Heritage Christian Services celebrates 'Homes with Heart' campaign achievements with ribbon cutting

Submitted by Heritage Christian Services

The Heritage Christian Services Homes with Heart campaign has received tremendous support from the community since going public last year, and for its overall goal of $9.1 million. A ribbon-cutting event took place Wednesday at the home on Hoover Road in celebration of the campaign’s progress of purchasing or rebuilding existing homes to support people in all phases of their lives.

“When people choose to live in Heritage Christian Services-supported homes, we make a commitment to support them for life,” said Chuck Collard, regional vice president of Western New York operations and advancement. “Over 60% of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities supported by Heritage Christian Services are 50 or older, and their physical needs are changing. We’re privileged to demonstrate the work of our ‘Homes with Heart’ initiative with the families and community supporters who have made it possible for us to maintain this commitment.”

The homes supported by the campaign are designed to be comfortable and familiar for people of all ages, with features like wider hallways for wheelchair access, walk-in bathrooms and a concentration of amenities on the ground floor, to name a few.

“My parents had a dream for my sister, and other families who have loved ones with disabilities, to have a home of their own, always supported by people who truly care about them,” said Scott Wolf. His parents, Mike and Susan Wolf, opened the door for Heritage Christian Services to begin operating in Western New York when they donated their family home in Sanborn to the agency. Heritage Christian Services opened the home in 1996. “This home has not only continued to support people like my sister, but Heritage Christian Services has updated it so that each person who makes this their home can live here and be supported through all phases of their life.”

The renovations at the home on Hoover Road were completed in June 2023. The site is one of 12 homes included in the “Homes with Heart” campaign. The five people who moved in need a fully accessible home. At Hoover Road, they no longer need to share bedrooms; each has their own private room.

“I love my new home and having my own space,” said Lawrence Nasca, who moved into the home on Hoover Road in April.

The home is constructed to support people with more mobility needs.

Heritage Christian Services continues to raise resources to relocate people from a home on Tonawanda Creek Road to a new, fully accessible home on Townline Road in Pendleton.

The outcomes of the “Homes with Heart” campaign are estimated to enrich the lives of more than 400 people over the next 60 years. Visit https://HCSHeart.org to learn more.

At Heritage Christian Services, we believe in possibilities. Established in 1984, Heritage Christian Services strives to advance an inclusive and equitable community. Our more than 3,800 employees work alongside the people who choose our services, ensuring that everyone can achieve what is meaningful to them. Based in Rochester, with concentrations in the Finger Lakes and Western New York, 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, in addition to programs that sustain relevant employment and day habilitation. We have also established programs for high-quality child care, setting the standard for statewide workforce education, ensuring robust health, wellness and equity, and embracing self-empowerment. Visit HeritageChristianServices.org.