BestSelf Behavioral Health (BBH) today announced four new grant awards that will help them advance new programming, expand existing services, and sustain vital programs, specifically for infants and children throughout Western New York. Through BBH, the local community is provided easy access to a full continuum of person-centered, trauma-informed behavioral health treatment and recovery services. This generous funding enables BestSelf to sustain crucial community services that foster health, hope, recovery, and an improved quality of life.
· The Baird Foundation – The Scott Bieler Child Advocacy Center at BestSelf (CAC) – $15,000
The Baird Foundation is contributing to the capital campaign of the Scott Bieler Child Advocacy Center at BestSelf (CAC), an innovative facility providing safety, support, and healing for children and families affected by sexual abuse, violence, and trauma in Erie County. With over 3,000 cases of child abuse annually, the county reflects the second-highest rates for reported child abuse in New York State, yet the CAC currently serves only 30% of them at its current location.
This capital campaign supports the relocation of the CAC to 899 Main Street in Buffalo, allowing for the co-location of the Erie County Multi-Disciplinary Team (MDT). The MDT, comprising law enforcement, prosecutors, child protective services, medical professionals, mental health counselors, and victim advocates, offers comprehensive services. The move aims to address the needs of child survivors in one child-friendly setting, reducing wait times and significantly increasing the CAC’s capacity. The new facility opens in the summer of 2024.
· Brady Corporation Foundation – BBF Celebrating Diversity through Literacy – $30,000
The Brady Corporation Foundation’s investment in Building Brighter Futures at BestSelf (BBF) will fortify literacy initiatives for approximately 4,000 K-12 students and their families across 25 school and community-based sites. Specifically, the funding will facilitate the acquisition of Scholastic’s LitLeague™ curricula for grades K-5, coupled with diverse books. This strategic investment aims to enhance literacy programs and libraries in three schools—Buffalo Public Schools #18 and #89 and Buffalo United Charter School (BUCS). The initiative, overseen by a Building Brighter Futures Program Director, After-School Teachers, and Youth Development Specialists, includes culturally responsive and inclusive books, rotating between sites, to address students reading below grade level.
· Kelly for Kids Foundation – Infant Safe Sleep Project – $3,500
The Kelly for Kids Foundation’s funding will be crucial in supporting the purchase of 50 Pack N’ Plays from Cribs for Kids to address the alarming statistics of infant deaths due to unsafe sleep practices. In 2022, the state recorded around 120 infant deaths, and Erie County reported that 54% of unexpected deaths in children under one year old were attributed to unsafe sleeping conditions. Additionally, 56% of these fatalities involved non-white children, 33% lacked a crib at home, and 79% occurred in lower-income communities of Buffalo. To combat this issue, BestSelf initiated the Infant Safe Sleep Project in 2020 to promote safe sleep practices through a comprehensive approach of resources, outreach, and education. The funded cribs, featuring the ABCs of Safe Sleep, will be distributed during Safe Sleep informational sessions in underserved Buffalo communities, offering a vital resource for caregivers and empowering them with the knowledge and tools to prevent infant deaths from unsafe sleep.
· NYS Network for Youth Success (Million Girls Moonshot) – Building Brighter Futures – $1,000
The Million Girls Moonshot funding empowered BestSelf’s Building Brighter Futures (BBF) program to launch an 8-week, after-school STEM Immersion Program that ran from January to March 2024. This initiative targeted 30 girls in grades 2-3 from Elmwood Village Charter School – Hertel (EVCSH) and Buffalo United Charter School (BUCS), providing early exposure to engineering fields and fostering interest in STEM through meaningful experiences. The program, supported by Million Girls Moonshot, emphasized racial equity and inclusion, aiming to counter societal messages discouraging girls from STEM involvement. Utilizing Engineering for Kids (EfK) workshops, the STEM Immersion Program focused on robotics, interactive engineering, and technology, then concluded with a field trip to the Buffalo Museum of Science in March 2024. Funding covered both the field trip and EfK workshops. BBF’s school-based services focuses on evidence-based programming and social-emotional learning to enhance confidence, well-being, and mental health.
BestSelf is grateful to all their funders who make it possible for them to continue to provide innovative, evidence-based, accessible, and family-focused behavioral health services to the people in our community.
With the new Scott Bieler Center at BestSelf located at 899 Main Street on the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus doors set to open this summer, BestSelf urges the community, as well as other foundations and organizations, to invest in and reinforce their positive impact on the people of Western New York.
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