Messages from the President & CEO

The holiday season is a time of traditions, and at Hillside we have a particularly heartwarming tradition to share. For more than 40 years, our Special Santa program has brought toys and gifts to thousands of children and families served by Hillside—and each year, your generosity makes this special program a success.

Like everything we do at Hillside, Special Santa has evolved over the years—but our need for community support is unchanging. This year, there are more ways than ever for you to be a Special Santa:

• You can shop online at Hillside’s AmazonSmile Charity Page, with individual gifts sent directly to our programs for delivery to children in December.
• You can shop local, and bring new and unwrapped gifts to any of the dozens of community partner locations who share our enthusiasm for this annual cause.
• You can easily make an online donation that directly supports Special Santa, and allows this wonderful program to keep making a difference to so many young people.

Our Special Santa page includes all the details you need to pursue any of the above options. No matter what path you choose, you’ll be making a wonderful difference in the holidays for children in need.

I hope you’ll join us before December 11 in bringing smiles to the faces of the youth and families we serve. During the Special Santa season and all year long, your support keeps Hillside Strong!

Thank you,

Maria Cristalli
President and CEO
Hillside

Recently, I was excited to announce that Hillside would raise our minimum wage to $17 per hour for all positions in our agency. This change comes after an increase to $15/hour last year, and we’re committed to more increases in the future. It’s critical that our people receive the compensation they deserve for work that means so much to thousands of youth and families every year.

With that in mind, I hope you’ll consider joining the Hillside family in a position that fits your skills and interests—and please encourage your friends and family members to do the same. The increased compensation packages mean that there’s never been a better time to become a Hillside employee—but it’s also true that our mission has never been more important in the communities we serve.

Even before COVID-19, children and families were in vital need of the social, behavioral and educational supports that Hillside provides. We know that the pandemic has only increased the need for those services, and that Hillside is uniquely prepared to meet those needs.

Becoming a member of the Hillside team helps you build a meaningful career and allows you to make a powerful difference in your community.

However you choose to support our agency’s mission, thank you!

Maria Cristalli
President & CEO
Hillside

On Saturday, May 14, as they shopped in a Buffalo supermarket, 10 people of color were murdered and three more injured by an alleged perpetrator whose weapon had been decorated with a racial obscenity. This terrible act of violence was inflicted on the people of a single neighborhood, but the entire community was shaken to its core – including the Hillside employees who live and work near that location, and who shared close ties with many of those who were killed.

Hillside is a part of the communities we serve, and we share the shock, pain and anger of incomprehensible crimes like this one and the May 24 school shooting in Uvalde, Texas.

We’re responding to this close-to-home trauma as best we can. In Buffalo, our employees have reached out within the neighborhood to volunteer support—and as the community moves forward in its healing, we’ll remain an active source of help and comfort.

Within our agency, Hillside’s Men of Color and Women of Color affinity groups have come together to support our BIPOC employees. Our Regional Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committees are holding open discussions to let participants express their reactions to this incident and the toxic racism that spawned it. Throughout Hillside, we’re engaging in dialogues to ensure we’re doing all we can in this time of need.

We all can play a part in the healing and emotional rebuilding following this act. The National Association of School Psychologists has tips for parents and teachers on how to talk to children about violence. And the Buffalo Bills organization has developed a roster of Buffalo-specific community resources that can benefit from engagement by all of us.

I know racism, hate and senseless violence can’t be overcome overnight, but it falls to each of us to make a difference. Please join us in this effort that will ensure a stronger future for everyone.

Thank you,

Maria Cristalli
President and CEO
Hillside

“Sometimes it just takes one person to change your life.” When I read the recent story of Marley, a youth who found new family stability through Hillside’s Therapeutic Foster Care (TFC) program, those words spoke to me.

Every child deserves a loving, stable family. Here at Hillside, we meet young people like Marley every day—children who long for that one person or family who will provide them with the home, care and structure that many of us probably consider commonplace.

Throughout Western and Central New York, our TFC teams work to connect those young people with caring families who are willing to open their homes and their hearts—for a night, a weekend, or longer.

Foster care is not synonymous with adoption. In fact, whenever possible, our foster placements involve a partnership between the foster family and a youth’s biological relatives. The goal, as often as possible, is to provide a temporary safe and loving environment while the youth’s biological family can work through their challenges and welcome their child back home.

Foster parenting is important work, which is why our TFC teams provide extensive training and support for families in our foster network. In a way, when you become a Hillside foster parent, you join a new family yourself—our family—while making a powerful difference in the lives of children in need.

Please consider becoming a Hillside foster parent. The need for these services is ongoing—and so is your capacity for changing lives.

Thank you,

Maria Cristalli
President and CEO
Hillside