ALBANY, N.Y. – Today, St. Catherine’s Center for Children was honored with the 2023 CURA Award for Outstanding Organization. This award is presented to a nonprofit organization in New York state, providing kinship care, or that has had a significant positive impact on kinship care. The award – presented by the New York State Kinship Navigator and New York State Kincare Coalition – was accepted by St. Catherine’s executive director, Frank Pindiak, as well as staff members from St. Catherine’s Kinship Care Program at a ceremony at the Crowne Plaza Albany – the Desmond Hotel. “This is a tremendous honor for our organization, specifically for our Kinship Care Program,” said Frank Pindiak, executive director of St. Catherine’s. “The work performed by our dedicated team, allows children to remain with family or close friends, which provides them a sense of stability as they learn to overcome challenges and heal from the traumas they have experienced. Without the support provided by our team, many of these families would not be together, let alone successful. We’re grateful to the New York State Kinship Navigator and New York State Kincare Coalition for this recognition, and we’re incredibly proud of our Kinship Care staff.”

ALBANY, N.Y. – Today, St. Catherine’s Center for Children has announced it will be hosting its first ever Kinship Care Forum, in partnership with the Albany Guardian Society, LifePath and New York State Kinship Navigator. The forum – open to the general public and professionals – will educate those in attendance on what kinship is, which families are considered kinship families and what resources are available to them. It will be held on Wednesday, September 27, from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. The in-person forum, limited to the first 50 people to register, will be held at the Albany Guardian Society. There is a virtual option for those who cannot join live. This event is open to individuals throughout New York state.

ALBANY, N.Y. – Today, local non-profit, St. Catherine’s Center for Children announced it is hosting its first ever charity hockey tournament – the Lansingburgh Connects Hockey Clash – Thursday, September 7 through Sunday, September 10 at the Frear Park Ice Arena. This event is open to the public, with a suggested donation of non-perishable food items or personal hygiene items. The event, a four-team competition is named after the community outreach program it will directly benefit: Lansingburgh Connects. The program is a collective effort between St. Catherine’s, Lansingburgh Central School District and the Rensselaer County Mental Health Department.

ALBANY, N.Y. – Today, St. Catherine’s Center for Children and the Saratoga Performing Arts Center’s School of the Arts announced that they will partner, for the second year in a row, to offer children the opportunity to attend an arts and recreation summer camp. In 2022, in the first year of this partnership, the summer camp program hosted 35 Capital Region children, including 20 from St. Catherine’s residential program which serves children who have been removed from their homes and have experienced significant trauma in their life. SPAC anticipates an increase in attendance this year through additional partnerships with Capital District Latinos, the Franklin Community Center, and the Saratoga Springs City School District.

ALBANY, N.Y. – Recently, RBC Wealth Management’s RBC Foundation has awarded St. Catherine’s Center for Children a $5,000 grant to support the agency’s Foster and Kinship Care programs. These funds enable the continuation of wrap-around services which include supplying food, school supplies, clothing and other essentials needed to support the program’s children and families. In addition, this grant supports continued recruitment and retention of foster families, provides respite services to current kinship and foster families and funds classes in Arts and Culture for children in these programs.

ALBANY, N.Y. – A new sensory obstacle course was recently installed at St. Catherine’s Center for Children’s R & E May School with the help of Assemblymember Pat Fahy. Fahy secured a State and Municipal Facilities Program (SAM) grant to fund the project. The obstacle course will provide students with a non-intrusive way to introduce sensory stimulation into the learning environment, helping to promote focus, concentration, and engagement. “We are incredibly grateful to Assemblymember Fahy for securing the funding to provide this unique addition for our students,” said Frank Pindiak, executive director at St. Catherine’s Center for Children. “The installation of the sensory obstacle course grants students the opportunity to develop vital sensory processing skills through play. By moving through and around obstacles, our children play an active role in regulating sensory process tasks in a functional manner.”

ALBANY, N.Y. – This week, St. Catherine’s Center for Children’s street outreach program, Pathways to Health, was honored as an Empire Whole Health Hero at a ceremony in Troy, New York. This recognition is given to Capital Region individuals and businesses that have demonstrated innovation and leadership in building the community’s whole health. St. Catherine’s Pathways to Health program was created to provide direct outreach and engagement in the community. With its “Care-A-Van” mobile unit, the Pathways team can set up on the street, in parking lots and anywhere necessary to meet with individuals and families in need. The team connects those in need with services and resources they may not otherwise seek out on their own. Pathways offers case management and additional services to address the social determinants of health.

Human services professionals work with society’s most vulnerable individuals and families. At St. Catherine’s Center for Children, our team provides programming and services for children who have experienced significant trauma, families who find themselves homeless, individuals in need of basic services but not sure where to turn and so much more. The need for these services is never ending, which makes the jobs of our case workers and other professionals a 24/7 commitment. New York state’s level of commitment to human services workers must reflect their commitment to those they serve.