Planting seeds of change
Times are a-changing for Mary Cariola Center with the help from the Leadership Rochester service project team, Seeds of Change.
Leadership Rochester’s cohort for 2020 was assigned a service project to build capacity in the community for any organization. The team chose the Mary Cariola Center and wanted to build wheelchair-accessible planting beds for the residents and students of the main campus.
On Tuesday, July 28 the beds were unveiled at the Mary Cariola residence on State Rd. in Webster. The beds were built by Griffin Perry, an associate of one of the Seeds of Change team members.
Earl Farber, Vice Principal of Mary Cariola Center-Elmwood Campus, says, “I’m excited about this project. I know the kids and the staff are looking forward to playing in the dirt and planting flowers or herbs.”
Team members include:
- Lt. Scott Alberti, Monroe County Sheriff’s Office
- Earl Farber, Vice Principal of Mary Cariola – Elmwood Campus
- Tamara MacDuff, CEO of NOW Digital Marketing
- Morgan McKenzie, Director of Operations at FoodLink NY
- Jeremy Newman, VP, Deputy General Counsel, ESL Federal Credit Union
- Liliana Ruiz, Executive Staff Assistant to the Mayor at City of Rochester
- Delores Ivey-Paige, Assistant Commercial Accounts at City of Rochester
- Amy Stein, Director of Development for Rochester Hearing & Speech Center
- Nikia Washington, Team Supervisor at Hillside Work-Scholarship Connection
A regional leader in education and life skills solutions, Mary Cariola Center serves hundreds of children and young adults each year through academic, residential, and community outreach programs. Mary Cariola’s highly skilled staff is unparalleled in their commitment to working with youth with disabilities and includes some of the finest special education teachers, therapists, nurses, and social workers in New York.