The Genetaska Club of Rochester is making this a season of gratitude for Children’s Institute! Every month, the Genetaska Club picks a charity and hosts a luncheon during which they donate several items from the charity’s community wishbook page. For December, Children’s Institute is the organization receiving donations!

Genetaska was formerly “ladies of Kiwanis,” and can be traced back 69 years. The Club today has over 100 members from all over Monroe County. They have supported schools and charities such as Alternatives for Battered Women, Angels of Mercy, the Irondequoit Community Cupboard, St. Joseph’s House of Hospitality, the School of the Holy Childhood, and Wilson Commencement Park, just to name a few. They also collect money from members every month to purchase hats and mittens for students at two Rochester city schools. 

Dr. Ann Marie White, our Executive Director, and Diane Trentini, our Director of Organizational Transformation attended the luncheon at Midvale Country Club, packing up their cars with many donated items. Our wish list asked for toys, books, gift cards for the parents, and supplies for hosting meetings for community groups, and they certainly delivered on these wishes!

The group asked Ann Marie to speak about our work. It was a great opportunity to highlight CI's various offerings, where shoulder-to-shoulder with our partners, we provide unique preventative approaches to working with children, supporting their developmental needs and strengthening social emotional health and overall wellness. She started with the following comments, "[We are] overwhelmed with joy and gratitude ... with how you are helping the children that we support and the adults that work with children that we support/ So thank you so very, very much for all of what you've given and for all of what you do as an organization to keep the giving happening. We rely on the generosity of our community members to do the work that we do as a nonprofit. I was so honored to learn more about your organization and understand its root is "helping hands." It reminded me a lot of how we orient ourselves in Children's Institute."

We could not be more appreciative of the extreme generosity of the members of Genetaska Club. The work we do promoting every child’s complete wellbeing would not be possible without the help and support from other community-based organizations like them!

Learn more about the good work of the Genetaska club at their website, and view CI and other’s community wishbook pages here. Genetaska is always looking for new members; if you're interested in joining simply click on the "Membership Form" at the top of the page and send the completed form to the name & address at the bottom.