In an August 26 ceremony, Hillside announced the official renaming of its Crestwood Campus before an audience of elected officials, donors and community partners, youth and families, and staff and agency leadership. The new campus name, Golisano Campus at Crestwood, honors the extraordinary generosity of entrepreneur and philanthropist B. Thomas Golisano while preserving the legacy of the programs and staff that have represented hope and healing for generations of children and their families.
In September 2024, Hillside was the grateful recipient of a $5 million donation from Mr. Golisano, part of his unprecedented $360 million combined gift to 82 upstate organizations—and continuing a lifetime of philanthropy that has exceeded $900 million to date.
During the August 26 ceremony, Hillside President & CEO Maria Cristalli unveiled the new name on signage that has been installed at the campus entrance. “For decades, the name Tom Golisano has been synonymous with entrepreneurship and philanthropy. Both of those ideologies are rooted in a shared commitment to supporting the strength and vitality of our growing and evolving community,” Cristalli said. “Our new campus name honors the deep and enduring commitment of Mr. Golisano and the Golisano Foundation to Hillside and the children and communities we serve, that will literally change lives.”
“Tom Golisano and the Golisano Foundation are proud to support Hillside in providing life-changing services to children and families who need them most. The Golisano Campus at Crestwood will be a place where children receive not only critical services, but also the comfort, stability, and opportunities they need to heal and grow,” said Golisano Foundation Director Erica Dayton. “By supporting this transformational project, we are investing in the strength and well-being of young people who deserve the highest levels of care and the brightest possible futures.”
The ceremony also launched a three-year, $7 million Transformation and Modernization Project at the campus that will bring new and renovated cottages, enhanced green space for stronger therapeutic recreation opportunities, and a host of other improvements that are research-proven to increase the level of care provided.
The newly named Golisano Campus at Crestwood opened in Chili in 1960 and joined Hillside in 1999. Children served on campus range in age from 5 to 14 years, with an average age of 12 and diagnoses including Severe Emotional Disturbance as well as high levels of anxiety, depression, intellectual and developmental delays and other obstacles.
Through Hillside’s on-campus combination of 24/7 residential treatment and day treatment services, these children receive the highest levels of care. Last year, 93 percent of children in residential treatment were eventually discharged from the campus to less intensive services, on their path to healing and recovery.
“Our community, our state and our nation are in the midst of a youth mental health crisis,” Cristalli said. “Dozens and counties and school districts, and countless families, look to this campus for critical services that they can’t easily find anywhere else. The stakes are high, and our standards of care must be high as well.”
The Golisano Campus at Crestwood is one of four Hillside residential campuses. The agency’s 1,600 employees also support youth, adults and families at neighborhood group homes and community-based programs through Western and Central New York.
Other lead supporters of the three-year project acknowledged at the ceremony included The Davenport-Hatch Foundation, The Charles Fund, The August Family Foundation, Liz August, The Bonadio Group, Reliant Federal Credit Union, The Mendick Foundation and The Muller Foundation.