E N D   T H E   S I L E N C E.   E N D   T H E   A B U S E.

Astonishingly, 1 in 10 children in our community will be sexually abused before their 18th birthday and, in many cases, it is silence and secrecy that allow the abuse to begin and continue. It is time for us to speak up for the children in our community who can’t speak for themselves.

o u r   C h a l l e n g e

Erie County has the 2nd highest rates for reported child abuse in New York State – more than 3,000 cases annually. And with the current state of the Child Advocacy Center, our specially-trained professionals can assist only 1/3 of those children. As troubling as these numbers are, BestSelf and the CAC cannot deliver our vision without the collective support of the community.

It will take approximately $10.5 million to create our new, expanded, state-of-the-art Child Advocacy Center at BestSelf. If you’d like to become part of this monumental project, we invite you to invest today in this essential community resource at givetocac.org.

 

H e l p   e x p a n d   o u r   C h i l d   a d v o c a c y   c e n t e r

Give Now

Learn more about the CAC BestSelf Capital Campaign by downloading the PDF below.

Download Capital Campaign PDF
Liz Woike-Ganga, Russell Salvatore, Joe DiStasio
Russell J. Salvatore Donates Half a Million Dollars
Press release 10.25.23

A b o u t   t h e   c a c   a t   B e s t s e l f

The CAC is an innovative, comprehensive center offering safety, support, and healing for children and families affected by abuse in Erie County. When children are not taken to the CAC, they are questioned in emergency rooms, police stations, schools, doctor’s offices, and re-traumatized each time they have to repeat their experiences.

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8 9 9  M a i n  p r o g r e s s  p h o t o s

O u r   V i s i o n

The new, expanded Child Advocacy Center at BestSelf, located at 899 Main Street in Buffalo, will allow for:

  • The co-location of all partner organizations (including child protective services, medical care, counseling, legal counsel, law enforcement, etc.)
  • Reduced wait times, extended hours, and 24/7 on-call staffing
  • Redesign of the waiting and treatment areas to create comfortable environments for children of all ages
  • Increased forensic interview and medical examination rooms
  • Co-located with BestSelf Administrative office to support sustainability of expanded CAC
  • Increased advocacy and community education regarding abuse
  • Full handicap accessibility
  • Located on a major public transportation route, with significantly increased on-site parking
  • State of the art training facility for professional development of the CAC team, BestSelf staff and other community organizations
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c a p i t a l   c a m p a i g n   C o m m i t t e e   m e m b e r s

Kevin O’Leary
CAC Capital Campaign Chair, AdviseRx, LLC

Ellen Bieler
Retired, BestSelf Behavioral Health Board Chair

MJ Caliendo
Clarity-Connection Group Inc.

Jennifer Collesano
JR Collesano, LLC

Bonnie Cywinski
Fourth Form Consulting Inc., President

Joseph DiStasio, C.P.A.
BestSelf Behavioral Health

Therese Fuerst
Chief Marketing & Development Officer, BestSelf Behavioral Health

Mark Gaulin
PCI

Howard Hitzel, MPA, Psy.D.
Retired, BestSelf Behavioral Health President & CEO

Marsha Koelmel
Catapul​t Executive Consulting

Diane LaVallee
Retired Assistant Attorney General

David Mann
Buffalo Police Department

Anthony Martino
The Franklin Partnership

Mary S. Martino
Community Volunteer

John Miller
EmCo Woodworking

Jayne Rand
M&T Bank

Beverly Robinson-Smith
Shifting Gears Unlimited

Samuel Savarino
President & CEO, Savarino Companies, LLC

Helen Tederous
NFTA Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority

Abigail Unger
Hospice & Palliative Care Buffalo

Steven Walters
BestSelf Behavioral Health

Elizabeth Woike-Ganga, LCSW
President and CEO, BestSelf Behavioral Health

C O n t a c t

BestSelf Behavioral Health
255 Delaware Avenue, Suite 300  I  Buffalo, NY 14202  I   [email protected]