Bill's Birthday Fundraiser

Your support helps provide gifts to more than 1,400 children in our communities this holiday season.

Fill a Backpack. Feed a Child.

More than a food program, the Weekend Backpack Program provides stability, dignity, and peace of mind for children and families facing significant challenges.

Program Impact

· More than 24,000 meals provided annually

· 55 students receive support each year

· Food distributed year-round through Northern Rivers' special education schools

· Meals provided through a partnership with the Regional Food Bank of Northeastern New York

· Cost per meal: just $0.97

A Critical Need

Without new support, Northern Rivers faces a significant funding gap that could impact our ability to continue providing food to students who rely on this program. We are working now to ensure there is no interruption in services and that every child currently enrolled continues to receive support.

Your gift can help make that possible.

Your Gift Makes a Difference

· $100 helps provide more than 100 meals

· $250 helps provide more than 250 meals

· $500 helps provide more than 500 meals

· $1,000 helps provide more than 1,000 meals

Every gift helps ensure a child has access to nutritious food every weekend, every school break, and throughout the entire year.

Make a Gift Today

When you support the Backpack Program, you are doing more than providing food. You are helping a child arrive at school ready to learn, engage in treatment, and experience the stability they need to thrive.

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You're invited to a Celebration & Fundraiser

Honoring 50 Years of Education at Northern Rivers and investing in the next 50

Thursday, March 19, 2026

5:30 PM - 8:00 PM

Duo at the Dunes, 257 Washington Ave, Ext. Albany, NY 12205

Join us for an evening celebrating five decades of education at Northern Rivers - while raising support for the next generation of students, education, and learning environments.

Investing in the Next 50 Years of Education

By raising funds for the next generation of students, educators, and learning environments, we empower brighter futures and stronger communities. Every contribution helps open doors to opportunity—providing access to innovative resources, inspiring teachers, and safe, dynamic spaces where curiosity can thrive. Together, we are not just funding education; we are investing in the minds and mentors who will shape the world to come.

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Investing in the Next 50 Years of Education

Proceeds support the future of education at Northern Rivers

HOLIDAY GIVING CAMPAIGN
This holiday season, please join us in bringing smiles to the faces of children and families served by Northern Rivers Family of Services member agencies Northeast Parent & Child Society and Parsons Child & Family Services Center.
Let’s help Northern Rivers reach their goal of 6,000 to make the holidays brighter for 1,400 children.

Ways to give

Shop online from our registries and ship directly to us
Send a physical or electronic gift card
Drop off an unwrapped gift
Make a monetary donation
Share our Holiday Giving information with family and friends
Set up a collection box or giving tree

In order to have ample time to distribute gifts to our programs, we ask that donations arrive by Friday, December 19.

Unwrapped gifts may be dropped off in Albany by appointment (call 518.579.3517).

Holiday Giving Headquarters: 60 Academy Rd., Albany, NY 12208

For questions, contact Kimberley Belleville at 518.579.3517 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

100% of your donations will be distributed to children and families served by Northeast and Parsons.

Hospital to Home

A bridge and support for youth and their caregivers during times of transition.

Northern Rivers’ Hospital to Home (H2H) program provides a structured, supportive transition for youth ages 11 to 17 with acute mental health needs who are discharging from psychiatric hospitalization or emergency room stays. Through a multi-phase care model, the program aims to reduce unnecessary readmissions and long-term placements by offering comprehensive and community-based supports. Using the Critical Time Intervention (CTI) approach, we partner with hospitals and families to ensure a seamless discharge and sustainable reintegration into home and community life.

Who We Are

Our H2H treatment team includes case managers, clinicians, peer advocates, educational and vocational specialists, recreational therapists, and behavior intervention specialists. We work in close coordination with hospital discharge planners and treatment teams to create individualized service plans. Our approach focuses on assessing immediate needs, building a community support network, and promoting long-term emotional and behavioral health stability and avoidance of emergency services.

What We Do

H2H is a 9–12-month transitional case management program that begins with hospital-based engagement and extends into the community. It includes:

Critical Time Intervention (CTI): Intensive, phased case management involving family engagement, skill-building, resource linkage, and advocacy.
Transitional Residential Setting (TRS): (Launching Fall 2025) Up to 120 days of short-term residential care as needed at our Park Place facility in Schenectady in a dedicated 8-bed unit, supported by H2H service.

Getting Started

Referrals to H2H are made directly by hospitals. We serve youth ages 11 to 17 (Youth who turn 18 while enrolled may continue to be served through age 19) who:

Are medically and psychiatrically cleared for discharge.
Have been (or are expected to remain) boarding in Inpatient or Emergent Care Units for more than
72 hours.
Would benefit from structured transition services and wraparound care.

Questions? Contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

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It only takes one person to change what comes next

Every morning, Amariana woke up with dread.

Going to school made her anxious, frustrated, and angry. She struggled academically, and bullying left her feeling isolated from her peers. Learning became harder, she fell further behind, and she started to believe that maybe she just wasn’t someone who could succeed in school.

Finally, Amariana was referred to the School at Northeast. There, people saw her differently.

At Northern Rivers’ Schenectady-based school, Amariana found teachers and staff who took the time to understand her. They recognized her strengths, celebrated her progress, and helped her see that her past struggles didn't have to determine her future.

Little by little, things began to change.

Amariana woke up feeling better. She started attending school every day, participating in class and celebrating successes. She met with her school-based behavioral health team weekly. And most importantly, she began believing in herself.

Changing a life might start with one person, but it doesn’t stop there.

A teacher helps a student discover what they're capable of. That feeling of success inspires the student to achieve in other classes. That young person who once couldn't imagine graduating can begin thinking about what comes next, and how they can aim even higher.

And there's one more person in Amariana's story.

You.

Your generosity helps make moments like these possible every day at Northern Rivers.

Please make a gift today so that young people like Amariana have the support, opportunities, and people in their corner they need to build a brighter future.

Because one relationship can create hope. One person can change what comes next.

Never underestimate what one person can do. Today, that one person can be you.