<!--Rick Forgione--><table width="234" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" background="http://static.cnhi.zope.net/flashpromo/niagaragazette/images/byline_234x60.jpg" height="60"><tr><td><div align="center"><font size="3" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">By Rick Forgione</font><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><br /></font><font size="1" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><a href="mailto:rick.forgione@niagara-gazette.com">rick.forgione@niagara-gazette.com</a></font></div></td></tr></table>
On a night that helped promote the revival along north Main Street, some historic news was announced for one of the neighborhood’s newest development projects.
Kenneth A. Sass, president and CEO of Family & Children’s Service of Niagara, heralded the approval of a $300,000 Kresge Foundation Challenge Grant for the completion of the agency’s $3.3 million “One Stop Family Center” on Main Street. The grant is believed to be the first of its kind awarded to a Niagara County organization.
The announcement was made Thursday evening at a red carpet community reception held inside another recent Main Street success story — the newly renovated Rapids Theatre at 1711 Main St. More than 100 local officials and residents attended the gala and were treated to live music and food provided by Wegmans.
Sass noted the $300,000 Kresge challenge, along with an additional $200,000 grant from the John R. Oishei Foundation, provides the opportunity for the agency to complete Phase II of its project.
The new facility located at 1522 Main St. will serve as the new home office of the agency and as a “One Stop Family Center” consolidating 55 staff members who are now in five locations across a 10-block area in Niagara Falls.
“Bringing multiple services together under one roof will dramatically improve client services and streamline the delivery of service that we provide to the Niagara region,” Sass said.
Phase One of the new Family Center, scheduled for completion this spring, will not only consolidate services under one roof, but also adapt the reuse of an architecturally significant building and advances economic development in this section of the city, he said.
To date, $1.96 million has been raised to support the relocation project. To capture these matching dollars, Family & Children’s Service is now embarking on the community portion of its campaign to raise the $450,000 it needs to obtain from now through the end of 2010.
Family & Children’s, which has been located in Niagara Falls since 1895, offers 17 programs including family counseling, domestic violence and youth runaway support, mental health assistance and child abuse prevention.
