named programs · 5 · from sources
What they call their work
Education & Capacity Building
Provides Lived Experience Peer Advocate Certification, Train-the-Trainer Leadership Academy, and workshops on legal rights, school advocacy, and mental health navigation.
Family Advocacy & Peer Support
Provides direct advocacy and peer-led support for families navigating CPS, domestic violence, housing instability, and family court, including emergency mutual aid and confidential survivor support.
Healing & Wellness Programs
Offers African-centered healing circles, trauma-informed yoga, drumming therapy, and nervous system regulation workshops to support intergenerational healing and emotional resilience.
Movement Building & Statewide Advocacy
Leads the LEX Statewide Collaborative and Five-County Coalition for Systems Change, conducts Healing Justice Teach-Ins, and engages in policy advocacy to transform child welfare and justice systems.
Youth & Family Empowerment
Includes the League of Future Voters, African-centered identity development, Cub Scout Pack 2005, and family engagement workshops to strengthen youth leadership and family cohesion.
activities · 5 groups
What they do
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Volunteer and Professional Training Programs 1 activity
- Capacity-building trainings for families and peer advocatesDelivers trainings and certification programs for families and peer advocates focused on system navigation, leadership development, and community advocacy.
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Civil Rights Advocacy & Litigation 1 activity
- Coalition-led policy advocacy and system reform campaignsEngages in coalition-led advocacy and campaigns to reform systems impacting families and communities, including the launch of a 5-county coalition to establish regional hubs led by individuals with lived experience, expanding grassroots power and policy influence in New York State.
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Back-to-School Supply Distribution 1 activity
- Community resource distribution eventsOrganizes community events such as school supply giveaways, including the distribution of 300 backpacks to families in need.
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Trauma-Informed Community Resilience Initiatives 1 activity
- Peer-led advocacy and trauma-informed support servicesProvides peer-led advocacy, trauma-informed support, violence prevention, educational programming, housing stabilization assistance, youth and family support services, and healing-centered community programs for individuals and families affected by poverty, domestic violence, foster care involvement, trauma, and systemic inequities.
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Residential Care for At-Risk Youth 1 activity
- Prevention of child protective services family separationsProvides targeted advocacy and wraparound support to reverse or prevent child protective services removals; supported 15 youth to remain safely in their homes and prevented 3 removals through direct intervention.
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financials · form 990EZ · fy2025
revenue
Total revenue$164K
Contributions & grants$164K100%
Program service revenue$00%
Investment income$00%
Other revenue$0
expenses
Total expenses$164K
Program expenses—
Admin / overhead—
Fundraising—
Salaries & benefits$140K
Grants paid out$0
balance sheet
Total assets$0
Cash—
Investments—
Liabilities—
Net assets$0
1 years on record · 2025–2025
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2025
Who runs it
paid leadership · 1
| Name | Title | Hours/wk | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cherriese Bufis | Executive Director | 40 | $3K |
relationships · 11
Who they work with
- Albany Partner — Partner in the LEX Statewide Collaborative to build regional leadership hubs and advance child welfare reform.
- Erie County Partner — Partner in the LEX Statewide Collaborative to build regional leadership hubs and advance child welfare reform.
- Five-County Coalition for Systems Change Coalition — Member of a regional coalition working toward systemic reform across five counties.
- LEX Statewide Collaborative Coalition — Participates in a statewide leadership network across New York State.
- Lived Experience Experts (LEX) Statewide Collaborative Partner — Collaborative partner in a statewide effort to transform New York’s child welfare system through lived experience leadership and peer advocacy.
- Monroe County Partner — Partner in the LEX Statewide Collaborative to build regional leadership hubs and advance child welfare reform.
- NYC Boroughs Partner — Partner in the LEX Statewide Collaborative to build regional leadership hubs and advance child welfare reform.
- Schools of law Partner — Strategic partner in training future advocates and reimagining care systems through academic collaboration.
- Schools of social work Partner — Strategic partner in training future advocates and reimagining care systems through academic collaboration.
- Westchester County Partner — Partner in the LEX Statewide Collaborative to build regional leadership hubs and advance child welfare reform.
- Youth-serving organizations Partner — Strategic partner in reimagining care systems and supporting youth and families impacted by systemic injustice.
strategies · 3
How they approach the work
Named approaches extracted from this org’s sources. Where others share an approach, follow it to see the full set of orgs running it.
- Culturally Responsive, Community-Based Programmingmethodology: culturally_responsive_community_based_programmingBy designing programs that reflect the cultural context and lived realities of the community, the organization reduces barriers to access and engagement because trust and relevance increase participation and effectiveness.
- Family-Youth-Systems Transformation Modelmethodology: family-youth-systems transformationBy simultaneously supporting families, empowering youth, and challenging inequitable systems, the organization produces sustainable change because transformation occurs at the intersection of personal, relational, and structural levels.
- Healing-Centered Advocacy with Peer Supportmethodology: healing-centered advocacyBy integrating healing practices with advocacy and peer-to-peer support, the organization empowers individuals with lived experience to lead change because emotional resilience and shared identity strengthen leadership capacity and systemic impact.