August 2026
We’re so glad to be providing you updates on all the wonderful things happening at St. Catherine’s Center for Children – all of which are made possible through “Friends of St. Catherine’s” – like you! Thank you for your support. We hope you enjoy our newsletter!
Our R & E May School students showcased their latest artwork created through i2Evolve Art Studio! Students participated in mask making – creating masks that represent the powerful qualities that make them unique, and “armor” creation – with their shield representing the strengths each one of them carries within.
The art show also featured students’ compositions with ink, and abstract portraiture on canvas. Through these therapeutic art practices, students are given the tools to self-regulate and express their emotions through creativity.
Major Sponsor - $3,000
Golf Cart Sponsor - $2,000
Tour Sponsor - $1,500
Course Beverage Sponsor - $1,000
Putting Contest Sponsor - $750
Cannon Shot Sponsor - $500
On behalf of Christopher J. Farrell and Monica Marini, committee co-chairs of the 8th Annual Dr. Arthur J. Wallingford Memorial Golf Tournament, we invite you to participate or sponsor our annual fundraising event. The Wallingford family has been involved with St. Catherine’s for decades and we are delighted to honor Dr. Wallingford. By getting involved in fundraisers like these, you are supporting the critical work St. Catherine’s has performed for 140 years. These programs include homeless and supportive housing services, therapeutic residential programming, a foster care program, the R & E May School, and community-based outreach programs that provide support throughout the Capital Region and beyond.
Without our supporters, this wonderful day of fun, friends, and fundraising would not be possible! To our returning sponsors, thank you for continuing to believe in the mission and vision of St. Catherine’s. To our new sponsors this year, welcome! We are excited to have you on board and we hope your love and passion for St. Catherine’s will grow year after year.
For more information about this event, including sponsorship details, visit www.st-cath.org/golf/ or click the button below!
Sincerely,
Michele Puleo O’Hare Executive Director
SAVE-THE-DATE!
ELVIS AND BUDDY: WHEN LEGENDS MEET
Tickets and sponsorships available now!
It has never been easier to make a difference in the lives of children, families, and adults in our community who are in need. These individuals suffer from the lasting effects of abuse, neglect, family instability, homelessness, and other traumas.
You can help by attending our fundraiser, “Elvis and Buddy: When Legends Meet” happening at The Egg, November 21, 2026, at 7 p.m.
This benefit concert features Buffalo native Nathan Pittorf as Buddy Holly. Performing the memorable songs that rocketed Holly to fame before his untimely death at the age of 21, Nathan brings a decade of stage experience to his high-energy tribute to Holly.
PURCHASE TICKETS
Dan Fontaine — New England’s premier Elvis tribute artist — will follow with his award-winning tribute to the King, performing some of Elvis’s most popular hits from the ‘60s and ‘70s. With a vocal range that covers three octaves, Dan is recognized as one of the best vocalists in the world of Elvis entertainers. Backed by The Memphis Sun Mafia — gifted musicians who faithfully recreate the King’s extensive catalog of hits — Dan’s show will entertain and delight audiences young and old.
Albany native and special guest Luke Barnhart will open the show with some of the early songs that helped Elvis launch the Rock & Roll revolution.
Buddy Holly once said, “Without Elvis, none of us would have made it.”
Elvis and Buddy will not only entertain you, but will also remind you why these two groundbreaking artists were inaugural members of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
All proceeds from this event directly benefit the programs and services provided by the agency, serving 10 regions, 37 counties and 54 school districts across New York state.
To learn more about sponsorship opportunities or to purchase tickets, visit www.st-cath.org/elvis-and-buddy-holly/ or click below!
Thanks in part to a $2,040 grant from the Panichi Family Charitable Foundation, Muralist Ramiro Davaro-Comas and Ali Howard Roland, MSEd, worked with children and staff to create wall murals in the entrance of Copson House, a group residence within our Residential Program. Through this special arts and wellness project, the two artists collaborated with children to bring their sketches to life. The process began with children drawing their favorite animals and foods. Their drawings were then scanned, enlarged, and traced onto the wall.
Not only did children at Copson House play a pivotal role in designing the mural, they also helped paint it over the course of two days. The bright new entrance way serves as a reminder to all who come through the doors that the home is a place of joy, belonging, and community. Creative outlets such as these provide children with paths for trauma recovery, develop calming techniques, and nurture essential healthy coping skills.
St. Catherine’s Center for Children’s Residential program serves children, ages five to 13, who have been removed from the care of their parents or legal guardians and require 24-hour supervised care in a therapeutic environment.
We’re shining a spotlight on St. Catherine’s R & E May School this Back to School Month! Our R & E May School is a special education program that serves elementary school students, from local school districts, who have behavioral, emotional, and educational needs that are not easily met in traditional school settings. Students are placed at the May School through our Committee on Special Education.
Students learn and grow with the help of speech therapists, occupational therapists, behavior support specialists, and social workers, alongside a guidance counselor and administrators.
Through a therapeutic, trauma-informed, and relationship-centered approach; counseling; and innovative instructional methods we provide the teaching, care, respect, attention, and time required to help each child develop a sense of self-worth. We aim to prepare students to successfully function in a less restrictive educational environment.
To learn more about our educational services, click
For the second year in a row, we partnered with our friends from the Capital Region Chamber of Commerce Young Professionals Network for our annual Back to School Drive!
Thanks to them, we were able to fill hundreds of backpacks with school supplies for children in need throughout our programs.
To learn more about how you can get involved, click the