IMAGINING THE POSSIBILITIES
HEALTHY IMAGINATION: Tom Golisano has demonstrated an ongoing dedication and commitment to a variety of civic issues and organizations. His philanthropy, which now totals approximately $300 million, has helped build three children's hospitals and supported hundreds of health, educational and community organizations. "Through the growth and success of Healthy Communities, the Golisano name is becoming synonymous with improving health disparities and increasing access to quality care - from remote towns to major cities in all corners of the world," says Special Olympics CEO 2016 Mary Davis.
When Rachel Rosen's son was diagnosed with autism, she felt alone with few places to turn for help. She thinks back to the time when the only place she knew to take her child to be with other autistic children was a space set aside at a church. She and other parents met there for support and a sense of community.
"We were on our own," she recalls. "We didn't know where to turn for help or support." Now the answer will be inside the walls of the new Golisano Autism Center and Behavioral Health & Wellness Building.
"People with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), and their caregivers, will no longer have to feel isolated and on their own," says Rachel. "All the services families need will be under one roof for the first time, anywhere in the country. This could not have happened without Tom Golisano's vision, compassion and the understanding of what people with intellectual and developmental disabilities need. He has been transformative in the way families can access information, services, and support. He has changed our lives and the lives of so many others."
The new Golisano Autism Center, which opens this fall, will bring together a wide array of coordinated services and expertise under one roof and significantly improve how people with autism and their families can get the services they need over the course of their lifetimes.
What makes the Golisano Autism Center even more innovative is that it will share a campus and connect to the new Golisano Pediatric Behavioral Health & Wellness Building, a criticallyneeded home base for child and adolescent behavioral health services and the primary outpatient location for the University of Rochester Medical Center's Golisano Children's Hospital. The program treats children with depression, anxiety, psychosis, substance abuse, PTSD, and other behavioral and emotional conditions — and will be staffed by a multidisciplinary team that includes child psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, mental health counselors, nurses, and more.
Tom Golisano pledged $8.5 million to support construction of the two centers and kick-start fundraising.
Improving Lives through Transformational Investments
This innovative and collaborative approach to providing care is one example of Tom Golisano's commitment to improving the lives of people with IDD through transformational investments in organizations that work to create inclusive communities where all citizens are valued as productive members of society.
"Rochester has become a model for other communities that want to know how we have coordinated such excellent care for those with IDD," says Ann Costello, Golisano Foundation Director. "One chief reason is our philanthropist, Tom Golisano. Many of the initiatives have been accomplished by bringing the right people to the table and Tom knows how to bring people together to answer that need."
"Tom is the epitome of the new philanthropist. Years ago, the goal was to give money away, to find a charity worth your support, give them a grant and your job was done. Now it's more about solving problems, and giving away money is the last step, not the first one."
Tom's dedication to problem-solving reflects how he has lived his life – by his own definition of an entrepreneur – "someone who sees something wrong and wants to change it for the better."
Tom Golisano founded Paychex, Inc., in 1971 with just $3,000 and a good idea – to make payroll outsourcing easy and affordable for small businesses. Today Paychex has more than 14,000 employees and is a leading national provider of payroll, human resource, and benefit outsourcing solutions for more than a half-million small and medium-sized businesses.
Tom has demonstrated an ongoing dedication and commitment to a variety of civic issues and organizations. His philanthropy, which now totals approximately $300 million, has helped build three children's hospitals and supported hundreds of health, educational and community organizations.
Helping Those with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities
"I have a son with an intellectual disability, so I know something about the difficulties a family faces when trying to find a qualified doctor or dentist willing and educated to treat their loved one with a disability.
If someone with Tom's resources has a difficult time accessing care, he could only imagine how hard it is for others.
"There is nothing more challenging or urgent than delivering healthcare to a population that is hidden away," says Tom. That is why Tom's motto, and that of his foundation, is Imagine the Possibilities. When people say it can't be done, Tom Golisano will not only find a way, he often finds a better way. His perseverance and unwillingness to live with status quo has driven him – and his foundation – to get to the essence of complex issues and identify solutions.
The Scope of Tom Golisano's Impact
"Tom Golisano has been a true champion for the health rights of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities worldwide," says Tim Shriver, chairman of Special Olympics International. "As a tireless advocate for the Special Olympics movement, Tom and the Golisano Foundation enable and empower communities of care, where the contributions of people with intellectual disabilities are better understood, encouraged and valued by all."
Tom launched his support for people with IDD more than three decades ago with the start of his Foundation and continues making life-changing contributions today. His personal cause has become a strategic mission to improve the quality of life for those with intellectual and developmental disabilities and to foster inclusion in their communities.
Through his foundation and partnerships with organizations such as Special Olympics, heath systems, colleges and universities and others, life-changing and much needed services are being provided to help people with intellectual disabilities find pathways to self-sufficiency, personal dignity, and the best possible expression of their abilities and talents throughout their lifetimes.
Golisano Foundation
Tom founded the Golisano Foundation in 1985 with an initial gift of $90,000. It is now one of the largest private foundations in the U.S. devoted exclusively to supporting programs for people with intellectual disabilities. Today, with more than $40 million in gross assets, it has awarded more than $25 million in grants to non-profit organizations in Western and Upstate NY and Southwest Florida to support projects and initiatives that enhance the dignity and independence of people IDD and that build inclusive communities.
WHERE TO TURN: Rachel Rosen (right), with her daughter, Leah (left); husband, Len, and son, Andrew. Rachel is Director of Education and Support at AutismUp, one of the agencies making a new home in the Golisano Autism Center. The Center will provide a continuum of services that span a lifetime and offer a full array of coordinated program options for infants, toddlers, youth, teens and adults.
Special Olympics Health
Tom knew that from developed countries to the developing world, people with intellectual disabilities are often neglected, forgotten and denied basic rights and protections. Global health reports indicated health disparities facing this population are enormous. Even well-intended efforts fall short of reaching this population.
So in 2012 Tom Golisano made a gift of $12 million to Special Olympics to build on the successful Healthy Athletes program and launch Healthy Communities in eight countries (Mexico, Peru, Romania, Malawi, South Africa, Malaysia, Kazakhstan and Thailand) and six states in the U.S. (Arizona, Florida, Kansas, New Jersey, Wisconsin and NY). The goal was to create a world where people with IDD have the same opportunities and access to health care as people without IDD. Its success prompted Golisano to contribute $25 million more in 2015 to expand the initiative to 100 Healthy Communities around the world by 2020. Both donations are the largest single gifts from an individual that Special Olympics has ever received.
As the world's largest public health organization, Special Olympics is uniquely positioned to reach more than five million athletes. It is working toward inclusive health globally by changing curriculum, training health care professionals and policymakers, influencing policy, advocating for inclusive health programming, building partnerships for follow-up care and building awareness.
Golisano Center for Community Health at Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center
The Golisano Center for Community Health is the only outpatient center of its type in Western NY and one of very few in the U.S. Supported by a $3.5 million gift from Tom, the Center pro vides comprehensive integrated health care services to adults with special needs and their families, breaking down barriers to care and supporting Tom Golisano's vision of inclusive healthcare for all -- ensuring that people with intellectual and developmental disabilities are in no way excluded from healthcare systems within their communities.
Golisano Training Center at Nazareth College
The new $23.5 million 91,000-square-foot shared athletic training center will open this fall. It will benefit athletes of all abilities and advance the Foundation's goal of fostering understanding, acceptance, and inclusion between people with and without ID. It will create a new model of inclusion, partnership, fitness, and wellness for Nazareth students and athletes with ID. It will also create opportunities for students to offer health screening services and wellness programs, helping them become competent, compassionate professionals comfortable working with people of all abilities. Tom Golisano made a gift of $7.5 million toward the new center.
Golisano Institute for Developmental Disability Nursing
A fundamental barrier to access to health care in private practices, clinics and other settings, is often lack of formal training in how to provide care to people with IDD. To help close that gap, Tom and the Golisano Foundation contributed $5 million for the creation of the Golisano Institute for Developmental Disability Nursing at St. John Fisher College in Rochester, NY. The first institute of its kind in the U.S., it will lead the effort to enhance nursing curricula in the care of individuals with developmental disabilities at the national and global level to ensure that entry-level and advanced practice nursing graduates are fully prepared to care for people with IDD.
"Nurses play a critical role as primary care providers in health centers, and medical and dental practices," says Tom. "By preparing the next generation of nurses and thought leaders and by creating a network of health care professionals who care for people with developmental disabilities, St. John Fisher has demonstrated a commitment to making a significant impact on improving access to both quality and inclusive health care for people who are underserved."
Recognizing the Champions
Tom Golisano and the Golisano Foundation are helping to create a more inclusive world where millions of people with intellectual disabilities can get health care and fully participate in society. Progress is being made all over the world, which is why Tom and his Foundation have made a significant effort to recognize the champions of change, and shine a light on the successes of those who are working tirelessly every day to create a better world for people with IDD. More than 150 clinicians and health care organizations around the world have been honored to date with Special Olympics Golisano Health Leadership Awards. The Foundation has also presented its Health Leadership Awards, and Move to Include Awards to honor leaders and medical professionals who are champions for inclusion.
"The philanthropy of Tom Golisano has provided the vehicle for healthcare superstars to flourish, to help create innovative programs, to mentor students and provide health services to help people with IDD lead healthier happier, and more productive lives," says Dr. Steve Perlman, pediatric dentist, Clinical Professor of Pediatric Dentistry, founder of Healthy Athletes Special Smiles and recipient of the Golisano Global Health Leadership Award.
As Tom often says, "The only wealth that you get to keep is that which you give away." From his first philanthropic efforts 35 years ago, the model initiatives Tom Golisano has helped to create have paved the way for better health care and the inclusion of people with intellectual disabilities, leading to improved quality of life.
To find out more visit golisanofoundation.org •
ALWAYS GROUNDBREAKING: Tom celebrates with community members (left) at a ceremony for the Golisano Training Center, which will provide a state of the art facility for practices, competition, and health and wellness programs; Tom overlooks an athlete receiving an eye exam during an Healthy Athletes Opening Eyes event with Ann Costello, Executive Director of the Golisano Foundation.
VISION AND COMMITTMENT : TOM GOLISANO
- Tom Golisano has supported many other innovative initiatives that promote inclusion, including:
- ❑ The Center on Disability and Education (formerly the Institute for Innovative Transition) was established in 2008 at the University of Rochester Warner School of Education, to improve transition options, planning, and services for young adults with IDD and their families, to better prepare them for meaningful and productive adult lives.
- ❑ Brought the national Project SEARCH™ program to Rochester, NY in 2009 to provide inclusive employment opportunities for people with IDD, giving them the skills they need to find competitive employment. Rochester has three Project Search sites.
- ❑ Move to Include, an unprecedented partnership, was launched in 2014 through WXXI Broadcasting and PBS TV stations to promote more inclusive communities though the power and reach of media by inspiring and motivating people to understand and embrace different abilities and include all people in every aspect of community life.