Rochester Nonprofits and Charities

I am enrolled in the pooled trust spend-down with assistance from one of the Maimonides Cancer Center's social workers in 2018 or 2019. It has been a blessing for me as I have advanced breast cancer and am on a fixed budget with SSDI. <br> <br>I have had no bad experiences with CDR in Rochester. But one has to take responsibility and keep watch for what you send in to get paid and when the payment is due. So you need to keep an eye on your own expenses that you are submitting to check that they are paid on a timely basis. <br> <br>I have occasionally interacted with Marsha Sweet, Assistant Director, at CDR. She has always answered my questions quickly and has always been polite and professional. <br> <br>It is NOT a saving plans so you need to try and use the money you have in there every month realizing that they charge a $20 fee (which is minimal compared to other places). Once you pass away, or if you wind up in nursing home or hospice, it will be the end of the pooled trust bc you no longer have bills to pay. <br> <br>They are human and make errors occasionally like all of us. But each participant needs to check their own account to ensure bills are being paid on a timely basis. I have not had one issue with them, and phone calls/emails are responded to promptly. <br> <br>Realize once one passes, CDR keeps whatever money is in the pooled trust spend-down to help others in the same position. YOU DO NOT GET WHAT IS LEFT OVER BACK. <br> <br>I am grateful for the work they do.

Feminists Choosing Life of New York is a group of volunteers who work to support women's rights and end violence against women and children. Women and men who care about the people who are most vulnerable in our society including single mothers, pregnant women, the unborn, people near the end of their life join Feminists Choosing Life to speak out about issues of violence against these populations. I was most impressed by the work of FCL in opposing the expansion of abortion in New York. It is the state with the highest abortion percentages in the country already (40% of pregnancies in New York City end in abortion) and this bill would have increased that rate by eliminating common sense limitations like informed consent and 24-hour waiting periods. I am a professional woman who has had four pregnancies and I definitely believe that unborn children have the right to life. We need to help women with safe alternatives to abortion and that is one of the issues Feminists Choosing Life of New York work for.

I have worked for the Gay Alliance for 3 years as a volunteer and for ten as a staff member. This agency has guided me through my journey as a pretty clueless ally with no ties to the LGBTQ communities to my current role as the Director of the LGBTQ Academy (our education department). This has become my life’s work and I am so proud of this agency. I continue to be amazed at all that we are able to offer with such a tiny staff and a committed bunch of amazing volunteers. I have never worked with such passionate, generous and committed co-workers and volunteers in my life.

I've worked for MFJ for several years now and I can say that every day I am collaborating with incredibly talented, dedicated, and conscientious people with deep expertise in both criminal justice and technology (among other things). I've seen the organization pull off some amazing feats that people said could not be done, and I see great things around the corner as well.