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Updated: Dec 5, 2022
October 11, 2022
St. Catherine’s Center for Children will host a public ribbon-cutting ceremony on Monday, October 17 at 1:00 pm officially opening its Family Prevention office in Ravena, New York. Family Prevention is an integrated system of care that builds on the strengths of a family by using community resources where that family lives. The new location will expand St. Catherine’s Community-Based services to the towns of Ravena, Coeymans, Selkirk, Berne, and Feura Bush, among others. St. Catherine's Executive Director Frank Pindiak will welcome local business owners, community leaders, friends, and neighbors to the new location at 130 Main Street in downtown Ravena.
“We are very excited to expand our service reach with a strong Prevention presence in these Albany County communities. We invite everyone to join us at the ribbon cutting ceremony,” says Pindiak.
St. Catherine’s Prevention services are designed to equip at-risk families and individuals with the tools and resources needed to maintain healthy lifestyles and positive home environments. People dealing with physical or mental health challenges, housing instability, food insecurities, substance dependency, the effects of abuse, trauma and neglect, and other crisis situations can benefit from Prevention services.
“The most effective Prevention services are accessible to families in the least restrictive setting possible—in their homes and communities,” says Brian Perrotto, Associate Executive Director of Community-Based Services at St. Catherine’s.
“Reducing the impact hardships have on families so they can stay in the community, strengthens the community,’ adds Anne Byron, Director of Prevention Services at St. Catherine’s.
St. Catherine’s Prevention team in Ravena, will work with families and community partners to achieve the shared goal of keeping families together through family-centered support.
“Prevention services strengthen family ties, reducing the likelihood of children needing placement outside the home, decreases the risk of children and youths entering or re-entering foster care, and break the intergenerational cycles often seen without family prevention services,” says Mark Quail, Associate Executive Director of Permanency and Family Support
Prevention referrals can be made by Albany County agencies, schools, medical providers, and individuals. Services will be administered via in-home or in-office visits and include:
Rural Albany County Connections (RACC) Program
Special Thanks to:
Additional attendees representing St. Catherine’s at the ribbon cutting will include: Mark Ustin, President of the Board of Directors of St. Catherine’s Center for Children; Mark Vinciguerra, Board member, St. Catherine’s Center for Children; Christopher Farrell, President of the Board of Trustees for the Foundation of St. Catherine’s; and Michele Puleo-O’Hare, Executive Director of the Foundation of St. Catherine’s, among others.
About St. Catherine’s Center for Children
St. Catherine’s Center for Children was founded by the Daughters of Charity in Albany in 1886 as a home for sick orphans. Today, the agency is a haven for hope, offering a comprehensive range of human services for Capital Region children and families coping with issues of abuse, neglect, mental illness, homelessness, and trauma. In addition to offering extensive services to the homeless and those who are at risk of becoming homeless, St. Catherine’s offers residential services for children ages 5 to 13, therapeutic foster care services, an elementary school for children with special educational needs, and community-based prevention services and programs designed to strengthen vulnerable families. Last year, St. Catherine’s services reached nearly 2,000 children and families in the Capital Region. For more information, visit www.st-cath.org.
Prevention/Referral Contact
Anne Byron
Director of Prevention Services
Phone: 518-453-6722
Email: abyron@st-cath.org
Web: www.st-cath.org/family-services
Media Contact
SCCC Social Media
Phone: 518-453-6700
Email: scccsm@st-cath.org
Web: www.st-cath.org/news
Photo Credit © St. Catherine’s Center for Children