named programs · 11 · from sources
What they call their work
Backpacks & Supplies
Annual program providing over 200 rural children with backpacks, school supplies, haircuts, and school photos to support school readiness.
Dream Big! Summer Experience
Summer program for rural children addressing social-emotional and academic gaps caused by the pandemic through learning, play, and growth activities.
Healing Families
Peer family support group for families with loved ones dealing with substance use disorders.
Kids ROC
Child-focused programming for children from birth to age 18, including play therapy, academic support, and enrichment activities.
Mom Connection
Support group for mothers and mothers-to-be in the rural community.
New Paths Household Goods Redistribution Center
Program that provides used furniture and appliances to families in need in exchange for a small fee, trade, or volunteer work.
Play Therapy
Clinical counseling service for children using play-based methods to address trauma, anxiety, behavioral concerns, and familial challenges.
Sarah's Pantry
Non-food item pantry providing toiletries, paper products, cleaning supplies, and baby needs to ROC participants and community members in crisis.
The ROC Squad
Youth mentorship and academic support program for children ages 6–18, part of the Kids ROC initiative.
U ROC
Umbrella program for adult-focused services including counseling, care coordination, financial literacy, workforce development, and support groups to promote self-sufficiency.
Winter Prep
Annual program providing over 250 rural children with new winter coats and boots to ensure safety and warmth during cold months.
activities · 12 groups
What they do
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Furniture and Household Essentials Provision 2 activities
- Furniture and appliance redistribution programRedistributes furniture and appliances to assist low-income families in Western New York rural communities, having supported over 300 families to date.
- Non-food pantry for personal care and household suppliesOperates a pantry distributing personal care, hygiene, paper, and cleaning supplies to individuals and families in need in ROC County and surrounding rural communities.
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Holiday and Seasonal Essentials Distribution 1 activity
- Back-to-School and Winter Prep Distribution DaysOrganizes and delivers annual distribution events providing school supplies, backpacks, and free haircuts and photos for over 200 rural children, and distributes winter coats and boots to over 250 rural children.
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Public Benefits Navigation and Enrollment 1 activity
- Care coordination and resource navigationConnects participants with community resources to support progress toward self-sufficiency, including help obtaining housing, employment, transportation, public benefits (SNAP, HEAP, WIC), medical care, and food pantry registration. Also arranges transportation and referrals to counseling and health services.
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12-Step Recovery Support Services 1 activity
- Community support groupsHosts support groups including Mom Connection for mothers and Healing Families for families affected by substance use to foster peer connection and emotional support.
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Summer Day Camp Programs 1 activity
- Dream Big! Summer ExperienceOperates an annual summer program for rural children focused on learning, emotional development, and personal growth.
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Food Distribution and Hunger Relief 1 activity
- Emergency food distribution during pandemicDistributed up to 300 food boxes per event during the 2020 pandemic in partnership with FeedMoreWNY.
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Direct Mental Health Counseling and Support Services 1 activity
- Mental health counseling services for adults and older teensProvides talk therapy counseling to adults and older teens to help them process experiences, develop coping skills, and address anxiety, depression, trauma, domestic violence, and loss. Services include identifying disordered thinking and building healthier thought patterns.
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Creative Arts Therapy Programs 1 activity
- Play therapy services for childrenOffers play therapy to children experiencing mental health, behavioral, or trauma-related challenges, including those affected by family disruption, parental substance use, incarceration, abandonment, and abuse. Uses a child-centered model where the counselor observes and engages based on the child’s lead.
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Volunteer Mobilization for Community Improvement 1 activity
- Seasonal yardwork and landscaping assistanceProvides seasonal yardwork and landscaping services as part of community support for residents in need.
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Community Resource Navigation and Support Services 1 activity
- Service delivery across rural southwestern New YorkServes families and individuals across ROC County and more than 60 zip codes in southern Western New York, providing ongoing services to over 100 active participants monthly through counseling, therapy, care coordination, mentoring, and tutoring.
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Non-Emergency Medical & Essential Transportation 1 activity
- Transportation assistanceProvides transportation for participants to medical appointments, work, and stores as part of broader care coordination and support services.
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Volunteer Engagement and Capacity Support 1 activity
- Volunteer engagement in direct serviceEngages volunteers in direct service activities such as mentoring children, supporting health fairs, and participating in on-site projects.
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financials · form 990 · fy2025
revenue
Total revenue$1.88M
Contributions & grants$1.27M67%
Program service revenue$433K23%
Investment income$59K3%
Other revenue$120K
expenses
Total expenses$1.75M
Program expenses61%
Admin / overhead23%
Fundraising16%
Salaries & benefits$1.07M
Grants paid out$0
Largest expense lineCompensation
balance sheet
Total assets$7.43M
Cash$2.20M
Investments$266K
Liabilities$87K
Net assets$7.34M
Liquid reserves16.9 mo
4 years on record · 2020–2025 · YoY revenue +12.7%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2025
Who runs it
paid leadership · 1
| Name | Title | Hours/wk | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frank Cerny | Executive Director | 40 | $141K |
board members · 15
- Amelia Hakes — Board Member
- Brian Maze — Treasurer
- Christye Peterson — Board Member
- Damario Sarden — Board Member
- David Murray — Board Member
- Jane Vosseller — Secretary
- John Hart — Board Member
- Katherine Daley — Vice Chair
- Lori Bannister — Board Member
- Marcia Keller — Board Member
- Sheret Jagord — Board Member
- Stacy Oar — Board Member
- Timothy Lafferty — Board Chair
- Vicki Feine — Board Member
- William Owens Jr — Board Member
relationships · 10
Who they work with
- Amelia Leggett Partner — Contact person for partnership inquiries
- Amelia Leggett Partner — Volunteer coordinator for general and group volunteer opportunities.
- East Aurora Kiwanis Club Partner — Funded and completed construction of the Kiwanis Room addition to the ROC’s temporary facility.
- FeedMoreWNY Partner — Partnered with The ROC to distribute food boxes during the 2020 pandemic response.
- Healing Families Partner — Peer family support group for families affected by substance use, co-offered with The ROC.
- Mom Connection Partner — Support group for moms and moms-to-be offered in collaboration with The ROC.
- Nichole Barrett Partner — Volunteer coordinator for mentoring and tutoring programs.
- Pathways Christian Fellowship Network — Founding church that incubated The ROC; continues to share space and collaborate on outreach efforts.
- The Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo Partner — Holds and manages The Rural Outreach Center's Endowment Fund.
- haveheart.qodeinteractive.com Partner — Website linked in partnership or referral capacity from The ROC's counseling page
strategies · 5
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.
- Accompaniment Model for Self-Sufficiencymethodology: accompaniment_modelBy providing sustained, relationship-based support, the organization helps individuals break the cycle of rural poverty because ongoing personal connection fosters trust, accountability, and long-term behavioral change.
- Centralized Wrap-Around Services to Reduce Access Barriersmethodology: wrap_around_servicesBy co-locating integrated health and social services in one accessible location, the organization improves service utilization because it removes logistical barriers like transportation and fragmented systems that disproportionately affect rural populations.
- Clinical Mental Health Interventions with Cognitive and Play Therapymethodology: cognitive_behavioral_approachBy using evidence-based clinical counseling models—such as cognitive-behavioral therapy for adults and child-centered play therapy for youth—the organization supports emotional regulation and coping because changing thought patterns and enabling self-directed expression lead to improved management of life stressors.
- Empowerment Over Charity Frameworkmethodology: empowerment_over_charityBy prioritizing tools and resources that build self-sufficiency rather than dependency, the organization increases long-term success because individuals develop agency and problem-solving capacity to manage future challenges independently.
- Two-Generation Approach to Break Intergenerational Povertymethodology: two_generation_approachBy empowering adults while simultaneously supporting their children, the organization creates compounding benefits that disrupt systemic rural poverty across generations, because family-level change produces more durable outcomes than individual-only interventions.