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AMHERST, N.Y. -- Cheryl Bird, executive director of �IJʿ������ College’s Paul A. Saffrin Center for Sustainability and Civic Engagement, has received a 2017 Women Who Move the City award from Big Brothers Big Sisters of Erie County.

The award was presented at a celebration held May 11 for this year’s honorees. Women Who Move the City recognizes women who volunteer with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Erie County and those who volunteer throughout Western New York.

“It is an incredible honor to receive this kind of recognition from Big Brothers Big Sisters,” said Bird. “We are proud of the work that we do in �IJʿ������’s partner communities, which give students the opportunity to engage in powerful experiences with our local refugee population and disadvantaged youth.”

As executive director of the Saffrin Center for Sustainability and Civic Engagement, Bird oversees the center’s community partnerships and projects with underserved neighborhoods in Buffalo, including Seneca Babcock, Broadway Fillmore, and the West Side, and efforts for the city’s refugee population. She also manages the center’s initiatives to promote environmental and social sustainability and to help support healthy communities.

In addition to her role at �IJʿ������, Bird founded and is chair of the Seneca Street Community Development Corp., and is co-chair of the Somali Bantu Community Organization.

As noted in Bird’s nomination, “Cheryl’s passion for working with the refugee community and with disadvantaged children is contagious. She is always inspiring people to work with disadvantaged youth in Seneca Babcock, and encouraging them to work with a child or teen who has no adult role model in their lives.”

Bird resides in Amherst.