Today is National Nonprofit Day—a moment to pause and truly appreciate the heart, passion, and dedication that nonprofit organizations bring to our communities every single day. At the Office for People With Developmental Disabilities (OPWDD), we hold a profound sense of gratitude for our nonprofit provider partners. Every day, they stand beside us in our shared mission to help people with developmental disabilities live full, meaningful, and joyful lives. Quite simply, they are the backbone of our service system; we could not do this without them.

While New York’s developmental disabilities service system is one of the largest in the nation, its true strength lies in its humanity. We rely on more than 400 nonprofit partners in every corner of our state to bring comfort, support, and opportunity to over 135,000 people and their families. Whether they are providing a safe, welcoming place to call home, guiding someone toward a fulfilling job, offering a much-needed hand to a family through respite, or coordinating vital care, these organizations are a lifeline.

The health of our entire system is intimately tied to the well-being of our nonprofit partners. It is their dedication, along with the extraordinary compassion of the direct support professionals they employ, that allows people to thrive, grow, and belong. They do more than just provide services—they build bridges of independence and connection, making New York State a place where everyone is valued and included.

On this National Nonprofit Day, I invite you to join me in sending our deepest, most sincere thanks to our nonprofit partners across New York. Thank you for your tireless work, your endless compassion, and your unwavering commitment to the people we support.

Sincerely,

Willow Baer
Commissioner