BCAT Establishes the Blythe T. Merrill Scholarship to Offer Financial Aid for Graduating High School Seniors

BCAT Establishes the Blythe T. Merrill Scholarship to Offer Financial Aid for Graduating High School Seniors

Buffalo Center for Arts & Technology (BCAT) today announced the establishment of the Blythe T. Merrill Scholarship to support the organization’s graduating high school seniors with college expenses. The Scholarship was conceived in response to rising college costs as well as issues arising from changes to the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) that have been particularly challenging for incoming college freshmen this year. BCAT has a 100% high school graduation rate, and this year every graduating senior has been accepted to the college of their choice.

In addition to rising tuition and other increased college costs, changes to the FAFSA have resulted in a significant delay in notifying students if and how much aid they are eligible to receive. This means that students must commit to the school of their choice BEFORE they know if and how much aid they may receive and if they can afford the school of their choice. Late notice of aid also imperils additional scholarships, including Say Yes Scholarships, as many of these are only committed after other avenues for financial aid are exhausted. Funds raised through the Scholarship will be used to provide aid to students so that they have peace of mind that they can afford the college of their choice before they commit to attending.

BCAT has a goal of raising $11,000 to fund the Scholarship that will support BCAT students who plan to attend SUNY at Buffalo (UB), Buffalo State University, Erie Community College (ECC), Hilbert College, Villa Maria College, Alfred University, the and Art Institute of Chicago. All donations made up to $5,000 will be matched, doubling the value of the donation.

The Scholarship is named in honor of Blythe T. Merrill who recently retired as Executive Vice President and Program Officer of The John R. Oishei Foundation. Blythe was one of the community members responsible for bringing BCAT to Buffalo in 2013 and she has been a tireless champion for excellence in education and of BCAT and its students.

BCAT’s afterschool arts & technology program provides a welcoming space for high school students for self-expression, to be part of a welcoming community, and to explore new interests through the arts and technology. The majority of BCAT’s students face significant barriers to success including poverty, trauma, bullying, racism and more. Many of these students come from low-income, single parent households and will be the very first in their family to attend college

The eleven graduating students are emblematic of all BCAT students who are striving to develop their own future pathway and have grown and flourished at BCAT with the guidance of talented staff and programs that provide students a chance to develop new interests and discover their talents. To make a donation to the Blythe T. Merrill Scholarship Fund, click here.

BCAT Names Sean Crawford Director of Development

BCAT Names Sean Crawford Director of Development

Buffalo Center for Arts & Technology (BCAT) has named Sean Crawford as Director of Development, overseeing all fundraising and development activity for the nonprofit organization. BCAT offers cost-free programs designed to engage, build skills, and highlight new opportunities so that high school and adult students have the tools to build stable, hopeful, and financially secure futures.

Crawford brings development experience to his new role, having previously served as Director of Development and Operations for Shakespeare in the Park, and through his consulting work in strategic planning and fundraising with Total Fundraising Solutions. He also brings experience in the arts, having worked at the Community Music School and serving on the board of Locust Street Art. Crawford is also a Foundation Fellow through the Cullen Foundation, an 18-month program focused on leadership and development for emerging arts administrators.

In his new role, Crawford will lead BCAT’s development work including fundraising, donor stewardship, grant writing, and relationship-building with the philanthropic sector.

Founded ten years ago, Buffalo Center for Arts & Technology, offers cost-free adult workforce training programs in allied health and IT fields that lead to meaningful employment with family-sustaining wages, and a cost-free high school arts and technology afterschool program that motivates students to stay in school and graduate with an actionable pathway into college and fulfilling careers. Both programs are offered in a welcoming, supportive, and inspiring environment.

DreamCore: A Collaborative Exhibition Reflective of Surrealism and Dada Movements

BCAT’s youth artists participated in the opening reception for DreamCore Collaborative Exhibition on July 22 at BOX Gallery. The opening reception, hosted by local poet/musician Millie Rea, featured writers from BCAT and Just Buffalo Literary Center. DreamCore Collaborative Exhibition is a youth-centered gallery showing at the BOX Gallery, 667 Main St, Buffalo NY, from July 22nd to August 5th.

DreamCore was developed by youth in our Mural Club as an aesthetic that resembles older art movements such as Surrealism and Dada, and reflects on the loss of meaning during uncertain times. Youth artists were inspired by a modern Tiktok aesthetic that creates disparate senses of space, time, tone and media through collaging. BCAT artists were challenged to build their own spaces of meaning out of the random scraps given to them, centering the act of making itself as meaning in the face of everything aiming to erase it over the last several years.

BCAT Receives Designation as Neighborhood Champion from Bank of America

Bank of America recently recognized the Buffalo Center for Arts & Technology (BCAT) as a Neighborhood Champion for 2021. In recognition of BCAT’s dedication to the community, BCAT will receive a $50,000 grant and access to leadership training to invest in the growth of the organization.

“We are very appreciative and grateful for Bank of America’s continued support of BCAT as we continue to live out our mission and provide career development opportunities for our community,” said Gina Burkhardt, CEO, BCAT.

Bank of America’s Neighborhood Champion program supports the role strong nonprofit leaders play in advancing economic mobility in over 40 communities across the U.S.

Cornell University High Road Fellow Leaves His Mark on BCAT

Cornell University High Road Fellow Leaves His Mark on BCAT

For the past several years, BCAT has had the priviledge of having a Cornell University High Road Fellow join our team during the summer months. This program was created by the Partnership of Public Good.

This summer, Sam Curtis, an incoming junior, and Industrial and Labor Relations major at Cornell virtually joined our team to help us develop a more “out of the box” recruitment strategy for our youth arts & technology program.

He became a High Road Fellow after learning about the program through the Cornell Career Services Office and applied during the winter of last year. He said that he chose the High Road program since it allowed him to enhance his knowledge of economic and education policy while also having the valuable opportunity to make a direct impact on the Buffalo community.

Through his work with BCAT, he learned about the integral role BCAT plays in shaping both education and career pathways in the Buffalo economy. Through Sam’s research, he believes the greatest future opportunities for BCAT’s youth and technology programming is developing a greater presence in Buffalo Public and Charter High Schools and engaging with arts instructors.

I asked Sam what he wanted people to know about BCAT and he said, “I want people to know that the center is a unique place where Buffalo residents of all ages can participate in programming that will teach them relevant skills and shape their worldview.”

Thank you for your contributions Sam, you will be missed!

A Conversation with Adult Workforce Student Graduate, Teria Newell

Teria Newell came to BCAT after looking at many other programs and colleges for phlebotomy. She selected BCAT on the recommendation of her niece who said, “Aunty, the program is amazing, encouraging and free!”

Teria’s niece is a graduate of BCAT’s sterile processing program, so she knew firsthand the impact BCAT can have on someone’s career.

On July 29, Teria earned her national certification in phlebotomy after completed her coursework at BCAT. She is actively looking for a job with the long-term goal of becoming a nurse.

“Coming to BCAT was definitely the right choice, “said Teria. “At BCAT they actually care about you and want to make sure you exceed not only in the program that you are participating in, but in life after as well.”

Teria said she is proud to be a graduate of BCAT and is looking forward to helping others in the phlebotomy program. “Ms. Porter is a huge inspiration. She cares about each and every single last student in her program. Ms. Porters make sure everyone will make it and succeed. I thank her for being hard on us and giving us that push we needed.”

From all of us at BCAT, we are so proud of you Teria!

Just Buffalo Literary Center Selects BCAT Youth for Fellowship

JULY 13, 2021 — Just Buffalo Literary Center selected BCAT youth artist, Millie to serve as a youth fellow with the organization.

The Just Buffalo Writing Center Youth Fellowship offers a motivated young writer the opportunity to develop their craft and explore professional avenues within the literary arts.

Millie will work with a mentor, be encouraged to develop her unique voice as a creative writer and thinker, and present a creative writing project to be completed over the course of the summer fellowship. The fellowship includes a $1,200 stipend.

The fellowship takes place during the months of July and August 2021. This year, the youth fellowship will be conducted entirely online.

Just Buffalo Literary Center’s mission is to create and strengthen communities through the literary arts. And for more than 40 years, they have brought the world’s greatest writers to Buffalo, hosted poetry events and readings, and supported the development of young writers.

They believe in the love of reading, the art of writing, and the power of the literary arts to transform individual lives and communities.

BCAT Youth Artists Release Spring Publication Showcase

June 30, 2021 — Our youth artists released their spring publication to the community today which showcases their unique talents and hard work over the past three months.

The publication highlights contributions of more than 50 youth enrolled in 3D Printing, Art, Filmmaking & Photography, Music Production and Mobile App and Development. Throughout the trimester, youth completed: a major public art mural for Horizon Health Services, created fully functional mobile applications that will soon be available to use in real life, received their SME certification in Additive Manufacturing Fundamentals, developed .GIFs and created a “How to” guide, and developed their own music tracks.

Our youth accomplished all of this while navigating remote/hybrid school, isolation, and an overall lack of normalcy. BCAT is proud to have been a safe place our youth could come to express their creativity, discover new talents, and be a part of a supportive community.

To view the entire publication, please visit here.

A new path forward for career development and park conservancy

JUNE 28, 2021 — Featured in Buffalo Magazine’s July issue.

Quentin Jackson never imagined he’d play a role in beautifying the neighborhood park he jogged through nearly every day growing up on Buffalo’s East Side.

Jackson, 55, could see Martin Luther King Jr. Park as a kid from his father’s house at the corner of Fillmore and North Parade avenues and had always admired its beauty. Back then, his dreams centered on becoming a professional basketball player, but life got in the way. He was recently working on some odd landscaping jobs when a friend told him about the new Landscape Maintenance Technician program, a partnership between the Buffalo Center for Arts and Technology (BCAT) and the Buffalo Olmsted Parks Conservancy.

Jackson enrolled in January as one of 11 attendees of the program’s first class—and after 12 weeks of classroom instruction and field training, the conservancy hired him to prune, mow and maintain the same park he spent so much time enjoying as a child. He arrives at 6:30 every morning, a half-hour before everyone else, to beautify the park in the shadow of his father’s old house.

Jackson and his classmates immersed themselves in lessons about horticulture, landscaping techniques and the rich history of the Olmsted Parks. They learned about the rise, fall and renewal of Frederick Law Olmsted’s ambitious system of parks and parkways first designed for Buffalo more than 150 years ago, and the conservancy’s efforts to restore the landscape architect’s bold vision for the city.

“It teaches and graduates people who care about their city and environment, while economically supporting them as a local workforce who will in turn reinvest with sweat equity and passion,” Crockatt said. “Everyone benefits, and that is a rare and truly magnificent accomplishment.”

While the conservancy aims to train new seasonal workers for its parks, the program also provides invaluable skills for careers at private landscaping firms or self-employment, according to Brian Dold, the senior associate landscape architect who taught the class. It provides the opportunity to hop in a Bobcat, steer a riding mower and gain other experiences participants wouldn’t have otherwise.

“This program gives people hands-on experience in the field that gives them a leg up,” Dold said. “It serves a great purpose for us, but it also is improving people’s lives no matter where they head next.”

buffalo magazine

Dr. Kamalah Poles joins BCAT as Youth Arts & Technology Director

BUFFALO, JUNE 22, 2021 — BCAT is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Kamalah Poles to serve as our youth arts and technology director.

Kamalah brings 10 years of experience working with Buffalo’s youth. In her previous role, she worked as the program director for the Williams-Emslie YMCA providing oversight and strategic direction of the facility’s program. Prior to the YMCA, she served as the program coordinator for the Boys & Girls Club.

As BCAT’s youth arts and technology director, she will be charged with creating new partnerships and collaborations with youth-centered organizations, and Buffalo Public and Charter schools. Additionally, with the support of her team, she will forge new relationships with organizations throughout the city that will serve as mentorship and internship sites for our youth. In the immediate future, she will implement trauma informed and LBGTQ+ training programs to our staff to ensure we are successful in delivering the right care, empathy and supports to the youth we serve.

Kamalah will lead a team of three: Kevin Kline, curriculum designer and teaching artist, Caroline Lewis, social worker, and Matthew Bosque, college and career counselor. Under Kamalah’s guidance, this team will work to make sure our youth have a safe and inspiring place while they’re at BCAT, build a tactical plan for when they graduate, and retain a committed support network as they become independent adults.