Community-centered programming can take many forms, but the strongest examples share a common starting point, listening to the people they aim to serve. This year’s Impactful Programming honorees approached their work with that kind of community focus, creating programs that made a tangible difference across Western New York.
The Impactful Programming Spark Award honors an artist or arts or cultural organization for a community-centered program or project that significantly impacted the WNY community.
Cynthia Pegado
2026 Impactful Programming Award Winner
Cynthia Pegado brings together art, movement, music, and community to create experiences designed around the people who participate in them. With a background in dance, Cynthia has spent more than a decade developing creative programs for people living with Parkinson’s disease, dementia, and other disabilities, as well as their caregivers and broader community.
Through programs including Art Moves Me at the Burchfield Penney Art Center and Artpark Bridges in Lewiston, Cynthia uses movement, visual art, music, writing, and the environment itself to create opportunities for exploration and connection.
Activities are thoughtfully adapted so that participants can engage in ways that work for them, whether through movement, making art, playing music, or simply observing.
Her work also creates opportunities to experience familiar places and cultural spaces differently. At Artpark, participants have explored the park’s artwork and architecture through poetry and movement, while Mindful Mondays brings people outdoors for creative activities designed to encourage reflection, connection, and a break from the stresses of everyday life.
Since launching her programs in 2015, Cynthia has kept them free of charge, removing financial barriers to participation. Her approach is intentionally collaborative, bringing participants, caregivers, artists, and volunteers together in experiences that foster creativity, confidence, and community.
For the thoughtful and deeply community-centered programs she has developed across Western New York, Cynthia Pegado’s work is a shining example of Impactful Programming.
“Cynthia is not just a facilitator, or an educator (though she does both of those extremely well), she is a researcher, exploring ways to incorporate art, music and movement into people’s lives to give them muscle memory, to use cognitive skills and re-structure community.”
Youth in the Center (YITC) Foundation
2026 Impactful Programming Honorable Mention
Youth In the Center (YITC) Foundation uses filmmaking and creative expression to help young people explore difficult topics, build confidence, and develop practical decision-making skills. Founded in 2021, the organization works with youth as writers, actors, production assistants, and storytellers, giving them an active role in creating work for their peers.
In 2025 and 2026, YITC produced original short films addressing online grooming and exploitation, as well as teen mental health. The projects paired youth-led filmmaking with guided community discussions, creating opportunities to talk openly about challenging subjects while connecting participants with information and local resources.
YITC keeps its youth programming and community screenings free and works with schools, libraries, and youth-serving organizations to bring the programs directly into the community. By centering young people’s perspectives and using their feedback to help shape future topics, YITC creates programming that is both accessible and relevant to the people it serves.
