Events & Activities
"What makes us human is not our mind but our heart, not our ability to think but our ability to love." -- Henri Nouwen
We want to create a community of care where people with significant disabilities and their caregivers can experience a sense of belonging and have opportunities to flourish. This will take time and talent. We welcome people with disabilities , their families and friends to join us in creating a community that will be loving, innovative and responsive to the needs of its members.
Cents for Socks
Carly’s Cents for Socks began in 2015 and has grown steadily since then. Inspired by Carly Switalski who loves socks, and feels purposeful when volunteering, we established this service project to give people with disabilities an opportunity to experience a sense of purpose through volunteer work. We collect money in containers in local businesses to purchase socks and partner with faith communities to collect new socks to distribute to Response to Love, a Buffalo agency that provides for people in need. In 2019 we were able to donate 1,407 pairs of socks. Our donations were reduced during the pandemic to 341 pairs of socks, but we plan to come back strong in 2021!
Staffing Crisis
Friends of L’Arche Buffalo and WNY is working with A.R.I.S.E WNY, Voice Buffalo and the Caring Majority to address the staffing crisis affecting people with developmental disabilities. Caregiving is first and foremost relational-both caregivers and care receivers need to be equally respected and treated with dignity.
A Message from the Caring Majority
New York is the epicenter of a national home care worker shortage with a projected shortage of 50,000 workers by 2023, and over 83,000 by 2025. This shortage means tens of thousands of New Yorkers are currently at-risk because they cannot receive the services they need to live a high quality life in the community, with hundreds of thousands more on the brink of disaster.
Low wages are the reason for this crisis. In 2006, home care workers earned about 150% of the state minimum wage on average. Today, almost all home care workers are paid the minimum wage or slightly above, earning dollars less per hour than fast food and retail employees. Reimbursement rates must be increased so that home care workers are paid 150% of the minimum wage and do not fall behind other industries again.