#GatewayGreat

Response from New View Alliance, New Directions, and Gateway Longview

We are hearing so many responses to Saturday's mass shooting. Tragic. Senseless. Hate-filled. Horrific,. They are all true but do not really capture what has happened. The event is so much deeper than our ability to define it in simple terms. Saturday's shooting is a continuation of the events that have become endemic in American society. Sandy Hook. Ahmaud Arbery. Greenwood. Emanuel AME Church. This message does not have the room for all the examples. Saturday's murders are local but the geography does not define our outrage-- and grief. These feelings are especially true for our black and brown colleagues and friends. We recognize that you are impacted by the recent events differently, more personally, and we cannot imagine the feelings and burden you must be carrying.

However, we must do more than have heavy hearts- we must take action. We must mobilize society as a whole to eliminate the racism and hate that is endemic in our communities. As partner agencies, we vow to join together and with others who stand strong against racism, prejudice, bias, or any other belief or behavior that diminishes the inherent worth, potential, and beauty of every human being. This is the foundation of our collective mission and the reason we exist. We believe every person has a unique purpose, deserves equal opportunity and respect, and has distinct greatness.

Sincerely,

Jim and Carolyne

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James W. Coder, CEO |  New Directions Youth & Family Services, Inc. and CEO | New View Alliance

Carolyne DeFranco, CEO | Gateway Longview and President | New View Alliance

Resources in Response to the Buffalo Supermarket Hate Crime

The recent racially motivated hate crime at the Tops supermarket in Buffalo New York in which the perpetrator targeted a Black community and has expressed white supremacy and anti-Semitic leanings has evoked a range of emotions and concerns of safety across the United States. In response to this event, the National Child Traumatic Stress Network has developed resources to help children, families, and communities navigate what they are seeing and hearing, acknowledge their feelings, and find ways to cope together. 

Gateway Longview is a non-profit human services organization established in 1890 that provides comprehensive programs focused on behavioral health, community-based services, residential treatment, and special education programs to over 5,000 children and families annually throughout Western New York. 

Driven by core values of Integrity, Safety, Empowerment, Diversity and Collaboration through a trauma-informed lens to care, Gateway Longview is committed to working together to protect, to give hope, and to enrich the lives of every child and family we serve. Read more

Behavioral Health Services