Nazareth College in Rochester, New York, has announced a $7.5 million gift from the B. Thomas Golisano Foundation toward construction of an athletic training facility that advances a new model of inclusion, fitness, and wellness.

The Golisano Training Center will feature an indoor track and field, courts, and training facilities aimed at promoting fitness and wellness among Nazareth students. When completed, it also will enable the school to partner with Special Olympics, which will use the center for training and events, and with the Golisano Foundation to promote Special Olympics' Healthy Communities agenda. The $15.5 million, 91,000-square-foot facility is expected to open by the start of the 2018-19 academic year.

Nazareth will focus its initiatives for Special Olymipans on three of the Healthy Communities program's seven focus areas — FUNfitness (physical therapy), Healthy Hearing (audiology/speech and language pathology), and Health Promotion (better health and well‐being), providing vital health screening on a regular schedule, the development of wellness programs, and providing coaches and mentors. Nazareth College is the only Rochester‐based school to offer professional healthcare programs in fields such as nursing, physical therapy, speech therapy, social work, arts therapy, occupational therapy, and pre‐medical and ‐dental, as well as an Interdisciplinary Specialty Program in Autism.

The largest gift in Nazareth history boosts Tom Golisano’s total support for the college to more than $12.5 million, including a 2003 gift of $5 million to create the B. Thomas Golisano Academic Center.

"I am pleased to provide financial support for this extraordinary project and applaud Nazareth's commitment to create a shared athletic space that benefits athletes of all abilities," said Golisano. "This new Training Center will have an immediate, positive impact on people with disabilities, advancing the foundation's goal of fostering understanding, acceptance, and inclusion. It is also a unique opportunity to bring together the strengths and resources of Nazareth College, the Golisano Foundation, and Special Olympics, serving as a model for Healthy Community partnerships in other regions of the U.S. and the world."