BUFFALO, N.Y. — In the heart of the Cold Springs business corridor in the City of Buffalo, an organization dedicated to removing barriers for education and workforce participation has opened a new office.
Say Yes Buffalo opened its new office at 1166 Jefferson Avenue on Thursday.
“Obtaining a quality education is truly the vehicle to success,” New York Assembly Majority Leader Crystal Peoples-Stokes said. “Race, ZIP code, family income, or other socioeconomic factors should not hinder furthering one’s education. I am proud of the impactful work that Say Yes Buffalo has done and continues to achieve in our community to help remove significant obstacles for young people to reach their dreams by furthering their education. The $1 million in discretionary capital grants my office secured with help from DASNY is a transformative investment for our city and children. I am honored to welcome Say Yes Buffalo to its new office on Buffalo's East Side.”
“This simply would not have been possible without the investment and vision of Majority Leader Crystal Peoples-Stokes,” Say Yes Buffalo CEO David Rust said. “Thanks to her leadership, this beautiful office space will serve the entire city for years to come. Our mission is centered on investing in undervalued resources to make our community stronger, so opening up in a community that has seen so much disinvestment is meaningful for our entire team.”
Above the new office, is affordable housing administered by People, Inc. Say Yes Buffalo is the anchor tenant on the ground floor.
The office will house the agency's 50 administrative staff as well as meeting spaces, a podcast studio, and original artwork in the reception area by Edreys Wajed.
The $1.2 million in expenses also involved $383,000 in payments to minority or women-owned business enterprises.
“It has been one of my great professional accomplishments to be a catalyst in bringing life back to these four blocks of Jefferson Avenue,” Sinatra & Co. CEO Nick Sinatra said. “When Say Yes expressed interest in being an integral part of that transformation, it was a perfect fit. Throughout the six-plus years I have been involved with Say Yes, I have seen firsthand the generational impact the organization has made on people’s lives in the community we live in. I have seen the organization grow, its impact in the community grow, and our entire community benefit.”