Senator Cooney Delivers $100K In State Funding For Violence Prevention Programs In The City of Rochester

(ROCHESTER, NY) - Today, Senator Jeremy Cooney (D-Rochester) announced new state funding that he secured for Action For a Better Community (ABC) and Rise Up Rochester. Each organization will receive $50,000 to support their violence prevention and intervention work in the community. Senator Cooney was joined by Jerome Underwood, the President and CEO of ABC, and Wanda Ridgeway, the Executive Director of Rise Up Rochester. 

“Organizations like ABC and Rise Up Rochester work hard every day to disrupt the cycle of violence and put members of our community in a position to succeed,” said Senator Cooney. “These intervention efforts are pivotal to both preventing violence and taking care of victims in their time of need. I’m proud to deliver these funds and support both ABC and Rise Up Rochester’s missions to uplift our fellow community members.”

Jerome Underwood, President and CEO of Action for a Better Community said, “ABC is pleased to be a recipient of these funds which will be used to expand our violence prevention work in Rochester. We are particularly gratified that one of our grassroots partners, Rise Up Rochester, is also receiving a similar award. We are both members of Rochester’s Peace Collaborative and will be able to leverage this investment for further prevention and reduction of violent incidents. We appreciate the consideration for the upstream work to empower our young people with viable alternatives to violence as a means to address life’s challenges. ABC extends our thanks to Senator Cooney and his team for bringing these resources to Rochester where they are greatly needed.”

Wanda Ridgeway, Executive Director of Rise Up Rochester, Inc said, “On behalf of Rise Up Rochester, Inc., and the entire community, I want to extend our heartfelt gratitude to Senator Cooney for the generous $50,000. This contribution will make a significant impact on the lives of those in need in our community, providing essential resources and support to those facing challenging circumstances, while also helping us continue our mission of uplifting and empowering individuals and families in Rochester.”

The funding for ABC will be used for their Save Our Youth Program (SOY). The mission of SOY is to connect with youth either currently involved or likely to become involved in violent incidents. With conflict mediation, case management, training and technical assistance, SOY’s purpose is to reach Rochester’s at-risk youth before they enter the cycle of violence. 

Rise Up Rochester’s grant will help fund the holistic violence prevention work the organization performs. Rise Up Rochester’s programs are aimed at both disrupting violence in the community and providing support to crime victims and their families. These wrap around services are provided in schools, on the streets, and at community events. 

Both ABC and Rise Up Rochester are members of the Rochester Peace Collective, a coalition of local partners that work to bring investments into proven violence prevention programs in Rochester. Each group was directly selected for state agency funding through Senator Cooney’s office. 

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