Messages from the President & CEO
Your Gift Today Will Empower a New Year of Success
At this time of year, it’s only natural to look back at the last 12 months and forward to the year ahead. 2025 has been an important year of progress for the Hillside community—with new programs and exciting projects that have helped our agency do even more for the youth, adults and families we serve. We’re all looking forward to an even more impactful 2026—and your support will make so much possible.
There’s no “wrong” time to donate to Hillside, but making a gift right now is particularly important. As we head into the New Year, the impact of philanthropic giving is more significant than ever: your donations help us plan for the year ahead, and continue our efforts to bring life-changing services to more young people and families in need.
A gift of any size is deeply appreciated, and will help us enter 2026 with the resources to help each and every person we serve overcome their challenges and find pathways to the stronger futures they deserve.
Please consider making a tax-deductible gift to Hillside today. Thank you for your support, and on behalf of all of us at Hillside: Happy New Year!
Maria Cristalli
President & CEO
Make a Magical Difference During Our 50th Season!
Every child deserves to experience holiday magic—the joy of receiving a gift chosen just for them. But each year, many of the young people served by Hillside run the risk of receiving no gifts at all.
You have the power to change that. As a Hillside Special Santa, you can bring holiday magic to some of our community’s most vulnerable children. 2025 marks the extraordinary 50th season of our Special Santa toy-and-gift drive—and I encourage everyone reading this message to join your neighbors in making this our biggest and most impactful season yet.
Special Santa has a proud legacy of spreading holiday joy: Last year alone, more than 8,000 gifts were distributed to children served by our programs throughout the regions we serve. Year after year, this is made possible thanks to the hard work of our dedicated employees and critical support from donors like you.
Making a gift is easy, with plenty of options available to make a difference this season. Please visit our Special Santa page to explore whether you’d like to purchase gifts and deliver them to a donation box in your community; organize a fundraiser to rally support among friends and coworkers; or simply make a convenient monetary donation. (Every dollar raised goes directly to purchasing gifts for children served by Hillside).
No matter your choice, please become a Special Santa by December 12, 2025, and help us spread holiday joy. Thank you for your support, and Happy Holidays!
Maria Cristalli
President & CEO
Celebrating Our Homes Away From Home
Many people think of Hillside in terms of our residential campuses that provide temporary 24/7 care to youth experiencing an array of challenges related to serious emotional disturbance or other mental health conditions. For some others, we’re best known for community-based programs that work together to provide broad supports for complex concerns facing youth, adults and families.
Meanwhile, one of our least-known programs operates from individual homes right in communities like yours. Hillside’s Developmental Opportunities Services are dedicated to delivering long-term supportive care to individuals diagnosed with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD).
In 10 group homes located in neighborhoods throughout Western New York and the Finger Lakes, Hillside’s DO Services teams form lasting relationships with the young adults in our care, and with their families. Unlike a residential campus, residents in these group homes usually stay for years: they attend school, engage in community activities, and learn adaptive skills that support their long-term growth and development. Our group homes are special places where remarkable things happen every day.
Our most recent Stories of Hillside video looks at one example of the many young adults and families who have found invaluable support through this impactful program. I hope you’ll take a look, share this wonderful story with your own community, and consider supporting Hillside in any way you can—with your partnership, great things can happen.
Thank you for your interest in our mission!
Maria Cristalli
President & CEO
A New Name, and a Vision for a Vital Campus
Last autumn, entrepreneur and philanthropist B. Thomas Golisano changed the nonprofit landscape of Upstate New York. 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 eminently worthy causes.
In an August 26 ceremony, we formally launched a project that will forever recognize Mr. Golisano’s support, while using some of those funds to bring critical improvements at a vital Hillside site.
Hillside’s array of services includes a robust mix of community-based, educational and residential treatment programs, with residential treatment provided at four campuses in Rochester, Chili, Bath and Auburn, NY. The Chili-based Crestwood Campus, which opened in 1960 and joined our agency in 1999, serves the region’s youngest children—beginning at age 5—who have been diagnosed with Severe Emotional Disturbance and a range of other challenging conditions.
Crestwood staff do life-changing work, but their campus needs help in order to meet the evolving needs of those we serve. A three-year project with a total estimated cost of more than $7 million 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 we provide.
A kickoff ceremony on August 26 celebrated the kickoff of this exciting project, and offered an ideal moment to announce an important change: Hillside’s Crestwood Campus is now the Golisano Campus at Crestwood, a name that honors Mr. Golisano’s extraordinary generosity while preserving the Crestwood identity that has represented hope and healing for generations of children and their families.
In the weeks and months to come, I’ll share much more about this project, its impact, and how you can be a part of its success. If you’d like to join us today with a gift, please visit Hillside.com/donate or contact Chief Advancement Officer Calista Amering at 585-256-7515.
We’re forever grateful to Mr. Golisano, and to the entire community that shares our commitment to children, adults and families. Thank you for your interest and your support!
Maria Cristalli
President & Chief Executive Officer
Helping Youth Find Hopeful Futures
Hillside’s commitment to serving youth, adults and families requires an equal commitment to evolution. Adding or expanding programs must be done carefully, and only to meet the recognized needs of the communities we serve. Strategic program development allows us to ensure the best possible outcomes while maintaining fiscal sustainability.
One exciting example of a “new” Hillside service is actually a returning program. Some years ago, Reinvesting in Youth (RIY) supported effective community-based alternatives to detention for Rochester youth. Funding reductions forced us to close the program for a time in 2019, but in 2023 Hillside re-launched Reinvesting in Youth in Syracuse, as part of the NYS Project RISE (Respond, Invest, Sustain, Empower) public safety initiative.
The Syracuse iteration of RIY maintained the core principles of the original model. RIY staff work with youth ages 12-17 and their families, when the youth are at risk of or are currently involved in the juvenile justice system.
- A Case Manager connects the youth to positive community resources, including family and other informal supports, while assisting program participants in navigating the judicial system.
- Enrolled youth are connected to a Community Asset Navigator, who helps the youth engage in activities that build and sustain positive relevant community connections.
- Our Family Peer Advocates use personal lived experience to help the entire family develop the supports necessary to navigate the unique challenges they all face. Peer Advocacy is rooted in Hillside’s bedrock philosophy of family-driven care.
RIY’s goal is to support youth in making choices that help them avoid detention, and to remain focused on a positive and constructive future without being forever defined by past unfortunate decisions.
Following the success of this program in Syracuse, Hillside is expanding RIY’s reach with a return to its Rochester roots. This summer, Reinvesting in Youth will resume service to Monroe County youth and families, funded by the Monroe County Department of Human Services. We’re grateful for the opportunity to bring this proven program to more young people and families in need.
You can be a part of the success of this program, and Hillside’s mission. Find out more about career opportunities at our agency, or donate today to advance our work and help more youth and families thrive. Thank you for your support!
Maria Cristalli
President & CEO