News

AMHERST — Heritage Christian Services recently named Cynthia Voelker, R.N. to its Agency Board of Directors. Voelker serves as associate C.E.O./C.O.O. at Spectrum Health and Human Services in Buffalo where she played an integral role in opening Spectrum Health’s first regional urgent mental health and addiction care at their Main Street location. Voelker earned her degree from University of Buffalo, Buffalo General Hospital School of Nursing and is a recipient of the 2020 Buffalo Business First C-Level Executives Awards. She was also selected in June 2021 by Buffalo Business First as one of its 2021 Power Professional Women in the community. Voelker lives in Amherst.

At Heritage Christian Services, people come first. Heritage Christian Services, established in 1984, strives to advance an inclusive and equitable community. Our more than 3,200 employees look beyond the traditional to provide services that ensure meaningful and diverse experiences. Based in western New York, with concentrations in the Rochester and Buffalo Niagara regions, we’re innovating and expanding as the needs of our community grow. We serve our community with housing options — and the support within them — along with programs that create relevant employment and day habilitation; establish high-quality child care; set the standard for statewide workforce education; ensure robust health and wellness; and embrace self-empowerment. Learn more at HeritageChristianServices.org.

Jan. 31, 2022

NEWS RELEASE
Jessica Goosey, communications manager
jegoosey@heritagechristianservices.org

Heritage Christian Services Foundation Names Goetz New Board Member

ROCHESTER — Heritage Christian Services Foundation recently named James Goetz to its Foundation Board of Directors. Goetz is a financial advisor and senior vice president of investments at Stifel. He earned a bachelor of business administration degree in accounting from the University of Notre Dame. Goetz holds the Certified Investment Management Analyst® designation from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania as well as the Accredited Retirement Plan Consultant designation from the Society of Professional Asset Managers and Record-Keepers. He and his wife, Joline, reside in Penfield with their children, Madelyn and Peter.

Jan. 31, 2022

NEWS RELEASE
Jessica Goosey, communications manager
jegoosey@heritagechristianservices.org

Heritage Christian Services Names Feola New Agency Board Member

ROCHESTER — Heritage Christian Services recently named Patricia Feola, MS, NEA-BC to its Agency Board of Directors. Feola is former director of ambulatory nursing at URMC where she recently retired after a 44-year clinical career. She also served as co-chair of the URMC redesign, sat on the Medical Center Quality Board and other leadership committees as well as serving on the Department of Nursing Community Advisory Board at Roberts Wesleyan College. Feola also serves her community in volunteer rolls at the Rochester Broadway Theater League, Saint’s Place, Lifespan and the board of the Advocacy Center at Starbridge. Feola lives in the city of Rochester.

Dec. 14, 2021

MEDIA ALERT
Jessica Goosey, communications manager
jegoosey@heritagechristianservices.org

Heritage Christian Stables Welcomes Veterans for Therapeutic Horsemanship and Riding

Date: Wednesday, Dec. 15

When: 3:30-5:30 p.m.

Event: Heritage Christian Stables and Compeer Horsemanship Partnership for Veterans

Where: Heritage Christian Stables (riding arena) 1103 Salt Rd in Webster

What: Heritage Christian Stables is excited to welcome local veterans through a new partnership with Compeer. Heritage Christian Stables provides an environment where veterans can come together to facilitate healing and strengthen relationships through equine interactions in a peaceful farm setting. This private meet and greet event is the first opportunity for veterans interested in therapeutic riding and horsemanship to see the Heritage Christian Stables facilities and meet the horses they’ll be working with.

Photo Opps: Meet with veterans who are going to be using Heritage Christian Services therapeutic riding and horsemanship. Therapy horses in their stalls and in the arena.

About Heritage Christian Stables

Heritage Christian Stables opened on February 14, 2001 by Heritage Christian Services, a nonprofit agency that assists children and people with disabilities to experience life with choice, dignity and respect. The property is located on 13 acres in Webster, New York and includes an indoor and outdoor riding arena, viewing area, mounting ramp and horse paddocks with shelters. Lessons are provided by specially trained and certified therapeutic riding instructors. Learn more at HeritageChristianStables.org.

About Compeer

Compeer Rochester’s mission: Through the power of supportive friendships, Compeer Rochester serves as a bridge to enhanced wellness and community integration for those with social and emotional barriers. The CompeerCORPS Program gives Veterans opportunities to engage, network, and form connections with other Veterans. By providing an outlet for Veterans to experience camaraderie and get out in their community, CompeerCORPS helps those who have served our country avoid isolation and find mental wellness through friendship. CompeerCORPS organizes regular group activities such as bowling, painting, equine therapy, cooking classes, and more. There are a variety of men-only, women only, and co-ed activities for Veterans to explore.

Dec. 13, 2021

NEWS RELEASE
Jessica Goosey, communications manager
jegoosey@heritagechristianservices.org

Heritage Christian Services appoints Vice President of Corporate Compliance and Risk Management

HENRIETTA – Heritage Christian Services (HCS) has promoted Daniel Ross to vice president of corporate compliance and risk management. Ross has served at Heritage Christian for 13 years, most recently as the corporate controller. In his new role, Ross will provide direction and oversight of the agency’s program policies and practices to ensure compliance with financial policy and reporting regulations.

Ross began his career at Heritage Christian in 2008 and has more than 30 years experience in the health and human services industry with a focus in finance and accounting. His previous roles have included CFO and controller for Visiting Nurse Service, consulting manager at Bonadio & Co. and controller for Clifton Springs Hospital.

Ross has a bachelor’s degree and master of business administration from St. John Fisher College. He also participated in Disney’s Institute on Professional Development and People Management. He lives in Webster with his wife Carol and attends Browncroft Community Church.

Heritage Christian Services partners with thousands of people throughout Rochester and Buffalo to ensure that everyone – including children and people with intellectual and developmental disabilities – feels valued and respected. Most of the agency’s 3,200 employees work to support people so they can find the best place to live, work and build strong community connections. The agency is also known for community impact programs that promote high-quality child care, education, health and wellness, and self-empowerment. Learn more at HeritageChristianServices.org.

Dec. 13, 2021

NEWS RELEASE
Jessica Goosey, communications manager
jegoosey@heritagechristianservices.org

Heritage Christian Services Promotes Kate Freemantle to Corporate Controller

HENRIETTA – Heritage Christian Services has promoted Kate Freemantle to Corporate Controller. In her new role, Freemantle will oversee all facets of accounting including finance, treasury, financial planning and analysis. She will also lead the oversight and execution of accounting and financial internal controls, policies and procedures as well as internal and external reporting. Freemantle joined Heritage Christian in 2009. In her 11 years of service with the agency her most recent role was Director of Accounting and Finance.

Freemantle holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting and a master’s degree in business administration from St. Bonaventure University. She lives in Fairport with her husband and two children.

Dec. 13, 2021

NEWS RELEASE
Jessica Goosey, communications manager
jegoosey@heritagechristianservices.org

Heritage Christian Services Promotes Christa Polito to Director of Financial Planning and Analysis

HENRIETTA – Heritage Christian Services has promoted Christa Polito to director of financial planning and analysis. In her new role, Polito is responsible for financial reporting, budgeting and forecasting. Polito came to Heritage Christian Services in 2009 bringing her previous experience in public accounting and corporate financial analysis. She most recently served the agency as the financial reporting manager.

Polito has a bachelor of science degree in accounting from St. John Fisher College. She lives in Irondequoit with her husband and two children.

Oct. 14, 2021

NEWS RELEASE
Jessica Goosey, communications manager
jegoosey@heritagechristianservices.org

Heritage Christian Services Hires Senior Vice President of People and Culture

ROCHESTER, NY —Heritage Christian Services has hired Donna Mostiller as its senior vice president of people and culture.

Mostiller will be complementing the department of Workforce & Talent Development, ensuring that Heritage Christian’s workforce of more than 3,000 across Rochester and Buffalo have access to professional development opportunities, staff wellness services, top-notch employee benefits and equitable pay. Mostiller will also join in Heritage Christian Services’ commitment to cultivating employee relations, helping to strengthen their culture of care and recognition to enrich each person’s work experience and increase the agency’s capacity to attract and retain people who have a passion to serve others.

For several years now, Heritage Christian Services has pushed for state-wide recognition and awareness of direct support roles by raising standards for education and training, joining collaborators for advocacy and raising wages for care professionals. In her role, Mostiller will carry forward this momentum by advancing diversity and inclusion initiatives as well as working to operationalize justice and equity in our employment philosophies and practices.

For more than two decades, Mostiller has held leadership and executive positions for not-for-profit agencies, most recently leading the Office of Human Resources at Niagara University in Lewiston. She also served in human resources leadership for Girl Scouts of Western New York; People, Inc.; YWCA of Western New York and Clarkson Center for Human Services.

She has several membership associations including her board service for the National Federation for Just Communities of Western New York; Center for Hospice and Palliative Care; Buffalo Niagara Human Resource Association.

Mostiller studied at Oberlin College in Ohio and earned her Master of Business Administration degree at Medaille College in Buffalo.

Heritage Christian Services, established in 1984, strives to advance an inclusive and equitable community. Our more than 3,000 employees look beyond the traditional to provide services that ensure meaningful and diverse experiences. Based in western New York, with concentrations in the Rochester and Buffalo Niagara regions, we’re innovating and expanding as the needs of our community grow. We serve our community with programs that promote housing options — and the support within them — along with programs that create relevant employment and day habilitation; establish high-quality child care; set the standard for statewide workforce education; ensure robust health and wellness; and embrace self-empowerment. Visit HeritageChristianServices.org.

Aug. 5, 2021

NEWS RELEASE
Jessica Goosey, communications manager
jegoosey@heritagechristianservices.org

Expressive Beginnings Celebrates a Decade of Unique Child Care

A different approach has set Expressive Beginnings Child Care apart for 10 years, allowing it to expand from the first location in Henrietta to two additional centers in Greece and Webster, and the child care hopes to expand further.

As the Henrietta location celebrates its 10^th birthday this month, site director Rebecca Meagher explains the Expressive Beginnings philosophy of child care: “We focus on social and emotional development using a Reggio Emilia-inspired curriculum, which is a way of saying we emphasize learning through play.” Meagher goes on to say, “Being Reggio-inspired allows the children to be advocates of their own learning. When the children are truly interested in a topic, they get so much more out of their experiences and take pride in what they learn.”

In addition to a unique curriculum, the centers also employ a behavior specialist to support students and teachers alike, and they provide stability to their classes through continuity of care.

“Having children and their caregiver remain together from infancy through age 3 helps them create safe, stable relationships. It builds trust and allows the children to feel comfortable and safe in their environment,” Meager says. More than 2,300 children have been served at all three centers since 2011. Expressive Beginnings was awarded a Child Care Council award in 2013 in recognition of its outstanding service.

To celebrate its 10 years in the Rochester area, Expressive Beginnings is throwing a birthday party for enrolled families on Aug. 27, complete with an ice cream truck, bounce house, a magician and more. On Aug. 13, children at the Henrietta location will participate in an art activity to create a banner for the celebration.

Meager says, “We’re celebrating all the lives we’ve touched over the last decade, and we’re celebrating the fact that when we give children respect and allow them to lead their learning, they feel empowered and find success that carries them well into their school years.”

Expressive Beginnings Child Care offers care for infants, toddlers, pre-school, pre-kindergarten, before- and after-school care and a school-age summer program. To learn more, visit ExpressiveBeginningsChildCare.org.

May 28, 2021

NEWS RELEASE

Virtual Women of Color Summit to Focus on Healing, Restoration and Resilience

Eleversity announces the virtual Women of Color Summit 2021, a dynamic professional development conference offering an opportunity to engage with a national audience in discussions addressing systemic barriers, inequities and disparities for women of color. This year’s theme, “Healing, Restoration and Resilience,” reflects the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and how it exposed longstanding inequities of race, ethnicity and income. Diverse voices discussing critical elements of these crises will help us move toward a healthy future for all.

This year’s keynote speakers are Gwen Webber-McLeod, president & C.E.O. of Gwen, Inc., on June 3; Aaysha Noor, head of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion at The Giant Company, on June 10; Dr. Deanna Akinbajo, chief pharmacist at Valisure, on June 17; and Dr. Daniele Lyman-Torres, City of Rochester Commissioner of Recreation & Human Services, on June 24. This event is perfect for direct care staff with leadership aspirations, team leaders, supervisors, managers, educators, community stakeholders, funders, diversity officers, and corporate and executive leaders. High school and college students are also encouraged to participate.

Despite their strong participation in the workforce, women of color continue to be underrepresented in leadership roles. Now in its third year, the Women of Color Summit is created for and by women of color and is open to all supporters and champions of diversity, equity and inclusion. People who consider themselves allies are strongly encouraged to register for this event.

The event takes place via Zoom on June 3, 10, 17 and 24, 2021. The cost is $50 per session or $160 for a bundle of all four sessions. The Women of Color Summit is an initiative led by Sara Taylor, community liaison and training specialist at Eleversity and Heritage Christian Services.

The Women of Color Planning Team will present the Advancing Forward and Upward Award to community leaders in Rochester and Buffalo. The award celebrates the extraordinary contributions made by leaders and influencers who have become change agents of career pathways moving forward and upward for women of color. This year’s recipients are:

Karen Lee Spaulding, who, in her work as vice president of philanthropic support for the John R. Oishei Foundation, is especially focused on fortifying professional skills for the Greater Niagara community’s nonprofit leaders of color.

Joan Moorehead, who recently retired from Monroe Community College after 22 years as an admissions counselor, advising students primarily in the Rochester City School District on the benefits of furthering their education.

Sponsoring support comes from BestSelf Behavioral Health, the Central New York Community Foundation, Common Ground Health, Coordinated Care Services, ESL Federal Credit Union, the Erie County Commission on the Status of Women, Excellus, Goddard Riverside, the Greater Rochester Health Foundation, Nazareth College, Paychex, the Rochester Area Community Foundation and Wegmans.

For complete information and to register, visit Eleversity.org/Summit.

About Eleversity

Eleversity, a community impact program of Heritage Christian Services in Rochester and Buffalo, New York, partners with businesses and organizations in New York state and across the country to provide professional development opportunities. Eleversity educates and trains using cutting-edge industry content and customized learning materials. Participants share experiences through discussions and ultimately improve efficiencies and increase proficiency and professionalism.

May 21, 2021

NEWS RELEASE

To open new neighborhood home in Amherst, Heritage Christian Services urgently needs direct support staff

BUFFALO — With the completion of a new neighborhood home in Amherst, Heritage Christian Services has an urgent need for direct support staff to assist adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities there. A job fair on June 2 is planned to make it easy for job seekers to start work as soon as possible.

Heritage Christian needs to hire 20 people to staff the new home, but this move comes amid a year of turmoil in the job market and an overall shortage of workers. The job fair will be at the new home at 840 Dodge Road in Amherst from 11 a.m. to 2 p. m. on Wednesday, June 2. Job seekers will be able to talk with recruiters, tour the property and start the interview process on-site. Those who complete a job application will be treated to a free food truck lunch.

Heritage Christian Services hopes higher wages will attract the staff needed to work at this home and at other locations throughout the Buffalo Niagara region. The agency recently announced an increase of its base wages, now at $15.75 for direct support positions. That increases to $16.25 an hour for weekends and $16.50 for overnights, with an extra $1 per hour at certain locations, plus overtime opportunities.

Thanks to community partners like the Asbury United Methodist Church, this 24-hour staffed home on Dodge Road in Amherst will soon be home to six women. It is one of only two new homes that Heritage Christian Services has built since 2013, with the other home opening soon in the Rochester suburb of Penfield.

This is an opportunity for the surrounding community and nearby neighbors to enter a profession they may not have considered before. Applicants don’t need experience to work with people with disabilities. Heritage Christian Services provides all the needed education and training. Full-time and part-time positions are available. For more information, visit https://jobs.heritagechristianservices.org/event/dodge-rd-job-fair.

May 18, 2021

NEWS RELEASE

To open new neighborhood home in Penfield, Heritage Christian Services urgently needs direct support staff

ROCHESTER — With the completion of a new neighborhood home in Penfield, Heritage Christian Services has an urgent need for direct support staff to assist adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities there.

Heritage Christian needs to hire 20 people to staff the new home, but this move comes amid a year of turmoil in the job market and an overall shortage of workers.

Community members have a chance to see how working at one of the agency’s nearby homes can be a meaningful and neighborly experience, and they’re encouraged to apply for a job there. Thanks to community partners like the Penfield Presbyterian Church, this fully wheelchair-accessible, 24-hour staffed home on Jackson Road in Penfield will soon be home to three men and three women. It is the first new home that Heritage Christian Services has built since 2013.

Heritage Christian Services hopes higher wages will attract the staff needed to work at this home and at other locations throughout the Finger Lakes region. The agency recently announced an increase of its base wages, now at $15.75 for direct support positions. That increases to $16.25 an hour for weekends and $16.50 for overnights, with an extra $1 per hour at certain locations, plus overtime opportunities.

This is an opportunity for the surrounding community and nearby neighbors to enter a profession they may not have considered before. A person may be a great fit for direct support if they have a passion for working with people and want to make a difference every day. Applicants don’t need experience to work with people with disabilities. Heritage Christian Services provides all the needed education and training. Full-time and part-time positions are available. Schedules may include evenings, overnights, days and weekends.

For more information about these new positions, visit www.jobs.heritagechristianservices.org.

April 29, 2021

NEWS RELEASE

The push for self-sufficiency & respect for caregivers: Heritage Christian Services moves frontline wage to elevate care professionals

ROCHESTER — Heritage Christian Services is raising its base wage for frontline workers to $15 an hour for all positions, effective May 9. Our residential staff, the majority of our positions, will now start at $15.75, plus more for certain shifts.

That’s a 20% increase for all frontline positions since the start of 2021, ranging to 30% for more than half of the job openings. It’s the largest percentage wage increase in the agency’s history. As the seventh-largest employer in the Rochester region, Heritage Christian is making this change now to stabilize its workforce and to make a step forward in neutralizing poverty. The agency is committed to acquiring new and exceptional talent, continuing to improve their wage
and ensuring that they remain engaged in the work that they do.

“We can no longer overlook what it takes to make a sustainable living,” said Marisa Geitner, president and C.E.O. of Heritage Christian Services. “The care professionals in our community deserve more than minimum. We need to recognize the technical skills that care professionals apply to their daily work related to health support, communication, digital literacy and more.”

People with disabilities cannot wait any longer for the issue of an incomplete, underpaid workforce to be resolved. Staffing is needed now, for their health and wellness, for day-to-day activities. People with disabilities deserve quality care and support — and that is possible only with dependable staffing.

“We are taking a stand,” Geitner said, “to make this change now, in order to stabilize our workforce and to take a step forward in neutralizing poverty in our community.” About 80% of professionals who make up the Heritage Christian Services workforce identify as women, with nearly 30% of them women of color. Many are the face of the poverty challenges that currently confront our community.

In the state of New York, people who work in the caring profession are predominantly women, people of color and immigrants. They are workers who are affected by structural racism and gender inequality. They have been on the frontlines of Covid-19, yet their compensation is well below the value of the support they provide.

“This is a social justice commitment,” Geitner said, adding, “People who choose a career that directly supports the health and well-being of others should not have to sacrifice their own well-being to do so. They deserve to earn a wage that allows them self-sufficiency.”

Frontline employees are compassionate, highly skilled care providers who ensure that every interaction affords dignity and respect to those supported by Heritage Christian Services. They are dedicated to completing complex medical tasks and medication administration, supporting behavioral health and the development of essential life skills, and ensuring a close connection for all as included members of their community. It is a worthy and essential job, one that deserves a wage far beyond minimum.

“This is a major step forward, but it is not the destination,” Geitner said. “We must work to continue the wage advancement of caring professions until we achieve a wage commensurate with their skills and dedication.” Heritage Christian believes that multiple elements come into play around successful employment. A competitive wage is just part of a work environment that includes robust benefits, a culture of compassion and access to resources such as a success coach, which offers free consultation to staff members when they encounter barriers in their personal or professional lives.
“We are committed to welcoming new and dynamic team members,” Geitner said, “and moving the wage and keeping them engaged in the work that they do.”

Feb. 26,2021

NEWS RELEASE
Contact: Noelle Acquilano, Digital Specialist & Copy Writer
noelle.acquilano@heritagechristianservices.org

Heritage Christian Services Foundation announces new board members

ROCHESTER —The Heritage Christian Services Foundation has named three new members to its board of directors: Patricia Larrabee, Mary Richardson and Joseph R. Wilson.

Patricia Larrabee is an adult nurse practitioner and a member of the Association of Clinical Research Professionals. She is a past partner with and board chair of the Alliance for Multi-Specialty Research. Larrabee has been a member of the board at Mercy Outreach Center and was board chair and board member at Mary Cariola Center from 2009 to 2021.

Mary Richardson is the chief scientific officer at iuvo BioScience, leading the research and development team at the company she co-founded. Her background includes in-depth research and development covering the preclinical product life cycle. She is the chairperson of the Starbridge board and has served on the Advocacy Center board and as the chairperson for the iuvo BioScience United Way Campaign.

Joseph R. Wilson is the senior vice president and financial advisor at UBS Financial Services. His knowledge of the markets and ability to navigate them has instilled in his clients a strong sense of confidence and trust. Wilson has been active in the community and has served on the University of Rochester Medical Center board of directors for almost 20 years.

Heritage Christian Services Foundation

The Heritage Christian Services Foundation is a public foundation that supports and advances the mission of Heritage Christian Services. Funds from the Heritage Christian Services Foundation help pay for quality-of-life experiences that government funding can’t quite cover.

Feb. 2, 2021

NEWS RELEASE
Contact: Noelle Acquilano, Digital Specialist & Copy Writer
noelle.acquilano@heritagechristianservices.org

Heritage Christian Services applies a new interviewing technology to uphold diversity and equity in the hiring process.

ROCHESTER & BUFFALO — Heritage Christian Services implemented a new video interviewing technology that increases diversity, equity and inclusion within the hiring process by asking all job candidates the same questions, the exact same way.

Covid-19 changed the way a lot of agencies provide their services, and at Heritage Christian Services, we wanted to find a new way to make the hiring process convenient for job seekers. The platform HireVue allows applicants the ability to apply for a job in direct support at a time that’s convenient for them, day or night.

Candidates are asked questions that have been pre-recorded by a recruiter. Then candidates record their replies and submit their videos, ultimately, replacing in-person job interviews.

The platform helps to match candidates to open positions and prompts recruiters when to make job offers. Within the first week of launch, one candidate applied, recorded her video interview and was offered a job at HCS all in the same day. Recruiters saved hours in labor working to schedule an interview and meeting the candidate. Furthermore, the onboarding time diminished from a span of several days to just hours in a day.

“We’re looking to hire more than 100 direct support employees. This video interviewing technology allows recruiters to spend more time reaching out to prospective job candidates instead of booking job interviews,” said Ann Meyer, director of workforce and talent development at Heritage Christian Services. “In our continued push for diversity, equity and inclusion, we have adjusted our workplace policies and looked closely at hiring practices. On-demand video interviews not only save time and labor, but it helps to mitigate unintentional subjectivity in the selection process.”

Now more than ever, it’s important to be able to offer job seekers the opportunity to apply for jobs in a safe and inclusive environment. For more information visit jobs.heritagechristianservices.org/hiring-process.