Golisano Autism Center opens

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The long-awaited Golisano Autism Center opened its doors last week, but celebrated in earnest on Thursday with organization leaders, elected officials and Rochester philanthropist and Paychex Inc. founder Tom Golisano, who made the dream a reality with the initial $3 million donation.

“For them to pull it off, I consider it very unique,” Golisano said following a ribbon-cutting Thursday. “It took some skilled people to make it happen because you just don’t see this type of thing happen every day. Even in a nice community like Rochester, it just doesn’t happen. So I’m really happy and proud of these people who were able to pull it off.

“When you take a look at what it is, who it’s serving and the quantity of people that it’s serving, what a great deal,” he added.

The 33,000-square-foot facility includes custom areas for education, therapy, job training, indoor and outdoor recreation areas—including trampolines and a ball pit—sensory rooms and space to eat and relax. Teams from SWBR Architects & Engineers P.C., Marathon Engineering and the Pike Co. Inc. worked together to bring the space to life.

The autism center was the brainchild of Mary Walsh Boatfield, president and CEO of CP Rochester and chairperson of the Golisano Autism Center, who collaborated with AutismUp Executive Director Sarah Milko and Al Sigl Community of Agencies President Thomas O’Connor on the center’s concept.

“In 2015, the founders identified the need for providers in the Greater Rochester area to come together and transform delivery and access to services for individuals and families with autism,” Boatfield said to a standing-room-only crowd at Thursday’s ribbon cutting.

The three founders traveled across the state looking for ideas and benchmarks for the new center but found nothing approaching the scope of their idea. In 2017, they met with Golisano, who did not hesitate to offer $2.5 million toward the center. The Golisano Foundation trustees gave an additional $500,000.

Before long, Boatfield, Milko and O’Connor were collaborating with the team behind the newly announced University of Rochester Medicine’s Golisano Pediatric Behavioral Health & Wellness, which had received $5 million in funding from Golisano. It was decided the two centers would share the Science Parkway property with a connection between the two buildings. The pediatric center is under construction.

The project broke ground in March of this year.

In July, the Golisano Autism Center announced its $9 million fundraising campaign, “Putting the Pieces Together.” More than 170 donors have committed $7.6 million toward the campaign, Boatfield said.

Rochester is home to some 10,000 individuals with autism. The new center in its first week provided preschool and school-age educational services to 40 students ages 5 to 13 from 14 different school districts. Fifteen percent of students served are from the Rochester City School District, Boatfield noted.

“More than 200 speech, occupational and music therapy sessions have been provided in just one week,” she added. “The Golisano Autism Center is a one-stop autism hub with 14 providers.”

Providers include the center’s founders, as well as Arc of Monroe, Easter Seals, Happiness House, the Hochstein School, School of the Holy Childhood and Mary Cariola Children’s Center and others.

Location was key to the success of the Golisano Autism Center; it had to be in the city of Rochester, accessible to all, on a bus line and near expressways. The number of students served daily eventually will grow to 130, Boatfield said.

“By year five we hope that we have touched every single one of those 10,000 individuals in our community with autism,” Boatfield said.

“We’re going to grow this thing. It’s going to grow in size and scope because we have more requests and more providers that were identified through our comprehensive approach,” O’Connor said.

The center offers evaluation, early intervention, childcare, after school and respite services, employment, arts and theater, a housing liaison and more.

“It is a model of collaboration, and we know collaboration is not easy,” said Golisano Foundation Director Ann Costello.

Golisano—whose personal philanthropy through the years totals more than $300 million—noted that he has a personal reason for underwriting projects that benefit individuals with autism and other disabilities. His stepson, Mike Cerone, his wife Carly and grandson, Max attended Thursday’s event. Max, who has been part of Autism Up since he was three, will continue to use the autism center’s services, the Cerones said.

Golisano added that his philanthropy could not have happened without the success of Paychex.

“None of this could ever happen if it wasn’t for the 15,000 employees, the 170,000 clients and thousands and thousands of shareholders,” he said. “They really are the ones that make it possible.”

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