BUFFALO, N.Y. -- The Buffalo Urban League held its annual meeting and community update Tuesday evening.
The organization is celebrating 90 years.
Brenda McDuffie, President and CEO of the Buffalo Urban League, said at Tuesday's meeting that she is proud of this history, and especially how much the organization has accomplished in just the past year.
McDuffie says the organization helped 100 percent of children looking for families be adopted, and 100 percent of students they worked with in high schools graduated on time. She added they work with 300 to 400 students on a yearly basis.
"We are very proud of that because you know we build families, we build community," McDuffie said.
She also mentioned a new challenge the Urban League is facing: helping those who feel left out of Western New York's revitalization.
"So one of the large programs that we offer are our youth programs as well as our adult programs, where last year we connected about 400 people to jobs with an average wage of $30,000," she said.
McDuffie added, that in the midst of the nation-wide opioid addiction crisis, and many potential workers failing drug tests, the league is taking steps to steer those in their programs away from illegal drug use.
"It's about education. It's about testing," she said. "It's about giving people alternatives, in terms of not utilizing substances that would preclude them from getting opportunities, and we have to reinforce it not only throughout our community, but throughout our nation."
You can learn more about all of the Buffalo Urban League's programs by visiting its website at buffalourbanleague.org.
