News
April 3, 2019Crossroads Center for Children Celebrates 20 Years of Service
Crossroads Center for Children is proud to announce to the public that we have recently celebrated 20 years of service to the community. Crossroads was founded in 1998 in Glenville, NY to serve a small group of children with diagnoses of autism. The school has grown in scope and size and is currently located in Schenectady.
Crossroads will celebrate the 20th year anniversary and invite the public to attend our upcoming annual gala, to support the school. This year’s gala is being held at the Appel Inn in Altamont on April 13th. Those interested in attending can find information on the Crossroads website at http://crossroadcenter.org/annual-gala-2019-celebrating-crossroads-center-for-childrens-20th-year-anniversary/. Guests will enjoy a cocktail hour, silent and live auctions, dinner, formal presentations, dancing and mingling with friends old and new with common hearts about this important cause.
At this event this year Crossroads will be honoring Bellevue Builders for their ongoing support of the school. Mr. and Mrs. John Yates will also be honored for their dedication and efforts on behalf of Crossroads. Additionally, five staff members will be recognized for celebrating milestone years of service. Three of these are twenty year recipients: Kelly Young, Executive Director, Kathy Kaiser, Teaching Assistant and Janet D’Amario, Administrative Assistant. These individuals are respected in the organization by parents, staff members and parents for making a difference in the lives of individuals with Autism and other special needs.
This year, for the tenth consecutive year, music and motivation will be provided by DJ Zac Barr. Heather Morrison from Spectrum News 9 and Steve Oill, longtime “mayor” and alumni parent of Crossroads will team up as Gala Masters to emcee throughout the evening’s presentation. Further, for the first time partnering with Crossroads, LeGrande Serras will conduct the Live Auction.
Crossroads is also thankful to several sponsors and many donors for their support. Sponsors include, Atlas Private Wealth Management, The Galesi Group, The Cock ‘n Bull Restaurant, Exit 9 Wine and Liquor Warehouse, Dr. and Mrs. Gerhard Baule, The Summit Center, The Extended Oill Family, Pioneer Bank, and Midas Albany. All can be found on this page: http://crossroadcenter.org/gala-2019-many-thanks-to-our-donors/. Support such as this is what keeps Crossroads operating on behalf of the children and families in the region.
Crossroads Center for Children is a not-for-profit school located in Schenectady, N.Y. which serves children from all over the Capital Region. Children with and without special developmental needs, especially Autism, learn and grow together in preschool classrooms. Crossroads also provides self-contained classrooms for its school-aged student population. The mission of Crossroads is to prepare individuals with and without developmental disabilities for life success within their family and community. Throughout the program, this mission is implemented using a philosophy and methodology of applied behavior analysis (ABA). Crossroads Center for Children is the sole program fully operating on the science and research of ABA, the one methodology which possesses research and science to show positive effects for.
Since opening in 1998 to serve 5 young children with diagnoses of autism, the school has served increasing numbers of children with and without disabilities. Enrollment increases throughout each school year; at the time of this writing total enrollment is 103. The scope of the programs has grown in order to meet these growing community needs. The vision and goal at Crossroads Center for Children is that each and every child will grow to have a full, meaningful and productive life. This means ensuring that all students learn the academic and social skills they need to be successful in their school classroom, family and community.
It’s true that like other educational programs, Crossroads Center for Children receives funding in the form of tuition payments from the school districts and counties served. Unfortunately, however appreciated, it does not begin to cover all of the costs of running a successful and effective educational program to meet significant instructional needs. In order to ensure that all students learn the life, academic and social skills needed for success at home, in school and in the community, financial support from the community in the way of fundraising, donations, and grants is critically needed.
Those interested in attending or otherwise helping should visit our website: http://crossroadcenter.org/ or contact the school. For more information about this exciting event or about Crossroads Center for Children, please visit our website or call Kelly Young, Executive Director at (518)280-0083.
