The Rural Outreach Center (ROC), located at 730 Olean Road in East Aurora, served over 550 individuals in 2015, according to the nonprofit organization’s recently released annual report.

“Our mission is to assist, empower and elevate the impoverished rural population in southern Erie County and surrounding areas,” said Pastor Frank Cerny, ROC board chairman. “We serve with compassion, empathy and respect for all people.”

Among the ROC’s 2015 highlights was opening a temporary facility at 730 Olean Road in July, said Cerny. “Having a physical presence has increased foot traffic and allowed us to expand our services. In addition, our New Paths Redistribution Center and Health Services programs now operate out of our new facility.”

Following are additional highlights from the 2015 annual report:

The Pregnancy & Cancer Registry is a growing database of women from around the world who have been diagnosed with cancer while pregnant. The database was developed by Dr. Elyce Cardonick, a nationally recognized expert in maternal-fetal medicine. 

Dr. Cardonick has been helping pregnant women diagnosed with cancer have healthy babies for 17 years. These women are very brave, and at first want to deny themselves cancer treatment during pregnancy because they are afraid it will hurt their fetus. 

Catholic Charities of Buffalo and its eight partners are mobilizing for a January 1 start for the comprehensive Alzheimer’s Disease Caregiver Support Initiative, the result of a $7.5 million award announced recently by New York State Governor Andrew M. Cuomo.

Through the five-year grant, a focused, collaborative service network is being developed to support and impact caregivers of loved ones with Alzheimer’s disease and other dementia across seven counties in Western New York.  The goal is to expand the safety net for caregivers by recognizing and addressing the need for supports and stress reduction strategies.