Eric Sterling, a teacher at the Andrews-Trahey School on Hillside’s Monroe Campus, was honored in February with the coveted Golden Apple Award by Rochester’s WROC-TV news team. The award, presented weekly, salutes excellence in the region’s teaching community.

An 18-year Hillside veteran who teaches mathematics to students in grades 4 through 12, Sterling was surprised by a February 4 visit from WROC to his classroom that had been arranged in advance once his nomination had been selected. In remarks to the news crew, he praised the “family environment” that makes being a Hillside teacher so enjoyable. He said the best parts of his job are “getting to know the students and building relationships,” and he thanked his students and colleagues “for making Hillside such a great place to be.”

Sterling’s Golden Apple nomination, prepared by his colleagues, described him as “an experienced educator, a life-long learner, and a team player. His knowledge of elementary and secondary education, curriculum, childhood development, learning characteristics of children and educational disabilities make him an asset to our school.”

The nomination continued: “Eric has dedicated endless hours outside of school to meet with and mentor less tenured staff. He creates engaging content to help students prepare and feel confident about the work they are doing and shares that work with his peers. Eric has always been able to differentiate his instruction and create learning opportunities to engage all students academically and socially.

“Eric is a professional who takes the time to listen, evaluate, and brainstorm. He is collaborative and has demonstrated this through his work with teachers, staff and students.”

Hillside’s array of services include five 853 schools that each deliver a NYSED-certified curriculum for youth in residential or day-treatment settings. In addition to the Andrews-Trahey School on the Monroe Campus in Rochester, Hillside schools are located on the agency’s other residential campuses in Chili, Bath and Auburn; and at the Halpern Education Center, a day-treatment site in Webster.

When he walked across the stage to receive his diploma with Edison Career & Technology High School’s Class of 2016, Jose Laracuente was the first member of his family to graduate high school. And today, he’s also the first Laracuente to walk down fashion-show runways as a professional model.

“I love fashion. I always have,” Laracuente says. “In my yearbook there were pictures of me, always with a tie or with something dressy. Even then, I think I knew what I was meant to do.”

Originally from Puerto Rico, Laracuente relocated as a child with his family to New York City and eventually Rochester. While at Edison Tech, he found critical support from Hillside Work-Scholarship Connection—and from Brenda Ortiz, his HWSC Youth Advocate.

“Hillside was such a help,” he recalls. “There was a point when I wanted to give up and work—to help my family, you know? But Brenda motivated me to keep going. She told me I had to push myself to the max. She didn’t give up on me, and I didn’t give up on myself.”

Today, the 27-year-old lives in New Jersey while working in New York as a model and actor—from international runway shows and print advertising jobs, to appearances on shows like “Power Book III: Raising Kanan”—while also teaching classes for aspiring models.

“Education is so important to everything in life,” he says—a lesson he imparts to his students. “If you want to be a model, that’s wonderful, but you won’t be a model for the rest of your life. You have to learn more to have more opportunities.”

Recently, Laracuente returned to Rochester to present a weeklong Fashion Boot Camp to current HWSC students (pictured above), part of the program’s annual Summer Academy activities. Participants learned model walks and poses, as well as how to prepare self-promotional materials that are critical to success in the fashion industry. The week ended with a fashion show where the students displayed what they had learned—including a newfound sense of confidence.

“Not all of them may get into modeling or fashion as a career, but that’s OK,” Laracuente says. “The most important lesson I wanted to teach them was to be confident about who they are—that they’re beautiful, inside and out.”

Laracuente says the most valuable skill he’s developed is motivation—a trait he says owes much to his experience in the HWSC program. “It takes a lot of dedication and passion to do this. When I have doubts, I remind myself of who I am. It gives me strength.”

“He learned so much as a student, and he’s carried on what he learned with us into adulthood, and into his career,” says YA Brenda Ortiz. “I’m so proud of him.”

Your gift today makes HWSC and other Hillside programs possible. Please give generously!

Each year, we profile the winner of the Hillside Chair’s Award, an honor earned by an employee whose above-and-beyond dedication and impact exemplify the principles of Hillside’s mission of service.

Like a lot of young people, Keyonne Teagle had dreams of a successful career as a professional athlete—but unlike many kids, he also had the skills, drive and early college successes to suggest those dreams were attainable.

“I had a touch of the glory of basketball and got to enjoy it,” he recalls. “My goal was to make a living at it, and I was doing well … but I got injured three times. It wasn’t my thing, I guess.”

His last injury forced Teagle to seek another calling, and he found it in helping others. In 2002 the Queens, NY, native relocated to Rochester, and since 2004 he’s been an enthusiastic member of the Hillside team—including working for the past 13 years as a Youth Advocate for Hillside Work-Scholarship Connection (HWSC).

Teagle’s consistent dedication has instilled him in a sense of purpose, and helped him make a difference in countless young lives. “It builds me up, coming to work and seeing the kids, helping them rectify the problems that they face and giving advice they can carry into the community,” he says. “And when they tell me ‘Thank you. I needed to hear that,’ that helps me along the way.”

Among the many dividends of his long Hillside history has been seeing the longer-term results of his commitment to vulnerable youth. Teagle recalls a student who graduated high school with a full scholarship to study law, and another who eventually became an accountant. The latter alumnus later returned to share life lessons with Teagle’s current students at Greece Athena High School. “They’re doing big things in life. Those are the success stories. I’m so proud of them.”

Teagle gives credit for his longevity to his peers and the current and past supervisors who have provided support and guidance. “I always want to elevate my skillset—every day, I try to do better and be better, and never sell myself short. These young men and women need that from us.

“But you’d be surprised what the kids can teach you, too,” he adds. “These students are phenomenal. I’m so privileged to be a part of their lives. And I owe it to Hillside.”

Keyonne Teagle is pictured above with Jill Knittel, Past Chair, Hillside Board of Governors; and Maria Cristalli, Hillside President & CEO.

Click here to listen to Maria Cristalli and Keyonne Teagle in a recent “Conversations with the CEO” podcast. 

Community support keeps #HillsideStrong! Please make a donation today.

Hillside’s annual Special Santa program has concluded another successful season, with nearly 7,500 toys and gifts collected for more than 3,200 youth and families served by Hillside.

Following the active phase of community donations that closed December 11, Hillside staff and volunteers have been excitedly distributing new and unwrapped gifts to programs in all Hillside regions; with gifts then shared with families to provide to children according to individual customs and preferences.

“It’s been another wonderful Special Santa season, one that wouldn’t be possible with the generosity and support of countless individuals, businesses and organizations who share our commitment to spreading holiday joy,” said Maria Cristalli, President & CEO, noting in particular Presenting Sponsor KeyBank and Silver Sponsor The Bonadio Group.

Additionally, Hillside would like to extend special thanks to the community partners who collected toys and gifts throughout the season with on-site donation boxes, or held special events to spread the word about Special Santa 2023. These include: 

• Greater Rochester Region—American Packaging, Avon Rotary/Avon Inn, Barnes & Noble, Barry’s Yoga, Bitter Honey, Branca Midtown, Brighton Securities, Cognivue, Inc., CountryMax, Delmonico’s Italian Steakhouse, DRT Aerospace, Economy Products & Solutions, EMCOR Services Betlem, First American Equipment Finance, KeyBank, L3Harris, Nocino Bar & Ristorante, Northwest Bank, Paul Davis Restoration, Prentice Wealth Management, Progressive Machine & Design, Rochester General Motors, The Revelry, Thermo Fisher Scientific, Tipping Point Communications, Velvet Belly and Ziggy’s.

• Greater Syracuse Region—Driver’s Village, EMCOR Services Betlem, Evolve Salon & Spa, KeyBank, NYS Department of Transportation and Onondaga Community College. 

• Greater Buffalo Region—Candy Lane Day Care Center, CountryMax, Dollar General, KeyBank, LeRoy Ambulance, LeRoy Police and Studio Café. 

• Southern Tier Region—Ahira Hall Memorial Library.

Special Santa will return in 2024, but year-round community is critical to Hillside’s mission. To donate today, visit www.hillside.com/donate.

Eighty-year-old Suzanne Robinson can trace her love of helping others back to her youth. As a young girl, she learned from her grandfather about sharing hen’s eggs from the family chicken coop with others who were less fortunate.

Robinson has learned many more lessons since then—about accepting other people with differences, volunteering her time, and donating what she can to help people in her community. As a woman shaped by faith, the retired schoolteacher cites “the widow’s mite,” a bible story in which a poor widow makes a sacrificial donation, which is considered more significant than the larger contributions from those with surplus wealth.

Robinson gives what she can to Hillside because she says “Hillside gives you bang for your buck.” Based on her own extensive research, she trusts the way Hillside manages its donations, and how the staff works with children and connects with families.

Her appreciation for Hillside’s mission also has a personal dimension. Years ago, after becoming a foster parent to twin brothers who had emigrated from Vietnam, Robinson came to recognize that although one of the brothers was adjusting to his transition, the other was experiencing severe emotional and behavioral challenges. Seeking support from a family therapist and other resources, she eventually was referred to Hillside’s residential services.

She recalls their uncertain drive up the hill on the Monroe Campus, and the comfort and kindness shown by the staff. She remembers being reassured that the teen would receive much-needed assistance. And she treasures the knowledge that those interventions, along with individual and family counseling, enabled him to overcome his challenges.

Today, he enjoys a productive, successful life, in a professional role that divides his time between Hawaii and Vietnam. “The healing started at Hillside,” she says.

Robinson says her donations have a sense of urgency: she’s eager to see her philanthropy foster meaningful change, while also allowing her to experience the joy of giving. Charity “gives you much more satisfaction than eating a finely prepared meal in a wonderful restaurant,” she says. “With giving, your joyful feeling will last.”

Despite her generosity, Robinson says she doesn’t seek attention for being a donor to Hillside—but she does hope her story inspires others to join her in giving.

Community support keeps #HillsideStrong. Support our mission by making a donation today.

Each year, we profile the winner of the Hillside Chair’s Award, an honor earned by an employee whose above-and-beyond dedication and impact exemplify the principles of Hillside’s mission of service.

Amy Patterson is a familiar face at many Hillside offices, campuses and regions. Although based in Buffalo, the Senior Nurse Manager moves around a lot in the course of juggling multiple responsibilities.

“It changes every day,” says Patterson of her typical routine that’s anything but typical. “One day I’ll be working with the individuals we serve in our group homes, and the next I might be supporting a youth who’s having difficulty in one of our schools. I do a lot of different things.”

Patterson has been a nurse since age 18 and a Hillside employee since 2010—years of experience that she called upon to meet the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. Like the rest of the world, she was thrust into an unknown situation fraught with social isolation and medical uncertainty.

Her first thoughts were for the people and families that Hillside serves, and the dedicated staff who were caring for them. “I don’t ever remember being so tired. I felt like I worked nonstop for those first few months,” Patterson recalls. “I felt bad for everyone – the kids and individuals, their families, our own employees. I wanted them to all see one another and they couldn’t. It was heartbreaking.”

When the COVID vaccine became available, Patterson led the charge by scheduling and staffing vaccine clinics in Rochester and Buffalo (pictured above right), leveraging partnerships with community organizations including Update Pharmacy, University of Rochester Medicine, D’Youville College, and Fantastic Friends of Western New York.

“It was a team effort,” she says of that work. “I became a champion of the vaccine because that was going to get us back to normal, and I wanted to do what I could do to help.”

Looking back, she credits Hillside’s commitment to adaptation and innovation as being critical to the agency’s COVID journey. And today, with the pandemic’s worst days in the past, she says working directly with youth and families brings a great sense of fulfillment. “I’m happy because I can make a difference,” Patterson says, “and because I get to work with so many like-minded people.”

On behalf of the Hillside community, we thank Amy Patterson for her commitment—during that critical time in our history, and every day!

Hillside is hiring for a wide range of positions that make a difference in the lives of youth and familes. Visit our Careers page to learn more about working at Hillside, and to find a role that fits your interests and skills.