Civic leader and philanthropist Tom Golisano, the founder of Paychex, has awarded The Summit Center an unrestricted gift of $5 million as part of a multi-million dollar giveaway. The gift was completely unexpected and will have a transformational impact on the agency.

During a press conference on Sept. 17, Mr. Golisano announced he is donating $360 million to a total of 82 nonprofit organizations across upstate New York. Funds will be distributed across a four- or five-year period to organizations in the health care, education, intellectual and developmental disabilities, general community, and animal welfare sectors.

CEO Lisa A. Foti shared, “Words cannot express how grateful we are to Mr. Golisano for his incredible generosity. This gift is unprecedented, one that will be used to increase the depth and breadth of services at Summit and strengthen our financial independence. We’ll be taking some time to examine ways to maximize these funds over the short- and long-term.”

The full list of recipients can be found at www.wivb.com/news/tom-golisano-donating-360m-across-upstate-ny-nonprofits.