Buffalo’s one and only Russell Salvatore has come to the rescue again. This time, Salvatore has donated $500K to the Expansion Campaign of the Kevin Guest House. The monetary gift will go a long way towards the renovation of a circa 1888 grand Victorian home, which is scheduled to open in Summer of 2017. Once open, the exquisite home will accommodate an additional 24 guests. These guests are staying in Downtown Buffalo because they have a family member who is being treated at a nearby hospital. The house acts as a home away from home for those who need it most, during an extremely difficult time.
“Kevin Guest House approached me with their expansion plans and I thought there was no better organization to help,” said Salvatore. “I’m excited to help them to grow and host even more guests in their beautiful new guest house.”
“The Garvey family is thrilled and humbled by Mr. Salvatore’s generous gift to the Kevin Guest House,” exclaimed Tom Garvey, founding family member and Campaign Chair, Kevin Guest House. “His generosity enables us to expand our campus and broaden the reach of our mission. His donation provides for our guests well into the future, allowing Mom and Dad’s vision of compassionate care to reach even more patients and families. When we kicked off the capital campaign, I quoted St. Francis of Assisi: ‘Start by doing what’s necessary; then do what’s possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible.’ This gift is transformative for the future of our campus and has made what seemed impossible – the renovation of an historical facility to accommodate our expansion – not only possible but an exciting reality. We couldn’t be more grateful!”
“We’re honored to receive such a tremendous gift from one of Western New York’s great philanthropists and most gracious hosts,” noted Lynsey Zimdahl Weaver, Executive Director, Kevin Guest House. “His gift is the single largest cash gift Kevin Guest House has ever received and for that we are so thankful. Russell’s level of hospitality is what we strive for each day at Kevin Guest House and we look forward to welcoming even more guests to the Kevin Guest House campus.”
The goals of the capital campaign are:
- To maintain the mission of the organization by serving a greater number of guests receiving care at any of the community’s major health care institutions
- To increase capacity to serve by nearly doubling our occupancy and reduce our wait list of an average of 400 guests per year
- To provide handicap accessibility for the first time
- To provide comfort and dignity with private bathrooms in each new private suite for those with large families or sensitive health issues
- To encourage guest interaction with a multipurpose room providing a home-like atmosphere for guests
The money given by Salvatore, combined with a $150,000 gift from the John R. Oishei Foundation, helps towards supplementing the $3 million goal. So far, $2.1 million has been raised.
Back in March, BRO writer Holly Metz Doyle documented the scope of the project (read here).
To learn more and make a gift to the Expansion Campaign for Kevin Guest House, visit www.KevinGuestHouseGrows.org.