men’s community center, and the Dick Road thrift store to serve the Western New York community. For more information, visit www.buffalocitymission.org or call 716-854-8181. Follow on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/BuffaloCityMission) and on Twitter (https://twitter.com/CityMission).

About Patrick P. Lee Foundation

The Patrick P. Lee Foundation, established in 2007, is a private family foundation with two core funding areas: education and mental health. The foundation’s primary investments in education are through its post-secondary scholarship programs in science, technology, engineering and math. In mental health, the foundation’s investments focus on strengthening the mental health workforce, supporting community programs and services, advocating for increased public funding, and building the mental health literacy of the community. For more information, visit www.Lee.Foundation.

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