Communities of Giving Legacy Initiative

03/05/2025

Congratulations to CGLI Council member Talia Rodriguez for being named as a recipient of the Buffalo Business First 2025 IDEA Awards! These awards celebrate Western New Yorkers who make inclusivity, diversity and equity pillars of their businesses.

Learn more about Talia and the other recipients here:
https://www.bizjournals.com/buffalo/news/2025/02/14/idea-awards-talia-rodriguez-path.html

01/20/2025

Today we honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., a visionary leader of the civil rights movement in the United States from the mid-1950s until his assassination in 1968.

During that time, Dr. King traveled over 6,000,000 miles and spoke over 2,500 times, including in Buffalo. He wrote numerous books and articles, and directed the march on Washington, D.C., of 250,000 people to whom he delivered his “I Have a Dream” address.

Designated as a federal holiday in 1983, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day is a National Day of Service to encourage all Americans to step up to make communities more equitable and take action.

The CGLI works to cultivate positive change in the lives of trailblazing youth of color, and we honor Dr. King, whose tireless efforts to do that and so much more continue to inspire us today.

01/10/2025

Marlon Kerner, Director of Client Relations and the Communities of Giving Legacy Initiative at the Community Foundation, shares his reflections after one year in the role.

12/23/2024

What an incredible celebration we had in November to honor inspiring individuals in our community!

One of those people was Tiffany Torres, recipient of the 2024 Judge Hugh B. Scott Community Service Award. As part of this award, Tiffany had the opportunity to award $2,500 to the organization of her choice and selected Thy Kingdom Era Collective, pictured here with Tiffany accepting the award.

Nominations for the 2025 Hugh B. Scott Awards will open in February. Start planning who you will nominate now!

12/17/2024

A week-long trip to Washington D.C. to learn about government and democracy, a visit to Buffalo’s City Hall, and numerous opportunities to learn alongside peers from all over the country, Close Up is a unique educational opportunity that sparks curiosity about philanthropy and advocating for social change.

For more than a decade, the CGLI has supported this life-changing program for local high school students. Watch this brief video to see what some of the 2024 students walked away with!

12/10/2024

What an honor it was to have Claudine Ewing serve as the Pay It Forward Awards emcee for the third consecutive year! Claudine and the WGRZ team also featured the awards on a recent episode of CommUNITY.

Check it out here (the awards are mentioned around the 14:20 mark!):

On this November episode of commUNITY, Claudine Ewing and Pete Gallivan celebrate people and events across Buffalo and Western New York.

12/03/2024

It’s Giving Tuesday! Help inspire young people to make a difference and create the future they want to see.
Click here to find out how: https://mailchi.mp/978d2f00f647/cgligivingtuesday2024-14189110

11/25/2024

Who else had a great time at the Pay It Forward Awards?

We’re still thinking about ALL of the excitement of that evening as we honored community leaders for their personal and professional accomplishments that have increased philanthropy, services and education to communities of color in Western New York.

In case you missed it, or if you want to revisit that special night, check out the highlights in this video!

11/14/2024

On November 7, the Communities of Giving Legacy Initiative (CGLI)® hosted its 13th annual Pay It Forward Awards, celebrating its theme of “Sparking Change 🌟.”
These annual awards were created to recognize outstanding individuals or organizations that embody the CGLI’s mission of cultivating change in the lives of trailblazing youth of color living within Western New York.
The 2024 Pay It Forward honorees are Tracy Cooley, Kareema Morris and Felicia Walker.
We also gave out two awards that honor the legacy of Judge Hugh B. Scott, a United States magistrate judge for the Western District of New York and a founding member of the CGLI who exemplified its mission. Tiffany Torres was awarded the Judge Hugh B. Scott Community Service Award and Jonathan Evans was awarded the Judge Hugh B. Scott Inspiring Youth Community Service Award.
The awards recognize personal and professional accomplishments and how those actions increase philanthropy in communities of color. Emphasis is placed on service to the community and educating the next generation, with a focus on showcasing community champions that reflect the multicultural and ethnic diversity of the CGLI’s mission.
Learn more here:
https://www.cfgb.org/news/communities-of-giving-legacy-initiative-honors-2024-community-champions-at-annual-pay-it-forward-awards/

11/01/2024

Happy Native American Heritage Month! This November, we’re recognizing the significant contributions the first Americans made to the establishment and growth of the United States. The month of November is also important to Native Americans as it is a time when many tribes traditionally gather for cultural, spiritual and social events. This month-long celebration provides an opportunity to learn more about the contributions and unique experiences of Native Americans in the Greater Buffalo region and beyond.

10/30/2024

The Communities of Giving Legacy Initiative celebrates and recognizes outstanding individuals who are making a difference in the lives of trailblazing youth of color at our annual Pay It Forward Awards: Sparking Change on November 7, 2024.

This year, we’re honoring our three Pay It Forward Award winners: Tracy Cooley, Kareema Morris and Felicia Walker. Congratulations!

10/18/2024

The Communities of Giving Legacy Initiative (CGLI)®, an initiative of the Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo that focuses on cultivating positive change in the lives of trailblazing youth of color, is pleased to announce the 2024 recipients of the Judge Hugh B. Scott Community Service Award and the Inspiring Youth Community Service Award. Both awards honor the legacy of Judge Hugh B. Scott, a United States magistrate judge for the Western District of New York and a founding member of the CGLI who exemplified its mission.

The Judge Hugh B. Scott Community Service Award 2024 recipient is Tiffany Torres, Manager of Diversity and Belonging, Evergreen Health.

The Judge Hugh B. Scott Inspiring Youth Community Service Award 2024 recipient is Jonathan Evans, a student at St. Joseph’s Collegiate Institute.

Both recipients will be honored at the CGLI’s annual Pay It Forward Awards on Nov. 7, 2024. The Judge Hugh B. Scott Legacy Fund at the Community Foundation, which supports the Judge Hugh B. Scott Award, is sponsored in part by Harter Secrest & Emery LLP.

Click here to learn more about the awards: https://www.cfgb.org/news/communities-of-giving-legacy-initiative-announces-recipients-of-its-2024-community-service-awards-honoring-judge-hugh-b-scott/